Bestselling History Books for Teen & Young Adults

Here are the top 30 bestselling history books for teen & young adults. Please click Read Review to read book reviews on Amazon. You can also click Find in Library to check book availability at your local library. If the default library is not correct, please follow Change Library to reset it.

1. Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children

by: Ransom Riggs
Release date: Feb 24, 2015
Number of Pages: 416
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The movie adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is now in theaters.

The New York Times #1 best selling series

September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

“A stunning achievement . . Hollow City is even richer than Riggs’s imaginative debut, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”—Boston Globe

Bonus features:
• Sneak preview of the third Peculiar Children novel
• Exclusive Q&A with Ransom Riggs
• Never-before-seen peculiar photography

tags:

Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Horror

2. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

by: Rachel Ignotofsky
Release date: Jul 26, 2016
Number of Pages: 128
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It’s a scientific fact: Women rock!
 
A charmingly illustrated and educational book, New York Times best seller Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
 
Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and more!
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Scientists

3. March: Book One

by: John LewisAndrew AydinNate Powell
Release date: Aug 13, 2013
Number of Pages: 128
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Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.

Now, to share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents March, a graphic novel trilogy, in collaboration with co-writer Andrew Aydin and New York Times best-selling artist Nate Powell (winner of the Eisner Award and LA Times Book Prize finalist for Swallow Me Whole).

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.

Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1958 comic book “Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story.” Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

4. March: Book Three

by: John LewisAndrew AydinNate Powell
Release date: Aug 02, 2016
Number of Pages: 256
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2016 National Book Award Winner for Young People’s Literature
“One of the Best Books of 2016” – PublishersWeekly
Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one ofthe key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today’s world.
By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression:”One Man, One Vote.”

To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and anall-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television.
With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening … even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

5. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia

by: Patrick ThorpeMichael GombosTakahiro MorikiHeidi PlechlKumar SivasubramanianAria TannerJohn Thomas
Release date: Jan 29, 2013
Number of Pages: 280
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Dark Horse Books and Nintendo team up to bring you The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, containing an unparalleled collection of historical information on The Legend of Zelda franchise. This handsome hardcover contains never-before-seen concept art, the full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the games, and much more! Starting with an insightful introduction by the legendary producer and video-game designer of Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, this book is crammed full of information about the storied history of Link’s adventures from the creators themselves! As a bonus, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia includes an exclusive comic by the foremost creator of The Legend of Zelda manga — Akira Himekawa!
tags:

Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > History

6. Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History

by: Kate SchatzMiriam Klein Stahl
Release date: Sep 27, 2016
Number of Pages: 112
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Educational and inspirational, this New York Times bestseller from the authors of Rad American Women A-Z, is a bold, illustrated collection of 40 biographical profiles showcasing extraordinary women from around the world.
 
Rad Women Worldwide tells fresh, engaging, and inspiring tales of perseverance and radical success by pairing well researched and riveting biographies with powerful and expressive cut-paper portraits. From 430 BCE to 2016, spanning 31 countries around the world, the book features an array of diverse figures, including Hatshepsut (the great female king who ruled Egypt peacefully for two decades) and Malala Yousafzi (the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize) to Poly Styrene (legendary teenage punk and lead singer of X-Ray Spex) and Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft (polar explorers and the first women to cross Antarctica). This progressive and visually arresting book is a compelling addition to women’s history and belongs on the shelf of every school, library, and home. 

Together, these stories show the immense range of what women have done and can do. May we all have the courage to be rad!

