Asia McKinna comes of age in a rural Texas town during World War I. She struggles to understand the frailty of her grandmother, the strain of the war, her intensifying feelings for her friend Nick Grissom, and the uneasiness caused by the mysterious fires plaguing her town. Through her growing passion for photography, she hopes eventually to gain perspective on the times--and on her place in the world.

Ingold, J. (1998). Pictures, 1918. New York: Puffin Books.

Grade Levels: 8-10
Category: Historical Fiction
Read-Alouds: pp. 1-18 (The fire and the kiss); 56-66 (The first day at Mr. Riley’s shop); 103-125 (The camping trip and Boy’s drama).

Summary: Asia and her family’s barn was set on fire by an unidentifiable arson and this is the event that sparks Asia wanting a camera to capture all her hopes, dreams, and items she wants to cherish forever. Nick is her next door neighbor and possible boyfriend as he kisses her next to a snake skin. Her sister May and brother Homer torment her and keep her on her toes. May falls in love with Nick’s cousin Boy which leads to trouble. In all this drama their Grandmama has trouble remembering events and her whereabouts.

Themes: The major theme of this text is self exploration. The need to buy a camera and become independent from her family is Asia’s mission to capture her memories in time. Another theme would be teen relationships. The way that Nick and Asia react to each other and how they sort out their problems definitely present themselves a problem when their communication levels are not adequate. Any historical or cultural text could be related to this book and used as an adaptation in the classroom.

Discussion Questions:
What do you think of the character of Grandmama?
How did you react to the fire at the beginning of the text?
What is your reaction to Boy Blackwell?

Reader Response: I have admired this book from afar for awhile and am excited that I finally was able to read this text. This is just a simple quant little book that sets up a different environment for readers and allows readers to be within a different setting and culture. There is a lot of cultural tension within the text in regards to Germans, the war, and the draft. These are several issues that you and your students can discuss with other multicultural and historical novels set in the same time period.

A young girl in Texas buys a camera during the turbulent year of 1918, shortly before the influenza epidemic. ( )