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19,100 | 2 | Mark and Caralyn Buehner (www.buehnerbooks.com) are an award-winning husband-and-wife team who live in Salt Lake City, Utah.; Title: Snowmen at Play | [
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19,101 | 18 | Joan Holub is the author ofWhat Was the Gold Rush?; Title: What Was the First Thanksgiving? | [
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19,102 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: A Splash of Magic #3 (Magic Bunny) | [
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19,103 | 0 | Gr 25Joe idolizes his adventurous Uncle Charlie and can't wait for his visits. When Charlie returns from an archaeological expedition, he gives Joe an Egyptian amulet shaped like a jackal that has the power to grant one wish to its bearer. That night, Joe wishes for a pet of his very own. He gets his wishsort of. He is visited by an undead hamster named Dumpling, who explains that he cannot rest in peace until his "unresolved issues" have been resolved. As the Keeper of the Amulet of Anubis, Joe is stuck with him until then. Joe reluctantly agrees to help Dumpling, even as the zombie hamster causes trouble at school and at home. Hay sets the premise quickly, with the majority of the story focusing on Joe and Dumpling's investigation, and the misadventures that ensue. The supernatural elements are played for laughs rather than chills. Fans of gross-out humor will appreciate the high jinks of the sneezing, oozing Dumpling. Frequent illustrations help bring Joe and Dumpling to lifeor at least undeath. This simply written mystery will appeal to reluctant or newly confident readers, and the cliff-hanger ending promises that Joe hasn't seen his last undead pet.Tony Hirt, Hennepin County Library, MNThe Return of the Hungry Hamster is a funny, rather than scary, ghost story. Being a ghost doesn't stop Dumpling causing all sorts of havoc, getting Joe into trouble at home and at school and eating everything in sight!  There's the right amount of grossness and ghoulishness to appeal to kids without going over the top. Illustrated throughout - and with some cartoon sections - it's sure to appeal to the younger but fairly confident reader - maybe 7 and up, though even I enjoyed it! A great Halloween read.http://ourbookreviewsonline.blogspot.com/2012/10/undead-pets-return-of-hungry-hamster-by.html — Maryom; Title: Return of the Hungry Hamster #1 (Undead Pets) | [
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19,104 | 0 | Sam Hay is a former journalist and has written many childrens books. She lives with her husband, two children, and several pets in a small house with a big garden in Scotland.Simon Cooper has illustrated many childrens books and lives with his family in the English countryside.Chapter One Joe peeked around the stage curtain and gasped. Wow! Its packed. Look, Matt! He nudged his best friend, who was busy digging inside an old top hat. Im sure I put the flowers in here, Matt said, turning the hat upside down and giving it a thump. It was Friday night, and families and friends were jammed into the schools auditorium to watch the kids compete in the sixth-grade talent show. Joe could see his mom and dad and his little brother, Toby, in the front row. His sister, Sarah, had gone to a friends house for the night instead. Toby was leaning forward, his eyes glued to the stage. He couldnt wait to see Joe and Matts magic act. Theyd been practicing for weeks. Joe, whered the knotted string go? asked Matt, patting his coat pockets nervously. Ive got it here, Joe said, holding it up. Stop worrying, Matt! Their principal, Mr. Hill, swept past with a clipboard in his hands. Five minutes to curtain! he called. Form a line in the order youre going onstage, please. As he spoke, the stage lights flickered eerily above their heads. Ooooooooooh! The children giggled. Oh no! groaned Mr. Hill. The last thing we need is a power outage. Must be the wind, said Nick the Stick, the tallest boy in Joes class. Its blowing hard out therea tree branch nearly hit our car on the way here. As he spoke, Nick was spinning a basketball around and around on one finger. Joe and Matt exchanged a look. Nick was amazing at ball tricks. As well as being the basketball king of the school, he could roll a ball down his back and flick it back up over his head. Well never beat Nicks basketball routine, said Matt. And looktheres the twins dog! Theyve trained her to do tricks. Smartie the dog was doing a routine with her owners, Ava and Mollytwo girls in Joes class. A little further back, Joe could see Spiker and Harry practicing their yo-yo moves. In the corner, another group from Joes class was warming up for a gymnastics act. Mr. Hill looked around. Where are Leonie and Natalie? He peered at his clipboard. Theyre