It Ain’t So Awful Falafel
by Firoozeh Dumas

After a rocky start, Cindy (Zomorod to her parents) finds a comfortable niche in her California middle school until political upheaval and revolution in Iran reach the United States, threatening her future and her family’s safety. Dumas will be here in person to discuss her enthralling tale of Cindy, a young girl from Iran whose adjustment to life in this country is made difficult by the revolution and turmoil in her home country.

Fighting for Justice: Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi

When Fred Korematsu, a young Japanese-American man, defied U.S. governmental orders by refusing to report to prison camps during World War II, he and his allies set in motion a landmark civil liberties case. Written in free verse, Fred’s story engages in powerful bursts and shows how speaking out brings complex consequences. Enhanced with pictures and archival materials, well-researched and approachable historical essays interspersed throughout. A must-read for all civics classrooms. – starred Kirkus Review, November 16, 2016

The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers
This “fascinating and fast-paced biography” (Kirkus, starred review) takes readers on a journey through Ali’s life in and out of the ring. Myers expertly contextualizes Ali’s actions, struggles, and achievements amidst the social and political movements of the 1960s and 70s. From having his bike stolen as a boy, to joining the Nation of Islam, to his comeback after losing his boxing license, Myers shows young readers the bigger picture behind the one of the most important athletes of the 20th century, whom many consider to truly be the Greatest. 

Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson
Acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson joins us for a special book club event in honor of the release of Ashes, the eagerly anticipated final book of the Seeds of America trilogy (Chains, Forge) and our landmark exhibition The Battle of Brooklyn.

Same Sun Here by Neela Vaswani and Silas House
This fall, book club has election fever! Author Neela Vaswani will join us to discuss her novel-in-letters that explores the 2008 election season through the eyes of two fictional kids confronting issues in their communities.

Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider  by Jean Fritz
Alexander Hamilton’s story, though it mostly takes place before there is such a thing as the United States, is uniquely “American.” Coming from humble beginnings, he becomes George Washington’s aide de camp and, eventually, the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury… But he’s not without his enemies along the way. From Booklist’s starred review: “Fritz, a notable biographer of the Revolutionary War period for young people, provides a brisk, well-written account introducing Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as an outsider to America… This lively biography sheds light on Hamilton’s character and his place at the nation’s beginnings.”

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Echo beautifully weaves together the individual stories of a boy in Germany during the early 1930s, two orphans in Pennsylvania during the mid-1930s, and a girl in California in the early 1940s as the same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny. All the children face daunting challenges—rescuing a father from the Nazis, keeping a brother out of an orphanage, and protecting the farm of a Japanese family during internment—until their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.

Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Bradley shows us the complicated world of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello through the eyes of two of his children, Beverly and Maddy, and an enslaved boy on the property, Peter. The harsh reality, however, is that Beverly and Maddy are also enslaved, as they are also the children of Sally Hemings, Jefferson’s late wife’s half-sister who is herself a slave. Jefferson’s enslaved sons’ daily lives differ from those of other enslaved people, yet they are all unfree. Brubaker earned high praise from the literary world for accomplishing the tough feat of making one of the cruelest facts of slavery, that slave owners often kept their own children in bondage, comprehensible and emotionally affecting for young readers.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
This Newbery Honor-awarded book follows orphaned Homer P. Figg on a journey to find his older brother who has been sold into the Union Army. Figg makes it from Pine Swamp, Maine, to the battlefield at Gettysburg. Readers get the best feel for the period from the characters Figg meets along the way: a snake oil hawker, a hot air balloonist, and slave catchers—just to name a few.

What was it like to travel the Trail of Tears? Tim Tingle will join us for this event to explore this difficult history through the eyes of his fictional ghost protagonist, Issac. After discussion and Q&A, the group will visit to the Klingenstein Library to view and discuss a curated selection of rarely-seen original documents related to the Choctaw Nation and the greater history of forced relocation of American Indians.

October 2015: Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone
“What is courage? What is strength? Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn’t ready to fight for you.” So ends the first chapter of this fascinating work of non-fiction exploring the struggles and triumphs of the men who formed the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, America’s first black paratroopers. Early in WWII, senior officials doubted the ability of African American men to perform combat roles. This daring battalion's struggle to prove themselves on the battlefield, and the bittersweet results of that struggle, highlight the frustrating, slow pace of racial progress during the 1940s. Meticulously researched, readers will see why this gripping work won a 2014 NAACP Image Award and multiple starred reviews.

