Firebrand

Give young readers an introduction to 19th-century history they'll read to the end, with this fast-paced novel based on the life of Jewish freedom fighter August Bondi.

Before he was 30, August Bondi was involved in three epic struggles: the 1848 revolution in his native Austria, the Kansas border wars of the 1850s, and the Civil War. Bondi's passionate opposition to tyranny took him to the front lines, and his partnership with John Brown helped end slavery in Kansas. But was violence always the answer? Bondi didn't think so, and he yearned for a peaceful life to raise his family. Bondi's story was first brought to life in 1957 by the renowned children's writer Lloyd Alexander. Writer Aaron Barnhart has reimagined it for today, with pages of factual background that tie Bondi's world to ours. Kirkus called Firebrand "accessible and historically rigorous" and AJL Reviews added, “What an interesting life this little-known Jewish hero led.”