Did you know Toll House Cookies were created accidentally in an old Toll House in Massachusetts by a woman hurrying to make a tasty snack for her patrons? And did you know that Liquid Paper (or white-out) was invented because of one small typing mistake? Often overshadowed by famous male inventors, women have also made many significant contributions to science and industry. This audiobook profiles women like Stephanie Kwolek who created Kevlar body armor. You'll also hear about women like Ruth Wakefield, whose Toll House Cookie recipe has satisfied the sweet tooth of millions, and Grace Murray Hopper, a mathematician and Navy officer who pioneered the science of computer programming. The stories of these women, and many others, will make you believe that nothing is impossible. Catherine Thimmesh's Girls Think of Everything won an IRA Award for outstanding literature for young people. "An outstanding collective biography of women and girls who changed the world with their inventions."-School Library Journal
Bobby Burns knows he's a lucky lad. Growing up in sleepy Keely Bay, Bobby is exposed to all manner of wondrous things: stars reflecting off the icy sea, a friend that can heal injured fawns with her dreams, a man who can eat fire. But darkness seems to be approaching Bobby's life from all sides. Bobby's new school is a cold, cruel place. His father is suffering from a mysterious illness that threatens to tear his family apart. And the USA and USSR are testing nuclear missiles and creeping closer and closer to a world-engulfing war.
Together with his wonder-working friend, Ailsa Spink, and the fire-eating illusionist McNulty, Bobby will learn to believe in miracles that will save the people and place he loves.
Devastating surprise attacks, epic victories, unstoppable armies, and tough-as-nails men and women from the greatest war in human history.
From massive aerial battles that clouded the skies with planes to deathly secret operations deep behind enemy lines, the events of World War II are some of the most awe-inspiring of all time. Discover legendary commanders, tremendous fights, elite soldiers, and courageous individuals whose deeds truly made the difference in this jaw-dropping guide to the biggest war the world has ever seen.
History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's extensive research and irresistible storytelling put readers right in the middle of the action in this unforgettable installment in the Guts & Glory series!
The touching story of one girl's journey to find herself, In Search of Mockingbird is Loretta Ellsworth's heartfelt novel. It's 1986, and 15-year-old Erin is none too pleased by her widowed father's announcement that he's getting married. When she discovers her late mother's diary, she learns that she wanted to be a writer just like Erin does. So she runs away from home on a Greyhound bus, determined to track down Harper Lee-the author of both her and her mother's favorite book. What unfolds is a poignant quest of self-discovery and the making of a strong young woman.
From an award-winning author of historical fiction comes a story of survival, crime, adventure, and horses in the streets of 19th century New York City.
Eleven-year-old Rocco is an Italian immigrant who finds himself alone in New York City after he's sold to a padrone by his poverty-stricken parents. While working as a street musician, he meets the boys of the infamous Bandits' Roost, who teach him the art of pickpocketing. Rocco embraces his new life of crime - he's good at it, and it's more lucrative than banging a triangle on the street corner. But when he meets Meddlin' Mary, a strong-hearted Irish girl who's determined to help the horses of New York City, things begin to change. Rocco begins to reexamine his life - and take his future into his own hands.
Born in Connecticut in 1811, Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist, author, and playwright. Slavery was a major industry in the American South, and Stowe worked with the Underground Railroad to help escaped slaves head north towards freedom. The publication of her book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, a scathing anti-slavery novel, fanned the flames that started the Civil War. The book's emotional portrayal of the impact of slavery captured the nation's attention. A best-seller in its time, Uncle Tom's Cabin sealed Harriet Beecher Stowe's reputations as one of the most influential anti-slavery voices in US history.
National Book Award winner Gloria Whelan brilliantly recreates the final days of tsarist Russia. For young Katya Ivanova, playmate to the Grand Duchesses of Russia, St.Petersburg in 1914 is a magical place. But outside the palace, changes are sweeping through the country, threatening everything and everyone Katya loves.
It seems entirely fitting that Maurice Sendak was born on the same day that Mickey Mouse first made his cartoon debut-June 10, 1928. Sendak was crazy about cartoons and comic books, and at twelve, after seeing Disney's Fantasia, he decided that he was going to become an illustrator. His love of childrens books began early: often sick and confined to bed, little Maurice read and read and read. Though many of his own stories were light and funny, the most important ones-Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There-dealt with anger, jealousy, abandonment, content that had never before been the subject of picture books. As well as covering career highlights, this easy to read biography also describes the personal life of this genius.
Who Was Maurice Sendak is perfect for kids wild about one of the most influential children's book artists of the twentieth century!
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Eddy Okubo, a Japanese American teenager, is more determined than ever to prove his loyalty and worth as an American soldier. Graham Salisbury poignantly pens the historically accurate but fictional account of the special mission given to 26 Japanese American soldiers in the midst of WWII and a young man's struggle between heritage and patriotism.
Twelve-year-old Pascal can hardly believe his ears. His older, run-away brother has returned to the plantation with an amazing story: President Lincoln has freed the slaves. Not only that, each newly-freed family can have 40 acres of land and maybe a mule, just for the asking. Now all Pascal and his brother have to do is sneak away from their angry master-and find out where the government is giving away farmland. But as they search, they still must hide from men who would force them back to slavery. Will Pascal ever know true freedom? The granddaughter of slaves on Robert E. Lee's Virginia estate, Harriette Gillem Robinet bases this story on research and oral stories of slavery. Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule sheds new light on the little understood time of Reconstruction in the South. Narrator Andrea Johnson vividly brings to life the adventures that could have happened to one small group of African Americans.
Laura Amy Schlitz wrote the Newbery Medal winner Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! for the students at the school where she is a librarian. The 22 monologues introduce readers to everyone in a medieval village, from the town half-wit, to Nelly the Sniggler, to the Lord's daughter.
Benjamin was nine years old in the spring of 1855 when his father met with the accident that changed Benjamin's life. Called home from boarding school, his first sight of his father lying nearly lifeless in the bed petrified him. Gone was the energetic man who had held the family together when Benjamin's mother succumbed to diphtheria. With the courage and strength that had brought the family to the Oregon Territory, Benjamin and his siblings work to build the barn their father had been excitedly planning when he was struck down. Racing with time, Benjamin hopes to give the barn to his father as a gift-only hoping the barn will be completed before his father dies. Award-winning author Avi brings to life a tender story of loss and faith, that will touch the hearts of listeners of all ages.
