American History Post Revolution - Pre Civil War

It looks like for our Modern History Stream will be slowly going through American history. I was hoping to move to world geography but the kids want American History. I'm thinking of getting the Sonlight 4 Core which is Civil War to current times, pretty much. Until we get to that we are going to use the Time Travelers Early 19th Century unit. It looks great with lots of crafts and notebooking pages. I am sorting through the books we own to see what to read aloud. Here's what I'm thinking:

• Amos Fortune, Free Man - this isn't exactly post revolutionary except by a bit. I think the main character died in 1801, but it looks so interesting. Looks like it would make a great read aloud.
  
• A Gathering of Days - A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32; This in diary form and I think that style doesn't lend itself to read alouds - might be assigned to S.
• Need a book about Lewis and Clark - though we have read picture books about them.
  
• The Story of Geronimo by Jim Kjelgaard - this is an old Signature Books edition published in 1958. Geronimo was born in 1829, died 1909.
• Need a book about the Alamo
  
• The Story of Stephen Foster by Esther M. Douty - another old Signature Book. I loved this books as a kid! Foster was born in 1826 - died 1864. I have a wonderful collections of Stephen Foster songs sung by Thomas Hampson who has the most glorious voice! We can use this to focus on American folk music.
• Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie; The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 - this is one of the Dear America series. I don't know how good it actually is. Might be another book I assign to S. Though I do want to read a book about the Oregon trail aloud to B.
  
• Black Potatoes; The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845 - 1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti - this looks like a fascinating book! We could focus on some Irish songs along with this.
• Gold Rush Bishop - This is an old Catholic Treasury Book, pub. 1962 - it's about Bishop Pat Monague, an Irish Priest who comes over and winds up ministering to the miners in the Gold Rush and then moving on to establish churches in the West.
  
• If You Lived with the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern

I like the idea of using Sonlight because of all the assigned readers. S is really troubled by the fact that he finds it difficult to finish books. He asked me what ADD was. He says he thinks he has it because it is so hard for him to finish a book on his own. My response was:

1. You HAVE finished books on your own so you can do it. I plan to list out as many of these as possible so he'll get some confidence.

2. He's almost completing vision therapy and he's got his glasses so I really think that will help him.

3. I need to have a dedicated time during the DAY and not at night for him to read. His eyes still struggle with muscle fatigue and reading something that requires a little more effort than comic books is hard. He needs to do it when he's awake and not tired.

4. I think he needs to get over the hump of giving up on books that might be a bit more challenging. I think he needs structure to do that and so that's why Sonlight is so appealing. I was looking at SL 5 Core which is the Eastern Hemisphere but I think that will wait until 7th or 8th grade.

5. I'm actually going to start assigning books now - during Lent I was going to ask him to read a biography of a saint (maybe two). After that I am thinking of assigning Detectives in Togas for him to read. I think he'll like the mystery involved in that book and it's sequel (if he chooses.) He can then read A Gathering of Days and Across the Wide and Open Prairie. These are both girls' journals. I wonder if he'll object to that. Might have to find something in between that is more boyish!