Synopsis: Bruce Lee was a Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and philosopher. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim.  Through such films as Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon, Lee helped to change the way Asians were presented in American films and, in the process, he became an iconic figure known throughout the world. Although…

Synopsis: As a child his passions were comics and cars, but George Lucas grew up to be one of the most successful filmmakers of all time.  He is a producer, screenwriter, director and entrepreneur whose company Lucasfilms pioneered the movie effects that changed the world of animation. He founded Industrial Light and Magic, which transformed special sound and visual effects throughout the Hollywood film industry. He is best known, of course, as the…

Synopsis: Take a peek into the childhood of Annie Oakley in this edition of one of the most popular educational series for children ever published.This installment of the Childhood of Famous Americans series gives young readers a look at the youth of one of the best-known markswoman in American history, Annie Oakley. Using simple language that is perfect for beginning readers, this lively and inspiring biography unveils the childhood behind the Wild West…

Synopsis: Enter a world of shrunken heads, mystic holy men, shriveled aliens, and bizarre relics in the delightfully odd tale of Robert Ripley. Born in California, Ripley began his career as a sports cartoonist. He went on to chronicle global records and oddities in his weekly column, Believe It Or Not! After publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst took an interest in the column, it became a syndicated global success. Ripley spent his life traveling to…

Synopsis: Everyone loves Harry Potter. Now kids can learn about Harry's creator! In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as compelling as the world of Hogwarts that she created. This biography details not only Rowling's life and her…

Synopsis: Jim Thorpe: Olympic Champion is Guemsey Van Riper Jr.'s biography of a world-class athlete.A biography of the Native American known as one of the best all-round athletes in history, for his accomplishments as an Olympic medal winner as well as an outstanding professional football and basebell player.

Synopsis: A humorist, narrator, and social observer, Mark Twain is unsurpassed in American literature. Best known as the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, not unlike his protagonist, Huck, has a restless spirit. He found adventure prospecting for silver in Nevada, navigating steamboats down the Mississippi, and making people laugh around the world. But Twain also had a serious streak and decried racism and injustice. His…

Synopsis: Martha Washington was a wife, mother, and the first First Lady of the United States, but what was she like as a child? In this narrative biography, you’ll learn all about Martha Washington’s childhood, from her birth on June 2, 1731, to her time growing up on her parents’ Virginia plantation, to marriage George Washington in 1759. Discover what Martha did for fun—and how her confidence and ability to host large social events prepared her to help…

Synopsis: Born in Wisconsin in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright became obsessed with a set of building blocks his mother had given to him on his ninth birthday. He grew up to become the father of organic architecture and the greatest American architect of all time, having designed more than 1,100 buildings during his lifetime. These included  private homes – such as the stunning Fallingwater, churches, temples, a hotel, and the world-famous Guggenheim Museum in…

Synopsis: When the Civil War began, Annie Etheridge, just sixteen, enlisted in the Union Army, one of only eighteen women from Michigan. She was prepared to sew and cook, but hoped to be a nurse. When the army headed into battle, the other seventeen women fled. Only Annie remained with the troops to face the danger.

Synopsis: Kiri loves to make things. When she receives an origami set for her birthday, she can't wait to make a butterfly, just like the one Auntie Lu made. Kiri follows the steps but the beautiful purple paper tears after just four folds. Disappointed but not discouraged Kiri continues to practice folding origami butterflies, until one day in the park she is inspired to make a picture of what she sees, and her colourful, creative solution turns out to…

Synopsis: The young children in a rhyming first reader storybook bundle up in boots and warm coats, anticipating wintertime fun, but the lack of snow foils their plans until the first snowflakes of the season begin to fall. Original.

Synopsis: From Dav Pilkey, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Hally Tosis, the adorable dog that will take your breath away!Hally Tosis is a great family dog, but there is one rotten thing about her: her breath! It is so smelly, Hally's pet parents want to find a new home for her. The children, desperate to keep their beloved pet, try everything to rid Hally of her stinky stench. They take…

Synopsis: It is fall! And for one little girl, that means the special joys of visiting the Comstock Farm: choosing the reddest apples from the trees and finding the best pumpkin in the patch. Back home, she helps her mother carve a funny jack-o'-lantern face and puts a glowing candle inside her prized new pumpkin, just in time for Halloween and an evening of trick-or-treating.

Synopsis: Introducing everyone's new best friend: Stick Dog! He'll make you laugh ... He'll make you cry ... But above all, he'll make you hungry. Follow Stick Dog as he goes on an epic quest for the perfect burger.

Synopsis: As soon as Brett Thyson steps on "The Lizard", the mysterious skateboard he unearthed in his backyard, he can feel its power. It glides smoothly and effortlessly, but Brett can't shake off the feeling that there's something not quite right about it.

Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this thoughtful story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only…

Synopsis: Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to…