Isabella grew up in a cold, drafty castle in Castile, now a part of Spain. In the 1400s, when Isabella lived, Spain was divided into 5 kingdoms, and Castile was the largest. She became queen of Castile, and married Ferdinand, who ruled another kingdom, Aragon. Together they ruled the largest region in Spain. Isabella fought alongside her husband and their armies - she even wore armor! She was loved by her people, and she worked hard to be a just queen. Her children were each born in a different part of the kingdom because Queen Isabella was always traveling wherever her people needed her. Read about the Queen that sent Columbus to the Americas.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/14/2009

ISBN-13: 9780531200339

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Karena is left alone on the island where her tribe used to live. Most of the men were killed by Russian otter hunters, who refuse to honor their agreement to share the otter skins. An elder of the tribe paddled to the mainland, and brought back a ship to take the survivors off the island. Karana went to look for her little brother and, when she found him, the ship had gone. Shortly afterwards, her brother is killed by wolves. This is the story of Karana's life on the island- how she found food, made weapons, made clothes, created a place to live, and, most of all, befriended the animals.

Awards won: John Newbery Medal

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0395536804

ISBN-13: 9780395536803

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Fourteen-year old Dave Mitchell lives with his parents, in a small apartment in the middle of New York City. He doesn't get along well with his father, and they get into many petty, explosive arguments that end up giving Dave's mother an asthma attack. After these fights, Dave usually finds shelter at 'Crazy' Kate's, the Cat Woman. One day he decides to adopt Cat, an orange tom that he befriends. It is through Cat that he meets his new friend, Tom, a nineteen-year old who doesn't have a lot of prospects, until Dave's dad decides to help him find a job. With Cat as his constant companion, Dave meets Mary, a girl he becomes great friends with, helps a struggling teen, and becomes closer to his father in this thoughtful book about growing up in one of the busiest cities in America.

Awards won: John Newbery Medal

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 1437838391

ISBN-13: 9781437838398

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Janusz Korczak loved children. Growing up in Poland, he saw how children were treated and wanted to make their lives a little easier and brighter. When Janusz became a young man, he studied to become a doctor. He wanted to make sure that all children, rich or poor, could get proper medical care. In 1912, he constructed an orphanage to take care of the children that no one wanted. When German soldiers invaded Poland in 1939, the lives of all Jewish children were in peril. Janusz did all he could to protect them. However, tragically in 1942, Adolf Hitler sent Janusz and his 192 orphans to Treblinka, a concentration camp. Even though there were many offers to save him, Janusz refused to be separated from the children in his care. He and his orphans lost their lives in the concentration camp. Read how one man's dedication, kindness, and generosity of spirit made the world a better place for children.

Similar books: The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak by Tomasz Bogacki; King Matt the First by Janusz Korczak Shadow of the Wall by Christa Laird

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 8/2/2010

ISBN-10: 1580132553

ISBN-13: 9781580132558

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In the early years of the Civil War, teenage Kansan farm boy, Lije Tulley, becomes a Jayhawker, an abolitionist raider, freeing slaves from the neighboring state of Missouri, and then goes undercover there as a spy.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0688098509

ISBN-13: 9780688098506

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