Fallout

Impossible Escape

A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL AND HEROISM IN NAZI EUROPE

It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolph (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he must escape. Even if death is more likely.

Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe—that each day that passes means more lives are lost.

This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.

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Fallout

BOMB (GRAPHIC NOVEL)

THE RACE TO BUILD–AND STEAL–THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON

A riveting graphic novel adaptation of the award-winning nonfiction book, Bomb—the fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War. Full-color illustrations from Nick Bertozzi are detailed and enriched with the nonfiction expertise creating a new edition of Bomb is perfect for young readers and adults alike.

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Fallout

Fallout

Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown

As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and conquer the Space Race. In their battle for dominance, spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim deep below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night.

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Born to Fly

Born to Fly

The First Women's Air Race Across America

Just nine years after American women finally got the right to vote, a group of trailblazers soared to new heights in the 1929 Air Derby, the first women's air race across the U.S. Follow the incredible lives of legend Amelia Earhart, who has captivated generations; Marvel Crosson, who built a plane before she even learned how to fly; Louise Thaden, who shattered jaw-dropping altitude records; and Elinor Smith, who at age seventeen made headlines when she flew under the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Most Dangerous

Undefeated

Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team

When superstar athlete Jim Thorpe and football legend Pop Warner met in 1904 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called “the team that invented football,” they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools such as Harvard and the Army in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work.

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Most Dangerous

Most Dangerous

Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

A tense, exciting exploration of what the Times deemed “the greatest story of the century”: how Daniel Ellsberg transformed from obscure government analyst into “the most dangerous man in America,” and risked everything to expose the government’s deceit during the Vietnam War.

*YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Winner*

"Easily the best study of the Vietnam War available for teen readers. ” Kirkus, starred

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Bomb

Bomb

The Race to Build
—And Steal—
The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon

In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon.

This is the story of the atomic bomb.

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The Port Chicago 50

The Port Chicago 50

Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin.

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From the Blog

Sydney Taylor Honor for Impossible Escape!

This week Impossible Escape was named a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor winner! This is a prestigious award given by the Association of Jewish Libraries – and to me, an especially meaningful one for this book. Lots more on all the winners here.

About Steve Sheinkin

Steve Sheinkin

Yes, it’s true, I used to write history textbooks. But I don’t do that kind of thing anymore, so let’s skip over that particular piece of unpleasantness...

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The Port Chicago 50

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

I'm really excited to share this little-known World War II civil rights drama. It follows a group of young African American sailors - many of them teenagers - who are assigned to load ammunition at Port Chicago, a segregated naval base in California. But they are never trained to handle ammunition safely, and are constantly being rushed by their officers.

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Lincoln's Grave Robbers

Lincoln's Grave Robbers

The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: Grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd and $200,000 in cash.

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King George: What Was His Problem?

King George: What Was His Problem?: The Whole Hilarious Story of the American Revolution

Entire books have been written about the causes of the American Revolution. This isn’t one of them.” What it is, instead, is utterly interesting, antedotes (John Hancock fixates on salmon), from the inside out (at the Battle of Eutaw Springs, hundreds of soldiers plunged into battle “naked as they were born”) close-up narrative filled with little-known details...

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The Notorius Benedit Arnold

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery

Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. This accessible biography introduces young readers to the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.

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