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women

7. Art of Atari

by: Tim Lapetino
Release date: Oct 25, 2016
Number of Pages: 352
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ATARI is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command. In addition to hundreds of games created for arcades, home video systems, and computers, original artwork was specially commissioned to enhance the Atari experience, further enticing children and adults to embrace and enjoy the new era of electronic entertainment. ART OF ATARI is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from museums and private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company’s unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more!
ART OF ATARI includes behind-the-scenes details on how dozens of games featured within were conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life. Whether you’re a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of video games, this book offers the most complete collection of ATARI artwork ever produced!
Includes a special Foreword by New York Times bestseller Ernest Cline, author of Armada and Ready Player One, soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg:
“For me, revisiting the beautiful artwork presented in this book is almost as good as taking a trip in Doc Brown’s time machine back to that halcyon era at the dawn of the digital age. But be warned, viewing these images may leave you with an overwhelming desire to revisit the ancient pixelated battlefields they each depict as well.” — from the Foreword by Ernest Cline.
“Having worked in the entertainment field as a consultant in Pop Culture, I have seen with my own eyes the destruction of original assets in favor of digital conversions to save corporations time and money on long-term storage. Therefore, I naturally assumed the original Atari artwork fell prey to similar disposal or theft or had simply been forgotten about all together. Thanks to ART OF ATARI, not any more!” — from the Afterword by Robert V. Conte
tags:

Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > History

8. March: Book Two

by: John LewisAndrew AydinNate Powell
Release date: Jan 20, 2015
Number of Pages: 192
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Don’t miss the long-awaited sequel to the #1 bestseller March: Book One!

“With March, Congressman John Lewis takes us behind the scenes of some of the most pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement. In graphic novel form, his first-hand account makes these historic events both accessible and relevant to an entire new generation of Americans.” — LeVar Burton

“A must-read monument… As Rep. Lewis continues to carry the civil-rights flame, this graphic achievement is a firsthand beacon that burns ever relevant today.” — The Washington Post

“This memoir puts a human face on a struggle that many students will primarily know from textbooks… Visually stunning, the black-and-white illustrations convey the emotions of this turbulent time… This insider’s view of the civil rights movement should be required reading for young and old; not to be missed.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“A gripping visual experience that enhances the power of Lewis’s unforgettable tale.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Heroism and steadiness of purpose continue to light up Lewis’s frank, harrowing account of the civil rights movement’s climactic days… Powell’s dark, monochrome ink-and-wash scenes add further drama to already-dramatic events.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[Lewis’s] story is an essential piece of this country’s history, and March: Book Two brings it to the page with incredible power that makes this graphic novel an unforgettable read.” — The AV Club

Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, continues his award-winning graphic novel trilogy with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell, inspired by a 1950s comic book that helped prepare his own generation to join the struggle. Now, March brings the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today’s world.

After the success of the Nashville sit-in campaign, John Lewis is more committed than ever to changing the world through nonviolence — but as he and his fellow Freedom Riders board a bus into the vicious heart of the deep south, they will be tested like never before. Faced with beatings, police brutality, imprisonment, arson, and even murder, the movement’s young activists place their lives on the line while internal conflicts threaten to tear them apart.

But their courage will attract the notice of powerful allies, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy… and once Lewis is elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, this 23-year-old will be thrust into the national spotlight, becoming one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement and a central figure in the landmark 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

9. Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics

by: Jason Porath
Release date: Oct 25, 2016
Number of Pages: 384
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Blending the iconoclastic feminism of The Notorious RBG and the confident irreverence of Go the F**ck to Sleep, a brazen and empowering illustrated collection that celebrates inspirational badass women throughout history, based on the popular Tumblr blog.

Well-behaved women seldom make history. Good thing these women are far from well behaved . . .

Illustrated in a contemporary animation style, Rejected Princesses turns the ubiquitous “pretty pink princess” stereotype portrayed in movies, and on endless toys, books, and tutus on its head, paying homage instead to an awesome collection of strong, fierce, and yes, sometimes weird, women: warrior queens, soldiers, villains, spies, revolutionaries, and more who refused to behave and meekly accept their place.