supposed to be the first act. Mr. Hill looked over at Joe and Matt. If theyre not here soon, you two will have to go on first. What? squeaked Matt. Im not ready yet! Joe, have we got all the props? Yes! Check your pockets. Theyre definitely in there. We already went through everything, remember? Both boys were wearing long, dark overcoats with deep pockets and wide sleeves, perfect for hiding thingsand losing them! Joe had borrowed his coat from his granddad. It was a bit big and smelled of pickled onions, but Joe thought it made him look mysterious. Ta-da! said Matt suddenly. He produced a squashed bunch of paper flowers from up his sleeve. What about the rabbit? asked Joe. It was one of their best trickspulling a cuddly toy bunny out of a seemingly empty top hat. Is it definitely in there? Matt nodded. Yeah, its hidden at the bottom. One minute to curtain! called Mr. Hill. If Leonie and Natalie dont appear in the next ten seconds, you boys will have to go on first. Were here! wailed Leonie, clambering up the steps in a pair of bright red shoes. Natalie was right behind her. We were just having a last-minute practice! Just then, the sound of piano music rang out from the front of the stage. Quick! Places, everyone! hissed Mr. Hill. The children crowded into the wings of the stage and Mr. Hill signaled to Joes classmates Ben and Simon, who were in charge of props and scenery, to open the curtains. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boomed Mr. Hill, squinting in the glare of the spotlight. Welcome to the sixth-grade talent show! There was a loud round of applause. Joe felt a rush of excitementhed never performed in front of people before. He hoped none of their tricks would go wrong. Id like to introduce you to our two judges, continued Mr. Hill. Miss Bruce, sixth-grade teacher, and Mr. Shah, the vice principal. The judges stood up and gave the audience a wave. And now, please welcome our first act, Leonie and Natalie with their recorder duet. Earplugs at the ready, Matt said with a giggle. Leonie scowled at them and flounced on to the stage with Natalie. They launched into a squeaky performance of When the Saints Go Marching In. Joe rolled his eyes and Matt snickered. Mr. Hill glared at them from the other side of the stage so they tried to look serious, but it was toughespecially when Smartie the dog started howling along to Yankee Doodle! As soon as Leonie and Natalie took their bows, Ben ran on and removed the music stand, while Simon dragged Joe and Matts magic table (which was really a school desk with a shiny tablecloth draped over the top) onto the stage. Mr. Hill stepped forward. Please put your hands together for Joe and Matts mysterious magical mayhem! There was an eruption of clapping and a few loud whistles from Matts dad up front. Joe and Matt stepped out. There was a whole room full of faces staring back, grinning and clapping. Joe took a deep breath. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen... His voice sounded small and tight. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. Tonight well show you how to make things vanish... And reappear! added Matt, reaching forward and producing a shiny coin from behind Joes ear. Wow! Toby gasped in the front row. Making things appear can be useful, said Joe. Especially if youve forgotten your moms birthday present! said Matt, whipping out the fake flowers from up his sleeve. There was another round of applause and more whistles from Matts dad. Awwhoooooo... Then Joe pulled the string from his pocket and held it up. As you can see, there is a knot at the end of this string. But its easy to make it disappear. All it takes is the magic word... Alakazam! Joe gave the string a tug, and the knot was gone! There was a small round of applause and a few grins from the grown-ups who already knew the trick. And now, I will bring the knot back! Joe gathered up the string in his fist and said the magic word again. This time he pulled the other end of the string down and the knot mysteriously reappeared! Tobys eyes opened wide. How did they do that? he called out, looking in admiration at his big brother. For our next trick we need a volunteer, called Joe. He was starting to feel confident. Tobys hand shot up. Me! Matt grinned and called him onstage. Take a look inside this top hat, said Matt, holding it in front of Toby. Check theres nothing inside. Its empty, said Toby. Not for long! Joe waved his hands mysteriously above the hat, then pulled out a bright yellow handkerchief... and then two more. Wow! Toby beamed. As the applause died away, Matt continued. Lets see if the hats magic will work one more time. At that moment, the lights flickered and then went out, plunging the hall into darkness. In a blink they came back on again, and Joe saw a white rabbit shoot out of the top hat and land with a thud on the table. But it wasnt the cuddly toy hed been expecting. It looked almost real. Where did you get that rabbit from, Matt? he whispered. But Matt didnt seem to have noticed it. He was still digging around inside the top hat. I cant get the rabbit out. Its jammed! Joe frowned. But Matt... His words trailed off as he looked at the rabbit. It turned its head and looked directly at Joe. Its eyes were glowing ghoulishly. Hi, Joe, my names Fluffy, the rabbit squeaked. Ive got twenty-four hours to save my owner, and I need your help! ; Title: Rise of the Zombie Rabbit #5 (Undead Pets) | [
