Best Biographies Books for 10 Year Olds

Here are the top 30 biographies books for 10 year olds. 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. The Hiding Place

by: Corrie ten BoomElizabeth SherrillJohn SherrillLonnie DuPontTim Foley
Release date: May 05, 2015
Number of Pages: 208
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NOTE: This Book is for Age Group  9 – 12 years.

The True Story of a Real-Life Hero

It’s World War II. Darkness has fallen over Europe as the Nazis spread hatred, fear and war across the globe. But on a quiet city corner in the Netherlands, one woman fights against the darkness.

In her quiet watchmaking shop, she and her family risk their lives to hide Jews, and others hunted by the Nazis, in a secret room, a “hiding place” that they built in the old building.

One day, however, Corrie and her family are betrayed. They’re captured and sent to the notorious Nazi concentration camps to die. Yet even in that darkest of places, Corrie still fights.

This is her story–and the story of how faith, hope and love ultimately triumphed over unthinkable evil.

tags:

Children’s Books > History > Holocaust

2. Blades of Thunder

by: W Dandridge
Release date: Jun 21, 2015
Number of Pages: 315
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Six young Army pilots and green officers, all between 20 and 21 years old, arrive in Vietnam where they each become men, highly skilled pilots, and proficient officers within a few months. None of them will be the same after their first combat tour in Vietnam. All of them will bear the scars of war for life, either physically or mentally or both. All will be strengthened spiritually and none will ever be the same. Some will soon be dead and most will be injured or wounded within the next 12 months. One will become an amputee and all will suffer from varying degrees of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the rest of their lives. All will become beloved brothers and all will honor their families, friends, and this great nation with their dedication, sacrifice, courage, and love of family, country, and God!
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > Vietnam War

3. Out Of The Darkness Into The Light: A Memoir Of Suicide Survival, Strength and Love

by: Kerri GardnerJenn FitzgeraldSusie Bencen
Release date: Dec 23, 2015
Number of Pages: 322
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The True Confessions of a Suicide Survivor
Fighting seven years of crippling depression in a chaotic dysfunctional family, Kerri can’t imagine living another day without hope. She decides to end it all….!
In the wake of a failed suicide attempt, she is terrifyingly “imprisoned” in a Mental Health Hospital where blood on the ward is a daily occurrence. Finally being released, she lives under the threat of being returned unless she follows the rules. This new reality is very lonely as she is ostracized at school for what she has attempted to do and failed at. After all, no-one wants to talk to a freak!
In a bid to re-unite the family, her parents take her to sunny Florida for an amazing Disney World experience where she meets Trevor, the boy of her dreams. Then, she discovers, to her dismay — he lives an ocean away from her!
Quickly falling in love, a long distance relationship ensues. In a time when email and texting does not exist can Kerri and Trevor keep their relationship going? Can Kerri re-build her life and get back to a new “normal”?
“Out of the Darkness and Into the Light” is Kerri’s shocking, heartbreaking and sometimes funny account of self-discovery, acceptance, strength and love, sure to resonate in the hearts of all who read it.
tags:

Self-Help > Relationships > Love & Romance

4. Africa’s Child (Dancing Soul Trilogy Book 1)

by: Maria Nhambu
Release date: Apr 18, 2016
Number of Pages: 363
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From the Foreword by Marian Wright Edelman

Africa’s Child is an unforgettable and searingly personal book….In the face of repeated obstacles and injustices, Nhambu continued to analyze the world around her with wit and a sharp sense of humor. Above all, as a very young child she decided one day that even if there was no other person in the world who loved and wanted her, she was going to love and care for herself—and that decision changed the course of her life.

