Fourteen-year-old Samantha Byrd is an excellent shot-she's even better than her brother at providing food for her family. Although the winds of war are blowing in Virginia, she knows that she could only ever use her skill for hunting-not for hurting another person. When the Revolutionary War finally begins, her brother is captured, and Samantha sets off to rescue him. But when she comes face to face with the enemy, will she still stand by her principles, or will she pull the trigger?

Many kids have heard of the Declaration of Independence, but few know the story behind the people and events that helped forge it. They may know about Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, but do they know the roles that Patrick Henry and Thomas Gage played in setting fire to a revolution? This is the story of how the men and women of thirteen British colonies came to declare their independence on July 4, 1776. Covering major events such as the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's midnight ...

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French for $15,000,000. The purchase made President Jefferson's dream of extending the U.S. west of the Mississippi River come true. Now the much larger United States had difficult questions to answer: How would Louisiana be governed? How would it be divided into states? Would those states be free states or slave states? What would happen to the Native Americans? It would take over one hundred years, a war over slav...

When Sacagawea's son asks her about her life, she isn't sure where to begin. Does she start with her birth as a Shoshoni? Her kidnapping by an enemy tribe at age eleven? Or her role as the famous guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition? She's seen and experienced more in her young life than most people ever will. Told from Sacagawea's point of view, this historical novel shares the ordeals of her youth along with the memory of her long, arduous journey west with Lewis and Clark. She share...

Christopher Columbus had a dream-to reach the fabled lands of the East, rich with spices, jewels, silver, and especially gold. Having studied the travels of other explorers, Columbus was convinced he could reach his destination by traveling west across the seas. After convincing Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to fund his expedition, he set sail in August of 1492. In this account, the voyage Columbus undertook is told in his own voice through his journal entries of that year. He tells of...

A young reader's history of the famous document that set America on the course to freedomMany kids have heard of the Declaration of Independence, but few know the story behind the people and events that helped forge it. They may know about Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, but do they know the roles that Patrick Henry and Thomas Gage played in setting fire to a revolution? This is the story of how the men and women of thirteen British colonies came to declare ...

Sacagawea, the Shoshoni woman who helped guide Lewis and Clark on their famed expedition, tells her life storyWhen Sacagawea's son asks her about her life, she isn't sure where to begin. Does she start with her birth as a Shoshoni? Her kidnapping by an enemy tribe at age eleven? Or her role as the famous guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition? She's seen and experienced more in her young life than most people ever will.Told from Sacagawea's point of view, ...

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a C. S. Lewis Noteworthy book: A rich history of the pilgrim experience, as recorded in real diariesNearly four hundred years after the pilgrims left England in search of a better life, their stories still resonate with Americans today. In this account, the pilgrims' own writings of their adventures and hardships are brought to life for young readers.This touching account shows the pilgrims' voyage on ...

Can the advice of an eleven-year-old girl help get Abraham Lincoln elected president?As the election of 1860 nears, eleven-year-old Grace and her family are working hard to help Abraham Lincoln win. After seeing his image on a poster, Grace decides to write to him and suggest that growing a beard might win him more votes. Much to her surprise, Lincoln answers her letter, and she becomes a neighborhood celebrity.When the president-elect's victory train passe...

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People: The tale of the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark, condensed from their own eight-volume journals for young historiansLewis and Clark's famous 1804 expedition was told with great detail by the explorers themselves in an eight-volume account. Now young historians have the opportunity to learn the thrills, challenges, and adventures in a version accessible for them. Two years' worth of entries are condensed into...

This quality production will...allow early primary readers to enjoy the story while confirming their own reading ability. - School Library Journal

A teenage girl questions her principles after her brother is captured during the Revolutionary WarFourteen-year-old Samantha Byrd is an excellent shot—she's even better than her brother at providing food for her family. Although the winds of war are blowing in Virginia, she knows that she could only ever use her skill for hunting—not for hurting another person.When the Revolutionary War finally begins, her brother is captured, and Samantha sets off to rescue...