New Releases by James Lincoln Collier

At fourteen, Fergy is tired of his family's life style. He's tired of living in a van with his parents, J. P. and Gussie, and his younger sister, Ooma. He's sick of peddling honey and pamphlets of his father's writings. And most of all he hates stealing things, even though J. P. says it's all right to "reclaim" necessities from society. Fergy listens to J. P. talk about the evils of "the system," and gradually Fergy realizes that he no longer believes or respects his father. In fact, Fergy longs more than anything to be a part of that system! One day, when Fergy's father steals a motor home from an elderly couple who have befriended them, Fergy knows the time has come to act. He's fed up, and he has to escape. Early one morning, with Ooma in tow, Fergy runs away. Gussie's wealthy parents live in Boston, and Fergy hopes that if he can find them, he and Ooma can have the "regular and normal" life he longs for. How Fergy comes to grips with his relationship with his parents and his own expectations makes a provocative, at times painful, but always absorbing story about a boy's determination to make a better life for himself.

To Tim Anderson, playing the guitar is as natural—and just about as important—as breathing. He's already decided he's going to be a musician. But his father has other career plans for him—all involving college. And now, because Tim is on the verge of flunking math, he's been forbidden even to touch his guitar. It couldn't have happened at a worse time. A top record company has just announced a nationwide contest for teenage rock groups—with a recording contract as first prize. Tim is sure his group, The Silver Sunshine, has a good chance of winning. Tim's best friend, Charlie Hoving, urges him to ignore his father's orders. But Tim just can't do it. In spite of their disagreements, he basically likes and respects his father. So he obeys the ban (more or less)—until a crisis arises on the night of the contest ... Tim realizes his only chance to make it is to leave home and go to New York City. His decision leads to some unpleasant experience with a man named Crazy, some rude shocks from the record company executive who had given him encouragement back home, and some surprising, and confusing, discoveries while playing with a new group, The Sound System. Tim's stubborn pursuit of his dream, and his initiation into the high-voltage world of rock music, make an exciting and absorbing story.

Nick Hodges had always been a troublesome boy. Growing up an orphan in his Uncle Jack's care in a small New England town wasn't easy. Everyone was a little wary, a little watchful—a little too watchful. One day, while Nick is walking in the woods, a neighbor thinks she sees him miles from where he actually is. Soon a series of events reinforcing Nick's hotheaded reputation unfold. The incidents become increasingly serious until, finally, Nick is the scapegoat for a much more sinister crime, one that he wouldn't even think of committing. As he uncovers history of the town's influenza epidemic, and as he observes a strange occurrence in the graveyard, Nick begins to suspect something out of the ordinary is happening. And when he sees a figure running in the woods wearing the mirror image of his own shirt, Nick starts to piece together some of the answers—answers no one could have imagined. James Lincoln Collier has written a haunting story of a boy and his reflection—and what happens when two souls want to inhabit the same living body.

Everyone in Timber Falls knows that his family is trash, and sometimes Harry White thinks he'll always be trash. But he can't help getting angry. After all, what had he and his sister, Helen, ever done to anybody? When he discovers the local carpet factory is polluting the river, he comes up with a bold expos├® that, if he is successful, will make people sit up and show him respect. He wants to do it alone even though he knows he's asking for trouble. As trash, Harry's got nothing to lose. Or does he? Gripping, disturbing, and exhilarating, When the Stars Begin to Fall reveals the hidden forces that conspire against well-meaning innocents. Harry's desire to change himself and society is so powerful, his voice so direct and real, that listeners won't forget his struggle for dignity. In this striking departure from the historical novels he is so well known for, James Lincoln Collier has written a powerful—even shocking—novel that challenges and defies the rhetoric of contemporary America.

