BONUS FEATURES: Exclusive author interview and a profile of Lewis Hine!
1910. Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must leave school and go to work as a “doffers” on their mothers’ looms in the mill. Grace’s mother is the best worker, fast and powerful, and Grace desperately wants to help her. But she’s left handed and doffing is a right-handed job. Grace’s every mistake costs her mother, and the family. She only feels capable on Sundays, when she and Arthur receive special lessons from their teacher. Together they write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in Pownal. A few weeks later a man with a camera shows up. It is the famous reformer Lewis Hine, undercover, collecting evidence for the Child Labor Board. Grace’s brief acquaintance with Hine and the photos he takes of her are a gift that changes her sense of herself, her future, and her family’s future.
Critically acclaimed Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson brings to bold life the remarkable story of the Danish resistance and rescue of over 7,000 Jews during WWII.
When the Nazis invaded Denmark the morning of Tuesday, April 9, 1940, the people of this tiny country to the north of Germany awoke to a devastating surprise. The government of Denmark surrendered quietly, and the Danes were ordered to go about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.
Award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson traces the stories of the heroic young men and women who would not stand by as their country was occupied. Rather, they fought back. Some were spies, passing tactical information to the British; some were saboteurs, who aimed to hamper and impede Nazi operations in Denmark; and 95% of the Jewish population of Denmark were survivors, rescued by their fellow countrymen, who had the courage and conscience that drove them to act.
With her extraordinary talent for digging deep in her research and weaving real voices into her narratives, Hopkinson reveals the thrilling truth behind one of WWII's most daring resistance movements.
World War II was raging, with thousands of American soldiers fighting overseas against the injustices brought on by Hitler. Back on the home front, the injustice of discrimination against African Americans was playing out as much on Main Street as in the military. Enlisted black men were segregated from white soldiers and regularly relegated to service duties. At Fort Benning, Georgia, First Sergeant Walter Morris's men served as guards at The Parachute School while the white soldiers prepared to be paratroopers. Morris knew that in order for his men to be treated like soldiers, they would have to train and act like them, but would the military elite and politicians recognize the potential of these men, as well as their passion for serving their country? Tanya Lee Stone examines the role of African Americans in the military through the lens of the untold story of the Triple Nickles as they became America's first black paratroopers and fought a little-known World War II attack on the American West by the Japanese. The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, in the words of Morris, "proved that the color of a man had nothing to do with his ability."
An Exciting Journey Through Time to Ancient Rome!
Maggie shifted on her feet and peered around Mikey at the open door. A warm breeze blew into her room from the tunnel beyond the door.
“I’m not a wimp,” she repeated – this time, raising her chin and walking past Mikey toward the door. As she approached closer she heard what sounded like a stampede of hooves, booming down the tunnel.
She stepped through the door into the tunnel. Her feet found a stone corridor with trails of sand between its paving stones. Mikey followed and closed the door behind them. The door then vanished and yet again, Maggie was on the other side unsure of where she was or when she was.
Join Maggie and Mikey in this second installment of the Virtue Adventures. After lying to avoid being bullied, Maggie is filled with guilt when Mikey appears with another mission from God. This time our pair travels to Ancient Rome to witness what it means to be brave in the face of persecution especially for one’s faith. Will Maggie be able to stand up for what she believes in? Or will she lie in order to fit in again?
Courage in the Colosseum is the second installment of the Virtue Adventures series.
An inspiring audiobook biography based on the life of Kate Moore, a twelve-year-old lighthouse keeper in the 19th century who saved the lives of twenty-three sailors.
With an evocative text, travel back to the stormy, rocky shores of 19th century Connecticut and meet an unforgettable heroine-- at a time when girls were considered anything but. Fayerweather Island had seen blustery blizzards and rip-roaring tides, but it had never seen a pint-sized hurricane until Kate Moore claimed that tiny island as her own. Little Kate was supposed to be the lighthouse keeper's daughter, but she thought of herself as Papa's assistant.
The thirty-three spiraling lighthouse stairs finally took a toll on Papa's body, and so twelve-year-old Kate stepped up. Over the years, she kept the flame lit to guide ships to safety, listened for cries for help, and, time and again, pulled men to safety-twenty-three of them in all. At the age of forty-seven, Kate received word-she had been named the official lighthouse keeper of Fayerweather Island. This girl-power audiobook introduces a small heroine, who, with her can-do attitude and incredible spirit, is sure to inspire.
