This New York Times bestseller recounts the true story of the touching gift bestowed on the US by the Maasai people in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon th ...

This New York Times bestseller recounts the true story of the touching gift bestowed on the US by the Maasai people in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon th ...

Twin brothers, sons of a plantation owner, share everything--except their different beliefs about slavery. As the political tensions rise in the South, they are caught between their passions for their causes and their love for one another. When the Civil War begins, the twins both go to war--to fight each other. Mary Stolz captures the spirit of the times in this emotionally-charged story of two b ...

Adolf Hitler's ominous statements seem only a distant threat to eleven-year-old Rudi Kaplan. But when the Nazi forces invade Poland and bomb his home city of Warsaw, Rudi finds out that he is Hitler's enemy not only because he is a Pole, but also because he's a Jew--and a Christian. The next few years change Rudi's life forever. With only his imprisoned father's promise that they will be reunited ...

This novel, written in diary form, tells of "a pivotal year for 19th-century New Englander Catherine Cabot Hill--one of change, loss, and leave taking . . . a low-key, intense and reflective book".--"School Library Journal", starred review. 1980 Newbery Award book.

The Great Depression hits close to home for 11-year-old Margo Bandini when the sheriff starts eviction procedures against her family. Her father has two weeks to pay the bank or they must leave their home forever. Margo is determined to find a way to help Papa save their home, in this debut novel based on the author's own experiences.

Sudan. A country where growing up is risky and challenging. Salva's story begins with a harrowing flee into the woods from his schoolhouse. With danger never far away, Salva makes his way to Ethiopia only to be driven from there at gunpoint. As his story unfolds in 1985 and the years after, readers are introduced to Nya, a young girl who walks all day to deliver dirty water to her family. Water pl ...

This easy-to-understand book tells why and how the Constitution of the United States was created. Simple, attractive, informative....The most accessible history of the Constitution to date.--School Library Journal.

The fast-paced story captures the desperation some families experienced when the Berlin Wall was erected. As the protagonist and her brother face critical decisions, readers will explore their own thinking and possible choices given the story's extraordinary circumstances. The result is a reading-based thrill ride.

Based on Tempe Wick's life and the tale of hiding her horse in her house during the coldest winter of the American Revolution, Rinaldi's story poignantly addresses the question of compromising one's loyalty for "victory."

We can't get enough of this author/illustrator duo. They discover the most interesting individuals and masterfully shape the telling by relating familiar, present-day experiences with their characters' experiences, enabling details to stick. In this telling, William Carlos Williams faces the difficulty of balancing the need to earn a living with pursuing his artistic endeavors. He manages to estab ...

The Newbery Medal-winning tale of an orphan boy whose dream of becoming a master potter leads to unforeseen adventure in ancient Korea.​Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean village renowned for its ceramics. When he accidentally breaks a delicate piece of pottery, he volunteers to work to pay for the damage. Putting aside his own dreams, Tree-ear resolves to serve the master po ...

In an unusual move within book publishing, this author/illustrator team researched Horace Pippin together. The result is a remarkably tight text-illustration experience. While Bryant's careful word choice flows easily, delighting and informing simultaneously, Sweet's illustration conveys Pippin's life story via his folk-art style, as if we readers are privy to his sketching pad. Sweet prominently ...

A beautiful story of family, survival, and resilience!

During a crisis, how many things have to go right before you wonder if a larger plan is playing out? Survivors and rescuers confront this question in a dramatic, real-life story of survival. The writing is unrelentingly gripping, giving readers multiple perspectives as the storm rages, the waves rise, and the rescue plays out. (Includes mild language in very few quotes from individuals as they sha ...

Illus. in full color. Abraham Lincoln, one of our greatest presidents, started out in life as an absent-minded frontier lawyer. How did he nudge his memory? He stuck letters, court notes, contracts, and even his checkbook in his trademark top hat. When he took off his hat, it was all there!

This extraordinarily tender, humorous, and lyrical look at the childhood of Abraham Lincoln introduces readers to a boy who, despite heartbreaking hard times, never loses his passion for storytelling and learning. Full color.