Clara Barton: Spirit of the American Red Cross
This “Ready-to-Read Level 3” book is not a novel but a biography of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. It tells of her progress from a shy, insecure child to battlefield nurse to international organizer and administrator. Although the book is geared toward six-to-nine year olds, the vocabulary is challenging (with a glossary in the back) and the straightforward narrative style may fail to grab the attention of readers at the younger end of the age spectrum. My eight-year-old daughter found it a fast read and a good source of information about Clara Barton, but not a very interesting “story.” My six-year-old son found it difficult to read both because of the vocabulary and narrative style. Ages 6-9