Teen Summer 2015: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This summer, families dig into Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer-prize winning book To Kill A Mockingbird. During this forum-style Reading into History Teen Summer event co-presented by Facing History & Ourselves, teens and adults will read the novel and participate in an online conversation hosted by educators from both organizations. Log on to the History Detectives Blog this summer and to our Goodreads page to introduce yourself and engage in weekly discussions, learn about the book’s historical context, and view related artifacts from the N-YHS collection.

On September 20, 2015, join us at the New-York Historical Society to for the Reading into History Teen Summer family teach-in to discuss the enduring themes and history in this timeless coming-of-age story.

From Facing History & Ourselves:

“To Kill A Mockingbird is a story of justice, judgment, and morality, as well as family, gender, and race. It is a story that prompts us to reflect on our own moral compass and our place in the community where we live.”

Reading into History is partnering with Facing History & Ourselves to delve into Harper Lee’s work, as Lee’s only other novel, Go Set A Watchman, was recently discovered and will be published in July.

August 2015: Bluffton by Matt Phelan
Henry Harrison’s summers are usually filled with a lot of nothing, but that all changes when a vaudeville troupe rolls into town. There’s an elephant, a contortionist, a one-legged tap dancer, and a new friend: a young actor named Buster Keaton. Henry wants to soak up Buster’s talents, but Buster just wants to play baseball with the local kids. As Henry’s and Buster’s worlds collide, each boy gets a glimpse of a different life. Scott O’Dell Award-winning graphic novelist Matt Phelan earned multiple starred reviews for this amazing tale, which is all at once a peak into the world of vaudeville, a biography of young Buster Keaton, and a timeless coming-of-age story.

June 2015: Salt by Helen Frost
Helen Frost brings us a rare story, written completely in verse, of two boys growing up in the Indiana Territory in 1812. Anikwa and James’ worlds are the same and totally different. Both twelve years old, love to hunt and explore the natural world. But when burgeoning war between America and Great Britain occurs in their backyard at Fort Wayne, precious trade commodities like salt become scarce, threatening the lives of Anikwa’s Miami tribe and white settlers like James. Frost shows us how the War of 1812 divided native and settler communities who had enjoyed a brief period of mutual dependence, and gives readers a peek at a conflict rarely explored in schools.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

April 2015: Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice fore the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson
When 11-year-old Hunter Scott started asking questions about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during WWII, he never imagined he would rewrite history. Join the meeting to discuss this book and the true story of the disaster as discovered by Scott. We’ll be joined by Mike Thornton, N-YHS Assistant Curator and naval history expert, who will answer kids’ lingering questions about the harrowing history of the USS Indianapolis sinking. Mr. Thornton will also show us naval artifacts from WWII.

March 2015: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
This 2011 book, winner of the Corretta Scott King Honor Award, Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction, Newbery Honor, and a National Book Award Finalist, follows 11-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters Vonetta and Fern on a transformational journey from Brooklyn to Oakland in summer, 1968. The girls make this trip to reconnect with their mother, Cecile, who abandoned them seven years earlier. In addition to learning about their mother’s history, they become witnesses and participants in the Civil Rights struggle happening at the time, including the rise of the Black Panther Party. Each girl’s voice is distinct and powerful, as is this story of a family reconnecting during an important and turbulent time in American history.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

February 2015: Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
In the midst of World War I, 16 year old orphan Hattie Brooks receives a letter from an estranged uncle saying he has left her all his land...in Vida, Montana. Hattie can claim the land as her own if she can “prove up” on it in a year. After Hattie takes on the challenge, she finds a struggle not only with the land but also the anti-German sentiment around her that threatens her friendship with the Muellers, German immigrant homesteaders. “Larson creates a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered.”–School Library Journal, Starred review

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

January 2015: The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island by Laurence Yep and Dr. Kathleen S. Yep
Laurence Yep and his niece, historian Kathleen Yep, weave a story about Gim Lew Yep, a ten-year-old boy who must immigrate to America with his father in 1922 through Angel Island, based on Mr. Yep’s father’s own story. To prepare for his experience at Angel Island, the anxious young Gim Lew must memorize every little detail about his home, his family, and his neighborhood. Readers will root for Gim Lew to make it through his experience and will confront issues of identity through the immigration process. “…the authors’ smooth narration vividly evokes the past and its inhabitants.” (Kirkus)