An entertaining mix of biography, imagery, and humor written in a fresh, young, and riotous voice, this thoroughly researched exploration salutes these awesome women drawn from both historical and fantastical realms, including real life, literature, mythology, and folklore. Each profile features an eye-catching image of both heroic and villainous women in command from across history and around the world, from a princess-cum-pirate in fifth century Denmark, to a rebel preacher in 1630s Boston, to a bloodthirsty Hungarian countess, and a former prostitute who commanded a fleet of more than 70,000 men on China’s seas.

tags:

Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Love, Sex & Marriage

10. A Guide Book of United States Coins 2017: The Official Red Book, Spiralbound Edition

by: R. S. YeomanKenneth Bressett
Release date: Apr 05, 2016
Number of Pages: 464
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The Official Red Book® A Guide Book of United States Coins is 70 years young and going strong. Collectors around the country love the book s grade-by-grade values, auction records, historical background, detailed specifications, high-resolution photographs, and accurate mintage data. How rare are your coins? How much are they worth? The Red Book tells you, covering everything from early colonial copper tokens to hefty Old West silver dollars and dazzling gold coins. You ll find 32,500+ prices for more than 7,600 coins, tokens, medals, sets, and other collectibles. You ll also round out your education in commemoratives, Proof and Mint coins, error coins, Civil War tokens, Confederate coins, private gold, and all the latest National Park quarters, Presidential and Native American dollars, Lincoln cents, and more. Articles on investing, grading coins, and detecting counterfeits will make you a savvy collector; and entertaining essays on the history of American coinage, shipwrecks and hoards, and the modern rare-coin market give you an inside look at the hobby of kings. These are just some of the features of the informative, entertaining, invaluable Red Book the world s best-selling coin price guide (more than 23 million copies sold). 464 pages Convenient Spiral Bound Edition Full Color 7.7 x 5.5 x 1.25
tags:

Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Coins & Medals

11. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by: John Boyne
Release date: Oct 23, 2007
Number of Pages: 215
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“Powerful and unsettling. . . . As memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.” —USA Today
 
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.
 
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

From the Hardcover edition.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Friendship

12. A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook

by: Chelsea Monroe-CasselSariann LehrerGeorge R. R. Martin
Release date: May 29, 2012
Number of Pages: 240
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Ever wonder what it’s like to attend a feast at Winterfell? Wish you could split a lemon cake with Sansa Stark, scarf down a pork pie with the Night’s Watch, or indulge in honeyfingers with Daenerys Targaryen? George R. R. Martin’s bestselling saga A Song of Ice and Fire and the runaway hit HBO series Game of Thrones are renowned for bringing Westeros’s sights and sounds to vivid life. But one important ingredient has always been missing: the mouthwatering dishes that form the backdrop of this extraordinary world. Now, fresh out of the series that redefined fantasy, comes the cookbook that may just redefine dinner . . . and lunch, and breakfast.
 
A passion project from superfans and amateur chefs Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer—and endorsed by George R. R. Martin himself—A Feast of Ice and Fire lovingly replicates a stunning range of cuisines from across the Seven Kingdoms and beyond. From the sumptuous delicacies enjoyed in the halls of power at King’s Landing, to the warm and smoky comfort foods of the frozen North, to the rich, exotic fare of the mysterious lands east of Westeros, there’s a flavor for every palate, and a treat for every chef.
 
These easy-to-follow recipes have been refined for modern cooking techniques, but adventurous eaters can also attempt the authentic medieval meals that inspired them. The authors have also suggested substitutions for some of the more fantastical ingredients, so you won’t have to stock your kitchen with camel, live doves, or dragon eggs to create meals fit for a king (or a khaleesi). In all, A Feast of Ice and Fire contains more than 100 recipes, divided by region:
 
• The Wall: Rack of Lamb and Herbs; Pork Pie; Mutton in Onion-Ale Broth; Mulled Wine; Pease Porridge
• The North: Beef and Bacon Pie; Honeyed Chicken; Aurochs with Roasted Leeks; Baked Apples
• The South: Cream Swans; Trout Wrapped in Bacon; Stewed Rabbit; Sister’s Stew; Blueberry Tarts
• King’s Landing: Lemon Cakes; Quails Drowned in Butter; Almond Crusted Trout; Bowls of Brown; Iced Milk with Honey
• Dorne: Stuffed Grape Leaves; Duck with Lemons; Chickpea Paste
• Across the Narrow Sea: Biscuits and Bacon; Tyroshi Honeyfingers; Wintercakes; Honey-Spiced Locusts
 
There’s even a guide to dining and entertaining in the style of the Seven Kingdoms. Exhaustively researched and reverently detailed, accompanied by passages from all five books in the series and full-color photographs guaranteed to whet your appetite, this is the companion to the blockbuster phenomenon that millions of stomachs have been growling for. And remember, winter is coming—so don’t be afraid to put on a few pounds.

