Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is known to most of the world as Kate Middleton. Bullied in elementary school, she was an ordinary girl on her way to an ordinary life -- until she met her Prince Charming. After almost a decade of waiting, she and her prince wed in a ceremony viewed by millions worldwide. Now, she travels the world, meeting with leaders, working with charities, and setting fashion standards along the way.Here you'll find an inside look into the life of the woman who will one day be Queen of England. **Updated with chapters on each of her children. Read more

"...intriguing and fascinating young adult adventure..." Readers' Favorite'47 DAYS' is a novelette and an excerpt from the award-winning biographical novel, SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND--A True Coming-of-age Love Story Set in WWII Germany. In March 1945 Hitler ordered his last propaganda command: send all 15 and 16-year old boys to defend the fatherland. 47 DAYS tells the true story of Günter and Helmut, best friends, who dared to defy and disobey. Without knowing how long the war might continue, they spent 47 harrowing days as fugitives on the run. Being caught meant certain execution.SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND tells the true and heart-wrenching stories of Lilly and Günter struggling with the terror-filled reality of life in the Third Reich, each embarking on their own dangerous path toward survival, freedom, and ultimately each other. Based on the author's own family and anchored in historical facts, this story celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of war children. Read more

When 16-year-old Helmuth Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmuth's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times, to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself. Read more

Could you survive in a cave...for a whole year? That's the challenge facing fourteen-year-old Jacob. Set in Ukraine during the final months of World War II, THE HIDDEN ROOM is based on the true story of a Jewish family who escapes from the Nazis by taking refuge in a remote cave. Jacob adjusts to the hardships of living underground and the dangers of night-time adventures outside the cave. Food is scarce. Darkness, bone-chilling cold, and the fear of being captured are constant. But a surprising discovery gives his family reason to hope. Bringing young readers back to this time of terror, THE HIDDEN ROOM reveals little-known but vivid historical details of Ukraine, including Stalin's brutal pre-war campaign of forced starvation, known as the Holodomor. You will celebrate the courage of a family who stays positive, even in the face of adversity that threatens their survival. William Durbin, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award and two Minnesota Book Awards, is the author of fourteen historical novels, including THE BROKEN BLADE; WINTERING; BLACKWATER BEN; DEADMAN'S RAPIDS, co-authored with his wife, Barbara; THE DARKEST EVENING; and three books in Scholastic's My Name is America Series.For additional information visit williamdurbin.com Read more

“In 1945 the war ended. The Germans surrendered, and the ghetto was liberated. Out of over a quarter of a million people, about 800 walked out of the ghetto. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. I was one of the twelve.” For more than fifty years after the war, Syvia, like many Holocaust survivors, did not talk about her experiences in the Lodz ghetto in Poland. She buried her past in order to move forward. But finally she decided it was time to share her story, and so she told it to her niece, who has re-told it here using free verse inspired by her aunt. This is the true story of Syvia Perlmutter―a story of courage, heartbreak, and finally survival despite the terrible circumstances in which she grew up. A timeline, historical notes, and an author’s note are included. Read more

In 1939, the Germans invaded the town of Lodz, Poland, and moved the Jewish population into a small part of the city called a ghetto. As the war progressed, 270,000 people were forced to settle in the ghetto under impossible conditions. At the end of the war, there were about 800 survivors. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. This is the story of one of the twelve. Read more

Eleanor of Acquitaine has been waiting in Heaven for a long time to be reunited with her second husband, Henry II of England. Finally, the day has come when Henry will be judged for admission--and while Eleanor waits, three people close to her during various times of her life join her, helping to distract her and providing a rich portrait of a remarkable woman in history. Read more

