Girls survive

On December 7, 1941, thirteen-year old Alice's life changes completely as she experiences an act of war, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and her father's imprisonment in a Japanese internment camp, leaving Alice and the rest of her family struggling to adjust to life without him.

In 1864 twelve-year-old former slave Charlotte is lucky enough to live on a plantation near Richmond, Virginia, owned by a Miss Van Lew, who hates slavery, and when Charlotte overhears a conversation she realizes that her mistress is gathering information and passing it on to the Union army; Charlotte is eager to help, (especially since her own cousin, Mary, is involved) but her enthusiasm may endanger them all--or help free 400 Union soldiers who...

In 1911, fourteen-year-old Lucy Morelli lives with her parents, older brother, and several youngers siblings in a crowded apartment in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Lucy dreams of going to college, but her Italian immigrant family relies heavily on her income from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to survive. Lucy finds the factory work boring, but the working conditions are better than many other jobs. But when Lucy and her best...

In early September 1900, twelve-year-old Carrie of Galveston is looking forward to spending Saturday night at her friend's house, until her parents are invited to a very important party and she is forced to stay home and take care of her little brother; but a boring chore turns into a nightmare when the storm surge from the Great Hurricane hits and their house is swept off its foundation--and Carrie must think quickly and not panic if she is going...

Leah dreams of leaving behind the crowded streets of Boston's North End neighborhood to journey west. It's the only way she'll have the future she wants - one that doesn't involve her getting married or working in a factory. But then the molasses tank at the local plant explodes, sweeping through the city streets. The wave destroys everything in its path, and suddenly Leah must fight to survive if she wants to have any future at all.

Twelve-year-old Maribel daydreams at school, but when she defies evacuation orders to return home just as Mount St. Helens erupts in 1980, she must focus in order to survive. Includes historical note, glossary, and discussion questions.

When a Philadelphia girl intercepts a message about an impending British attack against her father's regiment, commanded by General Washington, in White Marsh, she travels alone by horseback to warn the Patriot army.

In 1851 twelve-year-old Sarah is a free Black, happy living with her parents, grandparents, and brother on their own farm in Iowa; but her father has been bitten by the gold bug and wants to take the trail west to California, and after some argument it is decided that the grandparents will stay on the farm, but the rest of the family will go; the journey will be difficult and dangerous, but if they survive extreme weather, difficult terrain, illness,...

Fifteen-year-old Constance is looking forward to a new life in the New World. There's nothing left for her in England—no family and no future. She agrees to set sail on the Mayflower, along with her employer. But the ocean crossing is harder than anyone anticipated, and the journey is riddled with dangerous obstacles. Will Constance live to see the New World, or will she and the other passengers be lost at sea?

The people of fourteenth-century Florence, Italy, starving after years of bad weather and natural disasters, now face the Black Plague but twelve-year-old Maria is determined to survive. Includes historical note, glossary, and discussion questions.

In 1944 in Hartford, Connecticut, twelve-year-old Audrey dreams of being an aerialist like her heroes, the Flying Wallendas, and so she is excited to go to Ringling Brothers circus with her six-year-old twin sisters; but at the show a fire breaks out, and as the crowd starts to panic Audrey struggles to reach her sisters--she gets Patty out, but Charlotte, afraid of heights, refuses to jump from the higher seats, and disappears as the big top comes...

Thirteen-year-old Maddy Rollag struggles with prairie life on her aunt and uncle's farm in Dakota Territory, but on January 12, 1888, when a blizzard threatens to trap Maddy and her classmates inside their damaged schoolhouse, she finds the courage and strength to lead them to safety. Includes historical note, glossary, and discussion questions.

"With Hurricane Katrina on track to hit New Orleans, twelve-year-old Claudia and her family are preparing to weather the storm. But nothing can prepare them for the awful flooding that occurs when the levees that surround the city fail. Even worse, after a chaotic helicopter evacuation, Claudia and her younger sister become separated from the rest of their family. Now it is up to Claudia to protect and comfort her sister through the tragedy. Readers...

"After Flor's mother dies in early 1969, she is left with her grandmother who refuses to accept Flor's identity as a trans girl. Flor decides that in order to be true to herself, she must leave home. She makes friends with Tami, a trans teenager, and the two girls meet adults who help them make their way in the queer and trans community of New York City. Invited to meet up with some new friends, the girls sneak into the Stonewall Inn on a night that...

"Cora Moffat is struggling to concentrate on her English class when her teacher's focus lands on a classroom window. As the class turns to look, they see an enormous black cloud, angry and vicious, heading their direction. When the devastating tornado hits the school, Cora does all she can to help herself and others survive the destruction and make it out of the building alive. Readers can learn the real story of the Tri-State Tornado from the nonfiction...

"It's May 1963, and twelve-year-old Nina Norris is answering a call from civil rights leaders in Birmingham, Alabama. Black Americans are demanding the right to vote, but adults who protest risk losing their jobs. So, children are protesting in their place. As Nina prepares for her day, she knows she will likely be arrested and put in jail, but it's a price she is willing to pay so that all people can have a say in their government. Readers can learn...