During the Middle Ages, tournaments and jousting were both an occasion for public festivities and a way of training knights. Describing various types of combat with the use of primary source material and magnificent illuminated manuscripts, this book provides a look into the jousts and tournaments that entertained the people and trained knights for war. Though considered mock combat, many knights lost their lives during these jousts and melees.

This book describes the ways that World War II affected production and daily life in the United States, as well as government programs for rationing, censorship, and propaganda. In addition to historic photos, this book includes a table of contents, two infographics, critical thinking questions, two "A Closer Look" special features, a reading comprehension quiz, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. This Focus Readers title is at the Voyager level, aligned to reading levels of grades 5-6 and interest levels of grades 5-9.

This book gives an exciting overview of the US Coast Guard, from when it first formed to its missions and members today, as well as their tasks, equipment, and training. Short paragraphs of easy-to-read text are paired with plenty of photos to make reading engaging and accessible. The book also includes a table of contents, fun facts, sidebars, comprehension questions, a glossary, an index, and a list of resources for further reading. Apex books have low reading levels (grades 2-3) but are designed for older students, with interest levels of grades 3-7.

Project yourself back in time with this exciting interactive fiction book. Your name is Thomas Benton. The time is October 1835. You are fourteen year-old and about to take part in one of the most exciting episodes in American History With only a long dirk knife and $4 in coins, you run away from your father's farm. Navigating your dugout canoe through alligator-infested waters, you make your way through Indian Territory to New Orleans. Your final destination: Texas. Your mission: to fight in the Texas Revolution. You are the star of the story. It is up to you to decide to join Davy Crockett at the Alamo, or to fight at the Siege of Bexar or one of the other exciting battlers in the Texas Revolution. Ambushes, firing squads, harsh winters, fearsome battles, and snipers await you. But you are the master of your fate; and your wit, daring, and bravery can lead you to a heroic victory.

A young reader's edition of The Volunteer - Jack Fairweather's Costa Book of the Year 2020. An extraordinary, eye-opening account of the Holocaust. Occupied Warsaw, Summer 1940: Witold Pilecki, a Polish underground operative, accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands interned at a new concentration camp, report on Nazi crimes, raise a secret army and stage an uprising. The name of the camp - Auschwitz. Over the next two and half years, and under the cruellest of conditions, Pilecki's underground sabotaged facilities, assassinated Nazi officers and gathered evidence of terrifying abuse and mass murder. But as he pieced together the horrifying Nazi plans to exterminate Europe's Jews, Pilecki realized he would have to risk his men, his life and his family to warn the West before all was lost. To do so meant attempting the impossible - but first he would have to escape from Auschwitz itself... For children aged 12 and up. Written from exclusive access to previously hidden diaries, family and camp survivor accounts, and recently declassified files. Critically acclaimed and award-winning journalist Jack Fairweather brilliantly portrays the remarkable man who volunteered to face the unknown. This extraordinary and eye-opening account of the Holocaust invites us all to bear witness.

Meet the WW2 soldier who never surrendered. Hiroo Onoda came from a Samurai family, he became a Japanese hero. The Last Soldier is a book-banded reading book for developing readers, carefully levelled at Orange Book Band for guided reading. Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs, this non-fiction title is suitable for struggling teen and adult readers. The Last Soldier features a longer, less structured text with a more extended vocabulary. More literary language is used with more complex sentence structures. More space is allowed for text than for pictures. The Last Soldier is part of Ransom's Neutron Stars, a structured reading programme for teens and adults learning the basics of reading. The series offers progression through ten levels of reading, four phonics and six coloured book bands. More information on the structure of the scheme can be found here.

'Hi! My name is Nigel Hook. I race powerboats.' Join the crew for a P1 Evolution powerboat Grand Prix. It's an 80 mile race at more than 110 miles an hour. The boat is three times more powerful than a Ferrari. Have you got what it takes? This is life at the edge. This new edition of Powerboat Race, now introduces more difficult words and fuller sentences to make it ideal for children reading at the Purple Book Band level. Powerboat Race is part of the 321 Go! series, a non-fiction series which cover heart-in-the-mouth, jaw-droppingly exciting experiences! Using real-life photographs and comic-format speech bubbles, the book is narrated by a powerboat racing world champion. You couldn't get closer to the action! This is the perfect read for beginning and struggling readers who want something much more visual to develop their literacy skills.

The life story of this World War II Navajo Code Talker introduces middle-grade readers to an unforgettable person and offers a close perspective on aspects of Navajo (or Dine) history and culture. Thomas H. Begay was one of the young Navajo men who, during World War II, invented and used a secret, unbreakable communications code based on their native Dine language to help win the war in the Pacific. Although the book includes anecdotes from other code talkers, its central narrative revolves around Begay. It tells his story, from his birth near the Navajo reservation, his childhood spent herding sheep, his adolescence in federally mandated boarding schools, and ultimately, his decision to enlist in the US Marine Corps. Alysa Landry relies heavily on interviews with Begay, who, as of this writing, is in his late nineties and one of only three surviving code talkers. Begay's own voice and sense of humor make this book particularly significant in that it is the only Code Talker biography for young readers told from a soldier's perspective. Begay was involved with the book every step of the way, granting Landry unlimited access to his military documents, personal photos, and oral history. Additionally, Begay's family contributed by reading and fact-checking the manuscript. This truly is a unique collaborative project.