“I was captivated...from the start...beautifully written.” Readers’ Favorite Five StarsBased on true events – a companion novella to 47 Days: The True Story of Two Teen Boys Defying Hitler's ReichSolingen, Germany, December 19, 1944: Günter has had it—he is starving. After the bombing of his hometown, even the few food rations, they were getting, are no longer available. On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, he and his friend, Helmut, come across a battalion of returning German soldiers. One offers them his downtrodden military horse, if they can trade civilian clothes. Günter immediately agrees, even if he doesn’t quite know where to find something suitable. All he wants is the horse, which means survival for him, his mother and little brother. He and Helmut set out on a treacherous night excursion—getting caught, means certain execution.Based on my father's memories as a youth in World War II, 24 HOURS explores what a person is willing to do to survive. In December of 1944, the war had been raging for more than five years and most civilians were famished. My father saw a chance to fill his stomach and took it. The task of doing so would bring him to the edge of his abilities. But true hunger overcomes just about any obstacle, no matter how dangerous or cruel it may seem to our modern-day sensitivities. Read more

Can one lonely little boy show the strength and determination to survive the dangers that lie ahead? Traveling along the rocky road from boyhood to manhood, how can David learn who to trust and who to love? Will David’s friends bring him happiness or heartache? In this inspiring tale of trust, betrayal, courage and love, Charles Dickens presents a world of colorful characters to amuse us, astonish us, disgust us and move us to tears. Once encountered, David Copperfield’s friends and enemies will never be forgotten. Read more

I had freckles. I had sandy hair. I was too short. Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne? These are the words of lady Jane Grey, as imagined by celebrated author Ann Rinaldi. Jane would become Queen of England for only nine days before being beheaded at the age of sixteen. Here is a breathtaking story of English royalty with its pageantry, privilege, and surprising cruelty. As she did in her previous novel Mutiny's Daughter, Ms. Rinaldi uses powerful, evocative writing to bring to life a teenage girl caught in the grip of stirring times. Ages 12+ Read more

Partly autobiographical, this is the third title in Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy of books following the life of Anna through war-torn Germany, to London during the Blitz and her return to Berlin to discover the past…Berlin is where Anna lived before Hitler, when she was still a German child; before she spoke a word of English, before her family had all become refugees. Long before her happy new existence in London. But Mama is there, dangerously ill. Anna is forced to go back, to deal with questions of life and death, to face old fears, and to discover the past which she has so long shut away.Content warning: this book contains references to suicide, appropriate for older readers. Read more

In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, was said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was married to King Menelaus of Sparta but was abducted by Prince Paris of Troy after the goddess Aphrodite promised her to him in the Judgement of Paris. This resulted in the Trojan War when the Achaeans set out to reclaim her. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and was the sister of Clytemnestra, Castor, and Polydeuces.Andrew Lang´s story in rhyme tells of the fortunes of this attractive character and the account of the sack of Troy. "Helen of Troy" was first published in 1882.Andrew Lang (1844-1912) was a prolific Scots man of letters, a poet, novelist, literary critic and contributor to anthropology. He now is best known as the collector of folk and fairy tales. As a journalist, poet, critic and historian, he soon made a reputation as one of the ablest and most versatile writers of the day. Read more

Rose Zar was 19 years old when the Nazis invaded her native Poland. Her father urged her to save herself by hiding “in the mouth of the wolf”—or within the enemy itself. She managed to obtain false papers, secretly changing her identity and surviving the Holocaust as maid and nanny for a Nazi SS colonel. Read more

Winner of the 1966 Newbery MedalAn ALA Notable BookA New York Times Best Juvenile Book of the YearJuan is the slave of the great Spanish painter Diego Valazquez and helps his master in his studio by preparing paints and stretching canvases. But Juan is an artist, too: he has taught himself by watching his master's technique. Although such work is forbidden by slaves, Jaun cannot keep his secret any longer.What will happen when the truth is known?Latino Interest. Read more

Based on the true story of the author's mother and aunt—two Jewish sisters who survived the Holocaust—this moving novel is set in 1944 during the German occupation of Hungary. Susan and Vera are sent to a convent to hide from the Nazis; there they learn the true meaning of courage, thanks to the nuns who risk their lives to conceal the girls. But when German soldiers arrive in the middle of the night, will Susan and Vera be kept safe from the enemy at the gates? Historical notes and photographs illuminate the story and educate young readers about what life was like during World War II.Basada en la historial real de la madre y la tía de la autora—dos hermanas judías que sobrevivieron el Holocausto—esta novela conmovedora toma lugar en 1944 durante la ocupación de los alemanes en Hungría. Susan y Vera son enviadas a un convento para esconderlas de los nazis; allí aprenden el verdadero significado del valor gracias a las monjas que arriesgan sus vidas acogiéndolas. Pero cuando los soldados alemanes llegan tarde en la noche, ¿estarán Susan y Vera a salvo del enemigo a la puerta? Anotaciones y fotografías históricas iluminan la historia y educan a los jóvenes lectores acerca de cómo era la vida durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Read more

