Join Our Book Club and Discover a Chapter of American History!

Join us for a five-week book club centered on the acclaimed children’s literature novel Blood on the River: Jamestown, 1607 by Elisa Carbone. This engaging work of historical fiction follows Samuel Collier, an orphan who becomes Captain John Smith’s page and travels to the New World with the first English settlers in 1607. Through Samuel’s eyes, readers explore the hardships and challenges of early Jamestown—famine, disease, leadership struggles, and cultural encounters with the Powhatan people—while grappling with themes of survival, leadership, and identity.

Participants will receive a free copy of the book and meet weekly on Zoom for interactive sessions that provide historical context, spark lively discussion with fellow readers in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia, and highlight classroom strategies that connect literacy and social studies. Participants may also complete short quizzes following select chapters.

Even if you cannot attend all the Zoom meetings due to schedule conflicts, you can still join and complete quizzes. 

If you're interested in joining us for this engaging collaborative learning experience, sign up by January 15th, 2026

The book club will begin February 17th, 2026.

Registration closes January 28th, 2026.

“Instead of trying to decipher which of the men are to be trusted and which are not, I have made it simple for myself: Trust no one. It is a philosophy that worked for me in the poorhouse, on the streets of London, and at the orphanage.”

-Elisa Carbone, Blood on the River