Books with author Ruth Ashby

Developed to complement the Fifth Grade teaching guides, these student study guides were created as reproducible support for extension and self-directed study of the books. Every chapter is covered by a lesson, which includes activities to reinforce the following areas: access, vocabulary, map skills, comprehension, critical thinking, working with primary sources and further writing. Each study guide contains reproducible maps and explanations of graphic organizers, as well as suggestions on how to do research and special projects.About the Series:Master storyteller Joy Hakim has excited millions of young minds with the great drama of American history in her award-winning series A History of US. Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text, A History of US weaves together exciting stories that bring American history to life. Hailed by reviewers, historians, educators, and parents for its exciting, thought-provoking narrative, the books have been recognized as a break-through tool in teaching history and critical reading skills to young people. In ten books that span from Prehistory to the 21st century, young people will never think of American history as boring again.

The Civil War divided a nation and turned brother against brother. Lasting four long years, it resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 soldiers. IBOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS presents a six-volume series devoted to this war, a war fought for liberation as well as reunification. With historic photographs and engaging text, "Civil War Chronicles” recreates key battles and paints living portraits of the heroes who made the war of the states unforgettable.

She just wouldn’t get up—and with that simple, courageous act Rosa Parks struck a blow against injustice. Parks showed what one person, without guns or violence, could do to change the course of history forever. Nelson Mandela claimed “she is who inspired us to be fearless when facing our oppressors.” As a volunteer secretary for the NAACP, Parks chronicled racial injustices and fought for desegregation. Then, on December 1, 1955, she made a stand on a Montgomery, Alabama bus: she refused to relinquish her seat for a white man. Her arrest mobilized the black community for a citywide bus boycott that led to a landmark Supreme Court decision. Award-winning author Ruth Ashby beautifully conveys Park’s dignity and determination.

On February 20, 1962, as millions of Americans waited anxiously, astronaut John Glenn blasted off in his rocket ship, Friendship 7, and became the first American to orbit the Earth.Although the risks of such a mission for Friendship 7 were well known, no one including Glenn knew the peril he was about to encounter in space. John Glenn was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the early pioneers of manned space flight. His historic flight followed years of intensive physical training and a devotion to a career in the exciting but risk-filled world of aviation.Ruth Ashby’s dramatic story of John Glenn’s near-disastrous mission in Friendship 7 also takes young readers through his small-town Ohio childhood, his extraordinary experiences as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his life as an astronaut in the prestigious and dangerous Mercury 7 program. The book concludes with Glenn’s successful career as a U.S. senator and his triumphant return to space in 1998 at the age of 77.

In 1933, at the age of four, Anne Frank and her family fled from the Nazis in Germany and sought safe haven in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 1940, when the Germans invaded the Netherlands, the Frank family once again feared for their lives. Like tens of thousands of Dutch Jews, the Franks went into hiding. They lived in several hidden rooms -- known as the "Secret Annex" -- above Mr. Frank's office building. It was there that Anne wrote her now-famous diary. The Franks lived in hiding for two years before they were discovered and sent to Auschwitz, the most well-known and feared concentration camp. Anne Frank gave a human face to the victims of the Holocaust and a courageous voice to all those who were silenced. Though Anne Frank only lived to the age of fifteen, her inspirational childhood is perhaps the best known in history.

In 1933, at the age of four, Anne Frank and her family fled from the Nazis in Germany and sought safe haven in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 1940, when the Germans invaded the Netherlands, the Frank family once again feared for their lives. Like tens of thousands of Dutch Jews, the Franks went into hiding. They lived in several hidden rooms -- known as the "Secret Annex" -- above Mr. Frank's office building. It was there that Anne wrote her now-famous diary. The Franks lived in hiding for two years before they were discovered and sent to Auschwitz, the most well-known and feared concentration camp. Anne Frank gave a human face to the victims of the Holocaust and a courageous voice to all those who were silenced. Though Anne Frank only lived to the age of fifteen, her inspirational childhood is perhaps the best known in history.

Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin was an important statesman, inventor, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. But did you know he started the first public library in America?Ben Franklin was always a “bookish” boy. The first book he read was the Bible at age five, and then he read every printed word in his father’s small home library. Ben wanted to read more, but books were expensive. He wanted to go to school and learn, but his family needed him to work. Despite this, Ben Franklin had lots of ideas about how to turn his love of reading and learning into something more. First he worked as a printer’s apprentice, then he set up his own printing business. Later, he became the first bookseller in Philadelphia, started a newspaper, published Poor Richard’s Almanac, and in 1731, with the help of his friends, organized the first subscription lending library, the Library Company.Ruth Ashby’s fast-paced biography takes young readers through Franklin’s life from his spirited, rebellious youth through his successful career as an inventor and politician and finally to the last years of his life, surrounded by his personal collection of books.

In 1831, young adventurer and nature enthusiast Charles Darwin set sail on a remarkable five-year voyage that changed the study of biology forever.Award-winning author Ruth Ashby shares the story of Darwin’s famous journey aboard the British navy ship, the Beagle, which led to the development of his theories of evolution and natural selection.This lively account follows the naturalist’s exciting trip around the world―through seasickness, a life-threatening illness, and even an earthquake―as he explores South America, the Cape Verde Islands, Tahiti, and the Galapagos Islands. During his travels, Darwin meets indigenous peoples and carefully collects and catalogs plants, fossils, birds, mammals, and insects. Darwin’s observations of the distribution and diversity of plant and animal life ultimately leads to the development of his theories on evolution.Readers will be inspired by Darwin’s transformation from talented but mediocre schoolboy into a remarkable scientist as they read about the revolutionary voyage that forever changed the world of biology.

In 1831, young adventurer and nature enthusiast Charles Darwin set sail on a remarkable five-year voyage that changed the study of biology forever.Award-winning author Ruth Ashby shares the story of Darwin’s famous journey aboard the British navy ship, the Beagle, which led to the development of his theories of evolution and natural selection.This lively account follows the naturalist’s exciting trip around the world—through seasickness, a life-threatening illness, and even an earthquake—as he explores South America, the Cape Verde Islands, Tahiti, and the Galapagos Islands. During his travels, Darwin meets indigenous peoples and carefully collects and catalogs plants, fossils, birds, mammals, and insects. Darwin’s observations of the distribution and diversity of plant and animal life ultimately leads to the development of his theories on evolution.Readers will be inspired by Darwin’s transformation from talented but mediocre schoolboy into a remarkable scientist as they read about the revolutionary voyage that forever changed the world of biology.

The Civil War divided a nation and turned brother against brother. Lasting four long years, it resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 soldiers. IBOOKS For Young Readers presents a six-volume series devoted to this war, a war fought for liberation as well as reunification. With historic photographs and engaging text, "Civil War Chronicles recreates key battles and paints living portraits of the heroes who made the war of the states unforgettable."