Big changes are coming to Liberty Square at Walt Disney World. As Tom Sawyer Island prepares to close and the Liberty Belle Riverboat takes its final voyage this summer, Disney fans and homeschoolers alike are feeling the weight of nostalgia. But with change comes opportunity, and it’s the perfect time to connect this evolving piece of Disney history to powerful lessons in literature, culture, and peace-building.

To honor this moment and enrich your homeschool curriculum, I’ve created a FREE printable learning companion for the book The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac. It's a perfect summer reading tie-in for upper elementary and middle school learners, and it fits beautifully into our Liberty Square educational theme.

Why Liberty Square Matters for Learning

Liberty Square is a corner of the Magic Kingdom designed to reflect America’s colonial past. From the Liberty Tree to the Hall of Presidents, it’s always been a place where history meets storytelling. The Liberty Belle riverboat has quietly carried guests through a slower, scenic experience for decades. With its departure, and the anticipated arrival of a new Cars-themed attraction, there’s no better time to reflect on the foundational stories of America and its people.

This shift is a learning opportunity. It invites us to look at what voices are remembered in our shared history, and to make space for the ones that can be amplified. That’s where The Peacemaker comes in.

About the Book: The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

The Peacemaker is a powerful middle-grade novel that tells the origin story of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy). This alliance of five nations (the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca) formed one of the earliest participatory democracies in the world, hundreds of years before the U.S. Constitution.

Told through the eyes of a young Onondaga boy named Okwaho, the story follows the journey of Dekanawidah, a man with a vision of peace, and his partnership with Hiawatha, a warrior burdened by grief. Their efforts to end cycles of revenge and violence through unity, storytelling, and the “Great Law of Peace” create the foundation of what would become the Iroquois Confederacy.

Bruchac’s retelling is rich with Native American wisdom, cultural traditions, and the complex moral decisions that come with real peacemaking… not just as a concept, but as a lived process.

Why It’s a Perfect Summer Read for Ages 9-14

As summer invites a slower pace, The Peacemaker encourages deep reflection. It’s not just a book about history… it’s a mirror that reflects questions we are still grappling with today:

What does peace actually look like?
Can we choose forgiveness when hurt runs deep?
How do we rebuild trust between people, families, or even nations?

This book is especially relevant for upper elementary (ages 9–11) and middle school (ages 12–14) students. It introduces readers to important themes like democracy, leadership, intergenerational trauma, cultural identity, and the difference between justice and revenge.

What Kids Will Learn from This Book

Your learner will:

Understand the historical roots of the Iroquois Confederacy and its influence on modern democracy
Develop empathy by exploring characters motivated by grief, anger, hope, and resilience
Practice critical thinking as they reflect on the differences between revenge and justice
Analyze historical and modern examples of peacebuilding

The FREE printable available here is designed to extend this learning even further.

Deep Thinking: 3 Higher-Order Questions to Explore

Encourage your child or student to go beyond the basics with these thoughtful, open-ended questions:

How is the Iroquois Confederacy similar to or different from the way the U.S. government works today?
(Encourage them to think about how leaders are chosen, how decisions are made, and how disputes are resolved.)
In what ways does forgiveness become a form of strength in The Peacemaker? Can you think of a time in your life where forgiveness was hard but powerful?
What role does storytelling play in building peace between nations or people? Can you think of a story (real or fictional) that helped someone understand another point of view?

Bringing It All Together: Liberty, Peace, and Disney

It might seem like a stretch to connect a colonial-themed riverboat ride to a Native American origin story about democracy and forgiveness—but such is the nature of homeschooling: connecting the dots.

The changing face of Liberty Square reminds us that history is always being rewritten… not to erase the past, but to include more voices in the conversation. The Peacemaker offers one of those essential voices. And this free printable helps you bring that voice into your home classroom, Disney trip, or summer learning space.

Download the FREE Printable

Head to the Liberty Square section of DisneyHomeschool.com and download the Peacemaker learning pack for free. Use it as a summer reading unit, a literature-based history lesson, or a thoughtful addition to your trip to Walt Disney World before the Liberty Belle sets sail one last time.