Best Teen & Young Adult Literary Biography eBooks

New York Times Bestseller. A breakout teen author explores the true meaning of popularity and how to survive middle school in this hysterically funny, touchingly honest contemporary memoir. Gr 7 Up—The bright and perceptive Van Wagenen wanted to boost her popularity in middle school. Her modus operandi was intriguing: she used a 1950s teen etiquette book that her father found at a thrift store as a guide to climb the social ladder. The clash of eras and cultures is funny—the author wears a girdle, hat, and pearls to class; learns how to apply makeup; improves her posture and poise; and tries a diet. But the best lessons she learns from Fifties teen model Betty Cornell's Teen-Age Popularity Guide are about how to talk to and understand the people around her. Bravely visiting all the various cliques in the lunchroom and making conversation with her secret Sunday school crush, she becomes even more sensitive and aware—and yes, more popular. Van Wagenen's school, in Brownsville, TX, near the Mexican border, commonly experiences lockdown drills and warnings against gangs, and she casually mentions that smoke from a drug war in Matamoros, Mexico, is visible from her house. With a DreamWorks movie option in the works, this entertaining title should be in demand.—Liz French, Library Journal "I was inspired by her journey and made a point of saving a copy of 'Popular' for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. --Maude Apatow for the "New York Times Book Review". ""Popular "taps into a feeling shared by Bradbury and Bieber enthusiasts alike -- the need to fit in during middle school." --Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of" The Happiness Project" "Geeky and dorky, but never wimpy, Maya Van Wagenen is as powerful and honest as she.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I belong to a Young Adult book group (I'm just about to turn 50 but I still love reading kid lit and YA novels... good ones). My friend who has a 14 year old daughter told me about this book so I looked into it. I suggested it to our book group and we decided to all read it. I thought I'd read it and pass it along to my friend's daughter, but I think I'll have to keep it. Her awesomely supportive family, the whole idea of how she followed Betty's 1950's book to the letter (vaseline on the eyelids and wearing panty girdles! No spoilers here (that's a pet peeve of mine) but you will NOT be disappointed."
"Update - my daughter is 80% through and loves the way Maya writes, she doesnt always read what I recommend but this time she did!"
"At the end, Maya says she now knows that popularity isn't" clothes, hair, or even possessions. "Popular" is a book that resonates with so many people going through the unfair popularity trials of MS , including myself. I would recommend this book for anyone in middle school/ early HS, especially someone going through the whole "why does it seem like nobody likes me" and " Why does popularity seem based on such fickle things" phase."
"Here is her review: --- "Maya is an unpopular girl finishing her 8th grade year with an interesting experiment."
"She has a way of telling a story that makes you feel like you are experiencing it right along with her."
"This lovely book was so honest about the perils of middle childhood."
"What a cute book this was !"
"I love the confidence and inner strength she found, and I hope there's a follow up book as to what she's up to now!"

In Charleston, South Carolina, the summer of 1964, Ida Trueluck moves into her son’s house after losing her beloved husband of 40 years. If you like funny, heart-warming southern stories, you’ll love the unforgettable characters in this captivating novel by Amazon #1 bestselling author Susan Gabriel about the courage friends and family inspire in each other and the risks and rewards of trying to make the world a better place. As a girl raised in the south in the 1960's I appreciate the history and emotions that were portrayed perfectly. Susan Gabriel is the acclaimed southern author of Amazon #1 bestselling novels The Secret Sense of Wildflower (named a Best Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews) and Temple Secrets.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is the second book of hers that I've read, and True Luck Summer convinced me that Ms. Gabriel is in a league of her own, when it comes to Southern fiction."
"This is a delightful novel that very skillfully brings to light the issues of racism in the South during the 60's through the perspective of a precocious 12- year - old and her very hip grandmother."
"Trueluck Summer is the most enjoyable and moving book I've read in a long time."
"Another great read by one of my favorite authors."
"It brought to mind my all-time favorite, "To Kill A Mockingbird" and brought the '60's alive for me again."
"It reads smoothly and quickly and adds humor and southern charm."
"The grandmother and granddaughter, along with her friends,kept the story lively while presenting civil rights in the 1960's from several views."
"Susan Gabriel has captured a slice of Southern culture and the tumultuous era of the civil rights movement in a readable, educational story."

