Book Finder

This big, colorful cookbook features simple recipes for budding Top Chefs. An enthusiastic young chef shares his teen-tested tips and recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to brain-boosting snacks. 

When the Nazis invaded Denmark on Tuesday, April 9, 1940, the people of this tiny country to the north of Germany awoke to a devastating surprise. The government of Denmark surrendered quietly, and the Danes were ordered to go about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.

Confused by all the contradicting statistical data being bantered around by advertisers and the media? Best explains how these statistics are created and their social implications, which will help you distinguish truth from hype.

A chronicle of the incredible correspondence between California librarian Clara Breed and young Japanese American internees during World War II. These actual letters, replete with spelling and grammar mistakes, show how one person can make a positive difference in the lives of so many.

A variety of celebrities write mini-essays about the importance of getting involved in politics. Actors, musicians, writers and politicians each give their unique spin on this timely topic, which could be used in government classes or as a jump-off for creative writing.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II in December 1941 with only 44 Naval submarines — many of them dating from the 1920s. With the Pacific battleship fleet decimated after Pearl Harbor, it was up to the feisty and heroic sailors aboard the US submarines to stop the Japanese invasion across the Pacific.

Caldecott Medalist, Allen Say, tells his own story in words and a variety of images both rendered and photographic. This is more authentic than Say’s fictionalized but equally sophisticated, highly engaging account entitled The Ink-Keeper’s Apprentice.

Landis showcases 100 years of Hollywood’s most memorable costumes and the characters they helped bring to life as she reveals a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the costume designer’s art.

This true story explores the tiny village of Fort Yukon, Alaska, its vanishing cultural heritage, and its relationship with mainstream American culture through its high school basketball team.

What led up to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation? Who were the abolitionists and what was their influence? Primary source material and a crisp narrative combine to present a fascinating look at the events leading up to the Proclamation and the period in which it was created.

The author joins several field scientists to find the mysterious encantado, the pink dolphins of the Amazon said to seduce people to an enchanted city underwater. An informal narration draws readers into the rainforest travelogue to introduce amazing animals, environmental issues, and more. Full color photographs add rich detail. Montgomery’s experiences are also detailed for adults in Journey of the Pink Dolphins: An Amazon Quest.

In 2007, reporter Sonia Nazario published Enrique’s Journey, a book based on her Pulitzer-Prize winning reports about a teenage boy’s harrowing trip north to the U.S. from Honduras to find his mother, who had immigrated to the U.S. eleven years earlier. Sonia traced his steps on the journey through Central America in her reporting. She has since published a Young Adult version of the compelling and gritty book adapted for readers 12 and older, which is also available in Spanish. The original edition is available in multiple languages.

This edition includes photos, notes on her journey, and updates on her current communication on Enrique and his family. Additional resources and materials related to the book and Enrique’s family can be found below:

• Interview with Sonia Nazario (Colorín Colorado)
• Enrique’s Journey: Official website with educator materials and author information
• Teaching Enrique’s Journey (Facing History)
• The Heartache of an Immigrant Family (The New York Times)

A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year.

How did a poor boy named Ehrich Weiss became the famous escape artist, Harry Houdini? The author, best known for his original tall tales and novels, demonstrates his ability to tell a spellbinding true story and shares his appreciation for the mystery of magic.

In her introduction, Silvey asserts that “Children’s Books change lives. [This book] provides insight into how they do this.” The organization suggests how books have touched people (e.g. in career later choice or developing a deeper understanding). An excerpt, a bit of background, and the cover of each book discussed are included with each essay. Contributors represent a wide range of fields from science to business to well known children’s book creators. This fascinating glimpse at the power of literature is sure to inspire, intrigue, and inform.

What have you always wanted to know about Indians? Do you think you should already know the answers — or suspect that your questions may be offensive? In matter-of-fact responses to over 120 questions, both thoughtful and outrageous, modern and historical, Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer gives a frank, funny, and sometimes personal tour of what’s up with Indians, anyway. Updated edition includes new questions, photos, and topics related to current events.

The history of the telescope and telescopic discovery from Galileo to Hubble with fantastic, high-quality color photographs.

An engaging look at the many contributions of Frederick Douglass — including his work as a publisher, a diplomat to Haiti, a bank president, and a prolific writer. Chockful of quotes, excerpts from Douglass’s writing, and images that capture the atmosphere of the times.

For many years, Lekuton taught school in the DC area, but before that he grew up in the Kenyan desert. Now, he’s back in Kenya, serving in parliament. This is an autobiography of his Kenyan childhood.

Naoki Higashida shares his thoughts and experiences as a young man living each day with severe autism. In short, powerful chapters, Higashida explores school memories, family relationships, the exhilaration of travel, and the difficulties of speech. He also allows readers to experience profound moments we take for granted, like the thought-steps necessary for him to register that it’s raining outside. Acutely aware of how strange his behavior can appear to others, he aims throughout to foster a better understanding of autism and to encourage society to see people with disabilities as people, not as problems.

This is the true story of one spirited Japanese-American family’s attempt to survive the indignities of forced detention as seen through the eyes of Jeannie, the youngest daughter of the Wakatsuki family. The family was detained for four years at the Manzanar Internment Camp during World War II.

On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the “white” beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing narrative draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture. This history includes archival photos and prints, source notes, bibliography, and an index.

This book examines the treatment of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II by the U.S. government. From Pearl Harbor to the Japanese Internment camps, and the victories attained by an all Asian battalion, these stories give readers insight into the dichotomy felt by Japanese Americans during this shameful time in history. Photographs capture much what cannot be adequately expressed in words.

Who was at the forefront of women’s right to vote? It’s time to celebrate the names and stories of the women whose stories have yet to be told, women from diverse backgrounds — black, Asian, Latinx, Native American, and more — who helped lead the fight for suffrage.  Gorgeous portraits accompany biographies of such fierce but forgotten women as Yankton Dakota Sioux writer and advocate Zitkála-Sá, Mary Eliza Church Terrell, who cofounded the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), and Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who, at just sixteen years old, helped lead the biggest parade in history to promote the cause of suffrage. 

The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime change a young woman’s life forever, as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost.