Trailblazers

Books for Readers in the Middle Grades

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

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American Computer Pioneers by Mary Norhtrup.
RC 53199.
Profiles 10 people who helped develop computers. Includes Steve Jobs, who dropped out of college and helped create Apple Computer, Inc., in his garage in 1976; Bill Gates, who wrote his first program when he was 13; and Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, who invented technical languages for the navy. For grades 6-9.

As I Saw It: Women Who Lived the American Adventure by Cheryl G. Hoople.
RC 15882.
Excerpts from diaries, letters, and journals provide glimpses into the lives of American women from 1600 to 1900. Includes the exploits of a Union spy, an early frontier doctor, a woman who joined the California Gold Rush, and the captain of a Mississippi River showboat. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson by Joan Elizabeth Goodman.
RC 53841.
Describes English explorer Henry Hudson's four voyages between 1607 and 1611 searching for a passage to the Orient through North America. Explains that he eventually ended up on the river that bears his name, at what is now New York City. For grades 4-7.

Black Pioneers of Science and Invention by Louis Haber.
BR 1678 or RC 35215.
Biographical sketches of 14 important but little-known black inventors and scientists. Included are the inventor of the first traffic-light signal system, the developer of synthetic cortisone, and Dr. Charles Drew, who discovered how to preserve and transfuse blood plasma. For grades 6-9.

Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt ! by Jean Fritz.
RC 34832 or LP 1195.
Follows the life of the dynamic twenty-sixth president, discussing his conservation work, hunting expeditions, family life, and political career. For grades 5 through 8.

Buried in Ice by Owen Beattie and John Geiger.
RC 38764.
In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out with two ships and more than 125 men on a well-planned, well-supplied, well-commanded expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. No one returned alive. In this account, anthropologist Owen Beattie and journalist John Geiger describe how they solved the 147-year-old mystery. For grades 4-7 and older readers.

Deep-Sea Explorer: The Story of Robert Ballard, Discoverer of theTitanic by Rick Archbold.
LP 1228.
The inspirational life-story of the undersea explorer who discovered the wreck of the Titanic offers a moving examination of Ballard's concern for helping the environment and saving the threatened oceans. For grades 6-9.

Explorers, Missionaries, and Trappers: Trailblazers of the West by Kieran Doherty.
RC 52220.
Presents the founding of the American West through the lives of explorers and settlers such as Eusebio Kino in Arizona, Junipero Serra in Spanish California, and Brigham Young in Utah. For grades 5-8.

Extraordinary Explorers and Adventurers by Judy Alter.
BR 14647.
Brief biographies of 73 men and women, from the Greek hero Hercules to Mae Jemison, who traveled to new lands or conquered space. Includes major explorers of North America and the North Pole, as well as more recent astronauts. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Guardians of Tomorrow: Pioneers in Ecology by S. Carl Hirsch.
BR 1752.
Traces the growth of ecological awareness through the concerned action of eight Americans who have awakened the country to the need for safe-guarding the environment. For grades 6-9.

The Hero’s Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life by T.A. Barron.
BR 14518 or RC 55497.
Explores the elements of heroism, including facing challenges with courage, strength of character, and wisdom. Mixes brief sketches of historic examples such as Anne Frank, Wilma Rudolph, and Helen Keller with those of ordinary kids who prevailed in emergencies. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

How I Became an American by Karin Gundisch.
RC 54381.
Johann Bonfert records the 1902 journey of his German family from Austria-Hungary to Youngstown, Ohio. Describes the hardships of their immigration and the difficulties of adjusting to American culture. For grades 4-7.

A Long and Uncertain Journey: The 27,000-Mile Voyage of Vasco da Gama by Joan Elizabeth Goodman.
RC 53842.
Describes the voyage in 1497 of the Portuguese captain who, in search of precious spices, became the first European to sail around Africa to India. For grades 4-7.

Lost Star: The Story of Amelia Earhart by Patricia Lauber.
RC 33569 or LP 246.
Traces the life of the pilot who became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and mysteriously disappeared in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. For grades 4-7.

My Season with Penguins: An Antarctic Journal by Sophie Webb.
RC 52714.
A biologist records her two-month trip to McMurdo, Antarctica, with other researchers to study an Adelie penguin colony during the breeding season. She describes her travel preparations and the campsite, as well as the penguins' behavior while hatching the chicks. For grades 4-7.

New Trail Blazers of Technology by Harland Manchester.
RC 11943.
About the lives and work of the people who invented the Xerox copier, the transistor, the polaroid camera, and the laser. For grades 6-9.

Pioneers of Baseball by Robert Smith.
RC 16680.
Biographical sketches of sixteen of the men who helped make baseball into a national pastime. Includes such colorful figures as Michael J. Kelly, A.G. Spalding, Connie Mack, Charles Comisky, and Pete Brown, the original Louisville Slugger. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Ranchers, Homesteaders, and Traders: Frontiersmen of the South-Central States by Kieran Doherty.
RC 53798.
Describes the settlement of America's south-central region through the lives of seven frontiersmen: Daniel Boone in Kentucky, Stephen Austin and Sam Houston in Texas, Henry de Tonty in Arkansas, Auguste Chouteau in Missouri, John Sevier in Tennessee, and Eli Thayer in Kansas. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

The Sky’s the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls by Catherine Thimmesh.
RC 56280.
Examines ways by which observant females have contributed to scientific knowledge. Stories describe women studying chimpanzees in the jungle, watching the heavens at night, and collecting fossils. Explains how a fourteen-year-old's science project, pasteurizing water in puddles to make it safe to drink, benefits Third World countries. For grades 5-8.

The Story of Babe Ruth: Baseball's Greatest Legend by Lisa Eisenberg.
LP 702.
Examines the life, career, and personality of the famous baseball player. Famous Lives series. For grades 4-7.

Talking with Adventurers by Pat and Linda Cummings.
RC 48724.
Biographical sketches of 12 men and women who enjoy exploring the world around them in such scientific careers as a rain forest ecologist, an anthropologist, or an underwater photographer. For grades 4-7.

To Race a Dream by Deborah Savage.
RC 41878.
Fifteen-year-old Theodora wants nothing more than to work with harness-racing horses. But, in 1906, girls are not allowed to work in stables, and Theo's parents have higher expectations of her. Her dream is powerful, leading her to take a chance. Disguised as a boy, she gets a job as a stable hand, along with Carl, who finds out her secret. Can she pursue her own happiness, or must she bend to her family's wishes? For grades 6-9.

Voyages of Exploration by Nick Arnold.
LP 50048.
Presents information about explorers from ancient times to the turn of the 20th century. Remarkable World series. For grades 4-7.

Women Pioneers of Science by Louis Haber.
RC 15928.
A brief introduction to the lives and work of twelve women who have made significant contributions to science. Includes a nuclear physicist, marine biologist, public health physician, and educational psychologist. For grades 6-9.