Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII
by David Starkey

No one in history had a more eventful career in matrimony than Henry VIII. His marriages were daring and tumultuous, and made instant legends of six very different women.

Buy Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic--the star of her school's running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease," Sadako faces her future with spirit and bravery. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again.

USA - Buy Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
UK - Buy Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers by Albert Marrin
Reading level: Young Adult

Henry Morgan, who was born in Wales in 1635 and died in Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1688, was an unusual sort of leader. Inspiring the respect and admiration of his fellows, he led them to undertake daring raids on Spain's possessions in the New World; yet he commanded neither an army nor a navy. Nor was he a political ruler, although his exploits affected the power politics of Europe and earned him a knighthood.

USA Buy Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry...
UK - Buy Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry...

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Author)
Reading level: Ages 9-12

In 1845, a disaster struck Ireland. Overnight, a mysterious blight attacked the potato crops, turning the potatoes black and destroying the only real food of nearly six million people. Over the next five years, the blight attacked again and again. These years are known today as the Great Irish Famine, a time when one million people died from starvation and disease and two million more fled their homeland. Black Potatoes is the compelling story of men, women, and children who defied landlords and searched empty fields for scraps of harvested vegetables and edible weeds to eat, who walked several miles each day to hard-labor jobs for meager wages and to reach soup kitchens, and who committed crimes just to be sent to jail, where they were assured of a meal.

USA - Buy Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great...
UK - Buy Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great...

Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt by George Hart, George Harrt, Peter Hayman (Photographer)
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Eyewitness Books' Ancient Egypt continues the tradition of excellent, accurate, and beautiful reference works for kids 9 to 12 years old. Ancient Egyptian civilization holds a special fascination for many, with its mummies, pyramids, and highly stylized artworks. Kids can explore a Pharaoh's tomb, see a mummy up close, and find out about Egyptian gods. Lots of archaeological relics show what life was like for the ancient Egyptians, from how they dressed to the games they played.

USA - Buy Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt
UK - Buy Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt

Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (The Royal Diaries) by Kristiana Gregory
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Thirteen-year-old Eleanor lives in a palace in Poitier, France, with her father, Count William of Aquitaine, and her younger sister, Petronilla. Mischievous and daring, Eleanor's daily exploits are a constant source of frustration to her grandmother and ladies-in-waiting, who are the girls' caretakers. Eleanor's life is turned upside-down, however, as her father goes off to fight in the invasion of Normandy, and her safety, as well as that of her sister's, is at risk from his enemies. Then, at age fifteen, Eleanor is forced into a new role when her father dies and she is betrothed to sixteen-year-old Prince Louis VII of France. When Louis' father, King Louis VI, dies suddenly, Louis VII becomes King - and young Eleanor is now Queen of France!

USA - Buy Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (The...
UK - Buy Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (The...

America: A Patriotic Primer by Lynne V. Cheney, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator), Robin Preiss-Glasser
Reading level: Ages 4-8

Written by Lynne Cheney, author and wife of Vice President Richard Cheney, to honor this "beautiful land made more beautiful still by our commitment to freedom," America: A Patriotic Primer is a proud celebration of the individuals, milestones, and principles of this nation. Each busy spread features elaborately decorated letters of the alphabet, with one or two kids draped over its bars and loops, along with the highlighted concept or person: "N is for Native Americans, who came here first," "T is for Tolerance."

USA - Buy America: A Patriotic Primer
UK - Buy America: A Patriotic Primer

Parallel Journeys by Eleanor H. Ayer, Helen Waterford, Alfons Heck
Reading level: Young Adult

She was a young German Jew.
He was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth.
This is the story of their parallel journey through World War II.

Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. But their lives took radically different courses: Helen's to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth.

USA - Buy Parallel Journeys
UK - Buy Parallel Journeys

Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez (Author)
Reading level: Young Adult

At the age of fourteen, Francisco Jiménez, together with his older brother Roberto and his mother, are caught by la migra. Forced to leave their home, the entire family travels all night for twenty hours by bus, arriving at the U.S. and Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. In the months and years that follow, Francisco, his mother and father, and his seven brothers and sister not only struggle to keep their family together, but also face crushing poverty, long hours of labor, and blatant prejudice.

USA - Buy Breaking Through
UK - Buy Breaking Through

Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum, George W. Bush
Reading level: Ages 9-12

From the Inside Flap
It's a short oath of office for a very big job: President of the United States. Forty-two men have taken up the responsibilities of the Presidency as the nation has grown from its colonial infancy into a modern superpower. They've faithfully executed the duties of the President--waged war, signed treaties, addressed Congress, and established government offices. But their impact goes far beyond the bounds of their job description.

USA - Buy Our Country's Presidents
UK - Buy Our Country's Presidents