Africa’s Child is the story of a mixed-race girl growing up in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa. Raised in an orphanage with no knowledge of her origins or family, she endured abandonment, hardships, severe illnesses, and bullying. Her experiences as a child and teenager included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, social stigma, and racial discrimination.
Yet Nhambu tells her inspiring story with warmth and humor. Her questioning mind probes the African tribal realities and multi-cultural complexities that impacted her life both at the orphanage and schools run by German nuns as well as at an African high school with American nuns.
Nhambu not only survived her childhood but triumphed. Her faith and resilience, along with a belief in learning and her tenacious pursuit of an education, sustained her through many challenges. Dance, especially African tribal dance, became the way she healed and nourished her spirit.
Through the love and commitment of an American teacher she met in Africa, Nhambu was able to pursue her dream of education and a new life for herself. The first book in her three-part memoir ends as she is leaving Africa for university studies in America on a full scholarship.
Maria Nhambu is the creator of Aerobics With Soul®, a fitness workout based on African dance.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs

5. One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia (Millbrook Picture Books)

by: Miranda PaulElizabeth Zunon
Release date: Feb 01, 2015
Number of Pages: 32
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Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. Water pooled in them, bringing mosquitoes and disease. Some bags were burned, leaving behind a terrible smell. Some were buried, but they strangled gardens. They killed livestock that tried to eat them. Something had to change.

Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person’s actions really can make a difference in our world.

tags:

Business & Money > Economics > Environmental Economics

6. A Christmas Memory

by: Truman Capote
Release date: Oct 28, 2014
Number of Pages: 48
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Truman Capote’s boyhood Christmas memoir rereleased in a beautiful new package, which includes a CD with the audio version of the text.

     The classic story of Truman Capote’s childhood Christmas ritual is more endearing than ever in this newly redesigned package.

     In celebration of A Christmas Memory‘s enduring appeal, this repackaged edition retains Beth Peck’s evocative watercolors and an audio CD narration by the venerable Celeste Holm (originator of the Ado Annie role in the 1943 Broadway hit “Oklahoma!” and an Academy Award-winning actress). Originally published in 1956, this is the story from Capote’s childhood of lovingly making fruitcakes from scratch at Christmas-time with his elderly cousin, and has stood the test of time to become known as an American holiday classic. In its new size, it’s perfect for reading alone or reading aloud, or following along while listening to the audio version.

tags:

Children’s Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

7. Chasing Freedom

by: Ella Miriam
Release date: Aug 12, 2015
Number of Pages: 290
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When Ella Miriam made the terrifying decision to leave the Soviet Union for Israel on a search for freedom and to escape generations of haunting, painful memories, she never expected to suffer the devastating loss that would lead her, through a succession of unlikely occurrences, to America. Chasing Freedom is a compelling and intensely personal account of Ella’s journey from bondage to freedom, a story of love, struggles, wars, death, birth and triumphs through generations of her family. Ella’s quest for freedom continued as she, through a series of improbable and miraculous events, realized her goal of emigrating to the U.S.A., where she discovered that even in the greatest nation in the world, freedom can be elusive.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

8. Kids Like Me in China

by: Ying Ying FryTerry Fry
Release date: Nov 01, 2001
Number of Pages: 44
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In this first view of China adoption from a child’s perspective, eight-year-old Ying Ying Fry returns to her orphanage to remember what it is like and to write a story so that other adopted children will understand where they came from. Kids Like Me in China combines real-life photos with the forthright observations and complex feelings of an adopted child as she meets caregivers and befriends children in the city where her life began. This book will inspire all adopted children to take charge of their own life stories.

Eight-year-old Ying Ying Fry is a Chinese American girl growing up in San Francisco. But her story didn’t begin there. Like lots of kids she knows, Ying Ying spent her first months in China–in a birth family she cannot remember and an orphanage in Changsha, Hunan province, where her American parents adopted her when she was a tiny baby.

When Ying Ying goes back to visit Changsha, she can’t wait to see her orphanage caregiver–someone who knew her and loved her when she lived in China. Meeting Li Ayi is just the beginning, as Ying Ying discovers points of connection with all the orphanage children–babies, toddlers and school-age kids. Outside the orphanage she visits children at home, at playgrounds and at school, and these friendships too help her see her life story in a new light. A child of two countries, Ying Ying is determined to claim both as her own.