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First published in 1857, "The Three Clerks" was Anthony Trollope’s sixth novel and was written mostly in railway carriages, since his work for the Post Office still entailed a good deal of travelling. To make life easier for himself, Trollope had devised what he called his ‘tablet’, a square block which he rested upon his knees in such a way that he could write in complete comfort.The story is drawn from his memories of his work (as a clerk) at the General Post Office in St Martin-le-Grand, and it is considered the most autobiographical of Trollope’s novels – a story of the differing fortunes of 3 young men working at Weights and Measures and their relationships with a family of 3 sisters.In 1883 Trollope gave it as his opinion that "The Three Clerks" was a better novel than any of his earlier ones. Read more

Say “Hitler” and people would automatically think of evil and Jews. Adolf Hitler was responsible for the Holocaust, wherein thousands of Jews were killed. But what made Hitler craft anti-Jew legislation? Maybe his life held the answers. Reading about the lives of historical figures will never undo what they did but it can help to make sure history does not repeat itself. Start reading today! Read more

* * * SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 WHISTLER INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS * * *He fled his village in eastern Hungary to escape his father's iron fist. But now, fighting for the SS, he's facing starvation on the Eastern Front as the deluge of enemy fire from the Russian army comes closer every hour.SUPPLEMENTAL FILM AVAILABLE FOR CLASSROOM USE. Contact author for details.The Upside of Hunger is the powerful story of Adam Baumann's coming of age in the midst of WW2 and his journey toward manhood, from the rarely told perspective of a Hungarian-born German.EASTERN HUNGARY, 1941 – desperate to escape his father’s iron fist, 12-year-old Adam fled. But when his father traced him to the mountain village where he was living under the guise of an orphan, Adam knew he’d have to go farther next time. The military recruitment station in Vienna seemed like the perfect solution, and the age of their recruits no longer mattered to the Germans.As autumn turned to winter and Adam lay terrified and starving in a frozen foxhole on the Eastern Front, he knew he’d made a horrible and deadly mistake. In front of him, enemy fire rained down from the approaching Russian army. Behind him, his German commander’s orders were clear – hold steady. Then, a Russian bullet found its mark, catapulting Adam into a series of terrifying captures and narrow escapes from enemy forces as Europe reeled from the final destruction of WW2.Never standing still, Adam struggled through war-torn landscapes to find his family and began to build a life from the ashes, until the results of a medical examination at an American Embassy in Germany changed the course of his future again.Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting true story of courage in the face of unbeatable odds.Praise for The Upside of Hunger:“Rarely do we see a book of this era written from the perspective of a German from Hungary. What an educational opportunity for all of us--even those of us familiar with the time period--to learn how much we just don't know!”“Sometimes truth is better than fiction, and the story of Adam's life is truly so.”“Beautiful, shocking, at times painful... the magnificently told story of a boy who triumphed over the limitations of history to become his greatest self.”“At times it seems like a Hungarian version of Tom Sawyer, then a WWII version of All Quiet on the Western Front, then even a German-Canadian version of a Horatio Alger story. In short, it has a little bit of everything about the life and travails of a very interesting person.” Read more

Growl with anger over what nasty things Edward's vile henchmen did to Wallace's girlfriend and best pal. Get splattered with blood and gore as Wallace makes haggis of his enemies. Gasp with terror while learning about the giant "hedgehogs" that helped Wallace win battles. Groan with agony while discovering what it's like to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Discover how Wallace's grisly death made his legend grow. William Wallace and All That is a real-life adventure packed with historical facts about Scotland's legendary hero.  Read more