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Home of the Brave: An American History Book for Kids 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History

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Discover the stories of extraordinary immigrants who changed America—a history book for kids ages 9 to 12

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants―and now you can learn all about the amazing people who’ve helped shape it, with this history book for kids age 9-12. Home of the An American History Book for Kids gives you an exciting and engaging look into the lives and contributions of these incredible individuals.

From Levi Strauss to Isabel Allende, discover how these dedicated and creative people made their mark―and how you can follow in their footsteps―with this fun history book for kids age 9-12.

An American history book for kids age 9-12 should

15 inspiring stories―Learn from the experiences of famous American immigrants, including labor activist Mary Harris Jones, architect I. M. Pei, and guitarist Carlos Santana.Multi-page biographies―This history book for kids age 9-12 goes beyond the obvious so you can find all kinds of remarkable facts about the lives of these exceptional Americans.Beyond the book―Want to learn more? Each biography includes suggestions for places to read more, plus super fun (and educational!) activities.

Find a role model―or 15 of them!―in this beautifully illustrated history book for kids age 9-12.

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2019

26 people are currently reading
42 people want to read

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Brooke Khan

6 books2 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Erin Cataldi.
2,579 reviews66 followers
October 25, 2019
Immigration can be a hot word, lately it's been a charged, negative word in the news. But in reality; immigration is what makes America great. We've always been a melting pot and this book illustrates 15 individuals who came to America and helped make it a better place for everyone. This book is intended for for kids third through seventh grade. Each chapter features a different immigrant, a mini biography, an illustration, some quotes, some quick facts, and more things readers can explore on their own. From Einstein to Madeleine Albright to Santana to Mikhail Baryshnikov; these immigrants are scientists, musicians, athletes, inventors, and more. It's inspiring and education; a great resource for kids that shows the positives of diversity and immigration!
Profile Image for Richelle Robinson.
1,295 reviews35 followers
December 16, 2019
"I received a review copy from Amazon Vine and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review."


This was a well written informative book for middle graders. I wish I had books like this when I was in school. Some of the people I have heard of but some are new to me. The book is written and explained in a nice way for kids to understand. I like that there is a explore more and tips section as well. I think this book would make a great addition to the classroom.
Profile Image for April Gray.
1,389 reviews9 followers
January 23, 2020
Very interesting book for kids about some of the immigrants who have helped shape our country. There are 15 people covered, and each biography includes suggestions for where to find more information about the person, and activities related to what the person is famous for. The bios are so interesting and inspirational, and this will be a welcome addition to any home, school, or public library.

#HomeoftheBraveAnAmericanHistoryBookforKids #NetGalley
Profile Image for Stacie.
1,948 reviews123 followers
March 26, 2020
Most likely, if you work through your family tree, there will be someone that immigrated to America from their native country. I can trace my Great-Great-Great Grandpa coming to America from Wales. This book features stories of 15 immigrants who went on to do great things here in America. The stories are written for middle-grade readers and include illustrations of each person. Some of them are well-known like Elie Wiesel, Albert Einstein, Madeline Albright, and Levi Strauss. Out of all of them, I knew of nine, but your children wouldn’t necessarily be aware of them.

Even though I knew that jeans were created to help the miners during the gold rush, I didn’t know it was Levi Strauss that made the first pair or the rest of his story. I found his story fascinating and I was impressed that the company is still being run by his family members.

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee grew up in China. Her father came to America when she was four. She attended a Chinese Christian school and learned English there. When she was 9, she and her mother joined her father in New York City. She was a good student here and earned many awards for her schoolwork. In 1912, she led a parade for women’s voting rights and became a well-known leader in the suffrage movement at the age of 16. Even in college, she continued to fight for women’s rights along with balancing her school work. She wrote and gave speeches, especially targeted to the Chinese-American community. Even though the 19th Amendment passed and gave women the right to vote, it was only for women who were citizens. Mabel never gave up and continued to work hard for the Chinese people in her community right up until her death in 1966. She even had a post office in New York City’s Chinatown named after her in 2018, the Mabel Lee Memorial Post Office.

There are so many amazing stories from people who are no longer with us, as well as those who are still doing amazing things. Even those who I thought I knew their stories, there were still surprises.

The end of the book offers ten more individuals whose stories you can research on your own. This book is great for kids that like engaging and inspiring stories. Classrooms or homeschooling families could use this book for history lessons and build on the biographies given with more research. Resources for the stories are also given at the end of the book for more information.
312 reviews7 followers
October 24, 2019
Starting with Levi Strauss most kids will be drawn into his biography due to having worn jeans! Guess what? Levi never wore a pair of jeans! Of course no book on US immigrants would be complete without Albert Einstein but there is truly a great selection in this book including an:
Activist * Architect * Politician * Musician * Supermodel * Ballet Dancer and many more.

I had never heard of some of these people so it made for a fascinating read, probably more so as we are immigrants ourselves. Good sized font makes it not too overwhelming for kids. Various nationalities and religions are represented with many of the featured people still being alive. It was good to see how the author did not gloss over the horrendous persecution the Jews suffered and the reason many of them came to the USA. This book also provides children with great examples of how their young passions, with training, can turn into notable careers and/or lifestyles. Life does not have to be boring! You can follow your dreams!

