Order of Book Series
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Dear America Books in Order

Dear America contains 44 books, published between 1996 and 2013. The first book is When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (1996) and the newest is A City Tossed and Broken: The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco, California, 1906 (2013). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
44
Published
1996–2013
Confirmed
27 of 44 titles
Pages on record
5,303 in 27 of 44 books
Reading time
88–133 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,303 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 27 of 44 titles with a page count on record.

See all 44 books in order Printable Dear America checklist

Dear America is a historical fiction series for children, published by Scholastic from 1996. Each book takes the form of a diary kept by a girl living through an episode of American history: Plymouth Colony, the Salem witch trials, slavery, the California gold rush, the Great Depression, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the sinking of the Titanic and the major wars. Early printings included a ribbon bookmark to complete the effect, a detail later dropped. By 1998 twelve titles were in print, with 3.5 million copies sold; the listing now runs to 44 books at a median of 196 pages.

How many Dear America books are there?

Dear America has 44 books, released between 1996 and 2013.

Dear America Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 44 Dear America books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865 by Joyce…
  2. Cover of A Picture Of Freedom by Patricia McKissack, book 5 of the Dear America series (1997)
  3. Cover of Early Sunday Morning: the Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 1941 by Barry Denenberg (1998)
  4. Cover of Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 by…
  5. Cover of West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi by Jim Murphy, book 8 of the Dear America series
  6. Cover of Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 by Mary…
  7. Cover of A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence by Sherry Garland, book 10 of the Dear America series (1998)
  8. Cover of Stationery Pack by Patricia McKissack, book 11 of the Dear America series (1998)
  9. Cover of Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic 1912 by Ellen Emerson White (1998)
  10. Cover of The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868 by Kristiana Gregory (1999)
  11. Cover of My Heart is on the Ground by Ann Rinaldi, book 14 of the Dear America series (1999)
  12. Cover of The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl by Ann Turner (1999)
  13. Cover of A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin by Karen Hesse, book 16 of the Dear America series (1999)
  14. Cover of Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North by Patricia McKissack (2000)
  15. Cover of A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (2000)
  16. Cover of My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 by Mary Pope Osborne (2000)
  17. Cover of One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 1938 by Barry Denenberg
  18. Cover of Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 by Kathryn Lasky (2001)
  19. Cover of Valley of the Moon: The Diary of María Rosalía de Milagros, Sonoma Valley, Alta Valley, California, 1846, by…
  20. Cover of My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska 1881 by Jim Murphy
  21. Cover of When Christmas Comes Again: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer by Beth Seidel Levine (2002)
  22. Cover of My Secret War : The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, book 26 of the Dear America series (2002)
  23. Cover of A Time for Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, Washington, D.C. 1917 by Kathryn Lasky (2002)
  24. Cover of Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Ellen Emerson White, book 28 of the Dear America series (2002)
  1. 1
    When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 18641996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 16201996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Winter Of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary Of Abigail Jane Stewart1996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 18651997 · 202 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997202
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    A Picture Of Freedom1997 · confirmed 2/4
    1997–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Early Sunday Morning: the Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 19411998 · 160 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 19031998 · confirmed 2/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi1998 · confirmed 3/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 17631998 · 196 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998196
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence1998 · 201 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998201
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Stationery Pack1998 · confirmed 2/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic 19121998 · 197 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998197
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 18681999 · 203 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1999203
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    My Heart is on the Ground1999 · confirmed 3/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl1999 · 205 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999205
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin1999 · confirmed 2/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North2000 · 218 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000218
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 18962000 · 219 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000219
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 19412000 · 185 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000185
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 19382000 · 250 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 19322001 · 182 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Valley of the Moon: The Diary of María Rosalía de Milagros, Sonoma Valley, Alta Valley, California, 1846,2001 · 217 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2001217
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory 18492001 · confirmed 2/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska 18812001 · 182 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    When Christmas Comes Again: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer2002 · 171 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002171
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    My Secret War : The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck2002 · 165 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2002165
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    A Time for Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, Washington, D.C. 19172002 · 217 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002217
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Where Have All the Flowers Gone?2002 · 188 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan, The Perkins School for the Blind, 19322002 · 139 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002139
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 19352002 · 186 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002186
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Dear America Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Dear America books run from When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (1996) to A City Tossed and Broken: The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco, California, 1906 (2013), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Dear America in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Where to start with Dear America

Start with When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (1996), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Dear America book?

A City Tossed and Broken: The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco, California, 1906 (2013) is the newest Dear America book released so far.

Is there a new Dear America book coming?

No next Dear America book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Dear America at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Dear America title on record dates from 2013, 13 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Dear America books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
5,303 pages across the 27 of 44 books with a recorded length, a median of 196 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Dear America books, 21 of 44, were published in the 2000s.
Attribution
Of the 44 titles, 5 are credited to Barry Denenberg, 4 to Kathryn Lasky, 4 to Kristiana Gregory and 4 to Patricia McKissack. A further 20 writers are credited. One title carries no credit.

What the Dear America books are about

38 of the 44 Dear America books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: diaries is tagged on 36 of 38. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.