Lindy and her doll Sally are best friends - wherever Lindy goes, Sally stays right by her side. They eat together, sleep together, and even pick cotton together. So, on the night Lindy and her mama run away in search of freedom, Sally goes too. This young girl's rag doll vividly narrates her enslaved family's courageous escape through the Underground Railroad. At once heart-wrenching and uplifting, this story about friendship and the strength of the human spirit will touch the lives of all...

What happened when a former enslaved man took beat-up old instruments and gave them to a bunch of orphans? Thousands of futures got a little brighter and a great American art form was born.In 1891, Reverend Daniel Joseph Jenkins opened his orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina. He soon had hundreds of children and needed a way to support them. Jenkins asked townspeople to donate old band instruments—some of which had last played in the hands of Confederate soldiers in the Civil Wa...

A little girl discovers the magic of theater!With the guileless wonder and innocence of a little girl, Alaina is profoundly changed by the performance of a school play. As she falls in love with the art of live theater, her enthusiasm lands her center stage.Alaina recounts, "But when I opened my mouth, the right words didn't come out. I was too excited to say that little speech. It wasn't good enough for that great play, so…" Join Alaina as she prepares to ...

The extraordinary biography of Salif Keïta, a Malian singer born with albinism, who overcame all odds to become a musical and social justice icon reminding all who hear his voice, they can accomplish anything.Salif Keïta was born in the Malian village Djoliba in West Africa. While his parents were as dark as the night sky, Salif was born with skin as white as lamb’s wool. Some of his family's neighbors were frightened by Salif's albinism. Others questioned whether ...

NAACP Image Awards Winner - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)The life story of Vivien Thomas, an African American surgical technician who developed the first procedure used to perform open-heart surgery on children.Vivien Thomas's greatest dream was to attend college to study medicine. But after the stock market crashed in 1929, Vivien lost all his savings. Then he heard about a job opening at the Vanderbilt University medic...

“IN THE FUTURE EVERYBODY will be world famous for 15 minutes.”The Campbell’s Soup Cans. The Marilyns. The Electric Chairs. The Flowers. The work created by Andy Warhol elevated everyday images to art, ensuring Warhol a fame that has far outlasted the 15 minutes he predicted for everyone else. His very name is synonymous with the 1960s American art movement known as Pop.But Warhol’s oeuvre was the sum of many parts. He not only produced iconic art that blended high ...

For anyone who has ever dreamed of hearing a horse’s story . . .Independence, Missouri, 1846Koda is a bay quarter horse with a white blaze. He loves to explore the countryside and run free with his human friend Jasmine nearby. But after Koda sets out with Jasmine’s family on a long and dusty wagon train journey on the Oregon Trail, he finds out what is truly important to him. Here is Koda’s story . . . in his own words.With moving and knowledgeable text and...

"We cannot let this history die, nor can we let it fade away. As it has filled me with pride and given me understanding of one group of outstanding soldiers, so it should be passed on to all Americans to appreciate and honor" (from the introduction by coauthor and unit historian Bill Miles)The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage is a portrait of bravery and honor. With compelling narrative and never-before-published photographs, this 160-pa...

The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system!Cannon fire! That's what Jack and Annie hear when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the time of the American Civil War. There they meet a famous nurse named Clara Barton and do their best to help wounded soldiers. It is their hardest journey in time yet—and the one that will make the most difference to their own lives!Did you know that there’...

Newbery Honor BookIn this powerful novel based on historical events, the Navajo tribe's forced march from their homeland to Fort Sumner is dramatically and courageously narrated by young Bright Morning.Like the author's Newbery Medal-winning classic Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon is a gripping tale of survival, strength, and courage.

This addition to the Badger Biographies series for young readers tells the story of Les Paul, the legendary “Wizard of Waukesha,” who pioneered the solid body electric guitar, multi-track recording, and many other musical inventions. Fascinated since boyhood with musical technology, the young Les moved from experimenting with his mother’s player piano and phonograph to developing his own amplifier and tinkering with crystal radios.After leaving his hometown of Waukesha at age 17 to...

Four thrilling books in the bestselling I SURVIVED series! Includes I SURVIVED THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE, 1906; I SURVIVED THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001; I SURVIVED THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, 1863; and I SURVIVED THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI, 2011.