Back in the classroom, there will be much to discuss, including why the amendment was necessary on the heels of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), the political maneuvering necessary to secure the amendment’s passage, and the medium’s depiction of the event and the historical figures. To further explore the relationships depicted in Lincoln and learn about the film’s production, download the free app Lincoln: Discover the Story (David Rubel and Disney Editions, iBooks, Free, Gr 6 Up). Your students will be intrigued.

Six chapters delve into topics such as the “Players on the Stage of History,” “The Conflict,” and “The President” discussing the Civil War, those who fought for and against the amendment, Lincoln’s presidency, and more. Incorporated into the text are quotes by Lincoln and his contemporaries, archival images, and other primary source material.Throughout the text are black-and-white period photos, sometimes juxtaposed against shots of similar scenes re-created for the film (in color), and embedded videos offering commentary by Spielberg, the actors, and others who worked on the film.

In the videos, Spielberg speaks to Lincoln’s relevancy today as a “most vivid model of a leader, of leadership,” who advocated for “things that we hold dear today.” Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays the president in the movie, comments on Lincoln’s accessibility—the “ever-open door of the White House.” Other actors discuss their research in preparation for their roles—and their challenges—including  Sally Field who plays Mary Todd Lincoln, Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley, the “personal modiste” of the First Lady, and  David Strathairn as William H. Seward, Lincoln’s the Secretary of State.

Much notice has been paid to the film’s authenticity. In the chapter, “Bringing History to Life” viewers hear from Rick Carter, the production designer, on scouting sets and props, and Joanna Johnston, the costume designer, who dressed the 140-member cast. Johnston mentions Mary Todd Lincoln’s outfits, many of which were “exact replicas” of those she wore in life….”  (“For the president, clothing was purely a way of keeping out the weather.”) Ben Burtt’s narrative addresses his quest to “research and record historic sounds” and to re-create those he could from the ticking of the portico clock to the off-screen bombardment of a cannonade. Museum officials allowed Burtt to record the sound of Lincoln’s actual watch, heard in the film.

Page turns and video runs are fluid and readers will be guided through this production by a table of contents and discreetly placed icons. The app ends with a film clip and link to the iTunes page to purchase tracks from the motion picture. In all, a production for fans of the president and the film, and, to be sure, something for visual learners.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal.

For some recently published books for students on Lincoln, see Vicki Reutter’s Whiskers, Dreams, and Grave-Robbing Schemes.

Teens can sample the movie’s mix of historical detail and gruesome and graphic action by checking out a trailer at the 20th Century Fox website. Other videos are available at IMDb’s dedicated page, including a featurette that mixes film footage with commentary from Burton, Bekmambetov, and Grahame-Smith, who make comparisons between the portrayal of the film’s protagonist and classic superhero origin tales.

Book Tie-in

Grand Central Publishing has reissued Grahame-Smith’s novel (2012; Gr 10 Up) with a movie-poster cover, showing Lincoln sitting in repose, his face hidden by his familiar stovepipe hat, clutching a large-size ax in one hand, the whole scene eerily backlit by a luminous full moon. Like the author’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Quirk Bks., 2009), this book cleverly blends the familiar with the ferociously fantastical, but rather than re-imagining a literary work, this time the author takes on history itself. Real-life events, motivations, and achievements are reexamined in light—or dark—of the astounding discovery that Lincoln spent much of his life waging a clandestine war on the undead. The account is filled with lengthy quotes from Lincoln’s secret journal (hidden away for more than a century and recently stumbled upon by Grahame-Smith), which candidly documents his never-ending efforts to slaughter supernatural enemies in thorough and often grizzly detail. Having settled in this country long ago, vampires have maneuvered themselves into positions that afford great power-and easy hunting of human prey—and it does not take long for Lincoln to perceive the connection between the villainous undead and the evil institution of slavery. His personal vendetta expands into a national agenda, as he enters the political arena and embraces his true purpose in life: “…to free men from the tyranny of vampires.” Filled with dark humor and wit, the fast-reading narrative deftly and imaginatively interweaves true facts with gothic underpinnings and slash-’em-up action. Archival photos, expertly altered via Photoshop, add to the effect. The novel is also available as an unabridged CD Audio book.