Kids Like Me in China combines real-life photos with the forthright observations and complex feelings of an adopted child as she ponders what her early life might have been like. The first view of China adoption from a child’s perspective, Kids Like Me will inspire all adopted children to take charge of their own life stories.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

9. One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II

by: Lita JudgeLita Judge
Release date: Jul 02, 2007
Number of Pages: 40
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When author/illustrator Lita Judge found hundreds of tracings of feet in her grandmother’s attic, she was intrigued and moved to share the story behind them.

One Thousand Tracings tells that story. In the aftermath of World War II a family in America established contact with a family in Germany and to help them sent them supplies, including shoes. The German family was extremely grateful and asked if their American friends would help others in Europe. Soon shoe tracings from all over the continent started pouring in to the modest Midwest farm. The network of families helping from the U.S. started to grow so that ultimately hundreds of people on both sides of the Atlantic were touched by this remarkable process.

Illustrated with a combination of paintings and collages of original photographs and foot tracings, this moving story is a granddaughter’s tender tribute to her grandparent’s who organized this relief effort.  By sending hope and kindness they began healing the wounds of war. It is powerful reminder of the importance of humanitarianism during wartime.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Values

10. Alexis Sanchez: The Beautiful Game: Poetry In Motion

by: Thomas Jerome Baker
Release date: Feb 29, 2012
Number of Pages: 38
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This book is not a biography of Alexis Sanchez. Rather, it seeks to celebrate the excitement, passion, and enjoyment of the game of football that Alexis Sanchez brings to the sport. The signing of Alexis Sanchez to the best football team in the world, FC Barcelona, was just such a moment. In his final season with Barcelona, Sanchez scored 21 goals and made 10 assists. In the 2014 World Cup, he scored 2 goals for Chile. There is no doubt that Arsenal Football Club has signed one of the most exciting young players in the game today. He plays the “Beautiful Game” as well as any player. In that sense, it is worth holding Alexis “Electric” Sanchez, the marvelous Chilean football player, in our collective memory of , “The Beautiful Game”…
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

11. Emma The Brave

by: Emma MarquesBooks That HealEmma Marques
Release date: Jul 31, 2015
Number of Pages: 30
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Emma Marques is “Emma the Brave.” Emma was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, and she is notorious with her doctors for being a “Warrior Princess” during her extensive treatment regimen. Emma can go through radiation treatments, sometimes close to two hours long, without needing any anesthesia.

Emma truly is as brave as brave can be, and she wants to tell her story and be an inspiration to children who are facing similar situations.

tags:

Children’s Books > Biographies

12. Christian the Lion

by: Anthony BourkeJohn Rendall
Release date: Mar 10, 2009
Number of Pages: 128
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As Ace and John, two friends, are searching for holiday gifts in London, they come across a lion cub for sale in Harrods, the famous department store! Unable to bear the thought of leaving the cub, Ace and John take him home and name him Christian. After a year of fun and mischief Christian has grown up, and Ace and John realize that their pet needs to be among other lions and deserves to live free, in his natural environment. Luckily, friends help introduce Christian to the African wild.

Christian the Lion tells the riveting true story of one animal’s ability to adapt to life in the wild, and captures the unexpectedly enduring connection between man and animal.

