JUV NON-FICTION: BIOGRAPHIES

Pirouette across the stage and get to know Misty Copeland—the first African-American woman to become a principal ballerina with the American Ballet Theater—in this fascinating, nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a new series of biographies about people "you should meet."

Ten terrifically told true stories demonstrate the wide range of subjects and formats available for young readers of nonfiction. Within these pages, you will find high-interest stuff like jungle tarantulas of French Guiana; a pack of brothers in Saigon, Vietnam; Jumbo the elephant; gruesome historical dentistry; and Hugh Glass, mauled by a bear and left for dead in the wilds of what would become South Dakota and each is explored in either narrative or graphic-novel fashion. But there are also topics not so high-octane: poems about science, a biography of a blues musician, and an autobiography of a cartoonist.

Juan Francisco Manzano was born in 1797 into the household of wealthy slave owners in Cuba. He spent his early years at the side of his owner's wife, entertaining her friends. His poetry was his outlet, reflecting the beauty and cruelty of his world.