Fever 1793 - YA by
When disease sweeps through Mattie's city in 1793, she must learn how to survive in a world turned upside down, YA book. 251 pages.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond - YA by
When Kit arrives in Connecticut she is met by suspicion and disapproval. In 1687 America she becomes friends with Hannah Tupper who is believed to be a witch. 249 pages.
The Invention of Wings by
The story follows Hetty "Handful" Grimke, a Charleston slave, and Sarah, the daughter of the wealthy Grimke family. The novel begins on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership over Handful, who is to be her handmaid. "The Invention of Wings" follows the next thirty-five years of their lives. 373 pages.
Redfield Farm : a novel of the Underground Railroad - YA by
Quakers Ann & Jesse Redfield get involved with the Underground Railroad. This book brings a deep understanding of the details of the Underground Railroad in a tale of a life well-lived. 287 pages.
A woman called Moses : a novel based on the life of Harriet Tubman by
Harriet Tubman's story is told eloquently, almost poetically, achingly real and speaks to our need to feel committed. It makes us wish that there are more people like Harriet Tubman. 367 pages.
The Book of Negroes by
Aminata Diallo, one of the strongest women characters in contemporary fiction, is kidnapped from Africa as a child and sold as a slave in South Carolina. Fleeing to Canada after the Revolutionary War, she escapes to attempt a new life in freedom.
The Call of the Wild - YA by
The story of a house dog sold to Alaska as a sled dog for the gold rush of 1898. Through various owners and experiences he becomes a tougher and smarter animal, and after his favorite owner dies he becomes leader of a wolf pack. 128 pages.
The Kitchen House by
Irish immigrant Lavinia loses her family on the voyage to America. She becomes an indentured servant on a tobacco plantation in Virginia. Her color sets her apart from the slaves working in the kitchen house. This book is a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, loyalty and love. 368 pages.
The New Colossus by
Nellie Bly comes to NYC at 21 with a skill for reporting. Within 10 months she lands 2 front-page stories. Newsman Pulitzer assigns her to get to the bottom of the murder of Emma Lazarus who wrote "bring me your tired and your poor'" which appears on the Statue of Liberty.
Rifles for Watie - YA by
This classic Civil War book is about Jefferson Davis Bussey, who at 16 joins the Rebel Army. He finds war is hell and his hatred of the Union changes when he becomes a spy in that army and discovers the enemy is no different. 332 pages.
The Underground Railroad by
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. 306 pages.
The Whip by
Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst lived most of her life as a man in the old West. She became a renowned stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo.
Bud, Not Buddy - YA by
In 1936 10-year-old Bud jumps a train to look for his famous band leader father. Full of laugh-out-loud humor and wonderful characters this book illustrates the deeper tones of the Great Depression. 245 pages.
The Chosen - YA by
2 Jewish boys in NYC fight and then become friends. Danny is being raised in silence (his father does not talk to him). This book looks are religious differences, the meaning of pain, and how being Chosen (Danny is supposed to become his father's successor as rabbi) can hurt. 291 pages.
The Girls - YA by
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence. 255 pages.
Havana Lost by
This story of 3 generations of a Cuban-American family is a thriller. It tells of rebels fighting with Castro and Cubans trying for a new life in the US. The book reveals the cost of chasing power. 285 pages.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by
Before the US entered WWII Henry Lee, from Seattle's Chinatown, meets Keiko who becomes his friend. But she is sent away to a Japanese internment camp & he loses touch. 40 years later he wants to return her family's possessions. 290 pages.
Land of the Afternoon Sun by
A disinherited English baron and a young New York heiress marry and move West to build an agricultural empire in Palm Springs in the 1920s when it was just a budding town on the edge of the Mojave Desert. This is also the story of a woman finding her own personality and strength in the West against a breathtaking desert landscape that changes constantly and shows its deadly side in poisonous snakes, flash floods and sand storms, with dramatic moments of forbidden romance, reversals, treachery, betrayal and, ultimately, triumphs. 488 pages.
Last Bus to Wisdom by
A lively and poignant coming-of-age story about a boy and his great-uncle on a cross-country odyssey. Charming, wise, and slyly funny, Last Bus to Wisdom is another treasure of a novel from the best storyteller of the West. 453 pages.
Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night - YA by
Tragedy strikes 8 year old Violet's family when her sister dies. Set in an early 20th century mining town the book portrays real life events in a story that shows how grace can be found in the midst of tragedy. 319 pages.
The Things They Carried by
Written by a Viet Nam veteran, this book describes the things carried by the men of Alpha Company. The author describes the courage, determination, and luck needed to survive. 273 pages.
Water for Elephants by
A novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932 350 p;ages.
Wolf Hollow - YA by
Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran. 291 pages.