Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Jim runs away from home when he is 11 to be a fur trader with his uncle. He is attacked by a bear and almost dies before being saved by a Crow Indian woman and spends six years becoming an Indian. He then leaves the Indian to be a fur trader again. He is the first third culture kid as he re-enters the world of white men. He connects with his siblings again and the rest of the book is about their relationship as they settle in Oregon. Great story of the spirit of survival in the pioneer west. The kids, especially the boys, really enjoyed it.

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Newberry Honor Book)
A boy in southern Illinois comes of age during the Civil War. This is a heart wrenching story showing the war from one boy's perspective. His family experiences much pain and suffering, and he grows into a man. It is a true story told by the main character's granddaughter. The kids got a lot out of it (they are studying the period of Civil War in history, thus many of the read alouds are set during the Civil War).

Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit
This is the true story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War spy. Born in Canada and moved to America after running away from an abusive father as a teenager. She dressed up as a man and joined the Union army as a field nurse. She volunteered to be a spy and ended up doing something like 13 missions. She disguised herself as a black slave male, black slave female, Irish peddler woman, and southern gentleman crossing onto the rebel side and gaining important information. This was truly a fascinating story, although it would have benefitted from a better author.