New this month from the timely folks at TIME FOR KIDS is a look at the words that have shaped our country. With politics in the news every minute of the day, children are taking an increased interest in the history preceding this moment in time. What better way to make a difference in the future than to have a grasp of what happened in the past.

Seven documents each receive their own chapter. You’ll recognize most, but there are also a few not so familiar.

• DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
• THE MONROE DOCTRINE
• THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
• THE 14 POINTS
• THE ECONOMIC BILL OF RIGHTS
• THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE

A background of how the document came to be is followed by the actual document. There is also an informative Meet The Author piece so you can learn more about the document’s creator.

If your eyes get heavy at the thought of reading about history, you may perk up at the added modern feature to each chapter—a cell phone text conversation between the principal parties invested or who are at odds with the document. They are informative and often humorous. Here’s a brief excerpt of Thomas Jefferson and King George III and their text exchange:

Thomas Jefferson: AND you closed Boston Harbor. You cut us off from trade with every other part of the world.

King George III: You threw 340 chests of tea into the harbor!

T.J.: Heh-heh. That was a good one. Look, the fact is you are not keeping us safe. You declared that you will no longer protect the colonies.

K.G. III: Ugh. So much complaining. Why can’t you just follow the rules?

With more than 200 full-color photographs and illustrations, Our Nation’s Documents is an important handbook for every young person (and let’s not forget the older audience who might want a refresher on their long forgotten social studies classes). Be sure to also check out the first two titles in the series: Presidents of the United States and 50 States: Our America.

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Coming up next week is another MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY.

If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love on a Monday (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count–but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you’re featuring and a link to your blog at gpcolo (at) gmail (dot) com

 (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

Thank you so much for being a part of this awesome tradition begun by Shannon Messenger and for spreading the middle grade love!

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.