Biographies

A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt (Homeschool subjects covered: history renaissance and reformation, martyrs) Robert Bolt's classic play...

Abraham Lincoln endured much suffering in his lifetime, but he was a true sower of faith and freedom. The life of Abraham Lincoln is well recorded for history - through his own journals and the detailed research of countless historians. But sadly, the spiritual side of Abraham Lincoln has seldom been reported, partly because he held no formal church membership. This book explores the spiritual side of Abraham Lincoln, relying on his own words and the observations of his family, his friends, and historians.

"The soldier heaved me over his shoulder as if I were a spring lamb.
"I am not Israelite!" I screamed.

Sold into slavery, Adara becomes a servant to General Namaan and his family and begins a remarkable journey of self-discovery, healing, and redemption a journey that, in the end, faces herwith the hardest decision of her life . . .

"One of the most important figures to come out of the awakening world of the Renaissance was Galileo Galelei. Often referred to as the "Archimedes of his time" Galileo was forever asking questions. Is it possible to measure heat? Is it possible to weigh air? Does the earth stand still or does it move? How fast do objects fall to the earth? His questions led to some of the most important answers of the scientific world

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz is the story of Paul's famous ride before the Battle of Lexington on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Jean Fritz historical children's books are written sort of journalistically (if that is a word), but she has this great knack for finding unusual tidbits about famous historical figures that make them pop from the page and come alive.

This classic, by Jean Fritz covers the era of exploration from 1421 to 1522. Like most Jean Fritz books, this one is charmingly illustrated with maps, portraits, and scenes of the period. Jean tells 10 tales of famous explorers and their exploits: Prince Henry the Navigator, Bartholomew Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Pedro Cabral, John Cabot, Amerigo Vespucci, Ponce de Leon, Vasco de Balboa, and Ferdinand Magellan. This book makes an excellent addition to any study of the Renaissance.

It is the year 597 and Pope Gregory is sending a select number of his monks, led by Fr. Augustine, to re-evangelize England. Young Wolf, born in that land but raised in Rome, accompanies his father, Wolfstan, who goes as a guide and interpreter. Though the King of Kent's wife is a Christian, the missionaries from Rome do not know whether they will be welcomed, tolerated or martyred. In a story full of adventure, Wolf meets Fritha, a Saxon girl whose life and destiny are soon closely bound up with his own.

Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia is back in print! A Landmark Book. Full of interesting facts and a lively biography for kids involving the events surrounding the birth of our nation as seen through the eyes of Ben Franklin. This is one of the books necessary to complete the PA Keystones 2 history study.

The king was going mad . . . So begins Polly Schoyer Brooks's account of one of history's most compelling stories and one of the world's most popular heroines-Joan of Arc. Brooks tells us of a fifteenth-century France ravaged by war, plague, and religious conflict; of a king who suffered fits of madness and his weak son who made a disappointing successor; and of a peasant girl from the countryside who accomplished what appeared to be miracles by rallying the dispirited French nation with her desire to see the rightful king rule. 

This delightful biography of President Teddy Roosevelt was written by Jean Fritz. She has a knack for finding interesting trivia about individuals, and using that knowledge to make her characters come alive. Clearly depicting the zeal and enthusiasm of the man, you'll read of his many exploits, including studying birds, hunting, and roping exotic animals, writing books, fighting, and exploration. He served as governor, vice president, and president. This book would make an excellent addition to any study of recent American history or New York history.

This entertaining volume sheds light on the life of England's King George III. It begins when he was a bashful boy who blushed easily, goes on to his early days as king, and finally examines his role in the American Revolution - when Americans ceased to think of him as good King George. Fascinating history made accessible for young readers.

Early in May 1861, twenty-one-year-old Sam R. Watkins of Columbia, Tennessee, joined the First Tennessee Regiment, Company H, to fight for the Confederacy. Of the 120 original recruits in his company, Watkins was one of only seven to survive every one of its battles, from Shiloh to Nashville. Twenty years later, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering around my knees and bumping about my elbows," he wrote this remarkable account of "Co. Aytch".

In 1520, thirteen-year-old Anne Boleyn, jealous of her older sister's beauty and position at court, declares that she will one day be queen of England, and that her sister will kneel at her feet. Though born without great beauty, wealth, or title, Anne Boleyn blossomed into a captivating woman. She used her wiles to win the heart of England's most powerful man, King Henry VIII, and to persuade him to defy everyone--including his own wife--to make her his new queen. But Anne's ambition proved to be her fatal flaw.

Dr Oma is a story set in the time of the reformation. Juliana von Stolberg (1506 – 1580) the Queen Mother of the Netherlands, is cherished by the Dutch people as a wise and gifted healer. Juliana gains an able apprentice when her granddaughter Maria comes to live with her. Will Maria learn to trust her fears to God while her father, the courageous William of Orange, fights to free Holland from Spanish rule? Will one woman’s belief save the Netherlands and change the world? 

Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines - a sensitive, appealing and lively biography of America's beloved composer which boys and girls (all others, too) will take to their hearts and treasure. His Quaker beginnings, his irrepressible interest in music, his youthful triumphs abroad, his visit to the master, Franz Liszt, who greeted him warmly and asked him back again to play at the festival in Zurich - his romance with his pupil, the lovely Marian Nevins, their marriage and return to America, the launching of the Peterboro, New Hampshire, colony, which bears his name - these are some of the delightful stories in the rich career of America's greatest composer, told gently, sensitively and with feeling, in a truly inspiring book.

This is the fascinating biography of the Scottish hero of the 1924 Olympics whose story was portrayed in Chariots of Fire and who went on to become a missionary in China.

Most people will remember Eric Liddell as the inspiration for the award-winning movie Chariots of Fire. But his life away from athletic competition was even more compelling and held an influence that reached all the way to a Japanese internment camp in China.

This courageous Christian penned The Star Spangled Banner.  Francis Scott Key sowed seeds of aith to his family and friends all his life. The beauty of his words and the example of his Chritian life allow us to appreciate him today.

Cheryl Harness uses her wonderfully vibrant art and down-to-earth writing style to "chip away the marble" and present George Washington as more than a monument. We see George the adventurous boy, tromping through the woods with his dog and his hunting rifle; George the courageous military leader fighting alongside his men; George the cunning military strategist, outfoxing the British and forcing their surrender at Yorktown; George the brilliant statesman presiding over the Constitutional Convention; and George the President, wisely protecting our country from enemies foreign and domestic so it could grow strong. 

When the great Velazquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja. In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de Trevino tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.

Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II.

At the end of the 13th century, the oppressed Scots rebelled against England under the leadership of William Wallace, a scottish knight who fought for Scotland's independence, and Robert the Bruce, who was eventually crowned king of Scotland. This gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity takes readers into heroic company with a fictional protagonist, young Archie Forbes, who fights alongside the legendary heroes.

This biography of the author of the popular "Little House" books tells her family's real life on the American frontier, and of the events that surpassed the drama of her stories. 

Little House in the Big Woods is the 1st book in the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder that described life on the frontier in the middle of the 19th century. Laura and her family pack up all of their earthly belongings and travel across several states to settle on the prairie. Their adventures are exciting and even hair-raising. Facing loneliness, danger, deprivation, and loss, the Ingalls family make an incredible journey to build a new life on the frontier. Illustrated. This book makes an excellent addition to any study of US history and frontier life.