Best Teen & Young Adult US Civil War History eBooks

In addition to being named a New York Times Outstanding Book, Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad was also selected as an American Library Association Notable Book. And through hard work and her willingness to risk everything-including her life-she was able to make that dream come true.But after making her escape, Harriet realized that her own freedom was not enough. She was the legendary "Moses," delivering hundreds from the desert of slavery.With indisputable narrative skill, Ann Petry recreates the life of a woman of great strength, bravery, and unshakeable moral fiber.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Stunning tale of the life of a heroine of the anti-slave movement, a remarkable woman of action who led many "trains" in the Underground Railroad."
"I enjoyed this read."
"I bought this for my mother who loves history and Harriet Tubman in Particular."
"This was a replacement or one I had 20 years ago.It is a book filled with emotion.I just love it."
"I learned things about Harriet that I never knew!"
"I read this book many years ago and Petry's works of fiction never fail to excite my imagination."
"This book is riveting."
"She was a great woman."

The true story behind the acclaimed movie 12 Years a Slave, this book is based on the life of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York who was captured in the United States and sold into slavery in Louisiana. This remarkable story follows Northup through his 12 years of bondage as a man kidnapped into slavery, enduring the hardships of slave life in Louisiana. Named one of the Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2013 by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I plan to read every book published about slavery,slave runaways, and theri life after slavery."
"This book really gets you into it."
"Excellent book!"
"Everybody should read this book and I would hope that it's apart of history class somewhere!!"
"I thought this book explained in great detail the unfortunate events that took place in the life of Solomon Northup."
"It helped that they drew pictures and inserted them into the story."
"This book was all that and more."
"My sixth grade son really appreciated how it described his life and how people helped him along the way."

That Congressman, Preston Brooks, was ready to attack Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over remarks Sumner made slamming senators who supported slavery in Kansas. While he provides plenty of material about military objectives, battles, and political and military leaders, such as the title's often-miserable Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, he also includes the stories of spies, drummer boys, women who masqueraded as men to join the army, and African Americans. The book is supplemented with a variety of cartoons, illustrations, maps, and diagrams. While the coverage is somewhat superficial, Sheinkin's book is a good choice to introduce students to the Civil War.— Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Bought the book for my daughter for school."
"My grandsons (10 1/2) have read it and re-read it and love it!"
"Great book for bedtime reading."
"It is an easy read aloud, because of the short chapters, which also helps keeps students engaged."
"this book is so fun to read and my social studies book in school is so boring!""
"This author tells the story of the Civil War in such a way kids will be engaged and even hanging on his every word."
"A wonderful read to better understand the civil war, and all the people involved on both sides."
"Really good book, plus informative."
Best Teen & Young Adult 20th Century US History eBooks

During World War II a community called Manzanar was hastily created in the high mountain desert country of California, east of the Sierras. First published in 1973, this new edition of the classic memoir of a devastating Japanese American experience includes an inspiring afterword by the authors. Jeanne Wakatsuki was seven years old in 1942 when her family was uprooted from their home and sent to live at Manzanar internment camp--with 10,000 other Japanese Americans. Farewell To Manzanar is the true story of one spirited Japanese American family's attempt to survive the indignities of forced detention .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My only disappointment was I was left with a desire for more information on the impact of internment on the Japanese Americans."
"Ready this touching memoir years ago and bought it for a gift for my room mate's daughter."
"I've read several books about the internment of the Japanese - this one was written from the perspective of one who endured it all. That DVD had much better image quality, and also an interview with the author, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston."
"The story chronicles Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family from running a successful fishing business in Long Beach California to internment."
"I'm glad it was because it really opened my eyes to this dark part of our past that I had previously known little about."
"A beautiful memoir to revisit time and time again as our world continues to change."
"Summer read for high school and guess what it was a wonderful story."
"This book is one of the best accounts of Japanese internment that I've come across."
Best Teen & Young Adult 19th Century US History eBooks

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin. The YA version of Swanson's bestselling Manhunt , this account of Lincoln's assassination and the 12-day search for his killer reads like a historical thriller, no matter that the narrative jumps among its locations and characters. As President Lincoln delivers victory speeches in April 1865, an enraged John Wilkes Booth vows death: "Now, by God, I'll put him through." Every bit of dialogue is said to come from original sources, adding a chill to the already disturbing conspiracy that Swanson unfolds in detail as Booth persuades friends and sympathizers to join his plot and later, to give him shelter. In focusing on Booth, the author reveals the depth of divisions in the nation just after the war, the disorder within the government and the challenges ahead.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is a fast-paced thriller about pursuing Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth. Booth was planning to kidnap Lincoln months before he planned to kill the President.Readers would like Chasing Lincoln’s Killer because not only are they reading a book about history, they are reading about gore and murderous activity."
"I did not get the book back until the end of the year as it was passed from student to student, each of them enjoying the book in his own way."
"This is by far the best account of what transpired throughout the country during and after John Wilkes Booth killed our president. For example, Swanson makes this about as entertaining as Billy the Kid stories, which I find very entertaining."
"Easy read and provide great background information."
"As a U.S. History teacher, I look for books to recommend to my students."
"Chasing Lincolns Killer details the story of the plots to murder the all notable Northern officials after the Civil War."
"This is far more detailed than what you would learn in your middle school/high school history class and would be a great supplement to the time when an instructor might be teaching about Lincoln."
Best Teen & Young Adult US Colonial & Revolutionary Periods History eBooks

A Young People's History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Praise for A People's History of the United States: "Zinn has written a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those who have been exploited...the book is an excellent antidote to establishment history....While the book is precise enough to please specialists, it should satisfy any adult reader." "In many years of searching, we have not found one history book we would recommend to them--until [the] just published "A Young People's History of the United States." He tells us the untold story, the story of the world's poor, the world's workers, the world's homeless, the world's oppressed, the people who don't really qualify as real people in official histories.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As this book explains at the beginning, most history books, especially textbooks, look at history from the point of view of power – kings and presidents, scientists and writers and other noteworthy names. Zinn, along with co-writer Rebecca Stefoff, wanted to bring a more accessible version of the book to younger audiences, hence, THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, which is roughly two-thirds as long with significantly less writing per page. The young people’s version pretty much follows the adult version of the book, starting with debunking the myth of Columbus and continuing until about the date of publication, including information on the September 11 attacks, the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq. As simplified as this book is, I don’t recommend it for high school students (most of whom can handle the adult version). I would like to see this book used in conjunction with a supposedly “objective” text book and maybe even an explicitly right-wing focused book. In this way, students will begin to understand how we know what we know about history and to understand the limits of objective “truth” in history, which really makes up a large chunk of what studying history is really all about, rather than simply memorizing names and dates. In fact, the book is quite optimistic in the idea that ordinary people, standing up for what they believe in, have the power to change history and thereby correct the mistakes of our imperialistic, racist, classist past to create a more equitable and just future as enshrined in our founding documents."
"I am supplementing with other resources, and we like it as a jumping off point for more investigation, research, and discussion."
"Thought provoking, challenges what you think you know & educates!"
"Bought this book for my 10 year old."
"If you haven't read any of Howard Zinn's books yet, this is a great place to start....don't let the "Young People's" part of the title dissuade you....it's truly for everyone!"
"I purchased this for my granddaughter because she loves American history."