All in all a wonderful book. Great for school research projects etc. At the end of each bio there is "Explore More!" and "Tips For You!" You will also find a list of "More Inspiring People to Explore" at the end of the book. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. Thanks, Liz
Profile Image for Virginia Campbell.
1,282 reviews354 followers
November 2, 2019
"Home of the Brave: An American History Book for Kids: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History" is recommended for kids ages 9-12, but adults and younger children will also enjoy the book. Immigration is explained as "the process of leaving one country to live in another". The fifteen amazing and inspiring people featured here are: Levis Strauss; Mary Harris Jones; John Muir; Albert Einstein; Mabel Ping-Hua Lee; Maya Deren; I.M. Pei; Elie Wiesel; Madeleine Albright; Isabel Allende; Carlos Santana; Mikhail Baryshnikov; Iman Abduliid; Nadia Comaneci; and Dikembe Mutombo. Each of the featured subjects is represented by an artful color likeness, and each is given several biographical pages with a end note on how to learn more about them. There are also ten more famous immigrants who are given brief, one-sentence biographies. America truly is "the home of the brave"--a world within a world--an ever-evolving blend of cultures, cuisines, old favorites, and new beginnings--all made possible by its people.

Book Copy Gratis Callisto Publishers
313 reviews9 followers
October 30, 2019
Home of the Brave is another delightful book for upper elementary and early middle school libraries, and this adult enjoyed every page. There is good representation from all over the world, with bios of Levi Strauss, "Mother" Jones, John Muir, Einstein, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Maya Deren, I.M. Pei, Elie Wiesel, Madeleine Albright, Isabel Allende, Carlos Santana, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Iman Abdulmajid, Nadia Comaneci, and Dikembe Mutombo. Ms. Khan describes why they left their countries, and how they contributed great things to the United States. Further, she offers good explanations of difficult words in parentheses. Each chapter ends with "Explore More!" and "Tips for You!" with additional people to research, places to visit, and websites/books to explore. Finally, ten more individuals are mentioned for further exploration.

Thank you, Rockridge, for the review copy.
Profile Image for Goddess of Chaos.
2,894 reviews12 followers
April 26, 2024
Highlights some great people...

Some of the people highlighted in this book are ones you may not think of as Americans — Nadia Comaneci for instance, but as this book highlights her extraordinary gymnastic career, and life, it also brings up when she became a naturalized American, as well as her path to life in America.

By contrast, many may think there is nothing more American than a pair of Levi’s, yet the story of the man who brought them to the world is that of an immigrant looking to better the lives of the working class.

There is a lot of heart and inspiration in these pages.
Profile Image for Jane.
2,682 reviews67 followers
January 30, 2020
Written for the classroom, perfect for an assignment to write a paper . . . but in no way a compelling read. The illustrations didn't help.
Profile Image for Kate.
176 reviews
June 14, 2023
Interesting, but could be so much better.

Content and goal: 4 stars
Editing: 2 stars

Short snippets about 15 different American immigrants, and contributions they made to the country and the world make a nice introduction to the topic for kids. Except...

*The snippets are quite choppy, and their timelines bounce around without much logic to their organization.
*The verb tenses are also inconsistent (being present when they should be past, and vice versa).
*Some of the people seemed to have one main feature that was focused on and repeated (like the triple mention that Nadia was the first to earn a 10 in Olympic gymnastics).
*At least two of the dates were clearly missed in editing, making me wonder about the accuracy of the others. (Mother Jones was born in 1837, but got married in 1831? Elie Wiesel was born in 1928, but celebrated his bar mitzvah at age 13 in 1942?)

If you, your child, or your student can get through these errors, then good lessons can be learned about overcoming hardships, pursuing goals, and helping your fellow humans.
I was familiar with 8 of the 15, and had heard of at least 2 others. I particularly enjoyed learning about I.M. Pei's architecture work.
The suggestions for further study and activity at the end of each chapter, and the additional immigrants listed at the back of the book, could inspire plenty of additional learning.
2,714 reviews9 followers
December 3, 2019
There is a lot of talk about immigration these days and there are many opinions on the subject.  This book for elementary school aged children is not political although it does serve as a reminder of what immigrants have contributed to the country.  Included are biographies of fifteen immigrants.   Those featured range from those I know well to people I have just learned about.  All are inspiring.  Some of those included are Levi Straus (of jeans fame), Mary Harris Jones (better known as Mother Jones, a woman who experienced much tragedy and worked in the labor movement), Albert Einstein, the architect I.M. Pei, the author Isabel Allende and Elie Wiesel, a well-known Holocaust survivor. 

This book provides a good introduction to each person and hopefully will inspire students to learn more about these men and women.  There are additional resources and suggestions of other immigrants to learn about at the end of the book.  At the beginning, there is a short introduction on immigration.


I recommend this title for both home and school libraries.  Both adults and children can enjoy this title.  I learned a lot.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for TammyJo Eckhart.
Author 23 books131 followers
August 12, 2020
The American History Book for Kids is a series of books from Rockridge Press. this one focuses on the lives of 15 immigrants to the USA and how they thrived and helped change the nation and, often, their home country. The 15 are inclusive of different ethnic, racial, and religious groups as well as a wide array of careers. I liked the art, mostly, but it is more symbolic not realistic.

The stories are written for grade schoolers so they may seem a bit simply but they still tackle difficult subject like sexism, violence, racism, and political upheavals. The end chapter questions and recommendations could be useful for teachers or parents to use and the references include a lot o online materials.

However, I found a historical error in the chapter about Mary Harris Jones (you can't get married before you are born!). I also disliked the lack of context for a highlighted quotation about half way through each story -- who said it? I can assume it was the subject of the chapter but when, where, and why did they say it?

I received a free paperback copy of this book from the publisher in the hopes that I would write a fair and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews