Showing results for "American Life" in Literature & Fiction

You may know of many Native American tribes, but there is more to their story. Learn about life in the time that the First Americans lived.

Lauren and her best friend, Tara, have always done everything together. So when they don't have any classes together in sixth grade, it's disastrous. The solution? Trying out for the school play. Lauren, who loves to sing, wonders if maybe she will be the star instead of Tara this time. But when the show is cast, Lauren lands in the ensemble, while Tara scores the lead role. Their teacher explains: Lauren just doesn't look the part of the all-American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the everygirl star from Pleasant Valley, USA?

In 1777, during the War for Independence, Nate Donovan is the younger brother in an Irish Quaker family in British-occupied Philadelphia. He is too young to join the Continental Army that is fighting for America’s freedom, but when the war comes through the Donovan’s front door, Nate becomes the youngest member of General George Washington’s spy network. Dangerous? If Nate and his Indian friend, Running Fox, are caught as spies the penalty is death by hanging.

You may know of Pocahontas, but there is more to her story. Learn about life in the time that Pocahontas lived, and how she impacted the First Colonies.

Nine African American students made history when they defied a governor and integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957. It was the photo of one of the nine trying to enter the school a young girl being taunted, harassed, and threatened by an angry mob that grabbed the world's attention and kept its disapproving gaze on Little Rock, Arkansas.

A rainy day brings Katie and the rest of the neighborhood to the library. The librarian, Miss Bliss, is the best at finding the perfect book for each listener. But it’s almost time to go, and Katie still doesn’t have a book. What super-duper books will she find?

When young Tybre Faw discovers John Lewis and his heroic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the fight for voting rights, Tybre is determined to meet him. Tybre’s two grandmothers take him on the seven-hour drive to Selma, Alabama, where Lewis invites Tybre to join him in the annual memorial walk across the Bridge. And so begins a most amazing friendship!​​​​​​​​​ In rich, poetic language, Andrea Davis Pinkney weaves the true story of a boy with a dream—together with the story of a real-life hero (who himself had a life-altering friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was young!).

At his yearly checkup, Max gets weighed and measured. What else happens at the doctor?

The battlefield was soaked in blood. Screams of injured soldiers rang through the air. Eleven-year-old Nathaniel Knox knelt behind a rock, his gun clutched in his shaking hands. Nate had been heading to New York City to find his father. But now he was trapped in a terrible gunfight between American and British troops. This Revolutionary War had started as a thrilling fight for freedom. The 13 American colonies were breaking apart from England, away from King George III.

A rediscovered treasure for a new generation: the first and only story for children ever written by Alan Watts. Alan Watts, beloved for bringing a childlike wonder to the spiritual journey, once wrote a story for children. The Fish Who Found the Sea brings this delightful and wise parable to...

When North and South met in 1865 at Appomattox Court House to end the Civil War, the official terms of surrender weren’t written in the hand of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, or any white soldier. Instead, this momentous event was recorded by General Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca (Iroquois) tribe. At that time, Parker was not only the highest-ranking Native American in the Union Army but also the Grand Sachem, or chief representative, of the Haudenosaunee—the powerful Iroquois Confederacy.

"A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos doesn’t want a robot. She and her best friends would rather explore Bright Valley on their own. But then Zuzu meets Snap, a...

The Women’s World Cup is coming to Anaheim, and everyone has soccer fever — especially Mia! The U.S. team is playing China in the finals, and Mia feels like her two identities are finally coming together. But when her P.E. teacher gives her a C, Mia tries to score interviews with the two women’s teams to pull up her grade. As Mia aims for her goals, she’ll have to face strikers from all corners, and her own fears. But if anyone can find a way to win big, it’s Mia Tang!

Winicker Wallace was forced to move to Paris, France, with her family. At first, she hates everything about Paris. It rains too much, Winicker's neighbor is irritatingly perfect, and there is a mean girl in class who makes Winicker want to jet right back to her old house in Massachusetts. It takes a few mishaps for Winicker to warm up to her new home.

"Ibram X. Kendi narrates his well-researched biography of Malcolm X 100 years after Malcolm's birth. Kendi vividly shares Malcolm's family's difficulties..." — Kirkus National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi brings an American icon to life in...

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.

Three bored sisters on a rainy afternoon make wish after wish— for the rain to stop, to play in the puddles— something, anything. Capturing their attention, their grandmother recounts a mesmerizing childhood memory of a magical night long ago when secret wishes came true. She relates what happened when Ying-ying was seven and celebrating the Moon Festival in China. On that long-ago night of the Moon Festival, she encountered the Moon Lady, who granted the secret wishes of those who ask.

What does it take to be a STEM genius? Check out these exciting, highly listenable profiles of a dozen contemporary women who are on the cutting edge of scientific research.

National Book Award-finalist Ibi Zoboi makes her middle-grade debut with a moving story of a girl finding her place in a world that's changing at warp speed. Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As...

From Judy Blume, author of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Iggie's House is a moving novel that tackles racism and neighbourhood prejudice. Dear Iggie. How are you? I hope you're fine because nobody around here is . . . Winnie's best friend, Iggie, has just moved away – and Winnie's...