Back before the stock market crash, Jack’s dad had been working steadily, and their family had had plenty of money. But now, in the middle of the 1930s Depression, there isn’t much work for a trombone player—just a gig down in New York City once in a while. So fourteen-year-old Jack is doing his best to help out. He’s lucky enough to get a weekend job at the town boat club where the “rich folks” hang out, but Jack wishes his dad would at least try to get a regular job. Sometimes there isn’t even enough money to buy decent food and clothes for Jack, his sister Sally, and their young brother Henry. It’s bad enough that their mother has had a nervous breakdown and gone to live in a “home.” Now Jack and Sally are beginning to wonder how long the rest of the family will be able to stay together, with so little money coming in. Jack’s father keeps telling them to look on the bright side—his favorite song is “Happy Days Are Here Again.” But Jack isn’t sure there can be a bright side when you don’t have enough money to live decently. Then, at the boat club, Jack sees an opportunity to steal a lot of money—enough to pay the family’s back rent and keep them all together. For the first time in his life Jack is seriously tempted to steal—especially now that he realizes that his dad can’t really be depended upon, that it’s up to him to take care of the family.

When the Depression strikes America, throwing millions out of work, Petey Williamson’s family seems safe. Hadn’t the boss promised Petey’s father that he’d always have a job? But during the Depression, promises cannot always be kept, and Petey finds his family sliding rapidly into poverty. And when Petey’s much-admired cousin Steve starts working as a union organizer in the battle to improve conditions for workers, poverty turns into tragedy.

Paulie Horvath is never going to be a good student like his brother, John, never going to follow his hardworking father into the plumbing trade, never going to ease his mother's mind by passing tests or cleaning up his room. But once he hears jazz by accident from the basement of a speakeasy, he knows exactly what he will do: learn that music and make it his life. Jazz is all around in gangland Chicago, but not so easy for a twelve-year-old to find, especially when his father disapproves of it. Paulie has to lie, beg, and steal just to get time for lessons, time to practice, time to slip across town to see stars like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Lies last only so long until they are found out, and a confrontation is coming. Will he choose home and family or sleazy dives with that wonderful music? To decide, Paulie has to face an even tougher question. What is jazz, after all? Author James Lincoln Collier has played and studied jazz throughout his life. Here is a novel that shows us a great moment in the history of jazz, and points at issues that still trouble us today.

Christopher Quincy was an American boy whose father admired everything British. As a result of this trait, Chris found himself trapped at St. Basket's, an ancient London school founded—and built—in the time of Henry VIII and, Chris thought, it looked it. The corridors were dim and drafty, and the rooms of the boarding pupils, of whom Chris was one of four, were gloomy and unpretentious. Still, Chris had good company in his two roommates, Leslie Plainfield, who was English, and David Choudhry, a Pakistani. The three were close friends, which made it all the more horrifying when Chris and Leslie saw Mr. Jaggers, the games master, deliberately, so it seemed, break David's leg with a hockey stick. Unaccountably, Mr. and Miss Grime, the school heads, refused to have a doctor for David. In the midst of apparent security and traditional British calm, a truly macabre and dangerous situation was building up. How Chris schemed desperately to get help from outside is told in the exciting and often hilarious story of a modern American boy's courage and ingenuity.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. In Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War, the authors explain the occurrences in America during the thirty years between 1831 and 1861. This book discusses the attitudes and events that led up to and caused the Civil War in America, particularly the institution of slavery, the abolitionist movement, and the rise of Abraham Lincoln.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. The Rise of Industry gives a detailed account of the industrialization of America in the last decades of the nineteenth century. It includes descriptions of the technological advances of the late 1800s, poor working conditions, the rise of large corporations and labor unions, and eventual government regulation.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. A Century of Immigration reviews the century of 1820 through 1920, in which there were two waves of immigration to the United States. This book discusses the varied motivations and nationalities of these new Americans, as well as the effects of mass immigration on the country as a whole, and the rise of antiforeign sentiments among more recent immigrants.

Justin Conkey was too young to fight in the Revolution of 1776, but now it is 1787 and he is fourteen. Justin is ready to fight, even if he has only his father's old sword to protect him. But once on the battlefield, war is not what he expected. It is dangerous and frightening and nothing makes sense. Throughout a particularly bitter winter the young man is desperate to prove that he too can be a hero—not realizing that many times heroes turn out to be just ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events, who do what comes naturally to save others regardless of risk to themselves. Insisting on joining General Daniel Shays' group of Regulators, he lies about his age and marches with the group throughout New England. But war puts friendships and political convictions to the test.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. The Jeffersonian Republicans examines various events between 1800 and 1823 that helped to shape the United States. The Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and important Supreme Court decisions are among the discussed events.

