Historical Books

Cecilia Payne refused to let the barriers of her time hold her back.In early twentieth-century England, women couldn’t even earn degrees at Cambridge, yet Cecilia pursued her dream of becoming a scientist. Her journey eventually led her to Harvard, where she peered deep into the stars and made a discovery that forever changed our understanding of the universe. Before Cecilia, scientists believed stars were like planets with hotter surfaces, but…

The gripping story of one of America’s first cryptanalysts, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who busted spy rings:One of the founders of US cryptology who would eventually become one of the world’s greatest code breakers, Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1892–1980) was a brilliant mind behind many important battles throughout the 20th century, saving many lives through her intelligence and heroism.Whip-smart and determined, Elizebeth displayed a remarkable aptitude for language and recognizing patterns from…

The life of a slave is the only life that twelve-year-old Galen knows, and though he hopes for a better one, he’s making the best of it. He practices painting whenever he can, finds adventures with his best friend, Micio, and just might solve a mystery that will improve the life of everyone around him–and change the course of history. Galen, from the acclaimed author of the Young American Voices…

The Samuels family is made of tough stuff. That’s a good thing, because it’s another trying year in the Dust Bowl. Weeks pass without rain, and it seems that all the plow stirs up is dust. But fortified with hope, love, determination, and ingenuity, eleven-year-old Rose and her family weather the toughest of times. And although Rose’s older brother, Floyd, prefers drawing to farming, he comes through when he is…

America! Hannah’s small European village buzzes with tales of life in a faraway land free from persecution. Cousin Esther has passage for two aboard a ship bound for New York, and Hannah convinces Mama and Papashka to let her use the extra ticket. Will America really be everything they’ve dreamed of?…

The year is 1774, and the British army has blockaded Boston. Ten-year-old Emma is stuck at Aunt Harmony’s house in the city, far from her family. Emma desperately wants to help the American struggle for freedom. When Papa gives her a secret code the militia uses, she finally gets her chance to change the course of history….

Traveling by covered wagon, young Rachel and her family follow the Oregon Trail from Illinois all the way to California. The terrain is rough and the seven-month trip is filled with adventure. Rachel’s own handwritten journal chronicles every detail and features cherished “pasted-in” mementos gathered along the way….