Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr 

This true story is of a girl, Sadako Sasaki, who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing by the United States. She developed leukemia from the radiation and spent her time in a nursing home creating origami (folded paper) cranes in hope of making a thousand of them. She was inspired to do so by the Japanese legend that one who created a thousand origami cranes would then be granted a wish. Her wish was simply to live. However, she managed to fold only 644 cranes before she became too weak to fold any more, and died shortly after. Her friends and family helped finish her dream by folding the rest of the cranes, which were buried with Sadako. They also built a statue of Sadako holding a giant golden origami crane in Hiroshima Peace Park.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman
by Judith Bentley

Harriet Tubman, Moses of Her People is the biography of one of America’s greatest women. Harriet Tubman is most famous for her work escorting slaves north on the Underground Railroad, work that earned her the name Moses. Not only an abolitionist, she also worked as a spy and a nurse for the Union army during the Civil War and then became involved in the women’s suffrage movement after the war. She risked her life and safety to bring her family and friends north, never losing a passenger from her “train.”

Farmer Boy

Farmer Boy
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to supper most days-no matter what the weather. There is still time for fun, though, especially with the horses, which Almanzo loves more than anything.

Farmer Boy is the third book in the Laura Years series.

From shearing sheep and milking cows to training young calves, Almanzo Wilder worked very hard on his family's farm in New York. But when his chores were all done, Almanzo could go to his favorite place in the whole world -- the Horse-Barn. Although his father wouldn't let him handle the frisky colts, Almanzo could still look at them and dream of one day having a horse all his own!

Al-Khwarizmi

Al-Khwarizmi: The Inventor of Algebra
by Corona Brezina

Presents the life and times of the Muslim mathematician and inventor of algebra Al-Khwarizmi.

Journey to Ellis Island

Journey to Ellis Island: How My Father Came to America
by Carol Bierman

As the huge ship pulled into New York Harbor, Jehuda and his family quickly gathered their few belongings. Looming ahead of them was a giant green statue, and beyond lay the huge city. Jehuda thought to himself, So this is America! Jehuda and his family have struggled through hunger, poverty, and war in their Russian homeland. They even lost their beloved father and a sister to the fighting. Thankfully, Jehuda's brother moved to America, and was able to send his mother and siblings money for passage on a ship. Now, armed with a few bags of clothing and a traditional teapot, the family is grateful to be heading toward their new life in New York.

An account of the ocean voyage and arrival at Ellis Island of twelve-year-old Julius Weinstein who, along with his mother and younger sister, immigrated from Russia in 1922.

A Dog Named Kitty

A Dog Named Kitty
by Bill Wallace

The puppy was small and fuzzy, with a friendly, wagging tail — and Ricky was afraid of him!

No wonder, since he was attacked by a dog when he was just a baby. So when a stray puppy comes sniffling around the farm, Ricky tells it to get lost.

But the puppy keeps trying to play with Ricky. And every time Ricky's Mom feeds the cats, the little dog comes running. The cats aren't sharing their food, however, and the poor pup is slowly starving.

If Ricky doesn't overcome his fear, the little puppy may die — but if he lets himself get close enough to feed it, he may find the best friend he's ever had!

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl

When James Henry Trotter accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Then James discovers a secret entranceway into the fruit, and when he crawls inside, he meets a bunch of marvelous oversized friends—Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, Miss Spider, and more.

After years of feeling like an outsider in the house of his despicable Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, James has finally found a place where he belongs. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the exciting adventure begins!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl

Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education: The Case Against School Segregation
by Wayne Anderson

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court announced its decision that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The decision effectively denied the legal basis for segregation in the 21 states that still allowed segregated classrooms. This decision forever changed race relations in the United States. Through the use of primary source materials, this book provides the background of race relations in America, differences in amenities for blacks and whites, and information on other court cases that impacted this decision.

The Filipino Americans

The Filipino Americans
The People of North America Seriesby Jennifer Stern

The earliest Filipino Americans to arrive in the New World landed in 1763 and created a settlement in Saint Malo, Louisiana. They were pressed sailors escaping from the cruelty of Spanish galleons and were "discovered" in America in 1883 by a Harper's Weekly journalist. Other Filipino American settlements appeared throughout the bayous of Louisiana with the Manila Village in Barataria Bay being the largest. Some immigration occurred with the need for menial rural labor in the late 1800s, with Filipino Americans settling primarily in Hawaii and California. Roughly another two hundred years would pass before significant numbers arrived in the Americas in the last half of the 20th century starting in the 1970s, mostly settling in California and the South. Some came looking for political freedom, but most arrived looking for employment and a better life for their families.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson: Legalizing Segregation
by Wayne Anderson

Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the jurisprudence of the United States, upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation even in public accommodations (particularly railroads), under the doctrine of "separate but equal".

The decision was handed down by a vote of 7 to 1, with the majority opinion written by Justice Henry Billings Brown and the dissent written by Justice John Marshall Harlan. Justice David Josiah Brewer did not participate in the decision. "Separate but equal" remained standard doctrine in U.S. law until its repudiation in the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education.

After the high court ruled, the New Orleans Comité des Citoyens (Committee of Citizens) that had brought the suit and that had arranged for Homer Plessy's arrest in order to challenge Louisiana's segregation law, replied, “We, as freemen, still believe that we were right and our cause is sacred.”We As Freeman: Plessy v. Ferguson: The Fight Against Legal Segregation by Keith Weldon Medley.

Miranda v. Arizona

Miranda v. Arizona: Rights of the Accused
by Gail Blasser Riley

Thorough, objective presentations that discuss the events subsequent to famous Supreme Court decisions, the sentiment of the country at the time, and the people involved in the litigation. Herda's book includes an abundance of information, but reads like a textbook; Riley's lively coverage of specific events contributes to the readability of her book. The information is available in a number of reference sources such as Maureen Harrison and Steve Gilbert's Landmark Decisions of the United States Supreme Court.

Miranda v. Arizona was a landmark 5-4 decision of the United States Supreme Court which was argued February 28–March 1, 1966 and decided June 13, 1966. The Court held that both inculpatory and exculpatory statements made in response to interrogation by a defendant in police custody will be admissible at trial only if the prosecution can show that the defendant was informed of the right to consult with an attorney before and during questioning and of the right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police, and that the defendant not only understood these rights, but voluntarily waived them.

The Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial: Defending the Right to Teach
by Arthur Blake

This famous case brought together two of the nation's best-known orators, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. Blake successfully presents both sides of the controversy in this riveting account that puts readers right in the middle of the courtroom- they will feel the tension and heat of those July days. He provides readers with an informative look at an often misunderstood event (the defense wanted to lose the case locally so that it could be appealed to the State Supreme Court, where they hoped to have the law declared unconstitutional). The account ends by pointing out that an individual or group's religious beliefs should not interfere with the rights of others to teach or to learn, and that teachers must be free to teach all knowledge in all disciplines. Many black-and-white photographs taken at the trial are included.

Immigrant Kids

Immigrant Kids
by Russell Freedman

Text and contemporary photographs chronicle the life of immigrant children at home, school, work, and play during the late 1800's and early 1900's.