Building a New Nation chronicles the development of the new government following the signing of the Constitution. It explores the political views of the young nation's leaders as they struggled to form a strong nation, despite the foreign and domestic dilemmas that they faced. The authors describe the beginnings of the two-party system, the administrations of the first three presidents, and key decisions by each branch of the government that shaped the future of the country.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation.

Using a narrative format, Creating the Constitution details the events leading up to the writing of the US Constitution and what American leaders went through to create it. The authors describe the conflicts between the new states and the delegates each sent to the Constitutional Convention, as well as the work that was done to resolve the many issues at hand.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. The Paradox of Jamestown discusses the circumstances surrounding English colonization of Virginia and the evolution of slavery in that colony. Beginning with an examination of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century life in England, the authors explain many of the reasons—social, political, religious, and economic—people chose to leave the Old World for a new life in the Americas. They describe the early interactions between the settlers and the Indians, the difficulties those groups had in establishing cooperative relationships, and the many difficulties the settlers had in adjusting to life in the New World. Read about the effects of the growing market for tobacco back in England, the gradual changes in how the new colony was governed, and the growing dependence on the slave trade.

History is dramatic—and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. In Pilgrims and Puritans, the authors begin in the year 1620 in England and end in New England in the year 1676. The book recounts the religious, political, and social history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and its influence on our lives today. The narrative follows various groups of settlers from their departure from England through arrival in the New World and their often violent conflicts with the native peoples of the Americas. The authors examine a number of issues that arose in the new society that was founded and the rise and fall of the "city on a hill."

Willy Freeman's life changes forever when she witnesses her father's death at the hands of the Redcoats and returns home to find that the British have taken her mother as a prisoner to New York City. Willy, disguised as a boy, begins her long search for her mother and luckily finds a haven at the famous Fraunces Tavern. But even with the help of Sam Fraunces and her fellow worker, Horace, Willy knows that to be black, female, and free leaves her open to danger at every turn. What will tomorrow bring?

Fifty-five men met in Philadelphia in 1787 to write a document that would create a country and change a world: the Constitution. Here is a remarkable rendering of that fateful time, told with humanity and humor. Decision in Philadelphia is the best popular history of the Constitutional Convention; in it, the life and times of eighteenth century America not only come alive, but the very human qualities of the men who framed the document are brought provocatively into focus—casting many of the Founding Fathers in a new light. A celebration of how and why our Constitution came into being, Decision in Philadelphia is also a testament of the American spirit at its finest.

"Daniel's late father has left Continental notes to buy his family's freedom. But the slaves' owner confiscates the notes and takes Daniel aboard his ship with the purpose of selling the boy in the West Indies." --Publishers Weekly

This series, designed for children who are just learning to read, provides a winning approach that supports the efforts of early literacy.

"An exploration of the life and momentous voyages of the Italian-born explorer"--Provided by publisher.

Presents the history of the automobile, explains how an automobile works, and looks at the use of automobiles today.

When Sam Meeker leaves his home in Redding, Connecticut, a town loyal to the king, to fight with the rebel army, he places his family in a very difficult position.

Newbery-finalist James Lincoln Collier creates insightful character studies of our most well-known American figures. By blasting through the myths surrounding our heroes, we see them as they really were, with their conflicts, their fears, their shortcomings, and their ambitions. We come to know them and so to admire their achievements all the more.

Newbery-finalist James Lincoln Collier creates insightful character studies of our most well-known American figures. By blasting through the myths surrounding our heroes, we see them as they really were, with their conflicts, their fears, their shortcomings, and their ambitions. We come to know them and so to admire their achievements all the more.

Looks at how early civilizations thought about and measured time, discusses attempts to make time visible, and examines the invention of the clock and its effects on the course of world history.

Describes with historic pictures, the life and times of a feminist and freedom-loving woman, Susan B. Anthony.

Explores the childhood, character, and influential events that helped shape the life of the first president.