Embedded Files
Book Club activities include 5 multiple choice quizzes and 5 one-hour Zoom meetings -found in the NPE Learning Center. Each activity earns one hour in the program. See invoice for stipend amounts.
Spring Book Club 2026
Spring Book Club 2026
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington follows Abraham Lincoln during his 1861 journey from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., just before his inauguration. Widmer uses this train trip as a lens to show Lincoln at a moment of extreme uncertainty—politically, personally, and nationally.
As Lincoln travels through northern cities and border states, he gives dozens of short, often improvised speeches. These reveal a man still finding his presidential voice, cautious about slavery, committed to preserving the Union, and deeply aware that civil war may be unavoidable. Widmer contrasts Lincoln’s private doubts with the public expectations placed on him as the country fractures.
The journey also exposes the danger Lincoln faces, including credible assassination threats, especially in Baltimore. His decision to pass secretly through the city underscores how fragile the nation—and his presidency—already is.
Overall, the book portrays Lincoln not as the confident wartime leader he would become, but as a leader in transition, learning how to wield language, authority, and restraint at the edge of national collapse.
Ted Widmer
Ted Widmer
Ted Widmer is a historian, writer, and Distinguished Professor at Macaulay Honors College (CUNY). His book Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington won the Lincoln Forum Book Prize and traces Abraham Lincoln’s tense journey to his inauguration. Widmer is also the author of Young America, winner of the Washington Irving Prize, and Listening In, coauthored with Caroline Kennedy.
Widmer has held senior roles at the Library of Congress, the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, and the U.S. Department of State, and previously served as a speechwriter and advisor in the Clinton White House. A Guggenheim Fellow, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker.
Fall Book Club 2025
Join us for a powerful book club discussion centered on Jim Murphy's An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. This riveting narrative uses firsthand accounts, newspaper clippings, and historical documents to transport us to a moment when the new American capital was brought to its knees by an invisible killer. By delving into this historical event, we will explore timeless themes of crisis management, community resilience, and social inequality. Our discussions will provide fresh insights for the classroom and spark meaningful conversations about public health and political leadership, both then and now. Murphy's meticulous research highlights the heroism of the Free African Society, who selflessly nursed the sick. We will also examine the medical ignorance of the era and the constitutional crisis that unfolded as President Washington fled the city. This book is not just history; it's a dramatic exploration of what happens when a society is tested to its limits. Come connect with colleagues in a low-pressure environment and deepen your passion for both history and teaching.
If you're interested in joining us for this engaging collaborative learning experience, sign up by October 1, 2025.
“No one knew that a killer was already moving through their streets with them, an invisible stalker that would go house to house until it had touched everyone, rich or poor, in some terrible way.”
“No one knew that a killer was already moving through their streets with them, an invisible stalker that would go house to house until it had touched everyone, rich or poor, in some terrible way.”
-Jim Murphy, An American Plague
Book Club Meeting One
Book Club Meeting One
Kay Hedrick led the meeting with a fun, interactive icebreaker. The group watched a short video on the sanitation of Colonial Pennsylvania, met in small breakout groups to discuss chapters one and two, and Becky Roach shared a researched-based vocabulary strategy using the key players of the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. The slides are linked to the left.
Book Club Meeting Two
Book Club Meeting Two
Kay Hedrick led the meeting with a fun, interactive icebreaker. The group watched a short video on the doctors and cures used during the 1793 yellow fever plague, met in small breakout groups to discuss chapters two and three, and Becky Roach shared a inference strategy. The slides are linked to the left.
Book Club Meeting Three
Book Club Meeting Three
Becky Roach led the meeting with an interactive icebreaker. The group watched a short video on Richard Allen. The group met in small break out groups to discuss chapters five and six, and Becky shared a predication strategy. The slides are linked to the left.
Book Club Meeting Four
Book Club Meeting Four
Becky Roach led the meeting with an interactive icebreaker. The group watched a short video on the epidemic. The group met in small break out groups to discuss chapters seven and eight, and Becky shared a graphic organizer for taking notes on a video. The slides are linked to the left.
Book Club Meeting Five
Book Club Meeting Five
Becky Roach led the meeting with an interactive icebreaker. Dr. Julia Mansfield spoke on the history of the pandemic. The participants met in breakout groups to discuss chapters 9 and 10. The slides are linked to the left.
National Performance for Education is a non-profit organization leading the way for educators, administrators, and school districts to narrow the gap between research and practice. Comprised of national leading educators, researchers, and innovators, the team at NPE engages and encourages teachers, counselors, and leaders at all levels to implement strategies and processes that work to bring about meaningful and sustainable change. Leading districts forward at the student, building, and district levels, NPE supports local, regional, and national initiatives to advance outcomes for all learners.
All quizzes and meeting registrations can be found on the NPE Learning Center.
Awards for An American Plague
2004 ALA. Newbery Honor Book Award
2004 ALA. Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
National Book Award Finalist Medal
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A SLJ Best Book of the Year
Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for
Children’s Books
An Editor’s Choice, Kirkus Reviews
Page updated
Report abuse