From the Hardcover edition.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Lions, Tigers & Leopards

13. Growing Up Thomas: 1950s ` ’60s Oklahoma

by: Janis Thomas Cramer
Release date: Oct 20, 2014
Number of Pages: 336
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Growing up in a family of storytellers, Janis Thomas Cramer spent Sunday dinners with the Thomas clan in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she heard family lore begging to be retold–stories of the Depression, of six sons fighting in World War II, and of a tornado’s destroying three family homes. She lived fantastic stories of her own as well, with two brothers and an army of cousins and friends from two-roomed Riverside School. In the early Sixties, she endured teenage angst with other Baby Boomers crowding into Alice Robertson Junior High School during the New Math, the Race for Space, and the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge.
“Come along with Sweetiepie in the Rocket 88. Meet some real Okie characters from the last century. Scratch your head. Laugh out loud. Shed a tear. Be a kid again.” ~~Bill Lehmann, author of An Okie from “Muskogee Recalls Growing up in the Dirty 30s.”
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs

14. Princess Gabby Girl and The Sparkly Dress

by: Camille BattagliaKaren Wolcott
Release date: Jun 01, 2014
Number of Pages: 32
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Princess Gabby Girl and the Sparkly Dress is a story about a little Princess who loves to dance around the palace and discovers a gorgeous, sparkly, magic dress and Miss Marvelous in the magic mirror.  She finds happiness comes by sharing and caring for others. Her good deeds cause her dress to shine brighter but she is told by Miss Marvelous it will get dark if she forgets.  She is so happy when her dress is sparkling but as soon as she focuses only on herself the dress becomes dull and dingy. She begins to forget all about her promise to Miss Marvelous.  Her frustration grows as her dress continues to get darker and it appears to be beyond repair.  The Princess gives up on trying to fix the dress and then with the help of Miss Marvelous she realizes that her true sparkle and true happiness comes from helping others.  Once again she lights up her home, her village and her world!

The theme of the book is based around Matthew 5:14-16.  The message of those verses, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see.” resonates though this beautiful book.

This is a lovely message and a fun way for kids to think about spreading kindness.  It also, encourages readers to find their own happiness in helping others and sparkling in their own world.  Kids, Parents & Grandparents will love this delightful, unique and creative message!
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

15. Very Young Rider

by: Jill Krementz
Release date: Oct 02, 2006
Number of Pages: 124
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A ten-year-old girl relates her experiences as she and her pony train and prepare for riding competitions.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

16. Voices from the Rainbow

by: Traci Taylor
Release date: Oct 11, 2014
Number of Pages: 351
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This collection of stories from more than fifty individuals presents the unsent letters, trials by fire, and heart-songs of wounded spirits begging to be heard. Traci Leigh Taylor listened.

Four years of interviews and correspondence with LGBTQ people across the United States and around the globe is captured in first-person accounts that lift hearts and rend souls.

Voices from the Rainbow delves into the world of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer–where the human struggle for love and acceptance is the common denominator. This book offers a path to understanding, acceptance, and healing. It is a call to love.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs

17. The Hero In You

by: Ellis PaulAngela Padron
Release date: Sep 01, 2014
Number of Pages: 32
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Acclaimed songwriter Ellis Paul brings the inspirational words from his songs to the pages of a new picture book! Based on his award-winning family album of the same name, The Hero in You introduces kids to thirteen real-life American heroes. From Chief Joseph to Rosa Parks, their remarkable, heroic lives motivate and encourage us to aim high and try our best. Also included is a special edition CD of The Hero in You with 14 songs and exclusive introductory tracks from Ellis Paul. Readers can listen along to the lyrical book text, then read additional facts about the heroes on each spread.
tags:

Children’s Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > Songbooks

18. My Journey To The Clouds: Never Give Up The Pursuit Of Your Dreams

by: Eddie DrayMike Mills
Release date: Jun 04, 2016
Number of Pages: 170
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Sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreakingly sad, this book documents the journey of a small boy, dreaming of becoming a pilot, to a man who flew jet aircraft in many parts of the world. His journey took many turns along the way, but this young boy grew into a man, never losing sight of his dream, even as the reality of life interfered, interrupted and delayed reaching the goal. Travel along as the young man serves his country in the US Air Force, marries and starts a family, and finally begins to pursue his dream, finding success in a manner familiar to many who believe in dedication and hard work. The adventures and misadventures along the way are told in a clear, down to earth manner, and ends with encouragement for a person who dreams of a particular goal in their life, to never give up the quest.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military

