Books with author Jessica Lee Anderson

Abraham Lincoln was watching a play at Ford's Theatre when a gunman crept up from behind and fired at the president's head. As Lincoln crumpled with a terrible wound, the shooter leapt from the balcony and fled before a shocked audience. He was John Wilkes Booth, a well-known stage actor, and he imagined himself a hero avenging the South's defeat in the Civil War. Soldiers searched for Booth as Lincoln suffered long hours before dying. There would be no reversing the results of the war, but Lincoln's death put the cause of freedom and equality in danger. His presidency had been cut short, and even today the country lives with the effects of his assassination.

Benjamin Franklin led a productive life, but is it possible his accomplishments include everything attributed to him? The answer is yes, for the most part. He never did suggest the wild turkey should be the national symbol of the United States. He did, however, lend his wisdom to the founding of the country, and he was the only person to sign four of the documents most critical to the creation and character of the nation.

With the start of seventh grade, Olivia's longtime friend, Beth, has found new interests and new friends. Now Olivia thinks if she could just afford the type of clothes that Beth now wears, maybe their friendship could be restored. Motivated by a need for cash, Olivia agrees to babysit for a family of four who recently moved to the neighborhood haunted house. Now she's not sure what's scarier: hearing countless creepy sounds or being responsible for four kids! High-interest themes, engaging plot, and useful core-curriculum-inspired back matter round out this library book.

The year is 1910, and Emma Schweitzer and her family are immigrating to America in hopes of finding a better life. Their German colony in South Russia is falling under new restrictions imposed by the Russian government, and in order to escape poverty and tyranny, the family decides to move to North Dakota to live with an uncle. But their journey is not an easy one. The ship is overcrowded, health inspectors can detain any family or deny them entry, and swindlers are eager to prey on new immigrants. Can Emma be strong enough to succeed in a new country where she can't even understand the language? Through Emma's story, this gripping historical novel captures the hardships immigrants faced in pursuit of the American dream.

When Riley Starr is assigned to her second case in Melrose, Virginia, she is in for a not-so-sweet surprise. Not only must she find the secret treasure hidden within Warren Palatine's mansion, but she also has to find the culprit guilty of poisoning the Apple Harvest Festival Queen. Events take a dastardly turn for the worse as the Melrose Annual Apple Harvest Festival is repeatedly sabotaged and lives are on the line. Time is short for Riley's detective team, and they must solve the case in one week or be forced to pack their bags and go home. Can they solve the mystery on time, or will there be deadly results?