True Tales for the Curious

Suggest some solid nonfiction titles about Lincoln and his time period to movie fans who are interested in exploring the history behind the horror. Ideal for booktalking, these titles feature eye-grabbing formats and lively recountings, and make great summer reads for teens.

With an eye for highlighting facts both historically relevant and intriguing, Candace Fleming presents The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary (Schwartz & Wade, 2008; Gr 6 Up). The oversize pages pair numerous archival images (photos, paintings, engravings, newspapers, documents, and more) with engagingly written, thoroughly researched text to provide an insightful and intimate portrayal of the couple. Enticing subheadings make browsing a breeze, and readers can pause over such topics as “Growing Up with Slavery” (Abraham was “raised in a household that despised” the institution while Mary’s father was a slaveholder), newlywed Mary’s life as a hardworking housewife (including her recipe for white cake), her wartime efforts to aid “contraband” (former slaves who flocked to Washington, D.C., and were living in appalling conditions), the origins of Lincoln’s beard, and the contents found in his pockets on that fateful day.

Written by Barry Denenberg and illustrated by Christopher Bing, Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered (Feiwel and Friends, 2008; Gr 6 Up) is another oversize visual stunner. Presented as a special memorial edition of “The National News” published one year after the assassination, the book is designed to look like a 19th-century tabloid, complete with headlines, reproductions of archival photos and documents, maps, and period advertisements, all set against a water-stained buff-colored backdrop. “Articles” about the president’s death and the fate of his assassins are followed by a chronological look at his life and career. Drawn in by the book’s handsome layout and riveting images, readers will discover an account both well-written and interesting.

Filled with evocatively described events, interesting details, and unrelenting suspense, James. L. Swanson’s Chasing Lincoln’s Killer (Scholastic, 2009; Gr 6 Up) offers an absorbing recounting of the president’s assassination and the ensuing 12-day manhunt for John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. The story unfolds at breakneck speed, and a you-are-there sense of time and place is created through the numerous quotes incorporated into the text from primary materials including letters, manuscripts, newspapers, and other sources (there are no citations). Archival photos and documents appear throughout, and reproductions of engravings originally showcased in contemporary periodicals provide dramatic images of the events and the way they were perceived at the time. This engrossing true-crime tale will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The book is also available in unabridged audio CD format. Teens may also be interested in Swanson’s Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis (Collins, 2011).

Rick Geary’s nonfiction graphic novel vividly describes The Murder of Abraham Lincoln (NBM, 2005; Gr 7 Up) through a striking combination of succinct narrative and clean-lined black-and-white drawings. Well-organized chapters chronicle a 62-day period, beginning on March 4, 1865, with Lincoln’s second inaugural address, spanning the assassination and aftermath, and culminating with his burial in Illinois’s Oak Ridge Cemetery on May 4. The details and images are memorable, including Lincoln’s dream about his own death, the single-shot derringer pocketed by Booth, the removal of the president’s brain during an autopsy (the dislodged bullet clatters into a basin), and the initials carved into Booth’s right hand as a child that helped to positively identify his body. The present-tense retelling builds the drama, as does the shifting perspectives of the artwork-a close-up of the assassin’s eye as he peeks through a hole at his soon-to-be victim, or a view from above of the mortally injured president laid diagonally across a bed at the Petersen boarding house. Harrowing, packed with facts, and impossible to put down, this book makes an accessible introduction to history.

Publication Information

GRAHAME-SMITH, Seth. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Movie Tie-in ed. Grand Central. 2012. Tr pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4555-1017-7; Mass mrkt. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-4555-1018-4; CD Audio version. $17.98. ISBN 9781611132151 (Hachette Audio).

FLEMING, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. Schwartz & Wade. 2008. PLB 28.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93618-0; Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-375-83618-3.

DENENBERG, Barry. Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered. illus. by Christopher Bing. Feiwel and Friends. 2008. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-312-37013-8; pap. $12.99. ISBN 9780312604424.

SWANSON, James. L. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. Scholastic. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0439-90354-7. Audio version. $29.95. ISBN 978-0545118132.

_____. Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis. Collins. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-156089-7.

GEARY, Rick. The Murder of Abraham Lincoln. illus. by author. NBM. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56163-425-5; pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-56163-426-2.