We Gather Together (Young Readers Edition)

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

This young readers adaptation of the New York Times bestselling We Gather Together shares the true story of how Thanksgving became a national holiday and the way gratitude is looked at in America

Fiction: Thanksgiving is an American holiday that began when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and met the Indigenous tribes already living there. 

Fact: Thanksgiving celebrations existed before the United States of America and were celebrated in other countries as well.

Fiction: American Thanksgiving was always on the fourth Thursday in November.

Fact: Thanksgiving’s day, date, and even its existence was at the discretion of the president and other leaders until the date was officially established by Congress and signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941.

Fiction: George Washington is the person who decided we should celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation at the same time each year.

Fact: Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor and author, petitioned five presidents until she convinced Abraham Lincoln to declare a national day of Thanksgiving in November of 1863, starting an annual tradition continuing to this day.

There is much fiction surrounding the creation of Thanksgiving in America. Denise Kiernan debunks myths, provides facts, and explains how and why Thanksgiving evolved in the United States the way it did—and what gratitude means to society.

This young readers adaptation of Kiernan’s We Gather Together should be required reading in every school in America today.

About the Author

Denise Kiernan is an American journalist, producer, and author who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She has authored and co-authored several award-winning and bestselling history titles, including The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and Signing Their Rights Away. You can visit her online at DeniseKiernan.com, on Instagram @iamdenisekiernan, on Facebook @DeniseKiernanAuthor, and on Twitter @DeniseKiernan.

Author Residence: North Carolina