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19,105 | 2 | David Soman and Jacky Davis (www.ladybuggirl.com) are a husband-and-wife creative team. They write the Ladybug Girl books together and Mr. Soman illustrates. The books are inspired by their own children, Lucy and Sam. Jacky Davis has worked in publishing, both at Coffee House Press and S&S Children's Books, as well as in television. She produced graphics at Jim Henson Productions Inc. for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Mr. Soman comes from a family of artists. He has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for 16 years, and at the Mill Street Loft, a non-profit arts education center in the Hudson Valley, for the past seven.; Title: Play All Day with Ladybug Girl | [
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19,106 | 1 | Judy Schachner is the author/illustrator of the wildly popular Skippyjon Jones series, The Grannyman, and Yo, Vikings! Ms. Schachner had a Siamese cat named Skippy who served as the inspiration for Skippyjon Jones. She lives in Philadelphia with her family and their pets. You can visit her website at www.judithbyronschachner; Title: Get Busy with Skippyjon Jones! | [
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19,107 | 18 | Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso are authors of several books in this series, includingWho is George Lucas?andWho Was Susan B. Anthony?; Title: Quin fue Steve Jobs? (Spanish Edition) | [
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19,108 | 0 | Sam Hay grew up in Scotland. A former journalist, she has written several children's books. She lives with her husband, two children, and several pets in a small house with a big garden.It was Saturday morning, and Joe was in the paint department of the local hardware store. He was just wondering what color he could make if he blended orange, purple, and gold paint, when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a streak of gray disappearing under the shelves.What was that? he said.Mmm? muttered Dad, who was reading the labels on the paint cans. He didnt look up.Joes big sister, Sarah, frowned. I didnt see anything.It was gray, sort of like a squirrel or something, said Joe, crouching down and peering under the shelves to see where it had gone.Sarah rolled her eyes. They dont let squirrels in stores, weirdo!Joe scowled and tried to think of a clever reply, but just then his little brother, Toby, whizzed past, doing a wheelie with the shopping cart.Look out! called Dad.Hey! yelped Sarah, jumping out of the way.Joe grinned. With a bit of luck, Toby would get her next time! He turned back to the paint charts and was about to come up with another crazy color combination when suddenly he saw it again out of the corner of his eyea flash of movement. He turned sharply and saw a tail disappearing around the end of the aisle.There it is! he yelled. Look, Dad!Hmm? Dad looked up. What is it, Joe?A squirrel going shopping, apparently, Sarah said with a smirk.I definitely saw something, huffed Joe.Okay, okay, said Dad, trying to soothe the situation. Maybe it was a guide dogtheyre allowed in stores.Joe was about to explain that it was smaller than a guide dog when Toby whizzed past again.Stop that! Dad reached out and grabbed the shopping cart, stopping it dead. He sighed. The sooner you let me concentrate on choosing this paint, the sooner we can get out of here. He turned to Sarah. Hurry up and pick which color you want for your bedroom. Toby, you hold the shopping cart still while I load it up. And Joe, can you go and find me a plug for the bathtub? Which reminds meyou still need to get a new sponge for your mom!Joes face reddened. Moms last bath sponge had been chewed up by an undead pet that visited hima zombie hamster named Dumpling with a huge appetite! Not that his parents knew that. No one had been able to see the hamster, apart from Joe. So hed gotten the blame for the mangled spongenot to mention turning their kitchen upside down and eating his principals lunch!And dont forget you promised to pay for it out of your allowance, added Dad. Itll be a nice surprise for Mom when she gets back from work.Joe sighed. Sometimes life just wasnt fair!The bathroom