This book gives an exciting overview of the Navy SEALs, from when this special force first formed to its missions and members today, as well as their tasks, equipment, and training. Short paragraphs of easy-to-read text are paired with plenty of photos to make reading engaging and accessible. The book also includes a table of contents, fun facts, sidebars, comprehension questions, a glossary, an index, and a list of resources for further reading. Apex books have low reading levels (grades 2-3) but are designed for older students, with interest levels of grades 3-7.

This fascinating title sets the world scene in the two decades between the end of World War I and the start of World War II. Readers will get a snapshot of the political and economic situations around the world. Most countries experienced booming economies following WWI. But Germany, punished under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, suffered under great hardship. With the stock market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, the world found itself moving again toward war. Find out how the humiliation and poverty of the German people led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party - and a second world war.

This compelling book follows the significant battles over the course of World War II. European countries and their colonies and allies, such as the United States and Canada, supplied forces for battles. Readers will learn that fighting took place in five parts of the world: western and eastern Europe, North Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia. New advances in technology since WWI led to fierce fighting on land, at sea, and in the air. Find out how victory was won or lost in such famous conflicts as the Battle of the Atlantic, Germany's Blitzkrieg, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, Paris, Stalingrad, Berlin, Midway, Pearl Harbor, and the dropping of the atomic bombs.

Explore the fascinating history of America's first World War, meet the greatest military leaders and tacticians, and learn about key battles in this compelling new book in the popular Everything series.
Each book in the National Geographic Kids Everything series has more than 100 pictures, an explorer's corner with from-the-field anecdotes and tips, fun facts throughout, maps and infographics, an illustrated diagram, a photo gallery, cool comparisons, a behind-the-scenes photograph, an interactive glossary, and more.
This book marks the 100th anniversary of WWI and takes a thoughtful, kid-friendly approach to a serious subject.

Recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text. Riveting, moving, and impossible to put down, War, Terrible War takes us into the heart of the Civil War, from the battle of Manassas to the battle of Gettysburg and on to the South's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Follow the common soldiers in blue and gray as they endure long marches, freezing winter camps, and the bloodiest battles ever fought on American soil. Off the war fields, War, Terrible War captures the passion and commitment of abolitionists and slaveowners alike in their fiery debates throughout the land. With profiles of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Jefferson Davis, soldiers on both sides, slave owners, abolitionists, average citizens, and others, War, Terrible War is the compelling story of a people affected by the horrors of war during this tragic and dramatic period in A History of US. 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.

'Hi! My name is Adam Kirley. I am a stunt man. You'll find me in the movies.' Meet the man who does the stunts for James Bond. (He crashed James Bond's Aston Martin - on purpose.) Then find out the secrets of being a stunt man. Have you got what it takes? This is life at the edge. This new edition of Stunt Man, now introduces more difficult words and fuller sentences to make it ideal for children reading at the Gold Book Band level. Stunt Man is part of the 321 Go! series, a non-fiction series which cover heart-in-the-mouth, jaw-droppingly exciting experiences! Using real-life photographs and comic-format speech bubbles, the book is narrated by a professional stunt man. You couldn't get closer to the action! This is the perfect read for beginning and struggling readers who want something much more visual to develop their literacy skills.

The Second World War in 1939 meant that everyone in Britain helped out. The ATA girls flew planes. This is their story. Awesome ATAs is a book-banded reading book for developing readers, carefully levelled at Blue Book Band for guided reading. Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs, this non-fiction title is suitable for struggling teen and adult readers. Awesome ATAs features a longer, less structured text with a more flexible vocabulary. There is variation in sentence patterns and content, little repetition, and longer language patterns. It has a full range of punctuation. Awesome ATAs is part of Ransom's Neutron Stars, a structured reading programme for teens and adults learning the basics of reading. The series offers progression through ten levels of reading, four phonics and six coloured book bands. More information on the structure of the scheme can be found here.

'I am flying at 1,200 miles per hour. This is the best fighter aircraft in the world.' Take a test flight in the F-22 Raptor. Find out why they say 'First look, first shot, first kill.' Have you got what it takes? This is life at the edge. This new edition of Drag Race, now introduces more difficult words and fuller sentences to make it ideal for children reading at the Gold Book Band level. Drag Race is part of the 321 Go! series, a non-fiction series which cover heart-in-the-mouth, jaw-droppingly exciting experiences! Using real-life photographs and comic-format speech bubbles, the book is narrated by a real drag-racing driver. You couldn't get closer to the action! This is the perfect read for beginning and struggling readers who want something much more visual to develop their literacy skills.