A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story


Linda Sue Park - 2010
    The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

Woodsong


Gary Paulsen - 1990
    He has flown off the back of a dogsled and down a frozen waterfall to near disaster, and waited for a giant bear to seal his fate with one slap of a claw. He has led a team of sled dogs toward the Alaskan Mountain Range in an Iditarod -- the grueling, 1,180-mile dogsled race -- hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he determined to finish. Here, in vivid detail, Paulsen recounts several of the remarkable experiences that shaped his life and inspired his award-winning writing. A School Library Journal Best Book A Booklist Editors' Choice

Pompeii . . . Buried Alive!


Edith Kunhardt - 1987
    in full color. "The drama of natural disasters provides prime material to entice young independent readers. In this volume, the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius describes village life 2,000 years ago, the eruption itself and its aftermath, and the excitement when the buried town is rediscovered centuries later. A lively and factual glimpse of a devastating moment in history, in an accessible, attractive package."--Publishers Weekly.

Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln


Doreen Rappaport - 2008
    A voracious reader, Lincoln spent every spare moment of his days filling his mind with knowledge, from history to literature to mathematics, preparing himself to one day lead the country he loved towards greater equality and prosperity. Despite the obstacles he faced as a self-educated man from the back woods, Lincoln persevered in his political career, and his compassion and honesty gradually earned him the trust of many Americans. As president, he guided the nation through a long and bitter civil war and penned the document that would lead to the end of slavery in the United States.The passion for humanity that defined Lincoln's life shines through in this momentous follow-up to Martin's Big Words and John's Secret Dreams. Told in Doreen Rappaport's accessible, absorbing prose, and brought to life in powerful illustrations by Kadir Nelson, Abe's Honest Words is an epic portrait of a truly great American president.

Titanic Crossing


Barbara Williams - 1995
    Neither Mother nor Virginia, Albert's spoiled little sister, is very happy about the voyage. But nobody can dampen Albert's enthusiasm about sailing on the biggest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built--not even Emily, a know-it-all girl who thinks the ship doesn't have enough lifeboats. Everyone knows the "Titanic" is unsinkable!Albert can't wait to see his friends back home, play baseball, and have fun. But when the "Titanic" hits an iceberg and begins to sink, he suddenly faces adult decisions. Can he save Virginia's life---and his own...?The sinking of the "Titanic," one of the gretest maritime diasters of all time, has fascianted the world for over eighty years. This ripping and fast-paced novel puts human faces on the tragedy as it shows us one boy's viliant passage to manhood.

Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims


Rush Limbaugh - 2013
    In this book, he is transported back to the deck of the Mayflower.

Helen Keller


George Sullivan - 2002
    Discover Helen's inspirational story with the help of her own writing and speeches.

Who Was Abigail Adams?


True Kelley - 2014
    She urged her husband, President John Adams, to "remember the ladies" and despite having no formal education herself, she later advocated for equal education in public schools for both boys and girls. She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House! This biography tells the story of Abigail Adams and her role in America's Revolutionary War period.

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water


Nikole Hannah-Jones - 2021
    A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders. But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

Grandpa's Great Escape


David Walliams - 2015
    The hotly-anticipated next novel from NUMBER ONE bestselling author, David WalliamsJack’s Grandpa…*wears his slippers to the supermarket*serves up Spam à la Custard for dinner*and often doesn’t remember Jack’s nameBut he can still take to the skies in a speeding Spitfire and save the day…An exquisite portrait of the bond between a small boy and his beloved Grandpa – this book takes readers on an incredible journey with Spitfires over London and Great Escapes through the city in a high octane adventure full of comedy and heart.Illustrated by the award-winning Tony Ross.

Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels ~ and What the Neighbors Thought


Kathleen Krull - 2000
    Lives of Extraordinary Women turns the spotlight on women who have wielded power, revealing their feats--and flaws--for all the world to see. Here you'll find twenty of the most influential women in history: queens, warriors, prime ministers, first ladies, revolutionary leaders. Some are revered. Others are notorious. What were they really like? In this grand addition to their highly praised series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt celebrate some of the world's most noteworthy women, ranging from the famous to those whose stories have rarely been told. Features twenty extraordinary women, including:CleopatraJoan of ArcElizabeth IHarriet TubmanEleanor RooseveltEva Perón

Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story


Andrea Warren - 1996
    Some were adopted by loving families; others were not as fortunate. In recent years, some of the riders have begun to share their stories. Andrea Warren alternates chapters about the history of the orphan trains with the story of Lee Nailling, who in 1926 rode an orphan train to Texas when he was nine years old.

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad


Henry Cole - 2012
    When a farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in the barn, she is at once startled and frightened. But the stranger's fearful eyes weigh upon her conscience, and she must make a difficult choice. Will she have the courage to help him? Unspoken gifts of humanity unite the girl and the runaway as they each face a journey: one following the North Star, the other following her heart. Henry Cole's unusual and original rendering of the Underground Railroad speaks directly to our deepest sense of compassion.

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books


Kay Winters - 2003
    He traced letters in sand, snow, and dust. He borrowed books and walked miles to bring them back. When he grew up, he became the sixteenth president of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln. He loved books. They changed his life. He changed the world.

Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?


Gare Thompson - 2004
    For a long time, the main role of First Ladies was to act as hostesses of the White House...until Eleanor Roosevelt.  Born in 1884, Eleanor was not satisfied to just be a glorified hostess for her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Eleanor had a voice, and she used it to speak up against poverty and racism.  She had experience and knowledge of many issues, and fought for laws to help the less fortunate.  She had passion, energy, and a way of speaking that made people listen, and she used these gifts to campaign for her husband and get him elected president-four times!  A fascinating historical figure in her own right, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady forever.