New York Times bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, Chasing Lincoln's Killer is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia. Read more

A Newbery Honor bookA National Book Awards finalist for Young People's LiteraturePerfect for middle grade listeners and history enthusiasts, New York Times best-selling author Steve Sheinkin presents the fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War in Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon.In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents.In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb. Read more

A Young People's History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, slaves, immigrants, women, Native Americans, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. A Young People's History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leading the reader through the struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism, Zinn in the volumes of A Young People’s History of the United States presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals. Read more

Abbie was afraid. She had never had to keep the lights burning by herself. But many lives depended on the lighthouse, and Papa was depending on Abbie. This is the exciting true story of Abbie Burgess, who in 1856 single-handedly kept the lighthouse lamps lit during a tremendous storm off the coast of Maine."The Roops have done an excellent job of putting a fascinating tale into simple language. . . . Hanson's lovely watercolors evoke the mood and are far and away superior to what appears in many easy-to-reads."—starred, Booklist Read more

With murder, court battles, and sensational newspaper headlines, the story of Lizzie Borden is compulsively listenable and perfect for the Common Core.Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes listeners along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges. Listeners will devour this nonfiction book that comes across like fiction.A School Library Journal Best Best Book of the Year"Sure to be a hit with true crime fans everywhere."—School Library Journal, Starred Read more

With more than 1.5 million copies sold, Killing Lincoln deftly recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—of how one gunshot changed the country forever. In Lincoln's Last Days, Bill O'Reilly masterfully adapts his historical thriller to appeal to a younger audience. Shorter text and abundant photographs make this is a useful, inviting, and accessible audiobook for younger listeners interested in American history and the Civil War. Both adults and children are sure to find this volume irresistible on its own, or as a compelling companion to Killing Lincoln. Read more

A Young People's History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, enslaved people, immigrants, women, Black people, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leading the reader through the struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism, Zinn presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals.A Young People's History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Read more

This quintessential middle-grade biography of Harriet Tubman now features a cover by NAACP Image Award-winner and Caldecott Honor illustrator Kadir Nelson, a foreword written and read by National Book Award-finalist Jason Reynolds, and additional new material. A selection of the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad was praised by the New Yorker as “[A]n evocative portrait” and by the Chicago Tribune as “[S]uperb”. It is a gripping and accessible portrait of the heroic woman who guided more than 300 slaves to freedom and who is expected to be the face of the new $20 bill.Harriet Tubman was born a slave and dreamed of being free. She was willing to risk everything - including her own life - to see that dream come true. After her daring escape, Harriet became a conductor on the secret Underground Railroad, helping others make the dangerous journey to freedom.This award-winning introduction to the late abolitionist, which was named an ALA Notable Book and a New York Times Outstanding Book, also includes a supplemental PDF with educational back matter such as a timeline, discussion questions, and extension activities.PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.  Read more

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults: Firsthand accounts of the experiences of boys sixteen and younger who fought in the Civil War, with photos included.  Winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction   “Making extensive use of the actual words—culled from diaries, journals, memoirs, and letters—of boys who served in the Union and Confederate armies as fighting soldiers as well as drummers, buglers, and telegraphers, Murphy describes the beginnings of the Civil War and goes on to delineate the military role of the underage soldiers and their life in the camps and field bivouacs. Also included is a description of the boys' return home and the effects upon them of their wartime experiences…An excellent selection of more than 45 sepia-toned contemporary photographs augment the text of this informative, moving work.” —School Library Journal (starred review)   “This wrenching look at our nation’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening.” —Publishers Weekly   “This well-researched and readable account provides fresh insight into the human cost of a pivotal event in United States history.” —The Horn Book (starred review) Read more

This contemporary classic explores the role of boys who fought in the Civil War. No reader’s vision of America’s most brutal and bloody war will be the same after reading this book.“This wrenching look at our nation’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening.” —Publishers WeeklySome Union and Confederate soldiers were as young as twelve when they went off to fight in the Civil War. It is thought that as many as ten to twenty percent of all Civil War soldiers may have been under sixteen.The Boys' War follows these young soldiers through the rigors of camp life and drilling, right into the chaos of the battlefield. Jim Murphy skillfully weaves together firsthand accounts and personal letters of these countless young men with historical context to paint their portrait—young soldiers who, either seeking escape from the drudgery of farm work or embracing fantasies of glory, participated in the Civil War.Handsomely produced with numerous period photographs and drawings, The Boys' War is a winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.“Making extensive use of the actual words—culled from diaries, journals, memoirs, and letters—of boys who served in the Union and Confederate armies as fighting soldiers as well as drummers, buglers, and telegraphers, Murphy describes the beginnings of the Civil War and goes on to delineate the military role of the underage soldiers and their life in the camps and field bivouacs. Also included is a description of the boys' return home and the effects upon them of their wartime experiences. An excellent selection of more than 45 sepia-toned contemporary photographs augment the text of this informative, moving work.” —School Library Journal (starred review)“This well-researched and readable account provides fresh insight into the human cost of a pivotal event in United States history.” —The Horn Book (starred review) Read more