Includes a Foreword by George R. R. Martin

tags:

Arts & Photography > Performing Arts

13. The Fire Next Time

by: James Baldwin
Release date: Dec 01, 1992
Number of Pages: 128
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A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin’s early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document. It consists of two “letters,” written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism. Described by The New York Times Book Review as “sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle…all presented in searing, brilliant prose,” The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of our literature.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

14. Meditations (Dover Thrift Editions)

by: Marcus Aurelius
Release date: Jul 11, 1997
Number of Pages: 112
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One of the world’s most famous and influential books, Meditations, by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121–180), incorporates the stoic precepts he used to cope with his life as a warrior and administrator of an empire. Ascending to the imperial throne in A.D. 161, Aurelius found his reign beset by natural disasters and war. In the wake of these challenges, he set down a series of private reflections, outlining a philosophy of commitment to virtue above pleasure and tranquility above happiness.
Reflecting the emperor’s own noble and self-sacrificing code of conduct, this eloquent and moving work draws and enriches the tradition of Stoicism, which stressed the search for inner peace and ethical certainty in an apparently chaotic world. Serenity was to be achieved by emulating in one’s personal conduct the underlying orderliness and lawfulness of nature. And in the face of inevitable pain, loss, and death — the suffering at the core of life — Aurelius counsels stoic detachment from the things that are beyond one’s control and a focus on one’s own will and perception.
Presented here in a specially modernized version of the classic George Long translation, this updated and revised edition is easily accessible to contemporary readers. It not only provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman of the second century but also offers today’s readers a practical and inspirational guide to the challenges of everyday life.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Rome

15. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)

by: Malala YousafzaiPatricia McCormick
Release date: Jun 14, 2016
Number of Pages: 256
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The bestselling memoir by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, now in paperback with a new epilogue!

I Am Malala. This is my story.

Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren’t allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn’t go to school.
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school.
No one expected her to survive.
Now Malala is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world — and did.
Malala’s powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles and the possibility that one person — one young person — can inspire change in her community and beyond.

tags:

Teen & Young Adult > Biographies > Political

16. Barron’s SAT Subject Test: Math Level 2, 12th Edition

by: Richard Ku M.A.
Release date: Sep 01, 2016
Number of Pages: 352
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This manual opens with a diagnostic test that includes explained answers to help students pinpoint their math strengths and weaknesses. In chapters that follow, detailed topic reviews cover polynomial, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and rational functions; coordinate and three-dimensional geometry; numbers and operations; data analysis, statistics, and probability. Six full-length model tests with answers, explanations, and self-evaluation charts conclude this manual. The manual can be purchased alone or with an optional CD-ROM that presents two additional full-length practice tests with answers, explanations, and automatic scoring.
tags:

Science & Math > Mathematics > History

17. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides (Hardcover))

by: NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
Release date: Dec 12, 1981
Number of Pages: 928
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With more than 700 mushrooms detailed with color photographs and descriptive text, this is the most comprehensive photographic field guide to the mushrooms of North America. The 762 full-color identification photographs show the mushrooms as they appear in natural habitats. Organized visually, the book groups all mushrooms by color and shape to make identification simple and accurate in the field, while the text account for each species includes a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.
tags:

Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Butterflies

18. Ashes (The Seeds of America Trilogy)

by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Release date: Oct 04, 2016
Number of Pages: 304
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Return to the American Revolution in this blistering conclusion to the trilogy that began with the bestselling National Book Award Finalist Chains and continued with Forge, which The New York Times called “a return not only to the colonial era but to historical accuracy.”

As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon have narrowly escaped Valley Forge—but their relief is short-lived. Before long they are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on, fiercely determined to find Isabel’s little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state—where bounty hunters are thick as flies.

