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The great fire
By Jim Murphy. 1995
An account of the conflagration that levelled much of Chicago in 1871. Chronicles events from the fire's outbreak and rapid…
spread to its extinguishment by rain, as reported by survivors and in documents of the period. Examines the origins, circumstances, and official failures that contributed to the disaster. Grades 5-8. A 1996 Newbery Honor Book. c1995.The endless steppe
By Esther Rudomin Hautzig. 1995
During World War II, when she was eleven years old, the author and her family were arrested in Poland by…
the Russians as political enemies and exiled to Siberia. She recounts here the trials of the following five years spent on the harsh Asian steppe. Grades 5-8. 1995, c1968.The dead inside: a true story
By Cyndy Etler. 2017
All Cyndy wanted was to be loved and accepted. By age fourteen, she had escaped from her violent home, only…
to be reported as a runaway and sent to a "drug rehabilitation" facility that changed her world. To the public, Straight Inc. was a place of recovery. But behind closed doors, the program used bizarre and intimidating methods to "treat" its patients. Etler recounts her sixteen months in the living nightmare that Straight Inc. considered "healing." For senior high readers. 2017.The disability rights movement (Cornerstones of freedom)
By Deborah Kent. 1996
A chronicle of milestones in the ongoing fight for disability rights in the United States; includes the 1940 establishment of…
the National Federation of the Blind and the passing of both the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Grades 4-7. c1996.The diary of Ma Yan: the struggles and hopes of a Chinese schoolgirl
By Lisa Appignanesi, Ma Yan, Pierre Haski. 2005
Ma Yan is a teenager from Ningxia, China, a drought-stricken rural area. Education can be the difference between a life…
of crushing poverty and a better future, but money is scarce. Ma Yan's diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship and bring prosperity to her family, through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. Grades 4-7 and older readers. 2002, 2004. Uniform title: Journal de Ma Yan.The bite of the mango
By Mariatu Kamara, Susan McClelland. 2008
Sierra Leone. At the age of 12, Mariatu Kamara was raped by a family friend, then captured by rebels who…
cut off her hands. Despite her wounds, Kamara walked out of the bush and sought help, ending up in an amputee camp, where she gave birth to a son who died of malnutrition. When foreign journalists interviewed Kamara in the camp, her story garnered international interest and assistance, which eventually brought her to Toronto. Her autobiography testifies to Kamara's horrific trauma, but with the aim of fostering hope and reconciliation. Winner of the 2011 Red Maple Non-Fiction Award. For junior high and older readers. Some strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some descriptions of violence. c2008.Ten girls from history
By Kate Dickinson Sweetser, Amy Puetz. 2017
Whether facing a band of Indians with Madeleine; saving lives at sea with Ida Lewis; experiencing the battlefields of the…
Civil War with Clara Barton, or learning the life story of Louisa May Alcott, you will be inspired by the faith, courage, and devotion of these ten girls from history. Grades 4-7. 2017.Taking hold: my journey into blindness
By Sally Hobart Alexander. 2002
Survivors!: true death-defying escapes
By Larry Verstraete. 2003
Think about your worst fears - being attacked by a wild animal, swept away by a killer storm, trapped in…
a wrecked car or a burning building. Here are 29 stories of real people who survived life-threatening situations. Each section includes Survival Tips that give readers essential information about what to do in dangerous circumstances. Some descriptions of violence. Winner of the 2004 Silver Birch Award. Grades 4-7. Bestseller 2005. 2003.Swimming to Antarctica: tales of a long-distance swimmer
By Lynne Cox. 2004
At age sixteen, swimmer Lynne Cox achieved her lifetime goal of setting a new record for an English Channel swim.…
So she set her goals higher, becoming the first to swim the Strait of Magellan, crossing the Cape of Good Hope and New Zealand's Cook Strait, and swimming the 38 degree waters of the Bering Strait - in just a swimsuit, cap and goggles. She even swam a mile in the iceberg-choked seas of the Antarctic. 2004.So tall within: Sojourner Truth's long walk toward freedom
By Gary D Schmidt. 2018
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but possessed a mind and a vision that knew no bounds. 'So Tall Within'…
traces her life from her painful childhood through her remarkable emancipation to her incredible leadership in the movement for rights for both women and African Americans. Grades K-3. 2018.Jean Lumb, a recipient of the Order of Canada, shares the story of her immigration to Canada, her contribution to…
the changing of Canada's immigration laws, and her efforts in saving Chinatown communities across Canada. Grades 5-8. 1997.At nine years old, Eugenie Clark developed an unexpected passion for sharks after a visit to the Battery Park Aquarium…
in New York City. At the time, sharks were seen as mindless killing machines, but Eugenie knew better and set out to prove it. Despite many obstacles in her path, Eugenie was able to study the creatures she loved so much. From her many discoveries to the shark-related myths she dispelled, Eugenie made wide scientific contributions that led to her being nicknamed Shark Lady. Winner of 2018 Forest of Reading The Blue Spruce Award. Grades K-3. 2017.Speaking our truth: a journey of reconciliation
By Monique Gray Smith. 2017
Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack…
of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education, awareness and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt by Survivors and their families. Guided by Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith, readers will learn about the lives of Survivors and listen to allies who are putting the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into action. For senior high readers. 2017.Somebody else's kids
By Torey L Hayden. 1999
Four problem children were put in Torey Hayden's class because no one else knew what to do with them. Together,…
with the help of a remarkable teacher who cared too much to ever give up, they became almost a family, able to give each other the love and understanding they had found nowhere else. 1999.She dared: true stories of heroines, scoundrels, and renegades
By Edward Butts. 2005
Details the lives of some of Canada's most famous and infamous women, showcasing explorers, spies, criminals, and pioneers in a…
variety of career fields. From Marguerite de la Roque de Roberval, a sixteenth-century aristocrat who dared to love a lowly commoner, to four women who flew military planes during World War II, these accounts introduce 15 women who ventured into behaviour considered inappropriate for women in their time. Grades 5-8. Some descriptions of violence. 2005.She persisted: 13 American women who changed the world
By Chelsea Clinton. 2017
Clinton celebrates thirteen American women who helped shape our country through their tenacity, sometimes through speaking out, sometimes by staying…
seated, sometimes by captivating an audience. This book is for everyone who has ever wanted to speak up but has been told to quiet down, for everyone who has ever tried to reach for the stars but was told to sit down, and for everyone who has ever been made to feel unworthy or unimportant. Shows readers that no matter what obstacles may be in their paths, they shouldn't give up on their dreams. Persistence is power. This book features Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor--and one special cameo. Grades K-3 and older readers. 2017.Sadako and the thousand paper cranes
By Eleanor Coerr. 2002
Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima races against time to fold one thousand paper…
cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy. Based on a true story. Grades 4-7. 2002.From the age of eight, Roberta Bondar knew she wanted to be an astronaut. In January 1992 she made Canadian…
history when she became the first Canadian woman, and first neurologist, to go into space on board Discovery. The story of her journey to become a leading astronaut is a fascinating tale of dedication, commitment, and courage. Grades 4-7. 2004.Rescue and Jessica: a life-changing friendship
By Patrick Downes, Jessica Kensky. 2018
Rescue thought he'd grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog -- it's the family business, after all. When he…
gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue. Grades K-3. 2018.