Book picks similar to
The Best That I Can Be: Inspiring Words for American Girls by American Girl
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The Secret School
Avi - 2001
To do that, she must finish eighth grade, then go on to high school. But her dream falters when the one-room school in her remote Colorado town shuts down. Her only hope is to keep the school open without anyone finding out. Yet even a secret school needs a teacher. Ida can't be it. . . . Or can she?In the spirit of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Newbery Medal winner Avi creates an inspiring story of a headstrong girl determined to control her own destiny.
Why Me?
Deborah Kent - 1992
In this timely, sensitive novel, thirteen-year-old Rachel discovers she has kidney disease and is forced to find her biological mother for a kidney transplant.
Just So Stories
Rudyard Kipling - 1902
The Butterfly That Stamped, and How the Alphabet Was Made..
To Be a Dancer
Elizabeth Bernard - 1987
In the company are Alexandra, the daughter of Russian dancers who have defected; bubbly Kay; deceitful, beautiful Pamela; limber Linda; and Madame Preston. Leah is the most gifted dancer of the group, but she has trouble believing it and almost lets petty jealousies thwart her.
Meet Addy: An American Girl
Connie Rose Porter - 1993
But before they can make the escape, the worst happens--Master Stevens decides to sell some of his slaves, including Poppa and Addy's brother, Sam. Addy and Momma take the terrible risk of escaping by themselves, hoping that the family eventually will be together again in Philadelphia. Set during America's own struggle over slavery, the Civil War, Addy's story is one of great courage and love--love of family and love of freedom.
The Wonkey-Donky: Hee-Haww!
M. Travisano - 2018
Imagine, her in a library, with a bunch of toddlers, and pre-schoolers and their parents, at story time. "I was walking, down the road, and I saw . . . A donkey, Hee Haaw! And he only had three-legs! He was a wonky-donkey." Every Grandparent should have this book to read to the grandkids. It would make a fantastic Christmas gift.
The Hundred Dresses
Eleanor Estes - 1944
Wanda Petronski is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. She claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn’t. When Wanda is pulled out of school one day, the class feels terrible, and classmate Maddie decides that she is "never going to stand by and say nothing again." A gentle tale about bullies, bystanders, and having the courage to speak up.
Kim/Kimi
Hadley Irwin - 1987
Half the time she is Kim Andrews, living in her all-white Iowa community-the other half she is Kimi Yogushi, searching for her true identity. She must find out more about her Japanese-American father, who died before she was born, and his family, if there is any. Perhaps then she can solve her inner conflict.
The Seven Wise Princesses: A Medieval Persian Epic
Wafa' Tarnowska - 2000
And so he builds seven extravagantly beautiful pavilions, each a different color, and invites the princesses to come live in them. The wise princesses tell the shah stories that teach him the virtues that a ruler, and indeed every human being, must cultivate - truth, patience, perseverance, forgiveness, humility, wisdom and love.
Stone Fox
John Reynolds Gardiner - 1980
When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.Exciting and heartwarming, this novel has sold millions of copies and was named a New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.
The Magic Thief
Sarah Prineas - 2008
Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Nevery finds that interesting, and he takes Conn as his apprentice on the provision that the boy find a locus stone of his own. But Conn has little time to search for his stone between wizard lessons and helping Nevery discover who or what is stealing the city of Wellmet's magic.
The Haunted Opera: A Marie-Grace Mystery
Sarah Masters Buckey - 2013
Even better, her aunt has gotten a role in the opera! As Marie-Grace and her friend, Cécile, help out during rehearsals, they're thrilled to meet real opera stars and get a peek into theater life. But thrills turn to chills as the girls make disturbing discoveries behind the scenes! An illustrated "Looking Back" essay describes New Orleans' place as a leading cultural center for opera and theater in 1800s America.
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
Trenton Lee Stewart - 2012
Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he's being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances – and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he does have one thing in his favor: He's a a genius.On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places – and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
Eight Cousins
Louisa May Alcott - 1874
How could such a delicate young lady, used to the quiet hallways of a girls' boarding school, exist in such a spirited home? It is the arrival of Uncle Alec that changes everything. Much to the horror of her aunts, Rose's forward-thinking uncle insists that the child get out of the parlor and into the sunshine. And with a little courage and lots of adventures with her mischievous but loving cousins, Rose begins to bloom.Written by the beloved author of Little Women, Eight Cousins is a masterpiece of children's literature. This endearing novel offers readers of all ages an inspiring story about growing up, making friends, and facing life with strength and kindness.
The Mouse of Amherst: A Tale of Young Readers
Elizabeth Spires - 1999
Emmaline sneaks a look, and finds that it's poetry! Inspired, Emmaline writes her own first poem and secretly deposits it on Emily's desk. Emily answers with another poem, and a lively exchange begins. In this charming and fanciful introduction to Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Spires demonstrates the power of poetry to express our deepest feelings, while Claire A. Nivola's delicate pencil drawings capture the intricacies of life in Emily's world. Included are eight of Dickinson's most loved poems, with seven corresponding poems by Emmaline that are sure to bring out the poet in any child.
