It is circa 2600 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, and Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. Alone in a strange city, the siblings must put aside old resentments to survive.

When Ann Fay's challenge to recover from polio is compounded by her father's inability to cope with psychological war wounds, Ann Fay's attempts to fix both problems fail miserably. But when she realizes burdens are for sharing and quality relationships require humility and trust, she walks a once-lonely path with help. As she becomes less dependent upon clunky, uncomfortable braces for her polio- ...

This engrossing and thorough biography of an American legend reads like a great story. The author, a black woman who passed away in the 1990's, uses the term "Negro" throughout the book (originally published in 1955), so young readers may need instruction regarding the term's background and use. While many books relate Harriet Tubman's story, this one may retell it the best.

Rich descriptors establish this memoir’s compelling setting so that readers feel the African heat , the desperation of starving families seeking sustenance from dry, barren farmland, and the wind’s power to help a helpless community. Against this backdrop a small, young boy with an insatiable appetite for knowledge lets curiosity drive his desire to help his family and his village. T ...

“Unlike my parents, I had no concept of what war was actually like.” With these words, 10-year-old Leon Leyson foreshadows his shattered innocence. Deft writing presents horrific injustices of war, grievous loss, and unfathomable disdain for humanity with an authentic voice that acknowledges such evil but chooses to more significantly highlight every scrap of hope and celebrate every s ...

An amazing story of a clever and courageous canine and the man (one among many) that she saved. The gritty and harrowing story of survival as Japanese POWs always maintains a hopeful tone. Recommended for young adult readers.

As if typical adolescent angst was not enough, Cash, Bird and Fitch, three seventh-grade siblings, must deal with their parents’ disintegrating marriage too. Each struggles with a quirky personality, unique habits, and bumpy friendships. But reaching across to help each other through these trials brings them to a unique sense of family.

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 ...

Kehret, who contracted polio in 1949, describes the diagnosis, severe symptoms, treatments, physical therapy, walking sticks and more in this moving memoir. B&W illustrations.

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 ...

The award-winning author pens a fascinating account of the potato blight thatstruck in Ireland, telling the story of the men, women, and children who madeevery attempt to survive and hang on to hope.

Illus. with photographs from the Dust Bowl era. This true story took place at the emergency farm-labor camp immortalized in Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath. Ostracized as "dumb Okies," the children of Dust Bowl migrant laborers went without school--until Superintendent Leo Hart and 50 Okie kids built their own school in a nearby field.

This captivating, true story is full and adventure and alive with anticipation. It begs for discussion on setting a goal and working hard to achieve it. Exquisite word selection creates outstanding mental images while the story's pace enables readers to feel the character's experience, sensing the anticipation of each problem faced and the sheer joy of a goal achieved. This story also provides a g ...

Desperate tale of a family’s survival during the winter of 1944, a time the Dutch call Hongerwinter. Papa and older sister, Els, are away as resistance fighters, and Mamma has died. Alone, thirteen-year-old Dirk must safely transport himself and little sister Anna across NAZI-held countryside to rejoin their relatives. They meet many people, but they never know who is friend or who is foe.

At first, radium was a health cure. Then it was the source of timepieces that could be read in the dark. And then it turned deadly. Caught in the history of this radioactive element, young women painted watch faces for manufacturers. As one after another suffers detrimental effects, it becomes obvious that working with radium is dangerous. However, the companies were profiting nicely from its use ...

A riveting retelling of the events surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Combining gripping , fast-moving narrative and photographs, Swanson brings history to life. A mesmerizing reading experience!

The true story of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Schindler, who, with his family's encouragement, saved thousands of Jews in Lithuania during World War II. As a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania in the 1940s, Chiune Sugihara had a chance to help thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust through Japan, but it was against his government's orders. When his five-year-old son Hiroki asked, If we don't help th ...