Books in American Adventures series

Voices for Freedom contains three stories focusing on the Underground Railroad and the 1963 Freedom March on Washington. Stories are Friend on Freedom River, Riding to Washington, and The Listeners.In Friend on Freedom River, written by Gloria Whelan, runaway slaves ask Louis to ferry them across the Detroit River to freedom in Canada. He’s not sure what to do. If they are caught, it means prison for Louis. Written by Gwenyth Swain, Riding to Washington tells of one girl’s journey to attend the 1963 “Great March on Washington.” Janie and her father ride a bus to Washington, D.C. to hear a man named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. During the trip, Janie sees firsthand the injustices that many others endure. In The Listeners, another offering from Gloria Whelan, each night Ella May and her friends secretly listen outside the windows of their master’s house. They listen to learn their fates and those of the other slaves.

Each paperback in this series features a trio of fictional stories highlighting a moment in American history. Troubled Times contains three stories focusing on the Great Depression. In The Lucky Star a girl helps her sister and other children learn to read when their school is closed. Rudy Rides the Rails features a boy living the hobo life. In Junk Man's Daughter, a family struggles after moving to the United States.

Westward Journeys contains three stories focusing on the American westward expansion, including the Oregon Trail and the Oklahoma Land Run. In Minnow and Rose, Rose and her family are traveling with a wagon train heading west on the Oregon Trail. When she encounters Minnow, a young native girl, their meeting has life-changing results for both cultures. The Oklahoma Land Run is the topic in Pappy's Handkerchief. When Moses and his family hear of free farmland out in Oklahoma, they head west to fulfill a lifelong dream of owning their own land. After a difficult wagon trip, they arrive at the staging point for the Oklahoma Land Run. In A Book for Black-Eyed Susan, Cora's family is faced with tragedy during their journey on the Oregon Trail. When Cora learns she is to be separated from her baby sister, she creates a memento of their journey together.

Thomas Bowden hates the Tories, the colonists who have sided with the English during the Revolutionary War. He especially hates their Native American allies who tortured and killed many of his neighbors in a terrible massacre.still, he and his mother, sister, and baby brother have reached the safety of Philadelphia-but not for long. When Thomas recognizes a Tory spy, he is kidnapped, made to join a wagon train bringing arms and supplies to the enemy, and then turned over to a group of Mohawk fighters.Thomas fears the worst. Instead, over a winter spent in the Mohawk village, he discovers that truth in his wartime world is far more complicated than he ever imagined.Thomas is back, in an exciting and thought-provoking American Adventure!

When Luke Reed left his prairie home to accompany Uncle Eli to Boston, he passed hordes of fortune seekers heading west to join the Gold Rush. It seems there's money to be made out there, and Uncle Eli doesn't want to miss out on any of it. In this new adventure, the duo is off again, this time making the perilous voyage by clipper ship to the goldfields of California.Luke and his friend Toby wonder how they'll keep themselves occupied on the long voyage, but not for long. Besides the everyday risks of stormy weather and shark-infested waters, they face a whole set of unexpected challenges, including a cabin boy with a mysterious secret and a pirate ship that they just can't seem to outrun.Full of action and gripping suspense, this American Adventure will have readers turning the pages to find out how Luke braves the turbulent seas.

Each paperback in this series features a trio of fictional stories highlighting a moment in history, with content taken from our popular Tales of Young Americans picture-book series. The Battles contains three stories focusing on key American battles: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. The Scarlet Stockings Spy is set during the Revolutionary War. In Philadelphia 1777, childhood games now become life-and-death actions for Maddy Rose and her Patriot soldier brother, as British spies are everywhere. In The Town that Fooled the British, the War of 1812 comes to life when the British target St. Michaels, Maryland, in their campaign to defeat America. But a young boy's quick thinking helps the town escape destruction. The Last Brother is set on the battlefields of Gettysburg where Gabe, a Union Army bugler, meets and befriends Orlee, a young Confederate bugler. Now, with the battle looming ahead of him, Gabe is conflicted about what to do.

"I hope Kentucky stays neutral because I truly don't know what side to take."At the beginning of the Civil War, Kentucky hasn't sided with the North or the South, but it seems that in Branson Mills everyone has taken sides ... except for Joseph Byers.He knows that slavery is wrong--he sees firsthand how his friend Hannah is mistreated because of the color of her skin. Yet at the same time he recognizes how much trouble speaking out against slavery can cause. His stepfather's abolitionist actions have put the whole family in danger of the vigilante violence that is sweeping the town.Although Joseph admires his stepfather's bravery, he is afraid to stand up for what he has come to believe. But when the violence escalates, he is forced to take action. In this gripping adventure, Joseph reaches for his own courage to try to save the lives of the people he cares about.

Thomas believes the Revolutionary War will never come to his peaceful Pennsylvania valley. But all too soon, he and his family are running for their lives.Thomas believes the revolutionary war will never come to his peaceful Pennsylvania valley. But all too soon, he and his family are running for their lives. 01-02 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr 4-6)Thomas believes the revolutionary war will never come to his peaceful Pennsylvania valley. But all too soon, he and his family are running for their lives.

During the Gold Rush, dreamers of every kind flocked to California to make their fortunes. When Luke jumps at the chance to leave his prairie home and join his adventurous uncle, his own journey, filled with excitement, discovery, and danger, becomes a search for gold halfway across America.During the Gold Rush, dreamers of every kind flocked to California to make their fortunes. When Luke jumps at the chance to leave his prairie home and join his adventurous uncle, his own journey, filled with excitement, discovery, and danger, becomes a search for gold halfway across America.