In the darkness before moonrise on the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast on August 21, 1940, the night erupted in a fusillade of bullets and shells. The victim was a stalwart English tramp steamer, Anglo-Saxon, part of the lifeline that was keeping besieged England supplied. The attacker was the Widder, a German surface raider, disguised as a neutral merchant ship. When it was near its prey, the raider unmasked its hidden armament and with overwhelming force destroyed the target ship. Only seven of the forty-one man crew of the Anglo-Saxon managed to get into a small boat and escape the raiders. Seventy days later, two of them, half dead, stumbled ashore in the Bahamas. The account of the sailors' ordeal -- how first the badly wounded and then the less strong died and were thrown over the side of a fragile boat that had almost no supplies -- is suspenseful and riveting. On the same day the two survivors reached the Bahamas, the Widder arrived off Brest, in occupied France, her murderous voyage over. Her captain, Hellmuth von Ruckteschell, who sank a staggering twenty-five ships, was eventually tried as a war criminal. All Brave Sailors is a story of endurance, heroism, brutality, and survival under the most terrible circumstances. It fills a gap in the history of World War II, telling the story of the much neglected sailors and the ships of the merchant marine, fighting against great odds in the early days of the war.

Popularly, the causes of the American Revolution are considered the Stamp Act and other repressive actions by the Crown against its colonies in the years following the French & Indian War. Some see the sources in the outcome of that war, when George III forbade settlement beyond the Alleghenies. J. Revell Carr takes a longer view, and in Seeds of Discontent, he locates the roots of the Revolution a century earlier. In the latter half of the 17th century, tensions between colonists and the Crown were strikingly similar, culminating in the Revolution of 1689. Though subsequent decades were relatively peaceful, the bitterness was not forgotten, and friction began to build throughout the 1720s and 30s, reaching a peak after the famed 1745 battle for Louisbourg, the seemingly impregnable French fortress in Nova Scotia. Won on England's behalf at great cost to the largely American-born strike force, it was given back to France two years later in return for French concessions in the Caribbean-an act that outraged politicians, citizens, and soldiers alike. Bringing to life the two generations that inspired our Founding Fathers, Revell Carr illuminates an eventful century largely ignored by historians.

Ilvie Little, the curious elf, has had enough of the beautiful but boring land of the elves and decides to discover the big, wide world.Together with her friends, a cook, and two twinkling companionsthe grumpy dog Sammy and the gluttonous monkey Theoshe wants to solve an ancient riddle.To do this, she must polish up a dusty old ship and go on the search for a lost treasure, withstanding any and all resistance along the way. But the fearless friends conquer all danger.A magical story for strong kids and those who want to become stronga fantastic, courage-inspiring book for reading out loud and reading yourself. For cool kids from 5-99.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds brings us an epic animal adventure story perfect for fans of Pax and A Wolf Called Wander. Clarice is a young ship mouse grieving the loss of her mother when a mutiny forces her onto a small, leaky boat with a dangerous cat. Worse, she is separated from her younger brother, Charles Sebastian, who is trapped aboard the great ship. Clarice and Charles Sebastian were taught to always be careful—but they will need to grow bold if they are to survive . . . and find one another again.

In the tradition of Shackleton's voyage in the James Caird and "In Harm's Way" comes the amazing story of survival when a British World War II merchant ship is sunk and only two men survive and make it to land across the ocean after 70 days in a small boat.