department was at the back of the store. Joe walked through the aisles, past towering shelves. There was an entire section filled with different toilet seats. Joe had never seen so many designs. There were all the usual ones and some fancy ones, tooa shiny gold one, a see-through one with goldfish printed on it . . . and a very weird one that looked like a sharks mouth. Joe smiled; he wished he could buy that to scare Sarah! He was just searching for bathtub plugs when suddenly a small furry head popped out of one of the display toilets.Whoa! Joe jumped. It definitely wasnt a guide dog, but it wasnt a squirrel, either. It was a catan odd-looking silvery-gray cat that was covered in dirty bandages. As soon as it spotted Joe, it shot out of the toilet like a cannonball, straight into his arms, and gripped him tightly with its claws.Ow! Joe yelped as the cat clawed its way up to his shoulder where it perched like a parrot, peering into his face. Joe winced. The cats breath smelled like rotten fish.; Title: Revenge of the Phantom Furball #2 (Undead Pets) | [
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19,109 | 2 | David Soman and Jacky Davis (www.ladybuggirl.com) are a husband-and-wife creative team. They write the Ladybug Girl books together and Mr. Soman illustrates. The books are inspired by their own children, Lucy and Sam. Jacky Davis has worked in publishing, both at Coffee House Press and S&S Children's Books, as well as in television. She produced graphics at Jim Henson Productions Inc. for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Mr. Soman comes from a family of artists. He has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for 16 years, and at the Mill Street Loft, a nonprofit arts education center in the Hudson Valley, for the past seven years.; Title: Happy Holidays, Ladybug Girl! Gift Set | [
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19,110 | 18 | Megan Stine has written several young biographies, includingWho Was Sally Ride?.Who IsMichelle Obama?By Megan StineIllustrated by John OBrienWho IsMichelle Obama?A tall and beautiful African American woman stood on the lawn behind the White House. She smiled at a group of children and teenagers who had come from nearby schools.It was a warm sunny day in October. The kids were dressed in T-shirts and jeans. The woman wore a bright blue sweater and black slacks. Grinning, she picked up a hula hoop and began to swivel it around her waist.The crowd watched, and someone started counting. Ninety-eightninety-nineone hundredone hundred oneShe kept going. She reached 142 times before she stopped. She could have kept going longer!I can hula-hoop forever, the woman said. She even knew how to swirl two hoops at once.The kids tried to keep up with her. Everybody was having fun. But there was also an important purpose to the fun. Hula-hooping was a way to help kids get more exercise and stay healthy.Who was that gorgeous woman performing at the White House? It was Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States!HILLARY CLINTONOCTOBER 26, 1947WHEN BILL CLINTON RAN FOR PRESIDENT IN 1992, HE TOLD VOTERS THAT THEY WOULD GET TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. HE MEANT THAT HE AND HILLARY WOULD WORK TOGETHER ONCE THEY WERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.SOME PEOPLE DIDNT LIKE THAT IDEA. HILLARY, HOWEVER, WAS SMART AND EAGER TO DO GOOD WORK. SHE WOULDNT LET ANYTHING STAND IN HER WAY.SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO HAVE HER OWN OFFICE IN THE WEST WING OF THE WHITE HOUSE, NEAR THE PRESIDENTS. OTHER FIRST LADIES HAD THEIR OFFICES IN THE EAST WINGOUT OF THE WAY.SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH CONGRESS TO TRY TO GET A NEW HEALTH CARE LAW PASSED. CONGRESS REJECTED HER IDEAS, THOUGH.AFTER BILL CLINTON WAS NO LONGER PRESIDENT, SHE DECIDED TO RUN FOR OFFICE HERSELF. SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO DO THAT! IN 2000, SHE WAS ELECTED AS US SENATORTHE FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS A SENATOR FROM NEW YORK.IN 2008, SHE RAN FOR PRESIDENT AGAINST BARACK OBAMA. SHE DIDNT GET THE NOMINATION. BUT AFTER BARACK OBAMA WAS ELECTED, HE APPOINTED HILLARY CLINTON AS SECRETARY OF STATE. THAT MADE HER THE FIRST FORMER FIRST LADY TO SERVE IN A CABINET POST.Chapter 1A Close Family; Title: Who Is Michelle Obama? (Who Was?) | [
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19,111 | 6 | David Soman and Jacky Davis (www.ladybuggirl.com) are a husband-and-wife creative team. They write the Ladybug Girl books together and Mr. Soman illustrates. The books are inspired by their own children, Lucy and Sam. Jacky Davis has worked in publishing, both at Coffee House Press and S&S Children's Books, as well as in television. She produced graphics at Jim Henson Productions Inc. for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Mr. Soman comes from a family of artists. He has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for 16 years, and at the Mill Street Loft, a non-profit arts education center in the Hudson Valley, for the past seven.; Title: Happy Halloween, Ladybug Girl! | [
