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Showing 1 - 20 of 883 items
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 boo-boos that changed the world: a true story about an accidental invention (really!)
By Barry Wittenstein. 2018
Earle Dickson and his new bride Josephine begin their lives together. The end. (Not really. There's more.) Josephine has a…
proclivity for injuring herself. Earle attaches cotton to long strips of adhesive tape, telling Josephine to cut off a length when she needs one. Since Earle works as a cotton buyer at Johnson and Johnson, he shares his idea. They're a big hit. The end. (Again, not really!) After a few false starts (much like the hilarious "the end"s in this story), the Band-Aid is developed and becomes a massive hit. The end. (Really.). Grades K-3. 2018.The artificial heart (An Impact book)
By Melvin Berger. 1987
Traces the history of the development of the artificial heart, including experimentation with animals and human heart transplants. Discusses the…
psychological and ethical issues surrounding their use. For junior and senior high readers. c1987.The 57 bus: a true story of two teenagers and the crime that changed their lives
By Dashka Slater. 2017
One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever. If…
it weren't for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight. For junior and senior high readers. 2017.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.Real justice: sentenced to life at seventeen : the story of David Milgaard (Real justice)
By Cynthia J Faryon. 2009
David Milgaard was a kid who got into lots of trouble. Unfortunately, that made it easy for the Saskatoon police…
to brand him as a murderer. At seventeen, David was arrested, jailed, and convicted for the rape and murder of a young nursing assistant, Gail Miller. Throughout his twenty-three years in prison, David maintained that he was innocent and refused to admit to the crime, even though it meant he was never granted parole. Finally, through the incredible determination of his mother and new lawyers who believed in him, David was released and proven not guilty. This is the true story of how bad decisions, tunnel vision, poor representation, and outright lying and coercion by those within the justice system caused a tragic miscarriage of justice. For junior high and older readers. 2009.Real justice: guilty of being weird : the story of Guy Paul Morin (Real justice)
By Cynthia J Faryon. 2012
The story of Guy Paul Morin, who was wrongly convicted of a little girl's murder. It took ten years and…
the just-developed science of DNA testing to finally clear his name. This book tells his story, showing how the justice system not only failed to help an innocent young man, but conspired to convict him. For junior high readers and older. 2013, c2012.Pandemic survival: it's why you're alive
By Jane Drake, Ann Love, Samantha Swenson, Sue Tate. 2013
History is full of gruesome pandemics, and surviving those pandemics has shaped our society and way of life. Every person…
today is alive because of an ancestor who survived -- and surviving our current and future pandemics, like SARS, AIDS, and bird flu will determine our future. This book presents in-depth information about past and current illnesses; the evolution of medicine and its pioneers; cures and treatments; strange rituals and superstitions; and what we're doing to prevent future pandemics. Grades 4-7. 2013.Marco Polo (Connais-tu? ; #3)
By Johanne Ménard. 2010
Connais-tu Marco Polo, le plus intrépide voyageur du Moyen Âge? Ce fils de marchand de Venise parti au bout du…
monde à l'âge de 17 ans? Celui dont les aventures extraordinaires ont inspiré de grands explorateurs comme Christophe Colomb? Années 1-3. 2010.On board the Titanic: what it was like when the great liner sank (I was there book)
By Shelley Tanaka, Ken Marschall. 1996
The story of the Titanic, once the world's largest ocean liner, as told through the experiences of two of its…
survivors. Detailed explanations about the ship, passengers, and crew are interwoven with an account of its tragic sinking in 1912. Grades 4-7. Winner of the 1997 Silver Birch Award. c1996.Last man out: the story of the Springhill Mine Disaster
By Melissa Fay Greene. 2003
One October evening in 1958, 174 miners did not come out when the deepest coal mine in North America "bumped".…
