Kek comes from Africa. In America he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter – cold and unkind. In Africa, Kek lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived, and now she's missing. Kek is on his own. Slowly, he makes friends: a girl who is in foster care; an old woman who owns a rundown farm, and a cow whose name means "family" in Kek's native language. As Kek awaits word of his mother's fate, he weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country. Bestselling author Katherine Applegate presents a beautifully wrought novel about an immigrant's journey from hardship to hope. Home of the Brave is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

In Blastin’the Blues, still fearing they are being followed and even more worried they have a traitor in their midst, the team travels to New Orleans, where the magic of their ball and the music of the city create one memorable game. But like always, trouble is right around the corner and the hits keep on coming for the Payne family and all of the Travelin’Nine! In Home of the Brave, after the rousing success in New Orleans, Griffith, Ruby, and Graham are determined to beat the Chancellor at his own game and save their family as well as the game of baseball. Pulling into their hometown of Baltimore, the Paynes are reunited with a familiar face, and the Travelin’Nine are tested on the field once again. Can they win without the help of their baseball? Prepare for fireworks in this final inning to the grand slam series, Sluggers!

Taken directly from affidavits stored at the National Archives in Washington, District of Columbia, immigrant soldiers and witnesses attest to the events that resulted in 26 soldiers of these soldiers being awarded the medal of honor.

A nation's future has been wagered on a game in which the participants are unaware they're playing. In the quiet community of San Luis Obispo, Lauren and Tim, two people on separate paths fated to cross, want only to enjoy normal lives. With an odyssey containing ambitious CIA officers, homesick FBI agents, government assassins, and the unseen forces of heaven and hell, they may not have a prayer. Using the Greek and Roman classics as his model, Ernest B. Caseres has written a modern and humorous fable where the only thing sacred is love.

THE STORY: A group of American soldiers volunteer for a dangerous mission to a Japanese-occupied island. One soldier develops a complex because he convinces himself that he has failed in his duty to a dying buddy. He imagines that being a Jew and t

In good times and bad, in times of economic downturn and times of wartime peril, we as Americans have shown our mettle. There is something in the historical DNA of this people - a resilience, a power, a talent for innovation, a unique and empowering bravery - that has carried us forward as a nation and a people for nearly 250 years. This book is about this history, this inheritance, this people. These characteristics apply not just to the people of the United States as a whole, but to each of us as individuals. Whether we are leaders, followers, friends, co-workers, parents, spouses, partners or simply sojourners in this thing we call life - it is rare for us to see those we care about suffer and not want to change their circumstances or alleviate their suffering. It is an almost in-born trait that we as individuals and as a nation tend to seek ways to overcome the challenges we periodically face. Home of the Brave is about meeting our individual challenges and the challenges of those we care about and care for. It is about finding the time-proven principles in the historical DNA of great Americans that we can draw on - not only for strength but for practical insight and action that can make even the most challenging times more manageable, even conquerable.

Modern-day doctor Karen Anderson finds herself transported into the past and into the arms of Standing Deer, a dreamy Native American warrior.