What does it mean when the man who wrote
the Declaration of Independence is your father
and also your slave master?
Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston are Thomas Jefferson's children, but their mother is a slave, so they must keep their father's identity secret. They get special treatment-better work, better shoes, even violin lessons-but they are still slaves. Their father has promised to set them all free when each turns twenty-one. Some of them are light-skinned enough that they will be able to enter white society-and thereby turn their backs on home forever. Others won't have that option. So just what did their father mean when he wrote all men are created equal?
Told in three parts from the points of view of three of Jefferson's slaves-Beverly, Madison, and a third boy close to the Hemings family-these engaging and poignant voices shed light on what life was like as one of Thomas Jefferson's invisible offspring.
For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.
After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams'no matter the cost.
Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy . . . and take her revenge.
Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights'and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes the second book in an epic series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. But it is also the story of injustice; of a country divided by law, education, and wealth; of a people whose struggles and achievements helped define their country.
Kadir Nelson, one of this generation's most accomplished, award-winning artists, has created an epic yet intimate introduction to the history of America and African Americans, from colonial days through the civil rights movement. Written in the voice of an "Everywoman," an unnamed narrator whose forebears came to this country on slave ships and who lived to cast her vote for the first African American president, Heart and Soul touches on some of the great transformative events and small victories of that history. This inspiring book demonstrates that in gaining their freedom and equal rights, African Americans helped our country achieve its promise of liberty and justice-the true heart and soul of our nation.
The glory of Ancient Greece is all around us, even in the 21st century, because Greece was the cradle of Western civilisation. We know about the gods and their characters - Zeus, Athene, Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite - and their heroes, both legendary (Heracles) and historical (Alexander the Great). Architecture, mathematics, politics, philosophy, observation of nature and the cosmos and much more emerged in Ancient Greece. Hugh Griffith's entertaining but informative account of the people and the history places it all in perspective. An outstanding introduction for younger listeners.
In the fall of 1955, twelveyearold Dawn Rae Johnson learns she will be the only one of her friends attending a previously allwhite school. However, not everyone supports integration and Dawnie must endure the realities of racism firsthand. In time, Dawnie learns that the true meaning of justice comes from remaining faithful to the integrity within oneself.
Rosalba is a nine-year-old Mayan girl living in rural Mexico. Like her mother and grandmother, she weaves stories of her people onto blouses, ensuring that the age-old traditions continue. But new influences are entering her life. A ladina girl from the city, visiting with her scientist father, passes on the astonishing news that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. Rosalba knows nothing about that, but her village is faced with a bulldozer tearing through the forest, dying wildlife, and cornfields in danger. Rosalba's new friend tells her she must do something to help, but what? As she ponders, she dreams of an ancient Mayan boy, eyes bound in a shamanistic ritual, who hints at a way she can make her voice heard. Interweaving a contemporary story with a mythical dream narrative, Carolyn Marsden spins a gripping tale of friendship, cultural identity, and urgent environmental themes.
Critically acclaimed author Margaret Peterson Haddix's fourth tale from her popular Missing series finds Jonah and Katherine hurtled through time to 1611. Landing aboard Henry Hudson's ship in James Bay just before a mutiny, Jonah and Katherine struggle to survive brutal weather conditions. They also realize something is wrong. A crucial person has vanished, and the history they remember is drastically different from what they're experiencing. Will this new version of history replace the real past?
Hong is living the dream of every young dinosaur expert! His father is a paleontologist who brings him along to digs. So, nine-year-old Hong travels the world and discovers a different dinosaur in every book. Geography lessons, paleontology terms, and dig tools and safety are seamlessly integrated in these narrative nonfiction books.An Abdo Publishers audio production.
Winner of the John Newbery Metal for the best children's book of 2011.
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system!
Beware of avalanches! When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back in time to the highest pass in the Swiss Alps, they discover an ancient monastery filled with monks and Saint Bernard dogs. Annie can’t resist offering to train a wild young dog named Barry, but he is quite the handful! Before the night is over, Jack and Annie will be forced to use some crazy magic!
Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #46, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #18: Dogs in the Dead of Night.
Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?
Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures
Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!
Rachel, Cassie, and Joey live in the city with their Pop, until Pop's search for work lands the family on a run down farm. Dreamy Rachel loves to read, and doesn't know much about the country. Times are hard there, too-the school and library are closed. When Pop gets work near Canada, he has to leave the children on the farm alone. For two months! But Rachel's the oldest, and she'll make sure they're all right. Somehow.
