Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories
AMANDA LI AND AMY BLACKWELL
Age Range: 8 to 12
Pages: 120
Type: Non-Fiction
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
ISBN: 9781524855291
Rise Up: Ordinary Kids in Extraordinary Stories features 29 tales of amazing young girls and boys who have achieved the unimaginable. The stories range from triumphing over illness and injury to overcoming bullying. Entries include:
- Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, who went from protesting climate change inaction alone outside the Parliament to speaking before the United Nations on behalf of a global youth movement
- William Kamkwamba, whose homemade windmill brought electricity to his village in Malawi, saving the community from starvation
- Ayesha Farooq, who became Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot at age 25 and now inspires other girls to advocate for their own education
Each incredible story is narrated in an exciting and engaging style, and is combined with visually stunning illustrations by Amy Blackwell. Children can lose themselves in the remarkable true-life tales of ingenuity, courage, and commitment. Practical tips and skills accompany each story, from how to tie useful knots to send coded messages, and how to be more environmentally green to how to survive a shark attack. This useful information provides a springboard for children to apply this knowledge in their own lives. These empowering stories show that no matter who you are, how old you are, and what you do, you can rise to the challenge.
About the Authors
Amanda Li (Author)
Amanda Li specializes in creating non-fiction, humor and activity titles for children and teenagers. Since becoming a full-time writer, she has learned how to run a marathon in space, how to communicate with aliens, and how to survive alone on a desert island. She hopes to use one of these skills in the future.
Amanda has worked for clients from The Imperial War Museum to The Scouts Association and has had more than seventy books published. She also works as a ghostwriter and as a creative consultant, devising ideas for children’s brands and licenses. Before becoming a freelance writer, Amanda studied illustration and design, then worked as a commissioning editor in children’s publishing for many years. She lives in south-west London with her husband and two daughters.
Amy Blackwell (Illustrator)
Born and raised in the middle of England to two creative parents, Amy was actively encouraged from day one to paint, print, make, mend, and draw. It was in her blood and unavoidable. She’s inspired by the weird and wonderful, clashing colors, the natural world, history, fashion, and folklore—which is to say most things. Her drawings appear in all shapes and sizes, sometimes appearing on a digital platform or a bit of cardboard, wooden beads to fabric, walls to watercolors.
Amy’s work is bright and colorful, playful, a bit scribbly, and often can be a little bit of an overload on the eyes. “If in doubt, cover it in patterns” is a quote she could quite happily live by.
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