# Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters

**Author:** Pat McKissack
**Grade range:** Grades 4–8
**First published:** 1994
**Page count:** 88
**Genre:** Juvenile Fiction
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/christmas-in-the-big-house-christmas-in-the-quarters
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

The year is 1859, and it's Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are cleaning and setting up the Big House--where their masters live--for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and yummy food...but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters--where the slaves live--conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book is a historical tale as well as a holiday treat.

## Where this book is assigned

### Coretta Scott King Author Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade — [source: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1995 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King_Award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade — [source: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1995 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade — [source: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1995 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King_Award)
- **recommended** · 7th grade — [source: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1995 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King_Award)
- **recommended** · 8th grade — [source: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 1995 winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King_Award)

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