Judy Dodge Cummings

Judy Dodge Cummings has taught American history for 25 years. She has a BA in Broadfield Social Studies and a MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Teens. She is the author of numerous articles as well as The Civil War; Pope John Paul: Religious Leader and Humanitarian; and Exploring Polar Regions. Judy lives in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

Website: judydodgecummings.com/books

Facebook: facebook.com/JDodgecummings

Nomad Press Titles Written by Judy Dodge Cummings

Reconstruction

The Rebuilding of the United States after the Civil War

How does a country rebuild the infrastructure, government, and economy of a huge region while taking steps to resolve the status of 4 million newly freed people? In Reconstruction: The Rebuilding of the United States After the Civil War, middle schoolers examine the era from 1865 to 1877, a time when the United States wrestled with questions that still plague the country today. Who should get access to citizenship and voting rights? How should the...

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Changing Laws

Politics of the Civil Rights Era

In Changing Laws: Politics of the Civil Rights Era, middle graders explore the key legislative and judicial victories of the era that spanned from 1954 to the early 1970s, including Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, all of which couldn’t have happened without the increased activism of the times. Kids explore how marches, demonstrations, boycotts, and lawsuits...

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Immigration Nation

The American Identity in the Twenty-First Century

What does it mean to be an immigrant today? Has the immigrant experience changed since the last century? Immigration Nation: The American Identity in the Twenty-First Century invites middle and high schoolers to explore the history of immigration in the United States, along with immigration law and statistics through the perspectives of immigrants, citizens, policy makers, and border agents. For more than a century, an immigrant from France has stood vigil in the New York...

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Eruptions and Explosions

Real Tales of Violent Outbursts

The energy released when volcanoes erupt, engines combust, or bombs explode both thrills and fascinates people. But this power also kills. Eruptions and Explosions: Real Tales of Violent Outbursts recounts the history of five blowups that continued to rattle the world long after the smoke had cleared and embers cooled. The latest book in the Mystery and Mayhem series delves into fascinating tidbits of history to provide kids with a jumping-off point into a lifelong...

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Earth, Wind, Fire, and Rain

Real Tales of Temperamental Elements

We might think humans have control over our environment, but Mother Nature has proven us wrong again and again. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water: Real Tales of Temperamental Elements tells the story of five of America's deadliest natural disasters that were made worse by human error, ignorance, and greed. From a raging Midwest wildfire in 1871 or a surprise blizzard that brought New Yorkers to their knees, to the flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the 1906...

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Epidemics and Pandemics

Real Tales of Deadly Diseases

Feel a tickle in your throat? Do you still have that headache? Could you be falling victim to a deadly virus? From history's earliest days, bacteria and viruses have stalked humans. Stowing on wagons, ships, and airplanes, these diseases traversed the globe, infecting people in city streets and isolated hamlets. Epidemics and Pandemics: Real Tales of Deadly Diseases tells the tale of five of history's most critical contagions and the havoc these diseases wreaked across...

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Tomb Raiders

Real Tales of Grave Robberies

Why on earth would anyone want to dig up a grave? The characters in Tomb Raiders: Real Tales of Grave Robberies all have their reasons. Armed with shovels and crowbars, thieves throughout history have unearthed graves out of greed, hunger, and knowledge. Tomb Raiders recounts little-known stories of body snatchers and crooks of the crypt, including the starving colonists in Jamestown, Virginia, medical students in New York City in 1788, grave robbers raiding ancient Egyptian...

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Rebels and Revolutions

Real Tales of Radical Change in America

Traitors. Agitators. Rabble-rousers. Throughout American history, people who work to radically change society have been criticized, arrested, and even killed. Rebels and Revolutions: Real Tales of Radical Change in America for ages 9 to 12 explores the lives of five firebrands who used muskets and marches, boycotts and lawsuits in their struggle for justice. Readers discover the contributions young people and people of color made to key social and political movements in American history. The...

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Great Escapes

Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways

Sometimes, an intolerable situation calls for a drastic measure-fleeing for freedom. Whether you're a slave seeking freedom to the North or a convict swimming for your life in a shark-infested canal, the urge to be free drives your every move. In Great Escapes: Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways, readers ages 9 to 12 meet five ingenious fugitives and freedom seekers who all shared one common goal: escape. The setting, dialogue, plot, and character in these...

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The Civil War

The Struggle that Divided America

Slavery or freedom? The question of whether the United States should continue to allow slavery or make all people free was the question that pitted the states against each other in a brutal war. In The Civil War: The Struggle that Divided America, readers ages 12 to 15 explore America's Civil War through the eyes and ears of the men and women who were touched by the conflict that left more than 700,000 soldiers dead....

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The Underground Railroad

Navigate the Journey from Slavery to Freedom with 20 Projects

In The Underground Railroad: Navigate the Journey from Slavery to Freedom, learn about the tens of thousands of African American men, women, and children who risked their lives to gain their freedom, and the thousands more who risked their lives to help. The institution of slavery and the escape of slaves to freedom continues to affect today's world and is prevalent in news stories that readers are exposed to. Uses primary sources to engage readers...

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Human Migration

Investigate the Global Journey of Humankind

Human Migration: Investigate the Global Journey of Humankind retraces the paths of our ancestors, from our common roots in Africa to the complexity of today's immigration practices, and invites readers ages 12 to 15 to explore questions about political conflict, environmental challenges, and the future of human migration. Readers engage in problem solving in many different disciplines, including math, archaeology, anthropology, engineering, and genetics. This text is interdisciplinary in nature and provides links to the...

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The American Revolution

Experience the Battle for Independence with 20 Projects

The American Revolution: Experience the Battle for Independence shows readers how rebel soldiers fought in horrific conditions while their families back home faced their own hardships for the sake of freedom. Students examine primary sources to discover the truth about events leading up to the war and engage in vibrant debate, strategic planning, and literary deconstruction to understand the official documents upon which America is founded. Hands-on projects engage readers' design skills while essential questions...

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