19. SHORT SKIRTS AND SHORTER STORIES: Musings on Life, Love and Lust

by: Lisa DeBenedictis
Release date: Dec 29, 2015
Number of Pages: 53
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Short Skirts and Shorter Stories: Musings on Life, Love and Lust by Lisa Rene’ DeBenedictis Emmy-nominated screenwriter and producer Lisa Rene’ DeBenedictis pieces together a scrapbook of memories from a life less ordinary after severe concussions and multiple falls in this uplifting, debut collection of sometimes humorous, deeply moving short stories and poems.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Actors & Entertainers

20. First Dog Fala

by: Elizabeth Van SteenwykMichael Montgomery
Release date: Sep 01, 2008
Number of Pages: 32
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In 1940, Fala came to live with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House. On sunny days, the little dog played in the grass outside the Oval Office. He attended important meetings with the president s advisors. At night, the president and Fala often dined together.

But as the world slipped further into war and America was drawn into the conflict, life at the White House changed. Fala stayed up late into the night with President Roosevelt. He accompanied the president on journeys across the country and around the world and waited with him for the return of American servicemen and the end to a terrible war.

Author Elizabeth Van Steenwyk offers young readers a glimpse into American history and the life of a U.S. president through the story of a loyal dog. Michael G. Montgomery s full-color illustrations capture the indomitable spirit of Fala and the nation and president who loved him.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Dogs

21. The Last 18

by: Travis Mewhirter
Release date: Jun 02, 2015
Number of Pages: 212
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The Last 18 is a story of a mother and her two sons, and the bonds between a family that cannot be broken, no matter the ailment. It explores the question: What would you do if you had two months left with a loved one? Do you make their final days comfortable, normal, routine? Act like nothing was different or wrong, like so many request? Or do you attempt the fantastic, the amazing, the miraculous?
When Janis Lammey’s two youngest sons—Jay and Brian—are still in high school, she is diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s a late diagnosis. In two months, Janis Lammey is going to die. She will never see her sons graduate from college, she will not cry at their weddings, she will not cradle her grandchildren. But there is one thing that she can still do, and that’s watch her boys play golf. Jay and Brian have a freakish knack for the game. College prospects
are on the horizon. It’s only a matter of time before the Tour comes calling. But time is no longer a luxury they have.
They set out to do what their mother had wanted to see ever since they first
picked up a club: play professional golf. With the help of a college coach,
the boys receive an exemption into a tournament where their mother’s dream of seeing them play on Tour can be realized. And so they play, with their mother close-by, the last 18 holes of golf she
will ever see.
tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

22. Mike Clemons: My Life In Story

by: Mike ClemonsBraxton A. Cosby
Release date: Sep 21, 2014
Number of Pages: 206
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“Big Mike” Clemons is known for many things—touring as a drummer with Usher, Israel & New Breed, Mary J. Blige, and others—as well as producing music and helping others make a name for themselves. However, most people don’t know how this once overweight musician not only became well known, but also embraced a healthy lifestyle that has forever changed him. In My Life In Story, get to know the real Mike Clemons as he tells it like it is, sharing triumphs and failures in a candid and fascinating narrative.
tags:

Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Religious & Sacred Music > Christian

23. Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards))

by: Luba Tryszynska-FrederickAnn MarshallMichelle Roehm McCann
Release date: Oct 01, 2003
Number of Pages: 48
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Why am I still alive? Why was I spared?

One night in 1944, Luba Tryszynska’s questions were answered when she found fifty-four children abandoned behind the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Luba knew if the Nazis caught her she could be executed.

But they are someone’s children. And they are hungry.

Despite the mortal dangers, Luba and the women of her barracks cared for these orphans thro-ugh a winter of disease, starvation, and war.

Here is the true story of an everyday hero and the children who gave her a reason to live.