Certain that the cloister of frostbit Ursuline nuns and their students, Indian girls rescued from nearby reservations, will not survive without assistance, Mary decides to stay. She builds a hennery, makes repairs to living quarters, cares for stock, and treks into the mountains to provide food. Mary drives a horse and wagon through perilous terrain and sub zero blizzards to improve the lives of missionaries, homesteaders and Indians and, in the process, her own. After weathering wolf attacks, wagon crashes and treacherous conspiracies by scoundrels, local politicians and the state's first Catholic bishop, Mary Fields creates another daring plan. Her story will delight readers who look for a blend of accurate historical facts, hard-hitting drama, and realistic scenes powered by a feisty protagonist whose values and concerns become part of the social changes sweeping the nation." With the discerning eye of a photographer, the deft hand of a historian, and the literary heart of a poet, the life of Mary Fields, legendary black woman of Montana, rises majestically off the page into living history. 'This author works wonders with her pen...prose really is lovely; every sentence is a joy to read...fascinating tell on the life of Stagecoach Mary.'. MIANTAE METCALF MCCONNELL'S RESEARCH enabled USPS historians to verify Mary Fields as the first African American woman star route mail carrier in the U.S. A fact-based chronicle of Fields' life in Montana from 1885 until her death, the narrative examines women rights, bootleg politics, Montana's turn-of-the-century transition from territory to state and its scandalous 1914 woman suffrage election. O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE, READING ROOM TEN LIST 2018 An indefatigable former slave who braved the Montana Rockies on a journey to rescue a dying friend is the real-life subject of this 19th-century frontier narrative. Her story will delight readers who look for a blend of accurate historical facts, hard-hitting drama, and realistic scenes powered by a feisty protagonist whose values and concerns become part of the social changes sweeping the nation." Miantae Metcalf McConnell has fashioned a historical narrative marrying prose and poetry, fact with creative writing. With the discerning eye of a photographer, the deft hand of a historian, and the literary heart of a poet, the life of Mary Fields, legendary black woman of Montana, rises majestically off the page into living history. The Birdtail Valley, Montana.For those interested in United States and American West History, this book portrays the nation's multiethnic struggle for human rights by presenting factual discoveries and personal life stories.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Although I am not of black heritage that I know of my mother was a postmaster of a small town for 25 years and I know how children were a great part of her life as such."
"10-Star book...being an avid reader, has I have read MANY genres of books, I can say that this book rocked me to the core....overwhelmed by the character, intelligence, independence and tenacity of Mary Fields (white crow), I am thankful for such an upright, uplifted life of this woman."
"This book is also full of accurate historical data making me realize the privileges I enjoy today are because others fought for those rights."
"Fascinating story about a black woman living on frontier and her remarkable achievements."
"Mary's life story is a salute to a time, fortitude, and determination of a people gone by."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this story."
"Mary Fields was true adventure into the turn of the century."
"This is the story of a woman who exemplified the heart and spirit of a true heroine."
Best Turn of the 19th Century US History

In this fascinating true story, Anthony Bourdain follows Mary through the kitchens of New York, putting a human face to a poor, desperate cook, and an inadvertant killer, and, with his signature swagger, captures an era and a life. Like Lizzie Borden, Mallon has received various writers' interpretations, the last in a 1996 biography by Judith Leavitt of the same title (LJ 5/15/96) that told the tale with more health science and a less cranky style. Chapter titles tend toward the snarky and hip ("There's Something About Mary," "Typhoid sucks"), and only a New York guy would describe bacteria settling into a gall bladder "like rent-controlled pensioners." His light-handed telling concerns a possible hoax from about 1824, when a butcher and a carpenter in New York's old Centre Market purportedly discussed their plan to solve overbuilt Manhattan's dangerous bottom-heaviness by sawing it in half, turning the top part of the island around, and reattaching it at the Battery. Unwittingly responsible for an outbreak of typhoid fever in Oyster Bay, Long Island, in 1904, Mary, a cook, fled when authorities began to suspect that she was a carrier.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Rather superficial overview."
"I just finished reading a biography about a nurse serving islander's on papavray in Scotland ( island name changed to protect identities), and this book came up next."
"Interesting, historical."
"i like anthony bourdain. this is earlier work, he has done research."
"Quite a tale; Bourdain's writing is always superb."
"Love history and this book describes the Irish female experience and the conditions of sanitation during Mary's time."
"This book was very interesting."
"I learned all about Typhoid Mary from the book, and it was told in an interesting format."
Best Teen & Young Adult Women Biography eBooks

As her mother spirals out of control, Ashley is left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship, all the while getting pulled deeper and deeper into the foster care system. --Michael Cart "Quiet scenes cut deepest: the author's description of her only after-school visit to a friend's home lingers heartbreakingly in one's mind. This gifted young writer's moving and eye-opening story will especially appeal to fans of Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle and David Pelzer's autobiographical books."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was deeply troubled by what occurred to her while in foster care and my heart tore in a million pieces. I remember seeing my day taken away from us kids the day before foster care picked us, kids, up...thus, relating to Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir was easy and sad."
"A story about a girl who is thrust into the foster system (USA) as a little child and stays there for years."
"We're considering fostering kids, so I've read a handful of books on the topic and, so far, this one I think has given the most accurate portrayal of the challenges of both the foster system and the kids who have to endure it plus a nice ending about advocacy and hope."
"This young woman tells the true story of her life and being taken from her mother at the age of two."
"At the Moss' home she was deprived of food,forced to run laps in the burning Florida sun if she misbehaved in the slightest, made to drink hot sauce, treated like a lackey in general ,and spanked with a cooking spoon."
"It is based on a true-life story of a girl and her little her brother growing up in foster homes and shows how many children fall through the cracks in an overburdened and sometimes uncaring legal system."
Best Teen & Young Adult Sports Biography eBooks

The amazing story of the thirteen-year-old surfer girl who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her faith -- and of her triumphant return to competitive surfing. Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery in the wake of the shark attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. Readers may not recall the name Bethany Hamilton, but after a glance at the cover photo, they'll recognize her as the girl who lost her arm to a shark while surfing. She then goes back to discuss the events leading up to the attack and to describe what her life was like before the tragedy--home-schooling in a strong Christian household and lots of competitive surfing. All rights reserved "Surfer Bethany Hamilton, of Kauai, revisits her first book—about her life before and after losing her left arm to a shark in 2003, when she was 13.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My daughter is a swimmer and several of the mentions of surfing can apply to any sport."
"So, now that I'm finished reading her story, I'm going to watch the movie again!"
"This story talks about Bethany's faith in God as she overcomes the hardest obstacle in her life, a shark attack that leaves her with one arm."
"I love how she was so open about her faith and just laid it out black and white, plain and simple. Bethany said in her book that she wants to continue to stay humble and be a good example to young girls out there, even after being famous. Not only has this surfer shown how talented and ambitious she is but, she got to show the world that with Jesus all things are possible!"
"There are pictures and places to write some of her thoughts, and the devotions are really good, in depth, real-life, thought-provoking devotions that will speak to the hearts of young people as well as adults."
"This was a wonderfully inspiring read."
"Its language is accessible to fifth, sixth, and seventh graders. I'm actually using it in the classroom, and I have students talking about life lessons that Bethany shares: about being good team players, good losers, patient, and courageous in the face of adversity. She goes into great details explaining how her parents and brothers helped develop her courageous character to be able to sustain a quite "tragic" incident."
"Amazing true story about a severe shark attack."
Best Teen & Young Adult Historical Biography eBooks

Manny Steinberg (1925-2015) spent his teens in Nazi concentration camps in Germany, miraculously surviving while millions perished. Outcry - Holocaust Memoirs is the candid account of a teenager who survived four Nazi camps: Dachau, Auschwitz, Vaihingen an der Enz, and Neckagerach. Manny Steinberg relates how he was served human flesh and was forced to shave the heads of female corpses and pull out their teeth. Cherishing a picture of his beloved mother in his wooden shoe, he miraculously survived the terror of the German concentration camps together with his father and brother. When the Americans arrived in April 1945, Manny was little more than a living skeleton, with several broken ribs and suffering from a serious lung condition, wearing only a dirty, ragged blanket. Outcry has become a classic of holocaust literature and human survival, and is recommended reading for college students and the younger generation in general. I would highly recommend this to any history class that deals with this time period and to any book club that wants to touch on a reality we can hardly fathom. Although Manny spent his early years in German Camps and never attended school past the 7th grade, he managed to always support his family while providing a foundation of strength and love. "Outcry - Holocaust Memoirs", Manny's life story, has captured the miracle of one man's determined will to survive.The autobiography was written to fulfil a promise the author made to himself during the first days of freedom. "Not a day goes by that I do not think of my childhood or family, but as long as I'm allowed to be here on earth, I will wake up everyday feeling fortunate and blessed."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This memoir was heartbreakingly riveting."
"Finally the day came when his family was loaded onto the train and separated into those horrible lines when the Jewish people already knew what the lines meant.... his step-mother and young brother in one line...his father and middle brother in the work line for the work camps. His brother had the foot of his and the foot of the person on the other side slipped under his feet to look older/taller so he could be in his brother's line."
"As a matter of fact, Hilter's term "Aryan" was of the same derivation as the term "Iranian" and they all, whether Nazi, Sunni Extremists, or the terrorist sanctioning Shiite mullahs of Iran... I'm so glad this man has survived, and persevered through the vagaries of life to write this memoir."
"A very well written book."
"I very seldom watch or read anything holocaust related....saw Diary of Anne Frank...Life is Beautiful....that's it....wanted to watch Schindlers List but couldn't work up the courage....I am uncomfortable imagining the horror endured by Jews and others during that dark period in human existence ...I was compelled for some unknown impulse to read Outcry:Holocaust Memoirs ."
"The description of the attacks on the people in the Jewish getto were almost more than I could bear to read. How could someone suffering under the same hardships as you actually spy on you, or turn you in to what they knew would be horrible cruelty or death for an extra slice if bread?"
"The fact that two brothers and their father could stay together the whole time was truly amazing."
"The story of the triumph of the human spirit and the love of Manny for his family and all his Jewish friends made my heart swell with such pride in Manny and joy at his freedom and his life."
Best Teen & Young Adult Performing Arts Biography eBooks

