Showing titles in Biographical Fiction

Stacey is a little girl who loves words more than anything. She loves reading them, sounding them out, and finding comfort in them when things are hard. But when her teacher chooses her to compete in the local spelling bee, she isn’t as excited as she thought she’d be. What if she messes up? Or worse, if she can’t bring herself to speak up, like sometimes happens when facing bullies at school? Stacey will learn that win or lose...her words are powerful, and sometimes perseverance is the most important word of all.

Rachel was a girl who loved science and the sea, books and writing, and all the creatures of the world. Rachel was quiet, a listener by nature. But when she saw problems, she could not remain silent. Some people thought girls shouldn't be scientists or writers. They thought girls shouldn't use their voices to question or challenge, even to protect all the creatures of the world. Luckily Rachel didn't listen to them.

Based on a true story. In October 1660, Etienne Gayneau rushes through the cobblestone streets of La Rochelle, France, to meet his cousin at the harbor. A ship carrying King Louis XIV's elite musketeers is docking. He dreams of becoming one himself, but has no idea that their arrival will force his Huguenot family to flee in the dead of night. His cousin has offered him a safe haven. Now he must choose - stay and pursue his dream or leave and face an uncertain destiny. Both choices are fraught with dangers. Either way his life will never be the same.

I found inspiration to pen another children’s book just this morning (November 20, 2023). This time, it draws from the lives of my father, Mr. Stifford John Snow, a farmer in Coker, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and my Uncle-in-law, Mr. Vinrow Small, from St. Mary, Jamaica. And so, I have chosen to entitle it The Rasta Farmer. The purpose of writing this book is to pay homage to these two remarkable individuals my biological father, Mr. Stifford John Snow and my Uncle-in-law, Mr. Vinrow Small, who raised me from the age of twelve (12) to twenty-six (26) years old.

A young girl dreams of bringing clean drinking water to her African village. As a child in Burkina Faso, Georgie and the other girls in her village had to walk for miles each day to collect water. This vibrant, engaging story sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.

In her debut book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl - an every girl - whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girl's faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through hard work and dedication, she, too, can become Firebird.

In 43 CE Roman conquest of Britannia seems all but certain - until a chance meeting between King Prasutagus of the Iceni and a runaway slave of royal decent from the Aedui tribe in Gaul changes the fate of the British islands forever. Rise up for liberty with the true story of Boudicca: Britain's Queen of the Iceni and discover one of the most inspiring stories in history!

Petra Luna escaped the terror of the Mexican Revolution to come to America. Now that they are safe, Petra and her family can begin again in this country that promises so much. Still, twelve-year-old Petra knows that her abuelita, little sister, and baby brother depend on her to survive. She leads her family from a smallpox stricken refugee camp on the Texas border to the buzzing city of San Antonio, where they work hard to build a new life. And for the first time ever, Petra has a chance to learn to read and write.

The bombs were falling and the smoke rising from the concentration camps, but all Hitler's daughter knew was the world of lessons with Fraulein Gelber and the hedgehogs she rescued from the cold. Was it just a story or did Hitler's daughter really exist? And If you were Hitler's daughter, would all the horror that occurred be your fault, too? Do things that happened a long time ago still matter?

Born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, musical icon Robbie Robertson learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift of storytelling with a new generation. Hiawatha was a strong and articulate Mohawk who was chosen to translate the Peacemaker's message of unity for the five warring Iroquois nations during the 14th century.

This soulful biography of the salsa superstar, Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa, begins with her childhood in Havana, and follows through her success in her own country, and on to her heartbreaking emigration from Cuba and into worldwide stardom. Her love for learning, her classical training, and her devotion to her birth country, are all presented in this lyrical tribute to a musical sensation.

When pirates attacked her town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. On land and sea, Zheng Yi Sao's power rivaled the emperor himself. Time and again, her ships triumphed over the emperor's ships.

Did you know that Amelia Earhart built her own roller coaster before she was 10 years old? And what do you suppose happened to her while she was exploring a spooky cave and sledding down a steep, icy hill? Find the answers and share all of Amelia Earhart's childhood adventures in this volume of the Young Patriots Series.

Inspired by a true story, Kafka and the Doll recounts a remarkable gesture of kindness from one of the world's most bewildering and iconic writers. In the fall of 1923, Franz Kafka encountered a distraught little girl on a walk in the park. She'd lost her doll and was inconsolable. Kafka told her the doll wasn't lost, but instead, traveling the world and having grand adventures! And to reassure her, Kafka began delivering letters from the doll to the girl for weeks.

Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage of the Apollo Theater when she was just 17 years old. Her rich voice and vocal innovations brought her fame and a remarkable career than spanned half a century and won her generations of fans around the world. Acclaimed author Andrea Davis Pinkney has told Ella's inspiring story in the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, a feline fan whose imagined narrative sings with the infectious rhythms of scat.

From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical fiction novel about the exciting life and adventures of Ada Lovelace. In Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code, Ada uses her incredible imagination to dream up technology that could have jump-started the digital age nearly 200 years ago. In fact, she writes what will become the world's first programming language.

Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals", until one day she finds that her dream has come true.

Jean’s world is turned upside down when he meets the Django. His new friend is so much fun and things are always exciting when the Django is around. But there’s only one problem - ever since they met, Jean has found himself in heaps of trouble. What should Jean do? He doesn’t want to send his special pal away, but he can’t keep getting in trouble either. Finally Jean makes up his mind and does what he must: He sends the Django on his way. Soon Jean misses all the joy and crazy antics. Will he ever feel close to the Django again?

In Madam C. J. Walker Builds a Business, Sarah Breedlove (a.k.a. Madam C. J. Walker) reinvents and rebrands herself as a forceful entrepreneur whose products still dominate the black hair-care industry today. Born on the same plantation where her parents were once enslaved, Sarah is the first child in her family born free. When Sarah is just a girl, she learns the value of hard work.

Long before they became famous writers, Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) were childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama. This fictionalized account of their time together opens at the beginning of the Great Depression, when Tru is seven and Nelle is six. They love playing pirates, but they like playing Sherlock and Watson-style detectives even more. It’s their pursuit of a case of drugstore theft that lands the daring duo in real trouble. Humor and heartache intermingle in this lively look at two budding writers in the 1930s South.