My name is Luba Tryszynska-Frederick and this is my story. I never thought of myself as a particularly brave person, certainly not a hero. But I found that inside every human being there is a hero waiting to emerge. I never could have done what I did without the help of many heroes. This story is for them, and for the children. –Luba Tryszynska-Frederick

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

24. Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story

by: Paula YooDom Lee
Release date: Apr 30, 2010
Number of Pages: 32
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The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father’s desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Difficult Discussions > Prejudice & Racism

25. Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream

by: Crystal HubbardRandy Duburke
Release date: Jun 30, 2010
Number of Pages: 32
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Now in paperback, the true story of Marcenia Lyle, an African American girl who grew up to become “Toni Stone,” the first woman to play for a professional baseball team

One day in the 1930s, Marcenia and the boys she plays ball with learn that Gabby Street, a famous baseball manager, is scouting children for a baseball summer camp sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals. Eager to earn a spot, Marcenia plays her best, but is discouraged when Mr. Street tells her there are no girls in his camp. Convinced that baseball is her destiny, Marcenia won’t give up, ultimately proving her skill and passion to Mr. Street and her dubious parents.

tags:

Children’s Books > Biographies > Multicultural

26. C.T. Studd: No Retreat (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)

by: Janet BengeGeoff Benge
Release date: Apr 04, 2005
Number of Pages: 192
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Written for readers age 10 and up — enjoyed by adults!

C.T. and his companion were lost in the African jungle. All the warning others had given the two missionaries rushed into C.T.’s mind. He had the uneasy sensation of being watched. C.T. shivered as he stared into the dense foliage surrounding him. He was exposed on all sides, clearly visible to anything or anyone concealed in the jungle.

Endowed with rare determination and a wry sense of humor, C.T. Studd unceasingly pursued a life devoted to God. A star English cricket player in his youth, C.T. did nothing halfway. When challenged by near tragedy and the words of an atheist, the wealthy young man became a missionary of exteme devotion.

Serving in China, India, and finally Central Africa, C.T. Studd was the first missionary to reach numerous tribes deep in the congo. Together with the mission he founded, Worldwide Evangelization Crusade, this man who refused to retreat opened a way for Africans to hear the gospel for years to come.

tags:

Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Evangelism > Evangelism

27. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary

by: Candace Fleming
Release date: Oct 14, 2008
Number of Pages: 200
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The award-winning author of Ben Franklin’s Almanac and Our Eleanor has created an enthralling joint biography of our greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, and his complex wife—a scrapbook history that uses photographs, letters, engravings, and even cartoons, along with a fascinating text, to form an enthralling museum on the page. The Lincolns received four starred reviews and won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Non-Fiction, making this the perfect addition to any collection.

Here are the extraordinary lives of Abraham and Mary, from their disparate childhoods and tumultuous courtship, through the agony of the Civil War, to the loss of three of their children, and finally their own tragic deaths. Readers can find Mary’s recipe for Abraham’s favorite cake—and bake it themselves; hear what Abraham looked like as a toddler; see a photo of the Lincolns’ dog; discover that the Lincoln children kept goats at the White House; see the Emancipation Proclamation written in Lincoln’ s own hand. Perfect for reluctant readers as well as history lovers, The Lincolns provides a living breathing portrait of a man, a woman, and a country.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs

28. Taylor Swift biography: TAY – The Taylor Swift Story

by: Jill Parker
Release date: Oct 07, 2015
Number of Pages: 176
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Taylor marched up to the woman behind the front desk and went into gear. “Hi! I’m Taylor Swift! I’m eleven and I want a record deal!” She handed the woman her CD. “Call me!” she said and flashed her a cheery smile.
“She thought I was cute,” Taylor said when she was back in the car. “The usual Go away and come back when you’re eighteen.”
Taylor stared out the side window as her mother drove slowly down Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. As they passed by the famous Bluebird Cafe, she said, “Someday I’m going to sing here.”
tags:

Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Popular

29. Playing Up: One Man’s Rise From Public Housing to Public Service Through Mentorship: Coaches’ Playbook and Teaching Resources

by: Vaughn McKoyAngela GonzalezMarnie McKoy
Release date: Apr 27, 2015
Number of Pages: 387
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Vaughn L. McKoy’s autobiography, Playing Up: One Man’s Rise from Public Housing To Public Service Through Mentorship, recounts the life and struggles of a young African American male, born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, a depressed and impoverished community. Vaughn works his way to Rutgers University on a football scholarship, and after graduating presses on to become a successful attorney, civil servant and business leader. Vaughn acknowledges and makes clear to readers the critical role that effective mentors can play in the lives of today’s youth.

Throughout the autobiography, you will discover a number of recurring themes that are pivotal in Vaughn’s life and successes: “playing up,” loyalty, education, commitment, love, and family. Each of these themes should be openly discussed including how they guide Vaughn’s development and his ability to overcome many obstacles. In particular, the theme of “playing up” is one that permeates almost all stages of Vaughn’s life, hence the title of the book. Exploring the various ways in which Vaughn chooses to “play up” will help readers gain a clear understanding of the common sacrifices and challenges often necessary to persevere and to surmount great challenges. By sharing his successes, failures, and development of some key relationships, Vaughn takes the reader on his very honest and reflective journey, using personal journal entries and time capsules to provide historical context.

This book, Playing up: Coaches’ Playbook and Teaching Resources, is an effective interdisciplinary resource for teachers, coaches and youth workers that prompts critical thinking and problem solving, including mini-writing lessons to help students improve their writing skills while reading the book. The Playbook can be scaffolded to meet varying skill levels and contains diverse question types, including true/false, multiple choice and short answer.

For each chapter of Playing Up, you will find these resources in the Playbook, which can be adapted based upon the target audience:

A. Chapter Summary
B. Questions, Class/Group Discussion, Essay Prompts
For middle school students, these may be discussed as a class.
For high school students, these may either be discussed as a class or assigned as short-answer essay prompts.
For college students, these may be assigned as essay prompts.
C. Class/Group Activities
D. Web Sites of Relevance
E. Chapter Quiz
For each chapter, there are 12 multiple choice, 10 true or false, and 2 to 4 short-answer response questions for middle to high school students.
Writing Techniques
For each chapter, there is 1 writing technique, instruction and practice that corresponds to writing techniques employed in the book Playing UP.

Playing Up and its companion Playbook are unique in that they both start before Vaughn attends middle school, more definitively engaging its middle-school and high-school audiences, and continues past his university years to professional and civic successes where he diligently works to help youth and young professionals reach their potential. Playing Up and the Playbook provide a true-to-life compass that readers can follow to “play up” in their own lives.

Let the journey begin.

tags:

Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Educators

30. Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird: A True Story

by: Stephanie SpinnerMeilo So
Release date: Oct 09, 2012
Number of Pages: 48
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In 1977, graduate student Irene Pepperberg walked into a pet store and bought a year-old African grey parrot. Because she was going to study him, she decided to call him Alex–short for Avian Learning EXperiment. At that time, most scientists thought that the bigger the brain, the smarter the creature; they studied great apes and dolphins. African greys, with their walnut-sized “birdbrains,” were pretty much ignored–until Alex. 

His intelligence surprised everyone, including Irene. He learned to count, add, and subtract; to recognize shapes, sizes, and colors; and to speak, and understand, hundreds of words. These were things no other animal could do. Alex wasn’t supposed to have the brainpower to do them, either. But he did them anyway.

Accompanied by Meilo So’s stunning illustrations, Alex and Irene’s story is one of groundbreaking discoveries about animal intelligence, hard work, and the loving bonds of a unique friendship.

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Children’s Books > Animals > Birds

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Last updated: Monday, December 5, 2016 7:37 AM