"Captivating, powerful, and thought-provoking. (cast of characters, timeline, authors' note, sources, notes, bibliography, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-adult)"
This multilayered biography vividly introduces photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, setting their careers in the context of the Spanish Civil War, the run-up to World War II, and the birth of modern photojournalism.
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"Complex and emotionally demanding, this collection aims for and will resonate with serious readers of realistic fiction. (Short stories. 14-20)"
The death of Kevin, at once charismatic and tortured, is at the epicenter of this collection of short stories by nine well-known authors for teens, exploring the lives of his peers, acquaintances and family as it reveals how each of them is affected.
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"Readers interested in mythology and paleontology will be intrigued. (glossary/index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
Researchers have used fossils to understand much about the prehistoric world, but this work shows how a passionate woman with a curious mind studies them to understand how early peoples devised their myths and legends.
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"A terrific piece of paleoanthropology, with a smart blend of scientific sobriety and narrative verve. (Nonfiction enhanced e-book. 10 & up)"
Advances in paleoanthropology are given a bracing, clearsighted overview in this enhanced e-book from Berger and Aronson, based on the 2012 print book of the same name.
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"A fascinating account of an Indiana Jones-style fossil hunter and how his discoveries have changed the way we see human evolution. ('A New View of Evolution,' further reading, glossary/index, author's note) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
When 9-year-old Matthew Berger found a fossil, he "opened a door two million years back in time."
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"Written with the authority of a fine writer with an inquiring mind, this dramatic story is history writing at its best. (Nonfiction. 14 & up)"
In fascinating detail, Aronson tells the story of America during J. Edgar Hoover's reign as head of the FBI and "the nearly fifty years of criminal activity that was his legacy."
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"Aronson's first work about a current event may leave readers feeling claustrophobic, but they'll be inspired by this modern-day tale of survival. (source notes, list of interviews, websites) (Nonfiction. 9-14)"
On August 5, 2010, 33 miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground in northern Chile's unsafe San José mine, setting off a story that captured the attention of the world, "from experts on outer space to drill bit manufacturers from Pennsylvania, from nutritionists to camera crews."
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"Superb stories by writers who know and love the game; an ode to the show. (Linked short stories. 14 & up)"
Gladiators meet at the Cage, a fenced-in basketball court at West 4th in Manhattan, one of the legendary sites of playground ball.
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From 1600 to the 1800s, sugar drove the economies of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa and did more "to reshape the world than any ruler, empire, or war had ever done."
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"Pearson's hypothesis is only one of many, and the author characteristically urges readers to question what they see and always keep an open mind, just like this endearing archeological team. (epilogue, timeline, glossary, author's note, further reading) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
Stonehenge is one of the most enduring and mysterious monuments in the world.
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"Palestine as one is likely to find. (notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)"
A deeply personal investigation of an extremely complex moral, political and religious issue by an author whose love for and attachment to the state of Israel is tempered by his commitment to justice for all.
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"It's an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)"
With assistance from Aronson, a veteran author/editor and nabob of nonfiction, Nelson recasts his adult title Steel Drivin' Man: The Untold Story of an American Legend (2006) into a briefer account that not only suspensefully retraces his search for the man behind the ballad, but also serves as a useful introduction to historical-research methods.
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"Add this to Aronson's growing body of fine historical works that are changing how young readers think about history. (biographical dictionary, glossary, sources & websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)"
Unlike old-school textbooks that portrayed the Age of Exploration as advanced European civilizations exploring primitive worlds, Aronson and Glenn take a global view, seeing 1492 as the pivotal date in human history—"the first encounter between advanced civilizations that had developed an ocean apart."
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Bobby Kennedy was the "relentless, reckless third son of a clan determined to change history," and the story of this clan ranges from the Irish potato famine to the Cuban missile crisis and beyond, a complicated tale of family, fame and fortune.
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"A strong choice for history classrooms and a must for all libraries. (cast of characters, timeline) (Nonfiction. 12+)"
Charging war elephants, bank failures in Scotland and Daniel Boone all play a part in this "transnational" study of the American Revolution, the final installment in a trilogy, which, with Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado (2000) and John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise (2004), covers early English explorations of the New World through the American Revolution.
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"Though allusions to contemporary novels, writers, and events are sometimes jarring, this is an important study of the origins of America as a land of promise. (cast of characters, endnotes, bibliography, timeline, index) (Nonfiction. 12+)"
In the 17th century, Protestant zealots became leaders in England and New England, determined to lead the forces of God against the Antichrist.
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"This is excellent history writing that involves the reader in the excitement of discovery and the thrill of recreating the past. (note to the reader, appendix, timeline, index) (Nonfiction. YA)"
The Salem witchcraft hysteria in 1692 was a time when "a group of individuals acted as a pack to attack and destroy others," and the question ever since has been how it happened and why.
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"A teacher's guide will be available online, and a portion of the profits from the anthology will be donated to a scholarship fund for relatives of the victims. (Nonfiction. 12+)"
The title of this timely anthology emphasizes the connection between the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the 911 emergency assistance phone number, offering both teens and adults thoughtful, provocative literature that may help with preliminary discussions and perspective on this difficult subject.
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Forming what amounts to a trilogy with Albert Marrin's The Sea King: Sir Francis Drake and His Times (1995) and Ralph C. Staiger's Thomas Harriot, Science Pioneer (not reviewed), this absorbing story of an adventurer's adventurer takes readers from the brilliant, intrigue-ridden court of Queen Elizabeth to the unmapped reaches of North and South America, from dizzying heights of wealth and success to years of imprisonment and a traitor's death.
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