Nellie the Brave


Book Description

Time Period: Begins 1838 In 1838, Nellie Starr, a young Cherokee girl, is caught in the political upheaval of America's westward expansion. Forced by U.S. soldiers to leave their home in Tennessee, Nellie, her family, and thousands of other Cherokees travel the long, dangerous "Trail of Tears" to a new home in the Indian Territory of modern-day Oklahoma. Using actual historical events as a backdrop, this brand-new children's novel teaches lessons of American history and the Christian faith. Can Nellie learn to forgive the people who've turned her world upside down? Nellie the Brave is a compelling read for girls ages eight to twelve.




CROSSING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE


Book Description

Told through preserved family diaries, Crossing the Continental Divide joins two major 19th century American themes—the moral consequences of chattel slavery and the cultural consequences of settlers going west. In 1853, newly widowed Ethan Fall leaves Oxford, England, sailing with his two young daughters to Charleston, South Carolina, to begin their new life. When they arrive, Ethan unexpectedly becomes responsible for Sensible Rose, a sixteen-year-old girl of mixed racial parentage. In an effort to remove his daughters and Rose as far away as possible from the South’s “peculiar institution,” the four join a wagon train following the Oregon Trail. As they travel, Crossing the Continental Divide tells the story of their complex and changing relationships, set against the dangers of slavery coupled to the dangers of westward migration.




Miguel's Brave Knight


Book Description

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra finds refuge from his difficult childhood by imagining the adventures of a brave but clumsy knight. This fictionalized first-person biography in verse of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra follows the early years of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel. The son of a vagabond barber-surgeon, Miguel looks to his own imagination for an escape from his family's troubles and finds comfort in his colorful daydreams. At a time when access to books is limited and imaginative books are considered evil, Miguel is inspired by storytellers and wandering actors who perform during festivals. He longs to tell stories of his own. When Miguel is nineteen, four of his poems are published, launching the career of one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language. Award-winning author Margarita Engle's distinctive picture book depiction of the childhood of the father of the modern novel, told in a series of free verse poems, is enhanced by Raúl Colón's stunning illustrations. Back matter includes a note from both the author and illustrator as well as additional information on Cervantes and his novel Don Quixote.




The Adviser


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Nellie's memories


Book Description




Participants in the Battle of the Little Big Horn


Book Description

The Battle of the Little Big Horn was the decisive engagement of the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877. In its second edition this biographical dictionary of all known participants--the 7th Cavalry, civilians and Indians--provides a brief description of the battle, as well as information on the various tribes, their customs and methods of fighting. Seven appendices cover the units soldiers were assigned to, uniforms and equipment of the cavalry, controversial listings of scouts and the number of Indians in the encampments, the location of camps on the way to the Big Horn and more. Updated biographies are provided for many European soldiers, along with an additional 5,060 names of Indians who were or could have been in the battle.




New Peterson Magazine


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The Dementia Diaries of My Beautiful Mom, Nellie May, Born in April


Book Description

The true happenings of the time in the life of Nellie May born in April. A little joke we shared with Nellie regarding when she was born. Nellie did not have a happy childhood with a dad who beat her, she went through traumatic times when she had to go in the air raid shelter during the war when she was growing up. She went to a comprehensive school and started work at the age of 14. When Nellie was in her fifties, she liked to have a drink. I remember one day a taxi driver came to our house and asked if Nellie was at home I said no, he said I think I have her in my car (and he had). Looking back, we had some very funny times. Nellie was the life and soul of the party. She was feisty, head strong, not afraid to speak her mind, funny, loving, caring and beautiful she would do anything for anyone. She loved to dance and sing and play the organ. Nellie was in her eighties when she developed the terrible disease dementia, of which these diaries are about to tell. There were sad times but also some happy times. Nellie would always pronounce the word baby as babby as that is how she would say it. These diaries tell of what happened during her time with dementia.