Heroism and heartbreak pave their path, but Isabel and Curzon won’t stop until they reach Ruth, and then freedom, in this grand finale to the acclaimed Seeds of America trilogy from Laurie Halse Anderson.

tags:

Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Values & Virtues

19. The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

by: Niccolò MachiavelliN. H. Thompson
Release date: Sep 21, 1992
Number of Pages: 80
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As a young Florentine envoy to the courts of France and the Italian principalities, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was able to observe firsthand the lives of people strongly united under one powerful ruler. His fascination with that political rarity and his intense desire to see the Medici family assume a similar role in Italy provided the foundation for his “primer for princes.” In this classic guide to acquiring and maintaining political power, Machiavelli used a rational approach to advise prospective rulers, developing logical arguments and alternatives for a number of potential problems, among them governing hereditary monarchies, dealing with colonies and the treatment of conquered peoples. Refreshing in its directness, yet often disturbing in its cold practicality, The Prince sets down a frighteningly pragmatic formula for political fortune. Starkly relevant to the political upheavals of the 20th century, this calculating prescription for power remains today, nearly 500 years after it was written, a timely and startling lesson in the practice of autocratic rule that continues to be much read and studied by students, scholars and general readers as well.
tags:

Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Movements & Periods > Renaissance

20. Salt to the Sea

by: Ruta Sepetys
Release date: Feb 02, 2016
Number of Pages: 400
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New York Times Bestseller! “Masterfully crafted”The Wall Street Journal

For readers of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot See, bestselling author Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war’s most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Told in alternating points of view and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson’s Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein’s Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloffthe greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.

Praise for Salt to the Sea:

Featured on NPR’s Morning Edition  ?  “Superlative…masterfully crafted…[a] powerful work of historical fiction.”—The Wall Street Journal  ?  “[Sepetys is] a master of YA fiction…she once again anchors a panoramic view of epic tragedy in perspectives that feel deeply textured and immediate.”—Entertainment Weekly  ?  “Riveting…powerful…haunting.”—The Washington Post  ? “Compelling for both adult and teenage readers.”—New York Times Book Review  ?  “Intimate, extraordinary, artfully crafted…brilliant.”—Shelf Awareness  ?  “Historical fiction at its very, very best.”—The Globe and Mail   “[H]aunting, heartbreaking, hopeful and altogether gorgeous…one of the best young-adult novels to appear in a very long time.”—Salt Lake Tribune  ?  *“This haunting gem of a novel begs to be remembered.”—Booklist  ?  *“Artfully told and sensitively crafted…will leave readers weeping.”—School Library Journal  ?  A PW and SLJ 2016 Book of the Year

Praise for Between Shades of Gray:
A New York Times Notable Book  ?  A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book  ?  A PWSLJ, Booklist, and Kirkus Best Book  ?  iTunes 2011 Rewind Best Teen Novel  ?  A Carnegie Medal and William C. Morris Finalist  ?  A New York Times and International Bestseller  ?  “Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.”—The Washington Post  ?  *“[A]n important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”—Booklist

tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Europe

21. Teens Cook Dessert

by: Megan CarleJill CarleJudi Carle
Release date: Feb 01, 2006
Number of Pages: 176
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Give the gift of sweetness with this teen cookbook filled with the desserts teenage boys and girls actually want to bake and eat. From the authors of the best-selling TEENS COOK, TEENS COOK DESSERT is a sugar-coated follow up guide focusing on the foods that young adults are always happy to gobble up—cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, and more. Featuring over 75 mouth-watering recipes with clear, easy-to-follow directions and 120 brilliantly colored photos, this cookbook gives some sweet tips for improving kitchen safety, understanding culinary math, and using disaster-proof shortcuts in the recipes.  The only full-color dessert cookbook written by and for teenagers, TEENS COOK DESSERT offers foolproof guidance for teens to bake their way to kitchen independence.
tags:

Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Quick & Easy

22. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

by: Joseph Bruchac
Release date: Jul 06, 2006
Number of Pages: 231
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“Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find.”—Booklist, starred review

Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years.
But now Joseph Bruchac brings their stories to life for young adults through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. This deeply affecting novel honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve, and it honors the culture and language of the Navajo Indians.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

“Nonsensational and accurate, Bruchac’s tale is quietly inspiring…”—School Library Journal

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Boys & Men

23. Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive

by: Laura Hillenbrand
Release date: Nov 11, 2014
Number of Pages: 320
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In this captivating and lavishly illustrated young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of a former Olympian’s courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history’s most thrilling survival epics. 

