Showing titles in Biographical Fiction

It’s a hot summer day and New York City is buzzing like a hive of eager honeybees. From Riis Beach to the Flower District, into the West Village and over to the Brooklyn Museum, folks young and old embrace the resolute and love-filled spirit of icon activist Marsha P. Johnson in all that they do.

It’s official! Eleven-year-old Sam Kerr is a fully-fledged soccer tragic! So, when the school’s annual Sports Day comes around, she is disappointed when soccer isn’t on the list of activities.

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.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress, only mentioned one of his children in his memoirs: Mary. Born blind in 17th-century England, she held a special place in her father's heart. When Mr. Bunyan was arrested for unlawful preaching, young Mary travels the streets of Bedford each day, bringing soup to the prison. She resolves to prove she is independent and not hindered by her blindness. Only when she realizes she needs help does she turn to the Lord, the source of all strength.

"Ce livre n'est pas une autobiographie. L'idée ne me viendrait pas d'écrire pareil ouvrage. Par ailleurs, durant mes jeunes années à l'école, et juste après, ma vie a été émaillée d'incidents que je n'ai jamais oubliés. Certains furent drôles. Certains douloureux. Certains déplaisants. C'est pour cette raison, je suppose, que je me les rappelle tous de façon si aiguë."

Alicia was born to dance. From the moment she slips on pointe shoes for the first time, she’s determined to become a professional ballerina. A few years later, Alicia moves from Cuba to the United States to follow her dreams. Then, Alicia begins to lose her sight. How can a ballerina dance if she can’t see where she’s going? Stuck in bed and only able to practice with her fingertips, Alicia doesn’t give up. She finds a way to get back on stage, dancing into the hearts of audiences as one of the world’s most famous prima ballerinas.

Charlotte Parkhurst was raised in the mid-1800s and was expected to live her life without the freedoms she dreamed of. But Charlotte was smart and determined, and she figured out a way to live her life the way she wanted; Charlotte became an expert horse rider, a legendary stagecoach driver, and the first woman ever to vote—at a time when such things were outlawed for women.

Seven-year-old Chellamuthu’s life—and his destiny—is forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in Southern India and sold to the Lincoln Home for Homeless Children. His family is desperate to find him, and Chellamuthu anxiously tells the Indian orphanage that he is not an orphan, he has a mother who loves him. But he is told not to worry, he will soon be adopted by a loving family in America.

La riscoperta di un grande classico, che chiunque sia stato a scuola in veste di scolaro o di insegnante dovrebbe conoscere; l’ascoltatore potrà agevolmente riconoscersi in uno degli alunni, perché i ritratti deamicisiani hanno i caratteri dell’universalità; uno spaccato di umanità italiana dopo l’unità. Un altro testo erroneamente considerato solo per ragazzi in quanto istruttivo per tutti. Adatto a: tutti; in particolare: agli appassionati della storia d’Italia, a tutti coloro che sono attenti alle sfumature psicologiche dei personaggi, perché da esse possano ricavare il ritratto della nazione che siamo diventati.

Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is ready to enjoy a trip to a Yorkshire spa, where her widowed mother can take the waters and recover from a long mourning period. Having solved yet another murder and faced extreme peril with her best friend, Hector, over Christmas, Aggie’s Morbid Preoccupation is on alert when rumors abound about the spa's recently deceased former patient...and then another body appears under mysterious circumstances. Aggie and Hector take a closer look at the guests and staff of the Wellspring Hotel, and venture into the intriguing world of the local undertaker.

He won't let the children play in his garden. What can give him a change of heart?

Wangari lives in the lush, green land of rural Kenya, where the soil is perfect for planting, the trees tower into the sky and the streams are full of mysterious creatures. All day, she plays beneath her favourite fig tree, and at night, she gathers around the fire with her family to listen to her mother's stories. Then Wangari grows up and goes away to school, and things start changing at home. Farmers chop down the trees. Landslides bury the stream. The soil becomes overworked and dry, and nothing will grow. People go hungry.

It features coming of age stories on the theme of closeness to home, deftly interwoven with illuminating autobiographical pieces on the inspirations behind the fiction. Stories include: "The Missing Link", "Joe Quinn's Poltergeist", "Harry Miller's Run", "Slog's Dad", "Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads", "Mary Malone", "Half a Creature from the Sea", and, "When God Came to Kathleen's Garden".

Pollyanna, an expert at her favorite "Glad Game" of always looking at the bright side in her numerous trials, is one of the most popular and enduring characters in all of children's literature.

When she grew up, she became Harriet Tubman, the courageous and heroic woman who helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. But she was just a little girl for a while - and this is her story. Minty, short for Araminta, was a feisty and headstrong young slave whose rebellious spirit often got her into trouble. She told stories to her doll, released animals from traps, and above all, dreamed of running away. When her father began to teach her the skills necessary for escape, she listened carefully and learned....

Lotta ha quattro anni (e qualcosa). Ha un fratello, Jonas, e una sorella, Mia-Maria. E due genitori molto pazienti. Poi ha Orso, il maiale di pezza da cui non si separa mai, e una vicina di casa gentilissima, la signora Berg. E non basta, perché la piccola Lotta ha anche un mucchio di idee balzane: un giorno, per esempio, sparisce e va a casa della vicina, perché ormai è grande abbastanza per vivere da sola e la sua mamma è troppo cattiva.

Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then her teacher takes the class on a trip to a mountain. It’s bigger than any Junko’s ever seen, but she is determined to make it to the top. Ganbatte, her teacher tells her. Do your best. After that first trip, Junko becomes a mountaineer in body and spirit. She climbs snowy mountains, rocky mountains and even faraway mountains outside of her home country of Japan.

When 16-year-old Helmuth Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmuth's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times, to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself.

Lo sport non è fatto solo di vittorie e di sconfitte. È importante anche come si vince e come si perde. Perché essere un campione non significa soltanto conquistare una medaglia, battere un record, dominare nella propria disciplina, ma conquistare un primato morale, saper difendere un ideale nobile, dare un esempio. E combattere contro avversari invisibili e subdoli come la discriminazione razziale, politica o sessuale, contro malattie o infortuni gravissimi, o semplicemente contro regole ingiuste e tradizioni fuori dal tempo.

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.