Allen, Thomas B.  George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War

Who knew our most famous Founding Father was a colonial James Bond? This book features Washington in a little known but incredibly important role as the mastermind behind an intricate network of Patriot spies during the Revolutionary War.

Bausum, Ann  With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote

The long, arduous, and sometimes violent struggle for a woman's right to vote is told in an engaging narrative. The roots of the movement as well as the other efforts it spawned are well told.

Beals, Melba Pattillo  Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High

A heart-wrenching account of the nine high school students who integrated Little Rock High School.

Codell, Esmé Raji  Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year

Fifth-grader Melanie instinctively knows what Codell finds out when she begins as a 24-year-old first-year teacher in an inner-city Chicago school: "You got to know everything." And that doesn't mean just what the textbooks say. As Codell gamely reveals in her forthright diary entries, it means fighting lazy teachers and unsupportive administrators; it means dealing with violence and racism; it means marshalling energy, imagination, and wit enough to ensure her students the best possible education. Teens who have been through "the system" can't help but recognize the landscape.

Crowe, Chris  Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case

Using archival photographs and primary sources, Crowe describes how the Mississippi murder of 14- year-old Emmett Till contributed to the civil rights movement.

Crutcher, Chris  King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography

The autobiography of the Margaret A. Edwards Award-winning author recounts the childhood vignettes and discoveries of profound, simple truths that led to his career writing honest and gritty young-adult books.

Fleischman, John  Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science

Phineas is never the same after a metal rod enters his head at the chin and comes out his forehead.

Freedman, Russell  The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights

A biography of the great singer Marian Anderson and her role in bringing the injustice of segregation in the arts to national awareness.

Gantos, Jack  Hole in My Life

Gantos reveals how his involvement with drugs and his stint in prison led him to writing. A 2003 Printz Honor Book and a 2003 Sibert Honor Book.

Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan  Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop

This biography of Andy Warhol illuminates his life and times, highlighting his impact on art and culture.

Hoose, Phillip M.  The Race to Save the Lord God Bird

The story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's demise is the centerpiece for a book about extinction and the pressures of mankind upon the Earth.

Murphy, Jim  An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

In this gripping account, Murphy explores how yellow fever disrupted the federal government, divided the medical establishment, and destroyed the lives of thousands of Philadelphians. The 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner and a Newbery Honor Book.

Nelson, Peter  Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis

A school project eventually leads to the truth about the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the navy’s cover-up, and the court martial of the captain.

Roach, Mary  Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Roach exams the afterlife of human cadavers in this humorous, touching, and respectful look at how scientists utilize the human body.

Satrapi, Marjane  Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

In graphic novel format, the author describes her youth in revolutionary Iran.  From the overthrow of the Shah to the establishment of the new regime, she witnesses heartbreak and struggle as life changes in her country.