New Releases by Shelley Sommer

Sydney Taylor Honor Book Learn all about tthe first Jewish baseball hall-of-famer, Hank Greenberg, in this thought-provoking biography for young readers. Hank Greenberg battled anti-Semitism on and off the field. Raised in New York City, he was the son of Romanian-Jewish immigrants, served during World War II, and then had a long career as a baseball player with the Detroit Tigers—where the moniker Hammerin' Hank came to life—and later as a baseball executive. Readers will experience the prejudice Greenberg endured, even as he made his way into the annals of baseball history: two-time American League MVP, 331 home runs, and first Jewish baseball player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archival photos add to the appeal of this Sydney Taylor Honor Book.

President John F. Kennedy lived an extraordinary life. He was awarded a Purple Heart for bravery in World War II. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles In Courage. He was the youngest man ever elected president and the first president born in the twentieth century.His commitment to civil rights and his efforts to limit the use of nuclear weapons changed American life. President John F. Kennedy’s life and, sadly, his early death, are part of history. A voracious reader of biographies, President Kennedy has fittingly been the subject of many volumes himself. When asked why he enjoyed reading biographies, President Kennedy replied, "Because they answer the question 'What's he like?'" In attempting to answer that question, author Shelley Sommer presents John F. Kennedy in his many roles -- as a boy, a young man, a war hero, a politician, a husband, a father, and finally a president. This look at John F. Kennedy, illustrated with photos from the Kennedy Family Collection and the Kennedy Library, gives young readers a look at a dynamic man whose personality and politics helped to shape the twentieth century and continue to influence American life today.