The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

This is the book adapted for young readers from the adult version...and I believe it may have also been made into a movie (but I'll have to check that). This is a non-fiction book that tells the story of the young men who made up the crew from the University of Washington who went on to win the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

The story largely focuses on one young man, Joe Rantz, who at age 10 was kicked out of his house by his stepmother who decided she didn't want him around anymore. This cycle would repeat a time or two before getting Joe manages to get himself enrolled into the University of Washington as a student...that alone is an incredible feat, based on his background! Joe and the other group of rag tag boys he surrounds himself with find themselves in Hitler's Nazi Germany just before the start of World War 2, rowing a racing boat in the Olympics.

This is a really good, powerful, amazing story that reads like any good fiction book would, except that this really happened! Reading this made me want to find the adult version of the book, which I am guessing is longer and offers more detail, and read that as well. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are not a non-fiction reader usually - you'll find this to be a riveting story! 5 paws!