Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA's alltime leading scorer, champions a lineupof little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book.Did you know that James West invented the microphone in your cell phone? That Fred Jones invented the refrigerated truck that makes supermarkets possible? Or that Dr. Percy Julian synthesized cortisone from soy, easing untold people's pain? These are just some of the black inventors and innovators scoring big points in this dynamic look at several unsung heroes who shared a desire to improve people's lives. Offering profiles with fast facts on flaps and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a nod to the minds behind the gamma electric cell and the ice-cream scoop, improvements to traffic lights, open-heart surgery, and more - inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter.

The words of President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address are as relevant and meaningful today as they were in 1863. This magnificent book is a stunning exploration of some of the most powerful words ever spoken in American history.

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW DISAPPEARS one day on a walk into Horshoe, a dust bowl farm town in Depression-era Saskatchewan. Other children go missing just as a strange man named Abram Harsich appears in town. He dazzles the townspeople with the promises of a rainmaking machine. Only Matthew’s older brother Robert seems to be able to resist Abram’s spell, and to discover what happened to Matthew and the others.“A remarkably effective sense of atmosphere.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred“Choose it for science-fiction fans who are ready for something a little different.”—School Library Journal, Starred“Beautifully written novel . . . strong character development, an authentic setting, and some genuinely spooky moments.”—VOYA, StarredA Governor General’s Award for Children’s LiteratureAn ALA Best Books for Young Adults

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A young girl's journal records her family's struggles during two years of hiding from the Nazis in war-torn Holland.

Nights were long in Iceland winters of long ago. A whole family sat for hours around the fire in the middle of the room. That fire gave the only light. Shadows flitted in the dark corners. Smoke curled along the high beams of the ceiling. The children sat on the dirt floor close by the fire. The grown people were on a long narrow bench that they had pulled up to the light and warmth. Everybody's hands were busy with wool. As the family worked in the red fire-light, the father told of the kings of Norway, of long voyages to strange lands, of good fights. And in farmhouses all through Iceland these old tales were told over and over until everybody knew them and loved them. Men who could sing and play the harp were called "skalds," and they called their songs "sagas." Eventually these stories were written down on sheepskin or vellum so that we can enjoy them today. We follow the fortunes of Harald from the time he is acknowledged by his father as a baby and given his own thrall at the cutting of his first tooth, through his exploits as a viking adventurer, to his crowning as King of Norway. It is when Harald is King of Norway that population pressures at home and eagerness for adventure and booty from other lands combine to drive some of the bolder Vikings to set forth from their native land. Sailing ever westward across the Atlantic, they hop along the chain of islands that loosely connects Norway with America-Orkneys and Shetlands, Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland. It is from link to link of this chain that the characters in our story sail in search of home and adventure. Discoveries are made by accident. Ships are driven by the wind into unknown ports, resulting in landings and settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and America. The crude courage of these men and strangeness of their adventures appeal strongly to children, while their love of truth, hardy endurance, and faithfulness to the promised word make them characters to emulate. Suitable for children ages 9 and up to read to themselves and for children as young as 6 as a read-aloud.

Freckles, an orphan, finds a job guarding a stretch of lumber in the wild Limberlost. Before long he falls in the love with the wilderness--and with a beautiful girl. But can she learn to love him? After meeting the beautiful "Swamp Angel," he becomes determined to learn the truth about his past, and finds the courage to change his life. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.

This is the latest addition to this series. It is fully annotated, with the notes facing the text. The book contains a wide range of questions for students, as well as the background to Shakespeare's England.

One of Americaís most important women, Harriet Tubman was a former slave who led a heroic struggle more bravely and more successfully than any other to liberate African-Americans from slavery.

David Balfour, a young Scotsman orphaned by the death of his father, is betrayed by his uncle, shanghaied, and carried to the New World for a life in bondage--until a swashbuckling highlander, Alan Breck Stewart, comes to his rescue. Balfour escapes to the Highlands with the help of his friend but encounters further danger and intrigue as he tries to clear his name and regain his rightful property.

Elnora finds comfort and inspiration through the flora and fauna of the Limberlost Swamp Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.