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

December 2014: Crow by Barbara Wright
Readers follow fictional Moses Thomas, a young African-American boy living in Wilmington, NC through the summer of 1898. When the novel starts, the Thomas family is experiencing the promise of the Reconstruction era, but that tenuous progress is destroyed by the real-life Wilmington Race Riot. Through Moses’s eyes, Wright helps explain the difficult origins of the Jim Crow South, a largely unexplored topic for this age group, to young readers. This book earned starred reviews from School Library Journal, Horn Book Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, and was a finalist for the 2012 New-York Historical Society Children's History Book Prize

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

October 2014: Deadly by Julie Chibarro
Sixteen year old Prudence Galewski doesn't know what she's in for when she takes a job with the Department of Health and Sanitation in 1906 New York City. All this lower east side girls knows is that lots of people in her crowded city are getting sick, and she'd rather help stop the disease's spread than get caught up in romances like her friends. Strangely, the only link Prudence can find to all the sick patients is one perfectly healthy Irish immigrant named Mary Mallon. In this novel "paced like a medical thriller" (NYTimes, 2011), Chibarro takes readers with Prudence on the hunt for Mary, and on a journey of discovery about women's opportunities in a new century and age-old discrimination.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 
September 2014: The Giant by Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy takes readers through the story of how a 10-foot-tall "petrified man" was dug up in upstate New York in 1869, displayed as America's greatest spectacle, examined by top scientists.. then proven to be a fraud. Who made the Giant, why, and how did they get so many people to believe he was real? Jim Murphy expertly answers all these questions and more with thorough research, primary source evidence, and still manages to make the book "entertaining and intriguing" (BOOOKLIST, starred review). Readers will be even more astounded to see how, even after its unveiling as a scam, the Cardiff Giant remains an attraction even to this day! If you like stories about mischievous masterminds, you will like this book.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

June 2014: A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Twelve year old Tetsu's life completely changes after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when he and his family are forced to relocate to an internment camp in the Arizona desert. Life in the camp is hard, but things look up when someone tries to put together a boy's baseball team. Tetsu lived for baseball before the war, but here in the camp other duties call. Between taking care of his sister and worrying about why his father has been taken for questioning, will Tetsu still get to be a kid and enjoy his favorite sport? Adult and child readers alike will connect to this beautifully told story of family, responsibility, and the love of the game.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

May 2014: Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
It's 1958, and Arkansas is divided over the subject of school integration. In fact, Governor Faubus has already shut down all public high schools to keep them from being integrated like they were the year before by the Little Rock Nine. Marlee isn't thinking about all this too much when she starts middle school and meets Liz. Up to now, Marlee has struggled with a painful shyness, but with Liz, that shyness starts to crumble. Then suddenly Liz is removed from school after it's discovered that she is a light-skinned African American who was passing for white. Marlee can't imagine losing her friend; however, Liz and Marlee's attempts at remaining friends mean danger for their whole families. In the process of fighting to keep her friend, Marlee and those around her learn the value of speaking up against injustice.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

April 2014: The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Philip Hoose
In honor of Audubon’s Aviary: Parts Unknown, Part II of our tripartite series Audubon’s Aviary: The Complete Flock, author Phillip Hoose will join the book club to discuss the epic, 200+ year battle to save the illusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker. After discussion, we'll visit the galleries to see Audubon's works and then Mr. Hoose will sign books. Do not miss your chance to discuss the history of wildlife conservation and meet this multi-award-winning author!

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

March 2014: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
This Newbery Honor Award-winning work of historical fiction takes readers through a summer in the life of Calpurnia Tate, a just-about-to-turn-twelve year old girl in Fentress, Texas in 1899. Little Callie Vee, as she is called, is at a crossroads: her mother expects that Callie will assume more traditional womanly responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and sewing. But Callie has just begun to form a special bond with her aloof grandfather, an avid naturalist. As Callie and her grandfather make an incredible discovery, Callie discovers her own interest in and gift for the natural sciences. Readers will be dying to know if Callie is able to follow her passions, or if she will be forced to follow her mother into the kitchen. This novel combines rich characters, luscious historical detail about life at the turn of the twentieth century, and a peak into the early acceptance of Darwin's theory of evolution.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

February 2014: No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Lewis Michaux's National Memorial African Bookstore was the cultural center of Harlem from the 1930s to the 1970s. Come discuss this extraordinary place and its extraordinary founder at our monthly meeting. We'll talk about New York during the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X, and the role that books play in uplifting communities.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

January 2014: We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March
Author Cynthia Levinson tells the history of the Children’s March, its build-up, and its aftermath through the voices of four of its participants, Audrey Faye Hendricks, Washington Booker III, James Stewart and Arnetta Streeter. Extensively researched and grippingly told, this book has earned many starred reviews and multiple awards including the IRA Young Adult Nonfiction Award and the Jane Addams Book Award.

