Search Results
Select any highlighted title for detailed information about that resource.
Emotions-Personal Issues
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual
Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues
    Heart is Big Enough, The
      Each of these five stories focuses on a protagonist with special challenges who is approaching adolescence. As author Steven Kellogg notes on the dust jacket, these stories "bring illumination and enjoyment to those of us who have already passed through"
      Author: Rosen, Michael

    Piano Starts Here
      This wonderfully illustrated picture book reads in the first person like a reminiscence, but actually was written long after jazz pianist Art Tatum died. It tells the story of his childhood, his family,his terrible eyesight, and his journey to success. T
      Author: Parker, Robert Andrew HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Strongest Man in the World, The: Louis Cyr
      The text of this book goes far beyond just being the biography of a famous 20th century strong man, Louis Cyr. It is a description of early health mores and an evolution of the circus concept. Additionally, we learn a little about the other famous circus
      Author: Debon, Nicolas HSE Descriptors: social studies

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > gender
    Brave Harriet
      The story of Harriet Quimby, the first woman to earn a pilot's license and the first woman to fly across the English Channel, is told in the first person. An author's note adds historical facts.
      Author: Moss, Marissa HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Coast to Coast with Alice
      A fictionalized account of the real 1909 journey of four women who crossed the country in a Maxwell car becoming the first women to do so. Written as a journal by Minna Jahns, the 15-year-old friend of Alice Ramsey, the narrative includes the physical dif
      Author: Hyatt, Patricia Rusch HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Girls
      The subtitle, A History of Growing Up Female in America, tells it all. The 10 chapters cover history from colonial America to the Millennium. A good index and Selections for Further Reading make this a good reference text. The author selects girls from
      Author: Colman, Penny HSE Descriptors: science

    Library for Juana, A
      This beautifully illustrated imaginative biography (little is known) focuses on the early life of Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, who became the first and one of the greatest Mexican poets known as Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The author includes a glossary, furt
      Author: Mora, Pat HSE Descriptors: social studies

    More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females
      All the poems in this collection are about women and girls, some famous and some not. The three sections of the book are "When I Am Me," "She's a Winner" (about sports), and "Against the Odds." Work from some famous poets is included.
      Author: Morrison, Lillian (comp.) HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
      On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
      Author: Newman, Leslea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Rosie the Riveter
      This carefully researched book tells the story of the millions of women who worked in factories during WW II, how they got there, and how they were persuaded to return home after the war was over. The volume is illustrated with archival photographs and c
      Author: Colman, Penny HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Ruby's Wish
      The author tells the story of her Chinese grandmother, Ruby, who yearned for learning and the opportunity to attend the university, which was against custom.
      Author: Bridges, Shirin Yim

    Separate Battle, A: Women and the Civil War
      This must-have addition to a Civil War collection weaves together stories of slave women, abolitionists, women's rights leaders, and famous and not-so-famous women to offer a look at women's experiences during the Civil War. Diaries and letters are frequ
      Author: Chang, Ina HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
      The story of Blanche Leathers, the country's first female steamboat captain, sailing on the Mississippi River.
      Author: Gilliland, Judith Heide HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Wreck of the Zanzibar, The
      When Laura Perryman dies, her great-nephew Michael gets her diary. The diary reveals remarkable stories about a time when people lived off the bounty (and at the mercy) of the ocean. This story "of a family bound by respect for nature seamlessly blends
      Author: Morpurgo, Michael

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > health
    American Plague, An
      Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Bluish
      This is a warm, easy to read story of three young girls and their developing friendship. Natalie, whom the children call Bluish, suffers from leukemia.
      Author: Hamilton, Virginia

    Can't Get There from Here
      This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
      Author: Strasser, Todd

    Charles and Emma
      Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
      Author: Heligman, Deborah HSE Descriptors: science

    Charles and Emma
      Charles Darwin's struggles with religious beliefs and his developing theory of evolution are the backdrop for this domestic biography of the Darwins. The author includes a genealogy chart, extensive source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index.
      Author: Heligman, Deborah HSE Descriptors: science

    Growing Up in Coal Country
      Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
      Author: Bartoletti, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Invisible Enemies
      This well-written but long book describes seven deadly diseases--Small Pox, Leprosy, Plague, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cholera, and AIDS--the epidemics they caused, and the treatments developed by courageous scientists. The author includes a glossary, a bib
      Author: Farrell, Jeanette HSE Descriptors: science