For days, rescue workers brought out dead miners while families waited above-ground for their loved ones to appear. Rescuers then miraculously stumbled across a broken pipe leading to a cave containing survivors. 2003.Healing our world: Inside Doctors Without Borders
By David Morley. 2008
General information about the organization Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders. Also includes journal entries giving personal and detailed accounts of…
the group's work, including efforts to recover victims of an El Salvador earthquake, medical care in war-torn Congo, and treatment of the AIDS epidemic in Zambia. An introduction to a dedicated organization that gives people who live in forgotten places evidence that someone actually cares. For grades 5-8. Some descriptions of violence and some strong language. 2007.Duped!: true stories of the world's best swindlers (It actually happened series ; #1)
By Andreas Schroeder. 2011
Schroeder uncovers the facts behind eight of the most outrageous scams of all time. Read about a Stone Age tribe…
discovered in the jungles of the Philippines, lost documents written by Shakespeare, and a 1938 radio broadcast that reported that something strange has crashed into a field in New Jersey – and that hostile Martians then started attacking! Grades 4-7. c2011. (It actually happened series ; 1)Case files: 40 murders and mysteries solved by science
By Larry Verstraete. 2011
A killer has been caught, convicted, and sentenced, the case closed, all in 114 days. No one suspected – least…
of all the boy on death row – that it would take almost 50 years for a tiny piece of scientific evidence to answer the question: was he really the murderer? 40 amazing stories of how scientists solve crimes, reveal identities, untangle evidence, and discover the truth. Grades 5-8. Winner of the 2013 Silver Birch Non-Fiction Honour Book Award. 2011.At the edge: daring acts in desperate times
By Larry Verstraete. 2009
A young man in Nunavut fights off a polar bear to save his friend, a Canadian peacekeeper in the Congo…
risks his own life to save those of stranded tourists, and ordinary people show extraordinary character during the Halifax Explosion, the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina, the Tiananmen Square protests, and September 11, 2001. Over twenty true-life stories about life-threatening situations and the wrenching choices made by the people facing them. Winner of the 2010 Silver Birch Award for Non-fiction. Grades 5-8. Some descriptions of violence. 2009.A thousand years of pirates
By William Gilkerson. 2009
Introduces the major characters and incidents that connect the scattered history of seagoing bandits, including England's "Sea Dog" Francis Drake,…
the "pirate queen of Ireland" Granuaile, and Scotland's Captain Kidd. Describes their high-seas adventure and skullduggery, sea chases and bloody battles, dangerous coastal lairs and buried treasure. Grades 5-8. Some descriptions of violence. 2009.10,000 days of thunder: a history of the Vietnam War
By Philip Caputo. 2005
Overview of the Vietnam conflict by the Pulitzer Prize-winning former soldier. Presents background information on communism and United States' involvement…
in Vietnam. Discusses the war's chief participants and key battles and chronicles the changing political and social climate of 1960s and 1970s America. Some descriptions of violence. Grades 5-8 and older readers. 2005.Dangerous planet: natural disasters that changed history
By Bryn Barnard. 2003
Describes specific occurrences such as meteorite collisions, landslides, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes and explains their impact on human…
history. Discusses the King Blizzard of 1888 that paralyzed the east coast of the United States and brought about weather watching and city transportation improvements. Grades 5-8. 2003.Years of dust: the story of the Dust Bowl
By Albert Marrin. 2009
Discusses causes and effects of the environmental and social disaster that swept across the Great Plains in the 1930s during…
the Great Depression. Explains that farmers and ranchers unwittingly caused conditions that led to the dust storms and the loss of the land they had settled. Grades 5-8. c2009.True stories of heroes (Usborne Paperbacks Ser.)
By Paul Dowswell. 2002
A collection of 13 true tales of heroes, including a housewife turned courageous World War II spy and the first…
man in space. Describes firefighters battling a blazing nuclear reactor, a helicopter rescue team on board a rapidly sinking ship, and even stories of animal heroes. Some descriptions of violence. Grades 4-7. 2002, c1996.