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Biographies

coverLooking for true stories? Want to read about other people’s adventures? Need to know about real life tales of survival? Check out these biographies from New Zealand and around the world.

New Zealand biographies

Red Dog in Bandit Country Fleur Beale
Bill Redding, known as Red Dog, recounts his adventures of working in a remote part of Colombia during the 1950s.
Don’t just sit there Tony Christiansen
He lost both legs in a railway accident when he was nine, but it hasn’t stopped Tony Christiansen from becoming a racing car champion, a lifeguard, a pilot and a gold medal winning athlete. Life is all about attitude.
High Adventure Sir Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest in 1953, this book recounts their adventures on top of the world.
High-tech legs on Everest Mark Inglis
Double amputee Mark Inglis climbed Mount Everest in 2006, this is the story of how he got there.

Biographies from around the world

CoverEco-Warrior Skye Bortoli
Share Skye’s experiences of being an environmental activist, and read how she set up Teens Against Whaling when she was 14.
Education of Little Tree Forrest Carter
Recounts the childhood memories of an orphaned American Indian boy living with his Cherokee grandparents in a mountain log cabin in eastern Tennessee during the 1930s.
Boy Roald Dahl
From his years as a prankster at boarding school to his envious position as a chocolate tester for Cadbury's, Roald Dahl's boyhood was as full of excitement and the unexpected as are his world-famous, best-selling books.
Going solo Roald Dahl
The fascinating story of Roald Dahl's life continues. As a pilot in World War II, he had some wonderfully exciting- and frighteningly near-death experiences including encounters with the enemy, battles with deadly snakes, and incredible dogfights.
coverThe diary of a young girl Anne Frank
Anne Frank received a blank diary on her 13th birthday, just weeks before she and her family went into hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. For 25 months she wrote about what it was like to live in an attic in claustrophobic closeness with her own and another family as well as to face all the normal challenges of being a teenager. This has been a beloved classic since its initial publication in 1947.
Hole in my life Jack Gantos
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
Black like me John Howard Griffin
In the Deep South of the 1950s journalist John Howard Griffin used medication to darken his skin to deep brown. This is the eyewitness history of how he exchanged his privileged life as a Southern white man for the disenfranchised world of an unemployed black man.
Give me my father's body: the life of Minik, the New York Eskimo by Kenn Harper
A compelling biography of little Minik, an Eskimo boy who was brought back to the United States explorer Robert Peary. Minik spent twelve agonizing years living as an alien in New York City, an experience that culminates with the discovery that his father's body is on display at the Museum of Natural History.
CoverMao's last dancer Li Cunxin
Well-known book and film available in an edition for teenagers.
Kijana : the real story Jesse Martin
Having already sailed solo around the world at age 18, Jesse was looking for something new. He set off on a three year journey with four friends. Things didn’t always go to plan, but it was an adventure they’d always remember.
The autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a drug user and criminal before he was converted to Islam while in prison. This book tells the story of his life before and after his conversion.
The game of my life Jason "J-Mac" McElwain
Team manager for his high school basketball team, Jason McElwain has autism. This is his story of overcoming the odds to succeed, and becoming famous along the way.
In my hands : memories of a holocaust rescuer Irene Opdyke
With Jennifer Armstrong
My name is Jason. Mine too Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin
Two friends. Artist. Poet. Black. White. Same name. Different lives.
Japan Ai : a tall girl’s adventures in Japan Aimee Major Steinberger
Join Aimee Major Steinberger on the fangirl vacation in Japan! This adventure includes what fans dream of seeing: cosplay on the infamous Harajuku Street, fantasy restaurants, maid cafes, Tokyo's largest doll store, beautiful shrines, bookstores full of manga and more.
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen MahChinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah
The story of a Chinese woman and how she suffered appalling emotional deprivation and rejection her family as a child growing up in China and Hong Kong. She tells of the consequences in her adult life, above which she rose to make a happy marriage and become a successful doctor in the USA.

August 2010