Book picks similar to
The Bomber Dog by Megan Rix
war
animals
young-quills-history
fiction
Farmer Boy Goes West
Heather Williams - 2012
Almanzo can’t wait to explore, but life in Spring Valley isn’t what he expected. The Wilders have to stay with relatives in a small, cramped house where Almanzo’s aunt Martha is cold and unfriendly. Almanzo longs for the freedom he had back home, and he especially misses his horse, Starlight. Even as he makes new friends at school and helps his father pick a plot of land for the family to settle on, Almanzo can’t help but wonder: Is Minnesota the right place for the Wilders? Or do they belong in New York?First introduced in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House book Farmer Boy, Almanzo Wilder’s adventures continue in Farmer Boy Goes West.
Friedrich
Hans Peter Richter - 1961
At first, Friedrich seemed to be the more fortunate, but when Hitler came to power, things began to change. Friedrich was expelled from school and became an orphan when his mother died and his father was arrested and deported.This is a terrifying story of the destruction of a single Jewish family.
The Boy's King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Sidney Lanier - 1880
Lanier said of the Malory work, "I suspect there are few books in our language which lead a reader - whether young or old - on from one paragraph to another with such strong and yet quiet seduction as this."
Footsteps in the Snow: The Red River Diary of Isobel Scott
Carol Matas - 2002
But Isobel's mother dies before they even cross the ocean, and other misfortunes seem to follow their every step. Isobel's family and the other Selkirk Settlers find themselves caught in the fur-trading rivalry between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company. They cannot even start to build once they finally reach their destination. The harsh climate and escalating threats against the settlers make it impossible to start a new life. Only through perseverance and help from the local Cree band are Isobel and her family able to put down roots in the Red River Valley.
Once Was a Time
Leila Sales - 2016
But when Charlotte's scientist father makes an astonishing discovery that the Germans will covet for themselves, Charlotte is faced with an impossible choice between danger and safety. Should she remain with her friend or journey to another time and place? Her split-second decision has huge consequences, and when she finds herself alone in the world, unsure of Kitty's fate, she knows that somehow, some way, she must find her way back to her friend. Written in the spirit of classic time-travel tales, this book is an imaginative and heartfelt tribute to the unbreakable ties of friendship.
WolfWalkers: The Graphic Novel
Tomm Moore - 2020
Based on the beautifully hand-crafted animated adventure, WolfWalkers, this graphic novel features an introduction and exclusive original art from film co-creator Tomm Moore and co-Art Director Maria Pareja. Watch the stunning, Golden Globe-nominated film available on Apple TV+ now.In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father whose job it is to wipe out the last wolf pack. Robyn, unable to hunt with her father and sick of being confined, sneaks out to explore the forbidden lands outside the city walls. There, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe of WOLFWALKERS rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night.After learning that WOLFWALKERS aren't to be feared, Robyn decides she must protect Mebh and her pack from the hunters. As the girls search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the WOLFWALKERS and risks turning her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.This graphic novel makes a great gift for readers of all ages and includes a special introduction, written and illustrated by film cocreator, Tomm Moore, and co-Art Director, Maria Pareja.WolfWalkers is created by Cartoon Saloon, the award-winning Irish studio behind some of the industry's most renowned animated films including Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.Praise for WolfWalkers:"Lovely to behold." -- The New York Times"A visually dazzling, richly imaginative, emotionally resonant production...." -- The Hollywood Reporter"Kids need movies like this that respect their intelligence, center strong female characters and question policies of blind obedience.... [Moore] brings everything together...leaving audiences with another stunning artwork for the ages" -- Variety"Enchanting...intoxicating." -- The LA TImes"Offers an alternative vision of what popular art for children might be." -- The New Yorker"Likely to captivate viewers young and old." -- WSJ"It's glorious, gorgeous, and more than a little profound." -- Vulture This title will be simultaneously available in paperback. © 2020 Wolfwalkers
Dust of Eden
Mariko Nagai - 2014
What do you do when your home country treats you like an enemy? This memorable and powerful novel in verse, written by award-winning author Mariko Nagai, explores the nature of fear, the value of acceptance, and the beauty of life. As thought-provoking as it is uplifting, Dust of Eden is told with an honesty that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational.
The Children of the New Forest
Frederick Marryat - 1847
It is set in the time of the English Civil War and the Commonwealth. The story follows the fortunes of the four Beverley children who are orphaned during the war, and hide from their Roundhead oppressors in the shelter of the New Forest where they learn to live off the land.
