Showing titles in Biographical Fiction

Inspired by a true story, Kafka and the Doll recounts a remarkable gesture of kindness from one of the world's most bewildering and iconic writers. In the fall of 1923, Franz Kafka encountered a distraught little girl on a walk in the park. She'd lost her doll and was inconsolable. Kafka told her the doll wasn't lost, but instead, traveling the world and having grand adventures! And to reassure her, Kafka began delivering letters from the doll to the girl for weeks.

At the front of a middle-school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls "Daniel") stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much.

Pollyanna, an expert at her favorite "Glad Game" of always looking at the bright side in her numerous trials, is one of the most popular and enduring characters in all of children's literature. As Pollyanna arrives in Beldingsville to live with her strict and dutiful maiden aunt, she exclaims, "Oh, Aunt Polly, I don't know how to be glad enough that you let me come to live with you!"

Growing up in 19th-century London, England, Ada is curious about absolutely everything. She is obsessed with machines and with creatures that fly. She even designs her own flying laboratory! According to her mother, Ada is a bit too wild, so she encourages Ada to study math. At first, Ada thinks: bleh! Who can get excited about a subject without pictures? But she soon falls in love with it. One day, she encounters a mysterious machine, and from that moment forward, Ada imagines a future full of possibility - one that will eventually inspire the digital age nearly 200 years later.

Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is ready to enjoy a trip to a Yorkshire spa, where her widowed mother can take the waters and recover from a long mourning period. Having solved yet another murder and faced extreme peril with her best friend, Hector, over Christmas, Aggie’s Morbid Preoccupation is on alert when rumors abound about the spa's recently deceased former patient...and then another body appears under mysterious circumstances. Aggie and Hector take a closer look at the guests and staff of the Wellspring Hotel, and venture into the intriguing world of the local undertaker.

What is a light beam? What are photon particles? What are all things made of? These are questions young Einstein asked himself; questions that would change our world forever. Travel along with young Einstein to learn about his discoveries, still in motion today!

Mary Roget, una famosa y bella actriz de teatro, desaparece misteriosamente. Tras cuatro días sin ninguna pista, el inspector Auguste Dupin decide pedir ayuda al joven Poe, por su sagaz perspicacia. Sin embargo, la mujer reaparece de pronto, sin aclarar qué le ha ocurrido. El caso se da por cerrado hasta que... vuelve a desaparecer. Por desgracia, esta vez la investigación les lleva a descubrir el cadáver de Mary Roget. Ahora se trata de resolver un caso de asesinato.

Iqbal, a 13-year-old boy, fights for children's liberation. Bravely, he speaks out against children working long hours in carpet factories in Pakistan.

Sarah is the first person in her family who wasn’t born into slavery in Delta, Louisiana. But being free doesn’t mean that Sarah doesn’t have to work. She cooks, she cleans, she picks cotton, she does laundry and she babysits. And when she works, she wraps up her hair. One day, Sarah’s hair starts to fall out! It’s itchy, crunchy, patchy and won’t grow. Instead of giving up, Sarah searches for the right products. And then she invents something better than any shampoo or hair oil she’s used before.

Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age seventeen in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Readers will learn about Cassius' family and neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky, and how, after a thief stole his bike, Cassius began training as an amateur boxer at age twelve.

A young girl dreams of bringing clean drinking water to her African village. As a child in Burkina Faso, Georgie and the other girls in her village had to walk for miles each day to collect water. This vibrant, engaging story sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.

Mariel is a young girl who is struggling with her identity. As a Chinese-American being raised by her adoptive Latino family in Miami, she doesn't understand who she really is. All of the other kids make fun of her but Mariel feels connected to her Latino culture. After a trip to China, where she was born, Mariel learns about her Chinese heritage. Seeing the orphanage and all the children who are still up for adoption allow Mariel to be happy with her life. She is finally able to accept who she really is—a "Florida chica china by the way of Fujian!"

A young man with musical talents named Johann wandered the streets of Germany hoping for a chance to join the orchestra. But without a decent suit of clothes, Johann had very little hope of being heard. Thanks to the kindness of two strangers, and two fish heads, Johann got his chance! Learn more about the story of famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Ten-year-old Solo just wants to be normal. He wants a name that doesn't stand out. He wishes he had a proper school uniform that fitted him. He dreams about a mum who doesn't get the Big Bad Reds. But most of all he longs to stop crashing funerals for the free food. But when Solo and Morag crash the funeral of a celebrity and get caught, the press are there to witness their humiliation. The next day it's splashed across the papers. Before Solo knows it, he becomes a viral sensation, and life may never be normal again.

Lo sport non è fatto solo di vittorie e di sconfitte. È importante anche come si vince e come si perde. Perché essere un campione non significa soltanto conquistare una medaglia, battere un record, dominare nella propria disciplina, ma conquistare un primato morale, saper difendere un ideale nobile, dare un esempio. E combattere contro avversari invisibili e subdoli come la discriminazione razziale, politica o sessuale, contro malattie o infortuni gravissimi, o semplicemente contro regole ingiuste e tradizioni fuori dal tempo.

""Kirsten," hviskede Karl, "jeg tror, der sidder en eller anden i vinduet på køkkentrappen." "Det er vel bare én, der sidder og kikker ud." Karl så efter. Hans øjne var ved at vænne sig til halvmørket udenfor. Og nu var han helt sikker. Det var et menneske. Det var manden i vinduet! Han sad i vindueskarmen med ryggen ud mod gården. Og han sad så langt ude, at man kunne se det meste af hans overkrop og den øverste del af hans arme." Karl på 12 vokser op i 1950‘ernes Charlottenlund.

George ist klein, schmächtig und stottert. Weil seine Haut schwarz ist, darf er nicht zur Schule. Doch er gibt nicht auf: Mit Neugier und Liebe zur Schöpfung wird er Professor und macht die kleine Erdnuss groß. Seine Geschichte zeigt: Niemand ist zu klein, um die Welt mitzugestalten!

Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then her teacher takes the class on a trip to a mountain. It’s bigger than any Junko’s ever seen, but she is determined to make it to the top. Ganbatte, her teacher tells her. Do your best. After that first trip, Junko becomes a mountaineer in body and spirit. She climbs snowy mountains, rocky mountains and even faraway mountains outside of her home country of Japan.

Wangari lives in the lush, green land of rural Kenya, where the soil is perfect for planting, the trees tower into the sky and the streams are full of mysterious creatures. All day, she plays beneath her favourite fig tree, and at night, she gathers around the fire with her family to listen to her mother's stories. Then Wangari grows up and goes away to school, and things start changing at home. Farmers chop down the trees. Landslides bury the stream. The soil becomes overworked and dry, and nothing will grow. People go hungry.

Alicia was born to dance. From the moment she slips on pointe shoes for the first time, she’s determined to become a professional ballerina. A few years later, Alicia moves from Cuba to the United States to follow her dreams. Then, Alicia begins to lose her sight. How can a ballerina dance if she can’t see where she’s going? Stuck in bed and only able to practice with her fingertips, Alicia doesn’t give up. She finds a way to get back on stage, dancing into the hearts of audiences as one of the world’s most famous prima ballerinas.