Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography Books

After years of teaching creative writing, Frank McCourt published his first book, thus obliging his many friends who had been urging him to write about his childhood--a subject they knew from the many uproarious and affecting stories he told about it. ANGELA'S ASHES traces the tortuous path of his life from his days in abysmal poverty in Limerick, Ireland, to his arrival in New York as a teenager, eager to start a new life.

The author reflects on her role in the 1957 integration of Little Rock Central High School. A 16-year-old girl at the time, the author was among the first nine black students to attend that school--a situation that brought out the best, and the worst, in her neighbors and fellow students. The integration of Central High School was, and continues to be, an important turning point in the American civil rights movement.

Raped and beaten as an 18-year-old Syracuse University student, Alice Sebold recounts the story of her rape, the trial and conviction of her rapist, and her recovery. Her book also tells the story of its own coming into being. Immediately after the rape, Sebold vowed to write about it, and worked it out in various forms before sculpting it into its final shape 18 years later while completing a graduate degree in fiction writing. Sebold burst onto the literary scene with her bestselling novel, THE LOVELY BONES, about a young girl who has been not only raped but murdered.

A biography of Amos Fortune--born an African prince named At-mun--who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the United States. Eventually able to buy his own freedom, Fortune dedicated the rest of his life to helping other slaves buy theirs. Winner of the 1951 Newbery Medal.

A biography of Frank O. Gehry, the architect who designed such buildings as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the California Aerospace Museum in Los Angeles, California, and the Yale Psychiatric Institute in New Haven, Connecticut. Illustrated with color photographs. Named a year 2000 Notable Books by the New York Times.

An autobiographical account of the author's love of dogsled racing, and his participation in the Iditarod dogsled race across the Alaskan tundra.

Wilder fans who have wondered what happened to Laura after she married Almanzo will find the answers in this biography. Described are Laura's childhood, her adult life with Almanzo and their daughter Rose, and how she came to write the "Little House" books. Photographs and maps are included.

A collection of letters written by the author of the Little House books to her husband, Almanzo, while she was visiting their daughter Rose Wilder Lane in San Francisco.

Factual information about the Presidents of the United States arranged in chronological order, up to and including the year 2000. Topics covered include all the major events, issue, and achievements of each presidential administration. Illustrated with engraving, political cartoons, and photographs.

The author recounts her difficult childhood in China where she and her siblings were mistreated by their stepmother. This work for children is an adaption of the author's adult memoir FALLING LEAVES.

A companion to the "Little House" books, this volume includes such things as floor plans of all the houses occupied by Laura Ingalls Wilder, family trees showing four generations of the Ingalls and Wilder families, and a guide to all the "Little House" sites and museums. Also included are recipes and craft ideas inspired by the books. Each book comes packaged with an embroidered satin ribbon marker.

When he was 11-year-old, Nic Sheff and a friend stole a bottle of their parents alcohol. The friend had one taste and stopped; Sheff drank until he was puking. From then on, Sheff was a committed drug and alcohol abuser, but the day he discovered crystal methamphetamines, he felt like he had found what he had "always been looking for." For years the drug ruined his life: he dropped out of college twice, stole from his parents, and disappeared into the streets of San Francisco. His bracing and compelling personal memoir tells of his battles with addiction, and artfully combines contemplation with a fast-paced narrative.