Rising Form I and II Students - Landon School

Why is Milk White? By Alexa Coelho
How does sunblock protect your skin from getting burned? Why is hair gel so slimy? Why do your feet smell? What makes your breath
smell bad? Find the answers to these and many other chemistry questions in this book!.
World War II for Kids by Richard Panchyk
This book is packed with fascinating information, from Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the surrender of the Japanese in 1945 and is filled
with excerpts from actual wartime letters written to and by American and German troops, personal anecdotes from people who lived
through the war in the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary, and Japan, and gripping stories from Holocaust survivors-all add
a humanizing global perspective to the war.
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker
Take an archaeological tour of human and material remains from 17th- and 18th-century Jamestown and colonial Maryland. Burial sites of
colonists from various backgrounds are excavated, including a teenage indentured servant hastily buried in a trash pit. Find out how
archaeologists determine the gender and age of a skeleton, or whether a skull represents a person originating from Europe or Africa.
Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin
Before global warming, there was dust. In the 1930s, dangerous black storms swept through the Great Plains. Created by drought and
reckless farming, these lethal storms were part of an environmental, economic, and human catastrophe that changed the course of
American history. Learn about the causes of the Dust Bowl disaster and the impact on those who lived through it.
MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with
other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after
emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
This is the story of a boy caught up in the brutal wars of 1990’s Sierra Leone. He was a regular boy who enjoyed hip-hop, Shakespeare,
and mischief-making until rebel forces stole his childhood innocence by destroying his village and driving him from his home. Eventually he
was recruited by the national army, made a full soldier, and learned to shoot an AK-47. A few years later agents from the United Nations
pulled him out of the army and placed him in a rehabilitation center. As the anger and hate slowly faded away, Beah began to work as an
advocate for children’s rights. (For more mature Form I and II.)
Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
A thought-provoking account of the man behind evolutionary theory: how his personal life affected his work and vice versa. Darwin
published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary book on evolution, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to
create tension between the scientific and religious communities. This tension raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in
his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to
spark intense debates.
Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose
On March 2, 1955, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a
white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of being celebrated as Rosa Parks would be just nine months later,
Colvin was shunned by her classmates and dismissed by community leaders.
Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther
Johnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. During the months of his illness, everyone near him was
unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of
despair. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy.
Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore
Moore grew up in a poor Bronx neighborhood. His single mom worked multiple jobs so that he could attend private school. After he
narrowly escapes prison, she sends him to military school where he excels. The issues surrounding success and failure are explored as he
recounts the events of his life and compares it with the story another man, someone who shared the same name, was almost the same
age, grew up fatherless in a similar Baltimore neighborhood, but is serving a life sentence for murder.
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman
Adopting a tone somewhere between vaudeville announcer and carnival barker, Fleischman lures readers to the greatest show of all:
reading. A magician himself, Fleischman does not disappear from the narrative but offers personal comments and conjures up verbal
wordplay. He displays the drama of Houdini's escapades and adventures with sure and energetic pacing.