This program is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

December 2013: The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure
Whaling used to be big business in the United States- and it was extremely dangerous. Come to the museum on January 5th to discuss the amazing rescue of hundreds of men whose ice-encrusted whaling ships left them trapped in the arctic for the harsh winter of 1897. What it took to get these men to safety is almost unbelievable. At the meeting, we will discuss the history of the whaling industry through our amazing Museum collections. Ages 9-12.

About The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure
Eight whaling ships encased in ice off Alaska's coast. 300 stranded men. One of the coldest winters ever. Brave rescuers achieving the impossible...with the help of 1,500 reindeer. In this gripping work of non-fiction, Sandler shows us the almost unbelievable dangers faced by both those stranded and those who fought to save them. Sandler's deft use of primary sources brings the story alive through photographs, diary entries, and other texts from the time. One would expect no less of an author who has been nominated for two Pullitzer Prizes and has won multiple Emmys and a Boston Globe Horn Book Award.

November 2013: Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy
On March 25, 1911, 146 people (mostly young women, mostly immigrants) died in a factory fire near Washington Square, New York City that changed the course of history. Come discuss the remarkable story of how this fire happened, how it could have been avoided, and how it sparked tremendous changes in laws protecting workers in the United States. After discussing the book, we will visit part of the Armory Show at 100 exhibition to learn more about what out city and country were like in the early 1900s.

About Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy
Award-winning author Albert Marin earned multiple starred reviews for this gripping account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. Marrin takes readers through the conditions and events that lead up to the fire, through the fire itself, and through the legacy the fire left us. This is more than a story of a tragedy, it is a story of what America was like on the eve of World War I, and the historic actions of working class people, many of them women, rising up and demanding their rights.

October 2013: Cooper and the Enchanted Metal Detector
Come discuss the American Revolution and amateur archaeology with author Adam Osterweil. We'll discuss the book, look at artifacts from the American Revolution, and learn how anyone can become a history detective.

About Cooper and the Enchanted Metal Detector
Eleven-year-old Cooper lives with his mother in Elmira, New York. Their family struggles with loss, money, and a battle to save their home and the history of their community. Cooper's family's property (which also houses his mother's antiques shop) lies next to land on which the Battle of Newtown was fought during the American Revolution. With the help of a special metal detector named Decto, Cooper unearths treasures from our nation's roots and learns all about them. "A poignant coming-of-age story and history lesson rolled into one," says Kirkus Reviews.

September 2013: 90 Miles to Havana
Come discuss what happened to the child refugees from Cuba's Operation Pedro Pan with author Enrique Flores Galbis. We'll contrast his and his characters' experiences with those of the "Orphan Train" riders in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This event honors National Hispanic Heritage Month.

About 90 Miles to Havana
In 1961, Cuban families evacuated 14,000 children to Miami in Operation Pedro Pan. This 2011 Pure Belpre Honor Book for Narrative and 2011 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year follows Julian and his brothers as they experience this mass migration and end up in a Miami orphanage, full of bullies and unfamiliar power dynamics that call to mind the struggles of Julian's homeland. Will Julian and his brothers ever see their parents again? Readers will not be able to put this book down until they find out.

August 2013: Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
How did a poor kid from the island of Nevis end up forming our new nation’s economy? We’ll discuss Alexander Hamilton’s exciting life and death at this book wrap after reading Newbery-Honor author Jean Fritz’s biography of him, Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider. We’ll also take an up-close look at some rare and precious documents related to Hamilton’s life and times from the Gilder Lerhman Institute’s vast collection. This is truly a behind-the-scenes event!

About Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider

Alexander Hamilton’s story, though it mostly takes place before there is such a thing as the USA, is uniquely “American.” Coming from humble beginnings, he becomes George Washington’s aide de camp and, eventually, the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury…but he’s not without his enemies along the way. From Booklist’s starred review: “Fritz, a notable biographer of the Revolutionary War period for young people, provides a brisk, well-written account introducing Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as an outsider to America…This lively biography sheds light on Hamilton’s character and his place at the nation’s beginnings.”

July 2013: The Brooklyn Nine
Come discuss the novel The Brooklyn Nine with baseball historian Erik Miklich from www.19cbaseball.com. After we talk about the book, we’ll toss the ball around like they did 100 years ago—no gloves allowed!