In this gripping account of the boyhood, marriage, and young professional life of Abraham Lincoln, award-winning writer Russell Freedman brings to life the presidential years, scholarly thoughts and reflections of the Civil War president. Winner of the 1988 Newbery Medal. This 1988 Newbery Medal-winning biography of our Civil War president is warm, appealing, and illustrated with dozens of carefully chosen photographs and prints. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood, his career as a country lawyer, and his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd. Then the author focuses on the presidential years (1861 to 1865), skillfully explaining the many complex issues Lincoln grappled with as he led a deeply divided nation through the Civil War. The book's final chapter is a moving account of that tragic evening in Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. Additional content includes a sampling of Lincoln's writings and a detailed list of Lincoln historical sites. Read more

Skipping Stones 2022 Honors Award Winner!A deep dive into the period after the Civil War, when the country struggled to both heal and find a way forward. An essential read for students ages 12 to 15 in today’s cultural climate.After the Civil War, Americans struggled to repair the divided nation. How does a country rebuild the infrastructure, government, and economy of a huge region while taking steps to resolve the status of 4 million newly freed slaves?In Reconstruction: The Rebuilding of the United States After the Civil War, middle schoolers examine the era from 1865 to 1877, a time when the United States wrestled with questions that still plague the country today: Who should have access to citizenship and voting rights? How should the power of the federal government be balanced against the rights of the states? What is the proper government response to white supremacy?Readers use an inquiry-based approach to explore how political, economic, and social problems were handled during Reconstruction. Along the way, they design models for combating similar twenty-first-century problems, using critical and creative thinking skills. Graphic novel-style illustrations, amazing historical photography, and primary sources bring the past to life and illustrate how Reconstruction affected both blacks and whites.Title is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats. Read more

Boys, let us get up a club.With those words, six restless young men raided the linens at a friend’s mansion, pulled pillowcases over their heads, hopped on horses, and cavorted through the streets of Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866. The six friends named their club the Ku Klux Klan, and, all too quickly, their club grew into the self-proclaimed Invisible Empire with secret dens spread across the South.This is the story of how a secret terrorist group took root in America’s democracy. Filled with chilling and vivid personal accounts unearthed from oral histories, congressional documents, and diaries, this account from Newbery Honor-winning author Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a book to read and remember. A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist. Read more

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia. Read more

With murder, court battles, and sensational newspaper headlines, the story of Lizzie Borden is compulsively readable and perfect for the Common Core.   Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.   In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes readers along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges.   With inserts featuring period photos and newspaper clippings—and, yes, images from the murder scene—readers will devour this nonfiction book that reads like fiction.A School Library Journal Best Best Book of the Year"Sure to be a hit with true crime fans everywhere." —School Library Journal, Starred Read more

Jean Lafitte left behind many a legend for generations to follow in thepages of Louisiana history. Treasure hunters still speculate about the site ofpirated loot buried under French Quarter homes or sunk in the Barataria swamps.His notorious reputation was born of tales like these of the blacksmith andsuspect pirate. But regardless of whatever the storytellers may repeat, thereis one legend that does survive the test of authenticity, the story of how JeanLafitte and his men were heroes at the Battle of New Orleans against theinvading British forces during the War of 1812.In The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans , authorRobert Tallant has given younger readers a chance to relive the excitement,romance, and thrill of those days when the Barataria pirates threatened rivertraffic and New Orleans felt the threat of seige by the British. Thisenthralling story from the pages of history is delightfully told with anemphasis on helping children understand the political events of the time aswell as the social climate of the city in the early-nineteenth century.The story reveals the speculative past of Lafitte and how he hid behind thefacade of his blacksmith's shop in the Vieux Carr . He held bittercontempt for his enemy Governor Claiborne until that famous battle, in whichthe pirate-turned-hero joined Gen. Andrew Jackson to protect the city from theincoming assault of British soldiers. Combining tales of pirates, mystery,battle, true events, and real people, this children's book is a thrillingchapter in American history.Robert Tallant (1909-1957) was one of Louisiana's best-known authors, andparticipated in the WPA Writers Project during the 1930s and 1940s. BesidesMardi Gras . . . As It Was, Tallant also wrote Voodoo in NewOrleans and The Voodoo Queen . With Lyle Saxon and EdwardDreyer he coauthored the famous collection Gumbo Ya-Ya: Folktales ofLouisiana. Read more

When Mildred and Richard Loving are arrested, jailed, and exiled from their home simply because of their mixed-race marriage, they must challenge the courts and the country in order to secure their civil rights.Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Jeter Loving wanted to live out their married life near family in Virginia. However, the state refused to let them--because Richard was white and Mildred was black. After being arrested and charged with a crime, the Lovings were forced to leave their home--until they turned to the legal system. In one of the country's most prominent legal battles, Loving v. Virginia, the Lovings secured their future when the court struck down all state laws prohibiting mixed marriage. Acclaimed author Larry Dane Brimner's thorough research and detailed reconstruction of the Loving v. Virginia case memorializes the emotional journey towards marriage equality in this critical addition to his award-winning oeuvre of social justice titles. Read more

With murder, court battles, and sensational newspaper headlines, the story of Lizzie Borden is compulsively readable and perfect for the Common Core.   Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.   In a compelling, linear narrative, Miller takes readers along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a gripping portrait of a woman and a town emerges.   With inserts featuring period photos and newspaper clippings—and, yes, images from the murder scene—readers will devour this nonfiction book that reads like fiction.A School Library Journal Best Best Book of the Year"Sure to be a hit with true crime fans everywhere." —School Library Journal, Starred Read more