history

Eleven-year-old John Hale has already survived one brutal Dakota winter, and now he's about to experience one of the deadliest blizzards in American history. The storm of 1888 was a monster, a frozen hurricane that slammed into America's midwest without warning. Within hours, America's prairie would be buried under ten feet of snow. Hundreds would be dead, thousands terrified and lost and freezing. John never wanted to move to the wide-open prairie. He's a city kid, not a tough pioneer! And his inner strength is seriously tested when he finds himself trapped in the blinding snow, the wind like a giant crushing hammer, pounding him over and over again. Will John ever find his way home?.

Long before she became known as the Cactus Queen, Minerva Hamilton Hoyt found solace in the unexpected beauty of the Mojave Desert in California. She loved the jackrabbits and coyotes, the prickly cacti, and especially the weird, spiky Joshua trees. However, in the 1920s, hardly anyone else felt the same way. The desert was being thoughtlessly destroyed by anyone and everyone. Minerva knew she needed to bring attention to the problem. With the help of her gardening club, taxidermists, and friends, she took the desert east and put its plants and animals on display. The displays were a hit, but Minerva needed to do much more: she wanted to have the desert recognized as a national park. Although she met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and won him over, Minerva still had to persuade politicians, scientists, teachers, and others to support her cause. And, it worked! Minerva's efforts led to what came to be known as Joshua Tree National Park in California, and saved hundreds of thousands of plants and animals. Now, the millions of people who visit each year have learned to love the desert, just as Minerva did.

"Robbed on the train platform as soon as he arrives in the city, eleven-year-old Oscar Starling soon finds himself in the middle of the Great Chicago Fire when he chases after his thief, who is herself in need of rescue." --.

"In the early 1860s, the United States is torn apart by Civil War. The conflict between the North and the South affects everyone, including many boys who want to join in the fight. Among them are young Edward Black, Lyston and Orion Howe, and Charles Moore. They're too young to fight in combat, but they show their courage by marching to battle as drummer boys. Like any other soldiers in the war, they risk being wounded, captured, or killed in action. But in spite of the risk, these courageous boys bravely face the dangers of war to help fight for their country"--Provided by publisher.

"In 1777, the American Revolution is well underway. At 16, Sybil Ludington knows the war all too well. Her father is a colonel in the Continental Army, battling for America's independence from Great Britain. Colonel Ludington and his regiment are home for the season when word comes that the British Army is attacking nearby. With her father too ill to ride, it's up to young Sybil to alert the American militia that the British are coming"-- Provided by publisher.

After smallpox takes their parents, seventeen-year-old Camille supports herself and her sister by magically transforming herself into a baroness in the court at Versailles, then faces difficult choices as the French Revolution looms.

In 1776, fifteen-year-old Francisca escapes a dangerous life in the Bahamas by posing as a wealthy shipwreck victim, and soon finds herself a spy for George Washington in New York.

Follows the final days of Mordechai Anielewicz, leader of the Jewish Fighting Organization that led the insurrection against Nazi control in Poland during the Holocaust.

A Chinese boy, orphaned by cholera and raised in Britain, is trained to work at Oxford's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, the world's center for translation and magic through silver-working, where he must choose between competing loyalties.

"Pyramids, papyrus, and methods of preserving dead bodies are just some of the scientific and technological advancements the ancient Egyptians are known for. However, the scope of their STEM prowess extended far beyond those areas and into fields such as agriculture, transportation, and medicine as well. Readers explore the many ways ancient Egyptians applied what we now call STEM to their world in this cross-curricular learning experience that focuses on both history and technology. Detailed sidebars supplement the deeply engaging main text, and both photographs and illustrations are part of the eye-catching design"--Publisher's website.