On a May afternoon in 1943, an American military plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary sagas of the Second World War.
 
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he had been a clever delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and stealing. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a supreme talent that carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when war came, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
 
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a sinking raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would respond to desperation with ingenuity, suffering with hope and humor, brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would hang on the fraying wire of his will.
 
Featuring more than one hundred photographs plus an exclusive interview with Zamperini, this breathtaking odyssey—also captured on film by director Angelina Jolie—is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the ability to endure against the unlikeliest of odds.

Praise for Unbroken

“This adaptation of Hillenbrand’s adult bestseller is highly dramatic and exciting, as well as painful to read as it lays bare man’s hellish inhumanity to man.”—Booklist, STARRED

“This captivating book emphasizes the importance of determination, the will to survive against impossible odds, and support from family and friends. A strong, well-written work.”—SLJ

“This fine adaptation ably brings an inspiring tale to young readers.”—Kirkus

tags:

Children’s Books > History > Military & Wars

24. The Souls of Black Folk (Dover Thrift Editions)

by: W. E. B. Du BoisWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois
Release date: May 20, 1994
Number of Pages: 176
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This landmark book is a founding work in the literature of black protest. W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) played a key role in developing the strategy and program that dominated early 20th-century black protest in America. In this collection of essays, first published together in 1903, he eloquently affirms that it is beneath the dignity of a human being to beg for those rights that belong inherently to all mankind. He also charges that the strategy of accommodation to white supremacy advanced by Booker T. Washington, then the most influential black leader in America, would only serve to perpetuate black oppression.
Publication of The Souls of Black Folk was a dramatic event that helped to polarize black leaders into two groups: the more conservative followers of Washington and the more radical supporters of aggressive protest. Its influence cannot be overstated. It is essential reading for everyone interested in African-American history and the struggle for civil rights in America.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

25. The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait

by: Carlos Fuentes
Release date: Aug 09, 2005
Number of Pages: 296
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The intimate life of artist Frida Kahlo is wonderfully revealed in the illustrated journal she kept during her last 10 years. This passionate and at times surprising record contains the artist’s thoughts, poems, and dreams; many reflecting her stormy relationship with her husband, artist Diego Rivera, along with 70 mesmerising watercolour illustrations. The text entries in brightly coloured inks make the journal as captivating to look at as it is to read. Her writing reveals the artist’s political sensibilities, recollections of her childhood, and her enormous courage in the face of more than thirty-five operations to correct injuries she had sustained in an accident at the age of eighteen.
tags:

Arts & Photography > Individual Artists

26. The Grapes of Wrath

by: John SteinbeckRobert DeMott
Release date: Mar 28, 2006
Number of Pages: 464
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized—and sometimes outraged—millions of readers.

First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads—driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s powerful landmark novel is perhaps the most American of American Classics.

This Penguin Classics edition contains an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert Demott.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

tags:

Literature & Fiction > Classics

27. Animal Farm: 1984

by: George OrwellChristopher Hitchens
Release date: Jun 01, 2003
Number of Pages: 400
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ANIMAL FARM

George Orwell’s classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture. It is the account of the bold struggle, initiated by the animals, that transforms Mr. Jones’s Manor Farm into Animal Farm–a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that proves disastrous. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is reestablished with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But some Animals Are More Equal Than Others. . . .

