Other books that might interest you

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  Fort Donelson: The History of...

  Jonathan Gianos-Steinberg

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  In January of 1862, Grant persuaded General Henry “Old Brains” Halleck to allow his men to launch a campaign on the Tennessee River. As soon as Halleck acquiesced, Grant moved against Fort Henry, in close coordination with the naval command of Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote. The combination of infantry and naval bombardment helped force the capitulation of Fort Henry on February 6, 1862, and the surrender of Fort Henry was followed immediately by an attack on Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River, which earned Grant his famous nickname “Unconditional Surrender”. Grant’s forces enveloped the Confederate garrison at Fort Donelson, which included Confederate generals Simon Buckner, John Floyd, and Gideon Pillow. In one of the most bungled operations of the war, the Confederate generals tried and failed to open an escape route by attacking Grant’s forces on February 15. Although the initial assault was successful, General Pillow inexplicably chose to have his men pull back into their trenches, ostensibly so they could take more supplies before their escape. Instead, they simply lost all the ground they had taken, and the garrison was cut off yet again. 
  During the early morning hours of February 16, the garrison’s generals held one of the Civil War’s most famous councils of war. Over the protestations of cavalry officer Nathan Bedford Forrest, who insisted the garrison could escape, the three generals agreed to surrender their army, but none of them wanted to be the fall guy. General Floyd was worried that the Union might try him for treason if he was taken captive, so he turned command of the garrison over to General Pillow and escaped with two of his regiments. Pillow had the same concern and turned command over to General Buckner before escaping. Despite all of these successful escapes, General Buckner decided to surrender to Grant, and when asked for terms of surrender, Grant replied, “No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender.” 

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  The Lost Ryu

  Emi Watanabe Cohen

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  Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a big ryu in real life. Those dragons all disappeared from Japan after World War II, and twenty years later, they’ve become the stuff of legend. Their smaller cousins, who can fit in your palm, are all that remain. And  
  Kohei loves his ryu, Yuharu, but …  
   
  … Kohei has a memory of the big ryu. He knows that’s impossible, but still, it’s there, in his mind. In it, he can see his grandpa—Ojiisan—gazing up at the big ryu with what looks to Kohei like total and absolute wonder. When Kohei was little, he  
  dreamed he’d go on a grand quest to bring the big ryu back, to get Ojiisan to smile again.  
   
  But now, Ojiisan is really, really sick. And Kohei is running out of time. Kohei needs to find the big ryu now, before it’s too late. With the help of Isolde, his new half-Jewish, half-Japanese neighbor; and Isolde’s Yiddish-speaking dragon,  
  Cheshire; he thinks he can do it. Maybe. He doesn’t have a choice.  
   
  In The Lost Ryu, debut author Emi Watanabe Cohen gives us a story of multigenerational pain, magic, and the lengths to which we’ll go to protect the people we love.

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  Armistice Runner

  Tom Palmer

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  Tom Palmer celebrates the unsung athletic heroes of the Armistice in a powerful intergenerational tale of the fell-running messengers on the front-line of war. 
  Lily has lots of worries. She's struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, she's losing her gran to Alzheimer's. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfather's diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win? 
  The Armistice Runner is a testament to the power of stories, the thrill of sports, and the bonds of family. This award-winning book, hailed as one of the best in juvenile and young adult fiction, takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, from the battlefields of Europe to the challenging world of fell-running races. 
  For fans of T.Z. Layton (The Academy IV), Dan Freedman (Jamie Johnson), Jeff Kinney (No Brainer), Martin Smith (The Football Superstar), and Marta Kissi (The Friend Dilemma). 
  HarperCollins 2024

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  Blessing's Bead

  Debby Dahl Edwardson

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  ALASKA, 1917 
  Nutaaq adores her older sister, Aaluk, and the happy world of their close-knit Iñupiaq village. When Aaluk goes across the sea to marry a Siberian Inuit man, she gives Nutaaq a gift from her husband's people: two precious cobalt blue beads.  
   
  Through the months that follow, as a great shadow falls over the village, the beads remind Nutaaq of the people she loves, and hold out hope that she might connect with her sister again. 
   
  ALASKA, 1989 
  Blessing's life in the city is unpredictable, with a mother who's sometimes wonderful and sometimes gone. When Mom finally can't take care of her anymore, Blessing is sent to live in a remote Arctic village with a grandmother she barely remembers. In her new home, unfriendly girls whisper in a language she doesn't understand, and Blessing feels like an outsider among her own people.  
   
  Until she looks in her grandmother's sewing tin—and finds a cobalt blue bead. 
   
  How might Blessing discover her place in her family and community? And will Nutaaq's hope ever be fulfilled? Tracing four generations of bonds and breakage within one Iñupiaq family, Blessing's Bead is a lovely and surprising novel about trauma, survival, and the healing power of culture and stories.

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  Michelle and the Missing Manatee

  J.B. Moonstar

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  Join Michelle on her adventure to rescue a baby manatee! 
  As a hurricane rips through her coastal community, Michelle does her best to stay safe inside her house, but a strange siren leads her to the end of her dock. There she discovers a young manatee named Ethan who is in desperate need of help. Quickly joined by Knocker, a dragon who can transform into a human, and Alleana, the leader of the Crystal Cay mermaids, the trio devise a plan to save him. 
  As this unique group of rescuers lead the baby manatee to safety, the worst of the hurricane hits. Trees fall, structures collapse and Michelle’s family is suddenly in danger. Michelle must overcome her fears and learn to trust others again if they are to save both Ethan and her family. Will renewed trust, compassion, and courage, along with a touch of mermaid magic, be enough? Only time will tell if Michelle can find the courage to save the day!

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  Haunted Places

  Sequoia Kids Media

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  Take a spooky trip around the world! Early learners will encounter real facts about cemeteries, haunted hotels, and more as they travel through this collection of hair-raising tales.

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