Books with author Armstrong Sperry

"The Rio Grande! Watch it as it slithers across the wide land, this brown serpent of a river. Giant sloth and mastodon, primitive huntsmen, Spaniards in armor, friars with cross upheld--all drank of its waters. "Indifferent to man-made marvels, the ageless Rio Grande pursues its course through mountain, mesa and desert, through the land of little rain and plenty of time, through mystery and color and grandeur, on its way to the sea." Sperry was a prize-winning author who devoted his considerable talent to acquainting young people with stories, many factual, that introduced his readers to heroic virtues.

The Polynesian tradition of courage is as old as the race, so when a chief's son shows fear, the village drives him out. Thus it is that Mafutu, a youth terrified of the sea, sets out on a voyage of discovery. What he finds, of course, is his courage, and the story of how it comes to him won the Newberry Medal in 1941 as "the year's most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Armstrong Sperry wrote books for and about young people. His stories are timeless and absorbing, perfect for family outings or for youngsters who like their heroes believable.

She’s believes. He doesn’t. In an us vs. them world, can their love survive?High school seniors Curt and Hannah barely know each other and never speak. In fact, the two are more likely to see each other as adversaries, as their families reside on different sides of a controversial issue dividing their small town. Hannah’s father, the Reverend Caleb Wilson, wants to erect a monument to the Ten Commandments on public space. Opposing these efforts is Curt’s atheist activist father Matt. But when tragedy strikes, leading to an emotionally charged encounter between Curt and Hannah in an empty school hallway, the two can’t stop thinking about each other. Numerous obstacles stand in the way of the fledgling couple. Curt’s friends and family warn him against getting too close to the beautiful but devout Christian. She’s too different, they tell him. Hannah’s family and friends are similarly concerned with the amount of time she’s spending on Curt. Chief among them is Jake, a would-be suitor from her church who’s none too pleased with the attention she’s lavishing on his rival. Despite all this, neither Curt nor Hannah can deny the attraction drawing them together, even as everyone else tries to pull them apart. Meanwhile, tensions in the town tighten around them, threatening not only their relationship, but their very lives.Can love trump the differences that divide the two? Or will Curt and Hannah succumb to the same forces pulling their town apart?

Here is Armstrong Sperry at his best, telling the true story of Capt. Nathaniel Palmer, the man who gave his name to Palmer Peninsula in the Antarctic. Complete with the drama of an adventure story, SOUTH OF CAPE HORN tells the story of a boy who became a seaman at 14 and master of the Hero five years later. This was the ship Palmer sailed toward the Antarctic where he discovered seal rookeries and whaling grounds that meant prosperity for a whole generation of New Englanders. "SOUTH OF CAPE HORN is an exciting story that soon casts a spell over the reader until he too imagines that he is fighting the elements with Nat and his crew, enjoying the pranks and gaiety of crossing the equator." (Publisher's Source)