When the Depression strikes America, throwing millions out of work, Petey Williamson's family seems safe. Hadn't the boss promised Petey's father that he'd always have a job? But during the Depression, promises cannot always be kept, and Petey finds his family sliding rapidly into poverty. And when Petey's much-admired cousin Steve starts working as a union organizer in the battle to improve conditions for workers, poverty turns into tragedy. "Collier...

Twelve-year-old Jesse runs away from home and tries to survive on his own in the nearby mountains.

In 1787 a fourteen-year-old slave, anxious to buy freedom for himself and his mother, escapes from his dishonest master and tries to find help in cashing the solidier's notes received by his father for fighting in the Revolution.

Grade 5-8N̜ick Hodges, a 13-year-old orphan with the reputation of being a troublemaker, lives with his Uncle Jack in a small coastal New England village in 1931. His parents both died in the influenza epidemic of 1918, which the villagers are reluctant to talk about. The story opens with Nick's waking from a disturbing dream in which he feels he has lost something. Soon he is accused of not speaking to a neighbor at the pond, when he was miles from...

Presents a biography and examines some of the legends surrounding the famous jazz musician and entertainer, who learned to play the cornet in the Waif's home in New Orleans, escaping poverty and going on to have a recording of "Hello Dolly" top the Beatles on the charts.

A biography of one of America's most important musicians, who was born in extreme poverty and never had a real music lesson, but became world famous for his singing and trumpet playing.

An interesting and photographic exploration of the life of a famous American author.

Traces the life of the Shawnee Indian leader, including his struggle to regain lost Indian territory, his efforts to unite American Indian nations, and his death during the War of 1812.

A biography of Abraham Lincoln that focuses on dispelling common misconceptions and emphasizes how he lived his life with wisdom and compassion.