Mising in Action by Dean Hughes

After his father enlisted during World War II, Jay moved with his mother to her small Utah hometown. After Dad goes missing in action, Jay holds out hope for his return and fantasizes that he must have been a war hero. This wishful thinking helps to prop Jay up against taunting from local boys, who seize on anything or anyone different, such as Jay’s Navajo background or the nearby Topaz internment camp, full of guys who want to get back to California to help the Japs from Japan drop bombs on us. Jay befriends Ken, a Topaz resident doing farm work for his grandfather, and comes face-to-face with some harsh family truths.

The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan

Neftalí Reyes, who became Pablo Neruda, the great Chilean poet, was born to a domineering father, who wanted his sons to be strong and powerful. But Neftalí and his older brother, Rodolfo, are more interested in books and music than math and business. Neftalí is shy and unsure of himself and feels most at home surrounded by nature or the many interesting objects he collects, like shiny keys, feathers and beautiful stones. His head is full of stories, and he is entranced by the rhythmic sounds of the forests, rivers and jungles. As he grows up, inspired by his uncle, a progressive journalist and activist on behalf of the native Mapuche, Neftalí finds his voice and strength in the written word --- first in political essays and finally in poetry.

This is the fictionalized biography of Neruda's life.

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky

In 1932 Berlin, 13-year-old Gaby Schramm witnesses the beginning of Hitler's rise to power, as soldiers become ubiquitous, her beloved literature teacher starts wearing a jewelled swastika pin, and the family's dear friend, Albert Einstein, leaves the country while Gaby's parents secretly bury his books and papers in their small yard.

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Summary: From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. 164 pgs.