Dear America: Friend to Friend
© 2000 Knowledge Adventure, Inc.
Margaret Ann Brady is a British orphan hired to take a trip aboard the Titanic. Clotee is a slave girl on a Virginia plantation who journeys to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Abigail Jane Stewart is a young girl who learns the harsh realities of war as she nurses Valley Forge soldiers back to health. The captivating diaries of these inspiring young women and three others are brought to life in this compelling program. Based on the popular Dear America books, the software presents the stories of six female characters inspired by actual letters, diaries and real life events. Kids who use the program can read the characters' diaries as well as create diaries of their own. The stories are fascinating, dealing with life and death issues, affairs of the heart and important points in history. These journeys into the past spring to life because as children read, they receive "instant messages" from the characters, which they can respond to in turn. This communication system seems incredibly real-- kids get the feeling that they are actually chatting with the characters. Kids who like historical fiction will love this program, and, of course, it's definitely geared toward girls. The CD is deep in content, with each character's story taking over an hour to complete. The software provides excellent reading practice with built in comprehension checks in the form of multiple choice questions. When each question is answered correctly, the player is rewarded with a keepsake from the character's environment. On the downside, there's a section of the program that features absurd personality quizzes, which cheapens the overall experience. Those silly tests aside, the software is wonderful, quickly drawing children into the beauty of history and reading.
$30, Win, Mac OS (CD-ROM)
Teaches: history, writing, reading