    Jim the Boy
      In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
      Author: Early, Tony

    Run Far, Run Fast
      When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
      Author: Decker, Timothy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Run Far, Run Fast
      When a mother tells a young girl in 14th C Europe to "run far, run fast" to escape the pestilence, the girl discovers that she cannot outrun the plague but is helped by a friendly man. The exquisite pen and ink drawings are integral to the story. The on
      Author: Decker, Timothy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Saying It Out Loud
      Mindy is a typical 16-year-old teenager when her mother develops a serious medical problem. This touching story alternates between Mindy's current feelings and actions and flashbacks to earlier memories to show her reaction to this terrible tragedy.
      Author: Abelove, Joan

    Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
      This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
      Author: Kent, Deborah HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    That Summer
      A boy looks back on the summer that his brother became ill and died.
      Author: Johnston, Tony

    Working Children
      The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
      Author: Saller, Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Young Teddy Roosevelt
      A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
      Author: Harness, Cheryl HSE Descriptors: social studies

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > physical disability
    Bells of Christmas, The
      This long picture book may be read slowly, although it is not broken into chapters. It is a reminiscence of an African-American family's celebration of Christmas in the 1890s and is set in the farmlands of Ohio.
      Author: Hamilton, Virginia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Book of Colors, The
      This book is written in Braille alphabet so the sighted reader can share the reading experience with the blind reader. The books is printed in black pages to further simulate the reading experience of the blind reader. This books has been printed around
      Author: Cottin, Menena HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Chuck Close Up Close
      This biography of the contemporary artist Chuck Close captures his inventiveness in text and vivid color photographs. An index of illustrations, an essay on portraits, a bibliography, and a list of museums that display the artist's work provide informati
      Author: Greenberg, Jan & Jordan, Sandra HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Cool Moonlight, A
      Lila, who has an allergy to sunlight, lives with her disability helped by her family and friends, real and imaginary. The author uses lyrical language deftly to tell the story with great sensitivity and lightness.
      Author: Johnson, Angela

    Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
      This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
      Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
      This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
      Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
      Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
      Russell Freedman scores his usual high marks for this biography of FDR, complete with excellent archival photographs and bibliographical information for further study.
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly
      Patsy, a 12-year-old slave girl, keeps a diary during 1865, describing the changes in the plantation that come with the Emancipation Proclamation. The author appends historical notes, archival photographs, the wording of Constitutional Amendments 13,14,
      Author: Hansen, Joyce HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy
      This biography of John Kennedy follows his life from his childhood to his White House years. The book is laced with many eloquent quotations from Kennedy and those close to him to craft a lyrical portrait of JFK. Vivid artwork.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Mind's Eye
      This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
      Author: Fleischman, Paul HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Spitfire
      Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
      Author: Miller, Sarah

    Miss Spitfire
      Using real letters and records, the author vividly imagines the early days of the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the teacher's perspective.
      Author: Miller, Sarah

    Out of the Dust
      Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
      Author: Hesse, Karen HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science
      As the result of a bizarre mining accident in 1848 in which a metal rod ran through his brain, Phineas Gage provided scientists an opportunity to study the brain and the biological basis of behavior. Photographs, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index
      Author: Fleischman, John HSE Descriptors: science

    Printer, The
      A son retells the story of his father, a deaf printer working in a newspaper plant in the 1940's who used sugn language to save his co-workers from a fire. In addition, the author gives biographical information about his father who was the model for the
      Author: Uhlberg, Myron

    Ray Charles
      In a beautiful reprint of a 1973 book, the author tells the story of the legendary blind musician Ray Charles. An Afterword updates the earlier version.
      Author: Mathis, Sharon HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Sees Behind Trees
      A blind Native American boy learns to "see behind trees", guided by his mother, to use his other senses. He uses his gift to help an old warrior find a land of mystery and beauty that he'd discovered years ago, and could not find again himself.
      Author: Dorris, Michael HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Thank you, Mr. Falker
      While in 5th grade, Trisha, the central, autobiographical character, encounters a new teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading that had caused her such humiliation since first grade.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia

    Under the Shadow of Wings
      Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
      Author: Banks, Sara