1984

In 1984, London is a grim city where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.

tags:

Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Satire

28. Common Sense (Dover Thrift Editions)

by: Thomas Paine
Release date: Apr 22, 1997
Number of Pages: 64
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Among the most influential authors and reformers of his age, Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was born in England but went on to play an important role in both the American and French Revolutions. In 1774, he emigrated to America where, for a time, he helped to edit the Pennsylvania Magazine. On January 10, 1776, he published his pamphlet Common Sense, a persuasive argument for the colonies’ political and economic separation from Britain.
Common Sense cites the evils of monarchy, accuses the British government of inflicting economic and social injustices upon the colonies, and points to the absurdity of an island attempting to rule a continent. Credited by George Washington as having changed the minds of many of his countrymen, the document sold over 500,000 copies within a few months.
Today, Common Sense remains a landmark document in the struggle for freedom, distinguished not only by Paine’s ideas but also by its clear and passionate presentation. Designed to ignite public opinion against autocratic rule, the pamphlet offered a careful balance between imagination and judgment, and appropriate language and expression to fit the subject. It immediately found a receptive audience, heartened Washington’s despondent army, and foreshadowed much of the phrasing and substance of the Declaration of Independence.
A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

tags:

Literature & Fiction > Literary

29. Dark Souls: Design Works

by: From Software
Release date: Jan 21, 2014
Number of Pages: 128
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  • Showcasing the grim and chilling artwork behind the fan-favorite Dark Souls game in a gorgeous hardcover collection, Dark Souls: Design Works features key visuals, concept art, character & monster designs, rough sketches, and an exclusive interview with the game’s creators.
tags:

Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > Themes

30. Mein Kampf

by: Adolf HitlerRalph Manheim
Release date: Sep 15, 1998
Number of Pages: 694
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In 1922, just four years after the war to end all wars, an unknown Austrian then living in Bavaria planned a pamphlet to be called Settling Accounts. In it he intended to attack the ineffectiveness of the dominant political parties in Germany which were opposed to the new National Socialists (Nazis). In November 1923, Adolf Hitler was jailed for the abortive Munich Beer Hall putsch along with men willing and able to assist him with his writing. With the help of these collaborators, chief among them Rudolf Hess, the pamphlet became a book. Settling Accounts became Mein Kampf, an unparalleled example of muddled economics and history, appalling bigotry, and an intense self-glorification of Adolf Hitler as the true founder and builder of the National Socialist movement. It was written in hate and it contained a blueprint for violent bloodshed. When Mein Kampf was published in 1925, it was a failure. In 1926 a second volume appeared – it was no more successful than the first. People either laughed at it or ignored it. They were wrong to do so. As Hitler’s power increased, pressure was put on all party members to buy the book. Gradually this pressure was extended to all elements of the German population. Soon Mein Kampf was even being passed out to newlywed couples as a gift. Ironically, and frighteningly, by the time Hitler came to power on January 30, 1933, what has been considered by many to be the most satanic book ever written was running neck and neck with the Bible at the top of the German bestseller lists. In his excellent introduction to this definitive American translation of Mein Kampf, Konrad Heiden writes: “For years Mein Kampf stood as proof of the blindness and complacency of the world. For in its pages Hitler announced — long before he came to power — a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few among its readers had the courage to believe it … That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions, and — above all — could find millions of willing tools and helpers; that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come.” We would be wrong in thinking that such a program, such a man, and such appalling consequences could not reappear in our world of the present. We cannot permit our selves the luxury of forgetting the tragedy of World War II or the man who, more than any other, fostered it. Mein Kampf must be read and constantly remembered as a specimen of evil demagoguery that people whenever men grow tired of thinking and acting for themselves. Mein Kampf is a blueprint for the age of chaos. It transcends in historical importance any other book of the present generation. In his translation Ralph Manheim has taken particular care to give an exact English equivalent of Hitler’s highly individual, and often awkward style, including his occasional grammatical errors. We believe this book should stand as the complete, final, and definitive English version of Hitler’s own story of his life, his political philosophy, and his thwarted plans for world domination. Translated by Ralph Manheim with an introduction by Konrad Heiden. A compilation of Hitler’s most famous prison writings of 1923–the bible of National Socialism and the blueprint for the Third Reich.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Germany

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Last updated: Monday, December 5, 2016 10:06 AM