Kidnapped
Robert Louis Stevenson - 1886
Or at least that was the plan, until the ship runs into trouble and David is rescued by Alan Breck Stewart, fugitive Jacobite and, by his own admission, a ‘bonny fighter’. Balfour, a canny lowlander, finds an echo of some wilder and more romantic self in the wilful and courageous Highland spirit of Alan Breck. A strange and difficult friendship is born, as their adventures begin.Kidnapped has become a classic of historical romance the world over and is justly famous as a novel of travel and adventure in the Scottish landscape. Stevenson’s vivid descriptive powers were never better than in his account of remote places and dangerous action in the Highlands in the years after Culloden.‘A cracking tale of low skulduggery and high adventure, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped has enthralled generations of readers since its first publication in 1886. A book for thrill-seekers of all ages, this romp through Jacobite Scotland is a true classic.’ Sunday Herald‘A delicately balanced book, expertly controlled, sharply focused, and written with an affectionate irony. It is perhaps the finest of Stevenson’s novels.’ Jenni Calder
The Green Glass Sea
Ellen Klages - 2006
When she reaches Los Alamos, New Mexico, she learns why: he's working on a top secret government program. Over the next few years, Dewey gets to know eminent scientists, starts tinkering with her own mechanical projects, becomes friends with a budding artist who is as much of a misfit as she is and, all the while, has no idea how the Manhattan Project is about to change the world. This book's fresh prose and fascinating subject are like nothing you've read before.
The Byerley Turk: The Incredible Story of the World's First Thoroughbred
Jeremy James - 2005
For years, many of the essential facts about this horse have been shrouded in mystery, but now author Jeremy James has combined extensive original research with an absorbing narrative to recount the Turk's heretofore untold story. The result is an epic account of the life of a magnificent animal, extending from the palaces of the Ottoman Empire to the streets of London and beyond, and featuring a fascinating cast of historical figures. "Men without horses are nothing," the author tells us, and the powerful bonds between horse and master lie at the heart of this story. It begins in 1679 in a remote Balkan village, where a seyis-a penniless groom-finds himself caring for a remarkable young foal. Believing it destined for greatness, and seeing a chance to escape his own humble circumstances, he begins schooling the animal in the disciplines of war.Hewing closely to the historical record, the author goes on to trace the fortunes of the Turk and its new master: In 1682, they arrived in Istanbul, where the horse was selected for the Ottoman Empire's renowned cavalry. Ridden as a battle charger in the Turkish sieges on Vienna and Buda, it was captured, along with its groom, by a party of adventuring British aristocrats and taken back to England in 1686. In London, it was bought by Captain Robert Byerley, who rode the Turk to Ireland (stopping along the way to take first place at the Downpatrick Races) to take on the Jacobite forces in several pivotal encounters, including the Battle of the Boyne.After a lifetime of adventure, the Turk was put to stud, initiating what was to become its greatest legacy: first foundation sire of the thoroughbred line. Thoroughly documented and certain to ignite debate within racing circles with its controversial claims about the horse's origins, The Byerley Turk is nothing less than groundbreaking. This sweeping narrative not only tracks the life of a single horse but provides new insights into the world it inhabited, conjuring the spirit of an entire era and offering a meditation on the immutable force of destiny.
The Messenger Bird
Ruth Eastham - 2012
He works for the Ministry of Defence and is accused of leaking top secret information. But as he is dragged into a police car, he gives Nathan a message. It leads to a riddle, but it's not from Dad. It's from Lily Wilson, and was written in 1940.
The Glass Town Game
Catherynne M. Valente - 2017
This make-believe land helps the four escape from a harsh reality: Charlotte and Emily are being sent away to a dangerous boarding school, a school they might not return from. But on this Beastliest Day, the day Anne and Branwell walk their sisters to the train station, something incredible happens: the train whisks them all away to a real Glass Town, and the children trade the moors for a wonderland all their own.This is their Glass Town, exactly like they envisioned it…almost. They certainly never gave Napoleon a fire-breathing porcelain rooster instead of a horse. And their soldiers can die; wars are fought over the potion that raises the dead, a potion Anne would very much like to bring back to England. But when Anne and Branwell are kidnapped, Charlotte and Emily must find a way to save their siblings. Can two English girls stand against Napoleon’s armies, especially now that he has a new weapon from the real world? And if he escapes Glass Town, will England ever be safe again?Together the Brontë siblings must battle with a world of their own creation if they are to make it back to England alive in this magical celebration of authorship, creativity, and classic literature from award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente.
Ricky
Eric Walters - 2002
Ricky's an eighth grader with an amazing menagerie of animals that includes dogs, cats, rats, squirrels, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, grouse, groundhogs, iguanas, budgies, and a three-foot-long alligator called Ollie. It's no wonder, then, that he's a big fan of his science teacher, Mr. Johnston, who has even more animals in his classroom, including Bogart, a pet boa constrictor. When vandals wreck Mr. Johnston's classroom, leading to Bogart's death, Ricky and his best friend Augie decide that it's up to them to put things right. Their plan is to surprise Mr. Johnston with a new snake with the financial help of every kid in the school. But keeping the plan a secret isn't easy when you're dealing with a six-foot boa! Ricky is a thoroughly engaging contemporary novel that will have particular resonance with boys. Walters looks at some pretty serious issues--including how to cope with the death of a parent, the nature of friendship, learning disabilities, and teen violence--but, as always, he has a light, quirky touch and a strong sense of plot. In an afterword, Walters explains his part in his latest fiction, which will delight readers interested in what inspires their favourite writers. (Ages 8 to 12) --Jeffrey Canton