Nonfiction True

As compelling as fiction, The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey tells the dramatic story of the disappearance of nineteen-year-old Nell Cropsey from her riverside home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in November 1901. Bloodhounds, detectives, divers, and even a psychic were brought in to search for her, and the case immediately became a national sensation. Bland Simpson, who first heard the tale as an Elizabeth City schoolboy, weaves this true story into a colorful nonfiction account, told in three first-person voices.

Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many Americans had never heard of the holiday. Join Opal on her historic journey to recognize and celebrate "freedom for all."

When Areli was just a baby, her mama and papa moved from Mexico to New York with her brother, Alex, to make a better life for the family - and when she was in kindergarten, they sent for her, too. Everything in New York was different. Gone were the Saturdays at Abuela's house, filled with cousins and sunshine. Instead, things were busy and fast and noisy. Areli's limited English came out wrong, and schoolmates accused her of being illegal. But with time, America became her home.

Caren Stelson brings Sachiko Yasui's story of surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki to a young audience. Sachiko's family home was about half a mile from where the atomic bomb fell on August 9, 1945. Her family experienced devastating loss. When they returned to the rubble where their home once stood, her father miraculously found their serving bowl fully intact. This delicate, green, leaf-shaped bowl—which once held their daily meals—now holds memories of the past and serves as a vessel of hope, peace, and new traditions for Sachiko and the surviving members of her family.

In this book, author Boritzer explores how we can try to discern between facts and appearances in our world. Children are asked to carefully consider their actions and thoughts based on various types of inquiry and evaluation. What Is True? provides both the child and adult listeners numerous openings for discussion in order that children may cultivate the critical thinking required to travel through an increasingly complex world.

For more than 200 years, the wreck of the Whydah (and the riches that went down with it) eluded treasure seekers, until the ship was finally found in 1984 by marine archaeologists. The artifacts brought up from the ocean floor are priceless, both in value and in the picture they reveal of life in that much-mythologized era, changing much of what we know about pirates.

Daniel Stashower, the two-time Edgar award-winning author of The Beautiful Cigar Girl, uncovers the riveting true story of the "Baltimore Plot", an audacious conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War. In February of 1861, just days before he assumed the presidency, Abraham Lincoln faced a "clear and fully-matured" threat of assassination as he traveled by train from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration. Over a period of 13 days the legendary detective Allan Pinkerton worked feverishly to detect and thwart the plot, assisted by a captivating young widow named Kate Warne.

Inside every loggerhead turtle is genius: the ability to find their first home, no matter how far away. Follow one, from her birth on a beach in Australia...to her trip across an ocean filled with sharks and seahorses and much more...to her rescue from a net by a fisherman, who names her Yoshi...to her rehabilitation at an aquarium...to her record-breaking swim across the Indian Ocean to the beach on which she hatched, to lay her eggs.

After Bailey’s mommy and daddy meet a surfing dog in Costa Rica, they get a good idea: Why not try to teach Bailey how to surf too? Back home in Canada, Mommy organizes a visit to a friend who lives by a wavy lake, and Daddy plans out how he is going to teach Bailey how to surf. Starting by sniffing Daddy’s surfboard, to eating treats off of it, Bailey eventually learns how to balance on the surfboard in the water. When Bailey gets nervous about the moving water and big waves, Daddy and Mommy fear Bailey might not enjoy surfing.

The United States has long been touted as a place where anyone with a little grit and determination could come to pursue the American Dream. But as more walls are erected and borders are closed, is that dream still alive today?

American schoolchildren have long been taught that their country was “discovered” by Christopher Columbus in 1492. But the history of Native Americans in the United States goes back tens of tens of thousands of years prior to Columbus’s and other colonizers’ arrivals. So, what’s the true history? Indigenous America introduces and amplifies the oral and written histories that have long been left out of American history books.

In the late nineteenth century, white lawmakers in the United States created a set of policies, collectively called “Jim Crow,” that created segregated facilities, like schools and parks, for African Americans in the South. But Jim Crow–type policies didn’t just affect the South. These policies have had far-reaching effects across America, impacting where Black people live, how they’re treated by the criminal justice system, and how they’re portrayed in TV and film.

On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and hallucinations.

This is a collection of the first three true stories about an unforgettable puppy named Bailey. Bailey is a kind and happy dog who has the quality of life that most pets dream about. Bailey struggles to find his place with his new family, then he trains to become a service dog, and finally learns to overcome his fear to sail on a boat with his family. 

Houses are often considered the most haunted of places. In this book you’ll meet some young people who live in haunted houses and you’ll explore some of the spookiest spaces on the planet.

In the Civil War, the government hired women and girls - some as young as nine - to make millions of rounds of ammunition. They worked 72-hour weeks with little training. Poor immigrant girls and widows paid the price for carelessness at three major arsenals. Many of these workers were killed, blown up, and burned beyond recognition. Gunpowder Girls is a story of child labor and immigrant hopes and the cruel, endless demands of an all-consuming war. A Junior Library Guild selection.

Three real life stories of six incredible scientists whose discoveries changed the way we look at our world. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to three inspirational scientists from history, and find out their life stories, with three fascinating non-fiction biographies.

A brilliant collection taking an in-depth look at our world from the incredible coral reefs to the dangerous volcanoes, plus a bonus nature-themed poetry collection for the whole family to enjoy. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four information books about animals around the world, touching on topics such as migration and animal welfare, plus a bonus animal-themed poetry collection.

The remarkable lengths Ruderman and Laker go to for the story - chasing down witnesses on the city's grimmest streets, sifting through archive boxes and hours of surveillance tape for crucial clues, and coaxing reluctant victims to come forward - put their determination to balance motherhood with the career they love to the ultimate test.

Bailey notices something interesting on TV. It’s a television show about a new world underwater with animals he’s never seen before. Daddy catches Bailey’s interest and plans to give Bailey a closer look at this new underwater world. Cousin Lauren comes to visit Bailey, and Daddy has a surprise for both of them. You guessed it; it’s a fun and exciting trip to the aquarium for the day! Bailey and Cousin Lauren are fascinated by all of the exciting animals. Bailey sees a new underwater animal and decides to take a closer look.