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From YouTube sensations Dan Howell (danisnotonfire) and Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) comes a laugh-out-loud look into the world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the Internet. Now they invite you on a behind-the-scenes journey, filled with absolutely essential advice, tons of humor, lots of awkwardness, and TMI honesty that they will probably regret. Here's just a small sample of the fun surprises readers can look forward to: • The inside story of that time they met One Direction. Their quirky comedy videos about their lives and observations on the world have earned them a following of over 11 million subscribers across their channels and a show on BBC Radio 1.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Dan and Phil put so much effort into this, and it really shows."
"I AM SO PROUD OF MY MEME SONS."
"kms that was gold my mEME QUEENS ARE GROWING UP SO FAST."
"It was really nice to read and see that it was everything Dan and Phil had described and more."
"Very nice think book with lots of neat facts and stuff."
"I really love the fact that it is written in the form of a back and forth dialogue between Dan and Phil, since their silly banter is one of the best things about watching their videos together."
"This book is in the style of a yearbook, chronicling his and his best friend, Dan Howell (DanIsNotOnFire) through their youth, YouTube, and a bit of present day."
"Imagine if you will having a piece of Dan and Phil's life in the palm of your hands..."
Best Teen & Young Adult Cultural Heritage Biography eBooks

Resilience shines throughout Michael Gruenbaum’s “riveting memoir” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) about his time in the Terezin concentration camp during the Holocaust, in this National Jewish Book award finalist and Parents Choice Gold Medal Award–winning title, an ideal companion to the bestselling Boy on the Wooden Box . Michael “Misha” Gruenbaum enjoyed a carefree childhood playing games and taking walks through Prague with his beloved father. Written in first-person present-tense narration, this riveting memoir traces the increasingly appalling events that took place from 1939–1945 in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, as seen through the eyes of Gruenbaum. There, Misha joins a group of 40 boys who live, work, and play under the stern but loving care of Franta, a young man who calls them the “Nesharim,” and demands high moral character: “We will let nothing separate us from our humanity.” The ingenuity, love, and defiant courage displayed by Misha, his parents, Franta, and others counteract incessant degradation and terror, creating an inspiring testament to human resilience. (Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW May 25, 2015). "Young Misha’s narration sets this Holocaust memoir apart from others. With this book, Michael Gruenbaum has offered the current generation of young readers a very special book that will trigger both emotion and reflection; it is an extremely valuable tool for all of us who are trying to teach teenagers about the Holocaust . ".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book reflects a seamless collaboration between Michael and his co-author, Todd Hasak-Lowy, who crafted the fluent narrative based on his conversations with Michael about his experience, brief visits to Terezin and Auschwitz, and additional research to steep himself fully in what Michael, his family, and his friends likely experienced during their imprisonment and enslavement."
"Michael's story is presented in a fast moving, engaging format, and gives a glimpse into the events and feelings that "Misha" experienced as his family was forced from their comfortable life in Prague, first into the Jewish ghetto, and later, into the Terezin concentration camp."
"Having visited the old Jewish quarter and museum in Prague, Czech Republic, and the places this boy lived, it was very very real."
"Somewhere There Is Still a Sun starts like a private journal of a pre-adolescent boy candidly recording his innermost thoughts and emotions on the daily routines of his life in Prague in early 1939."
"I liked hearing the story in the first person narrative, the author as a boy, and as a well drawn typical boy of that age, torn with wanting independence, fun with other boys, fear of the unknown, along with craving the loving arms of his mom."