Eleven-year-old Amelia Fairwick is eagerly waiting for her widowed father to return from his business trip. But a letter arrives with shattering news - Papa has been lost in a terrible hotel fire. Now Amelia must leave her London home to live in America with a relative she has never met. Amelia thinks things can't get much worse when stern Cousin Charlotte travels with her on the voyage across the Atlantic. Amelia must stay alone in the cabin, talking to no one.
But the day the ship arrives in New York City is worst of all. As Amelia waits on the pier for her trunk, Cousin Charlotte disappears! Edgar Award-winning author Barbara Brooks Wallace creates thrilling mysteries filled with authentic historical details.
In Cousins in the Castle, she tells the suspenseful tale of a youngster plucked from a pampered existence and plunged into a dangerous world where villains plot beneath flickering gaslights. Steven Crossley's dramatic performance transports you from genteel Victorian London to the seamy slums of New York City.
Cracker is one of the United States Army’s most valuable weapons: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She’s a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too.
Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he’s going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant–and everyone else who didn’t think he was cut out for war–wrong. But sometimes Rick can’t help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad’s hardware store.
When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn’t so sure about this new owner. He’s going to have to prove himself to her before she’s going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive.
The memorable and courageous story of the nine teenagers in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 who helped “crack the wall” of segregation is clearly presented in this inspiring story. With accurate background information, and simple profiles of the individuals involved, this presentation is a wonderful introduction to school segregation and civil rights history.
A heartwarming story of a stray dog and a U.S. Marine who met under the unlikeliest circumstances in Afghanistan-and who changed each other's lives forever.
As part of an elite team of Marines, Craig Grossi was sent on his most dangerous assignment to the Sangin District of Afghanistan. He expected to face harsh conditions and violence from Taliban fighters.
What he didn't expect was to meet a stray dog, with a big goofy head and little legs-a dog all on his own, filthy and covered in bugs, in a bomb-ridden district, but who carried himself with confidence. And even though the Marines have a rule against approaching strays, Craig couldn't help but offer some food and a pat-and was shocked when the dog wagged his tail.
From that moment on, they were inseparable; whether out on missions or back at the base, the dog named Fred went along. When the time came for Craig to leave Afghanistan, he knew that Fred had to leave with him no matter what. And as Craig tried to get acclimated to civilian life, Fred was there for him.
This audiobook tells the inspiring story of two friends who ultimately rescued each other, and the stubborn positivity and love that continue to shape their world.
In the village of Cranford, decorum is maintained at all times. Despite their poverty, the ladies are never vulgar about money (or their lack of it), and always follow the rules of propriety. But this discretion and gentility does not keep away tragedy; and when the worst happens, the Amazons of Cranford show the true strength of their honest affections. A masterpiece of social comedy, Cranford is as moving as it is funny, and as sharp as it is tender.
The incredible true story of how Americans from all walks of life weathered one of the most turbulent periods in our nation's history--the Great Depression--and emerged triumphant.Crash tells the story of the Great Depression, from the sweeping fallout of the market collapse to the more personal stories of those caught up in the aftermath. Packed with photographs, primary documents, and firsthand accounts, Crash shines a spotlight on pivotal moments and figures across ethnic, gender, racial, social, and geographic divides, reflecting many different experiences of one of the most turbulent decades in American history. Marc Favreau's meticulous research, vivid prose, and extensive back matter paints a thorough picture of how the country we live in today was built in response to the widespread poverty, insecurity, and fear of the 1930s.
In 1876, Lakota chief Crazy Horse helped lead his people's resistance against the white man's invasion of the northern Great Plains. One of the leaders of the US military forces was Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The men had long been enemies. At the height of the war, when tribalism had reached its peak, they crossed paths for the last time. In this action-packed double biography, S. D. Nelson draws fascinating parallels between Crazy Horse and Custer, two men whose lives were intertwined. These warriors were alike in many ways, yet they often collided in deadly rivalry. Witness reports and reflections by their peers and enemies accompany side-by-side storytelling that offers very different perspectives on the same historical events. The two men's opposing destinies culminated in the infamous Battle of the Greasy Grass, as the Lakota called it, or the Battle of the Little Bighorn, as it was called by the Euro-Americans.
