TEN OLD (but not that old) BLAKE BIOGRAPHIES #1
RICK RIORDAN by Adam Furgang
Did you know that Rick Riordan used to be a middle school teacher and that, while telling his daughter a bedtime story, realized he could come up with better story ideas than what she was reading from her school's library? That's why he came up with the idea for his awesome Heroes of Olympus Series. He and his wife were born on the same day of the same year. He was raised in Texas but now lives in the Greater Boston area. All this and much more in this fascinating biography!
ANTHONY HOROWITZ by Shalini Saxena
Anthony was born to a wealthy family north of London. He loved reading as a child - especially about James Bond, Frankenstein, and Dracula. He was a bit overweight as a boy and was picked on by the other boys at his boarding school. To avoid the bullying, he came up with entertaining stories, which the enjoyed and his career was born. He became famous with his Alex Rider and Gatekeeper Series.
AGATHA CHRISTIE - WRITER OF MYSTERY by Carol Dommermuth-Costa
Agatha was born in England in 1890. She was a voracious reader as a child, especially Sherlock Holmes detective stories. During World Was II she work as a pharmacists' assistant, learning about various poisons she would later feature as death plot devices in her novels. She's considered the greatest mystery writer of all time - some of her stories are featured on the Rising 8th Grade Summer Reading List!
MARIA VON TRAPP - BEYOND THE SOUND OF MUSIC by Candice F. Ranson
Maria was a young teacher from a convent when she was summoned to work with the Von Trapp familiy children, whose mother had recently died from scarlet fever. The children loved her and eventually, family father Georg did also and they wed. Maria developed that children's abilities as singers and they became quite popular around Austria and Germany. They fled from Hitler in 1938, came to America and eventually settled in Stowe, Vermont (which reminded them of the mountains in their native Austria) where they founded a music camp and lodge which are still run by family members to this day. Read the book and compare the the movie!
ANNE FRANK by Kristen Woronoff
Anne was born into a liberal Jewish family in Germany. Her father moved the family to Amsterdam in 1934 when after Hitler took control of the country. Things went well in their new country until July of 1942 when the occupying Germans started cracking down on Jewish families - the Frank's were forced into hiding. Read about the entire tragic tale and the story behind her iconic diary!
JOHN HANCOCK - SIGNER FOR INDEPENDENCE by Barbara Somervill
What's with the huge signature on the Declaration of Independence? This book will tell you - there was a reason for it and it made John a number one target for the British Military. Learn all about this Founding American Father's fantastic life and his incredible legacy. One of Mr. Haycock's favorites!
ALEXANDER HAMILTON - FOUNDING FATHER AND STATESMAN by Brenda Haugen
Another American Founding Father. He was raised in the Cariebean and moved to America as a teen. At the start of the Revolutiobn in 1775, he joined a militia company. In early 1776, he raised a provincial artillery company, to which he was appointed captain. He soon became the senior aide to General Washington, the American forces' commander-in-chief. He soon became an indispensable right hand man to the future first President and was hugely instrumental in its founding. Unfortunately, for him and the country, an argument led to his early death. Note to readers: Try to avoid settling disputes with duels!
L. FRANK BAUM - ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ by Angelica Carpenter and Jean Shirley
Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum, was an American author chiefly known for his children's books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a host of other works. Find out how his midwestern life on the tornado prone American Plains paved the way for his fantastic life!
CATHERINE THE GREAT by Leslie McGuire
ALEXANDER THE GREAT by Miriam Greenblatt
MUHAMMAD ALI - THE GREATEST by Walter Dean Myers
IVAN THE TERRIBLE by Thomas Butson
Was Catherine really that great? What about Alexander? Or was Ali really the greatest? And what with Ivan? How terrible could he have possibly been? Check out these
