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Big Tree by Mary and Conrad Buff (1947)
A biography of Wawona, a giant, old redwood tree, and some anecdotes about the other plants and animals that have lived around it over the years. A simple story aimed at younger readers with a nice environmental message.
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The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (2020)
An illustrated poem that pays tribute to the history of black Americans and encourages future generations.
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Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin (1949)
Momo is a Tibetan girl who receives a special Lhasa terrier, and along with it, a prophecy that the dog will lead her to adventures and fortune. One day, a group of traveling merchants steal her dog, so she decides to chase them down the Great Trade Route towards India. An interesting peek into Tibet and India at this specific moment in time driven by a serviceable adventure plot.
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Cedric, the Forester by Bernard Marshall (1922)
A novel narrated by Dickon Mountjoy, who at the start of the book is an English teenager living in the mid-12th century who is in line to be the next Lord Mountjoy. The book is a series of loosely connected stories, most centered around Dickon and Cedric, a commoner friend his age he meets in an early chapter. Set in the same time as (and namechecks) Robin Hood, and written in that brand of faux medieval-speak (“Gadzooks” is used unironically), this was a more enjoyable set of adventures than I had expected.
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Abraham Lincoln, Friend of the People by Clara Ingram Judson (1951)
A straightforward biography of Abraham Lincoln, mostly focused on his life before 1860 — only about the last third covers his presidency and the Civil War. Bland but reasonably accurate, I can imagine a kid who is interested in Lincoln would appreciate this book even today.
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The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (1972)
As a young girl, Tenar is taken from her family, identified as the reincarnation of the highest ranked priestess at a holy site. Her life is to be a lonely, limited one, carrying out rituals for the Nameless Ones, but things are shaken up when an unauthorized visitor comes. The second book in the Earthsea fantasy series, this starts slow but becomes a page-turner by the end.