    Young Teddy Roosevelt
      A biography of the life of Theodore Roosevelt up to the time of his presidency has illustrations that are as interesting as the well-written text.
      Author: Harness, Cheryl HSE Descriptors: social studies

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > safety
    Boy of the Deeps
      On his first day in the coal mines, a boy with his father survive an accident.
      Author: Wallace, Ian HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Can't Get There from Here
      This fictional story of homeless teens trying to survive on NYC streets in winter recounts the perils of drugs, sex, starvation, cold, and the help of a few who try to intervene. This is a gripping story, but not for the faint of heart.
      Author: Strasser, Todd

    Cheap Raw Material: How Our Youngest Workers Are Exploited and Abused
      This book is a chronological nonfiction account of children as laborers. Child labor in the U.S. is the focus, but historical background (e.g., Rome, England) is also provided. This history is chronicled through quotations from primary sources, stories
      Author: Meltzer, Milton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Just One Flick of the Finger
      Young Jack brings his father's gun to school hoping to scare a bully, but events take an unexpected and violent turn.
      Author: Lorbiecki, Marybeth

    Librarian of Basra, The
      A true story of the librarian of Basra, Iraq, who saved the books in the town library during the current war. In an end note, the author brings the reader up-to-date on the librarian.
      Author: Winter, Jeanette

    Monster
      16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean

    Printer, The
      A son retells the story of his father, a deaf printer working in a newspaper plant in the 1940's who used sugn language to save his co-workers from a fire. In addition, the author gives biographical information about his father who was the model for the
      Author: Uhlberg, Myron

    Something out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radiation
      This is a very readable biography of Marie Curie and her discovery of radiation.
      Author: McClafferty, Carla HSE Descriptors: science

    Stitches: A Memoir
      An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
      Author: Small, David HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | language arts - writing

    Stolen Dreams
      This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
      Author: Parker, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Under the Shadow of Wings
      Obie, a developmentally disabled boy dies causing a variety of emotional response from his friend Tatnall, an 11-year-old girl.
      Author: Banks, Sara

    Wolf on the Fold
      Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
      Author: Clarke, Judith

    Working Children
      The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
      Author: Saller, Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Your Move
      When gang initiation threatens his younger brother, James summons the courage to make up his own mind.
      Author: Bunting, Eve

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > sexuality
    Bee & Jacky
      A brother and sister suffer the effects of their father's Vietnam trauma and their mother's ineffectualness by resuming a physical relationship. This moving, psychologically honest book is difficult to read because the real or imagined incest is portraye
      Author: Coman, Carolyn

    Buried Alive
      This collection of linked poems explores the rich, puzzling and painful experiences of love from teenagers' points of view.
      Author: Fletcher, Ralph HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
      A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline

    Like Sisters on the Homefront
      When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
      Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Now Sheba Sings the Song
      This book consists of one long poem and dozens of sketches of African-American women. It is a sensuous book that celebrates the sexuality, the history, and the strength of Black women.
      Author: Angelou, Maya

    October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
      On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
      Author: Newman, Leslea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Perfect Shot, The
      Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
      Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Persepolis 2
      This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
      Author: Satrapi, Marjane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sigmund Freud
      This biography introduces the history of the study of the physical and emotional aspects of the mind as well as the colorful life of Sigmund Freud. Additional resources include an appendix, a bibliography, web sites, and an index.
      Author: Krull, Kathleen HSE Descriptors: science

    True Believer
      This is not exactly a sequel to Make Lemonade, but the style is similar and many of the characters are the same-- LaVaughn, her mother, Jolly and her children [they have a minor role in this book]. LaVaughn is 15, lives in the inner city, and str
      Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer

    With a Hammer for My Heart
      When 15-year-old Lawanda befriends a WW II veteran living in an old school bus, she sets in motion events that will change her life and all those around her. The well-written story unfolds with each chapter telling the story from the point of view of eac
      Author: Lyon, George Ella

Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues >individual> physical issues > sexuality > homosexuality
    October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
      On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
      Author: Newman, Leslea HSE Descriptors: social studies


Ohio Aspire

Contact us

Ohio Aspire
p: 800.765.2897 option 2
p: 330.672.2007 option 2
f: 330.672.4841
ohiopdn@literacy.kent.edu

Explore more resources at:

Ohio Aspire
PDN Library