About The Brooklyn Nine

Alan Gratz takes us through nine generations, or “innings” of one Brooklyn family. The tie that binds each generation is baseball. This book combines the thrills of America’s Pastime with compelling historical detail about New York from the 1800s to the present day. From the Booklist starred review “Gratz builds this novel upon a clever enough conceit…and executes it with polish and precision.”

June 2013: Home is With Our Family
Come celebrate the first anniversary of the Reading into History Family Book Club and Juneteenth! We will enjoy some celebratory snacks and discuss this novel set in 1850s Seneca Village, a community of immigrants and free African-Americans that was destroyed to pave the way for Central Park. After our discussion, Book club facilitators Katie and Rachel will lead the group on a tour of the remains of Seneca Village, just a short walk from the museum.

About Home is with Our Family

Learn about Maria Peters, an African-American girl with a lot on her shoulders. Her lovely community is about to be destroyed so an enormous "Central Park" can be built. On top of that, Maria's new friend Anna has a secret past that could destroy both their lives. This is a story of resistance, abolitionism, and the power of friendship from four-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winner, Joyce Hansen and acclaimed illustrator E. B. Lewis.

May 2013: Around the World
This graphic novel tells the stories of three people who circumnavigated the globe in different ways: Thomas Stevens did it on a bike, Nellie Bly set a record by steamboat, and Joshua Slocum was the first to make the trip alone on a 36-foot sloop. Each world-traveler faced different challenges while experiencing cultural encounters very few people could in the nineteenth century. This book has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, the School Library Journal and many more publications. The New York Times calls it “A first-rate pleasure from the acclaimed graphic novelist Phelan. And this book - riveting, wondrously drawn, expertly paced - is a triumph in and of itself.”

April 2013: Lincoln Shot: A President's Life Remembered
Barry Denenberg brings his unique journalistic style to this biography of Lincoln. Framed as a collected of newspaper articles issued in the days after Lincoln's death, the book details Lincoln's life from boyhood to the end. Text is intermixed with primary source images from Lincoln's life and times. According to James M. McPherson, Civil War historian and Pulitzer Prize winner, "This unique biography of Abraham Lincoln employs a richly illustrated newspaper format and a vigorous, readable writing style to present the story of the Civil War president's remarkable life and tragic death."

March 2013: Sophia's War by Avi
Follow Sophia Calderwood, a young girl navigating the dangerous world of New York during American Revolution. Learn about the horrors of prison ships and the opportunities for girls and women in this time. Sophia's suspenseful journey unfolds as she becomes a Patriot spy on on a solo mission to stop a traitor. With this book, Newbery Medalist Avi has given young readers a "seamless blend of fact and fiction" (Publisher's Weekly, August 13, 2012 *STAR) that combines "hard fact with thrilling espionage" (School Library Journal,October, 2012 *STAR).

February 2013: Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York's African Burial Ground 
Co-authors Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan bring this untold history to young readers through the life stories of individuals buried at the site. In doing so, they show readers how, with bones, artifacts, and detective work, archaeologists can reconstruct histories lost through time and prejudice.

January 2013:Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
For so many reasons, the Civil War was the worst crisis the United States has ever been through. In the novel Picture the Dead, author Adele Griffin, tells the story of Jennie, a young woman whose twin brother is killed during the war. Jennie lives with her fiance's family, who reluctantly take care of her while her fiance, Will, and his brother, Quinn, are at war. When Quinn returns from battle without Will, some strange things start to happen to Jennie, and she begins to realize that nothing is as it seems. This story is full of mystery and suspense, and maybe even ghosts!

December 2012:King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
Dom, a nine-year-old boy from Napoli, is sent to make it big in new York City where he makes some friends and some more enemies. Learn what life was like in the Lower East Side of New York through the eyes of this brave young boy. Read about the Book Wrap here!

November 2012: Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani. 
River and Meena seem like they would have nothing in common; River is the son of a Kentucky coal miner, and Meena is an Indian-American girl living in New York City's Chinatown. They begin a friendship as pen pals and, even though their cultures and hometowns are worlds apart, realize they have much to learn from each other. Despite their differences, they live under the same sun. Read about the book wrap here!

September 2012: We Rode the Orphan Trains by Andrea Warren
This book tells the real-life stories of children from New York City, who, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were sent by train to new families out west, where some were cared for and loved as if a member of the family and others were treated as less than servants.Read about the book wrap here!