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19,112 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: A Splash of Forever #14 (Magic Kitten) | [
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19,113 | 13 | "Tender, addicting, and, as always, boatloads of fun."- Booklist"The friendship that develops between Jack & Lou isn't just about Musical Theater Nerds (or MTNs) but finding each other. This is a loving, funny and sweet book. Can't wait for the next one." - Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth"Funny, fabulous, and most of all true, Jack & Louisa are every theater kid's new best friends." - Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever Andrew Keenan-Bolger is a musical theater actor and singer originally from Detroit. He has appeared on Broadway in Tuck Everlasting, Newsies, Mary Poppins, and Seussical. Andrew and Kate Wetherhead created the popular web series, "Submissions Only," which was hailed as one of Entertainment Weekly's "Top 10 Things We Love."Kate Weatherhead originated the role of Chutney in Legally Blonde: The Musical and is a fixture on the New York stage. She has performed extensively Off-Broadway and regionally, and was in the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.; Title: Act 3 (Jack & Louisa) | [
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19,114 | 0 | Sam Hay grew up in Scotland. A former journalist, she has written several children's books. She lives with her husband, two children and several pets in a small house with a big garden. Visit her website athttp://samhayauthor.com/ or on Twitter @samhayauthorChapter One Three... Two... One... Go! Joe shot away from the side of the swimming pool, like a great white shark on the attack. He swam away from the deep endhis arms cutting through the waterpausing just for a second to glance back. Come on, Matt, what are you waiting for? His best friends head bobbed up next to him. What are you waiting for, you mean? And he hurtled past Joe, kicking water in his face. Joe spit out a mouthful and raced after him. Im on your tail, he yelled. He dodged past two old ladies swimming laps, and a couple of smaller kids practicing the breaststroke. But Matt was already halfway down the pool. Joe stuck his face in the water and raced on. He was gaining on Matt now, with just a few yards to go... But then something wobbled out in front of him. Joe collided with a small girl in water wings who was doing the backstroke. Be careful over there! shouted the lifeguard from the other side of the pool. Sorry, muttered Joe. He could see Matt already in the shallow end, laughing and punching the air. Hed won! Joe groaned and swam over. What took you so long? said Matt, grinning. Very funny! said Joe. He gave a mischievous smile. Actually, Matt, I forgot to tell you, the race was two pool lengthsnot one! What? See ya! Joe launched into the water and powered back toward the deep end. Hey! Matt began to chase after him, but the swimming ladies were in his way. He dodged them, and then got tangled up with Joes dad and Toby, Joes little brother, who was practicing underwater turns. Sorry, Mr. Edmunds! Matt called as he splashed past them. But Joe had already reached the other end of the pool. He was hauling himself up onto the side by the time Matt arrived. Loser! Joe smirked. That was such a lame trick! Matt climbed out of the water next to Joe. They sat, watching the swimmers and swinging their feet in the water. Hey, guess what? Matt said. My cousins fish have gone cannibal! What? You know Dan, my older cousin? Well, one of his goldfish has been eaten by another fish. No way! One day it was swimming around in the tank with the others, the next it was gone. Swallowed whole... Gross! Dans crushed. Fizzthe one that got eatenwas his first goldfish. Hed had him since he was little. What kind of fish are the other ones? Piranhas or something? asked Joe. Nope, theres one guppy, but apart from that, theyre just goldfish! Killer goldfish! Joe grinned. He was just about to slip back into the water when he saw something dart past his toes. Hey, what was that? Mmm? said Matt. Joe scanned the water. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I just saw a fish... Yeah, that sounds crazy! Matt gave Joe a shove, and he splashed back into the water, pretending to sink like a stone. Then he bounced off the bottom and shot back up, grabbing Matts ankles and pulling him into the water, too. Race you! Joe shouted, pushing off and zooming down the pool. Matt gave chase, but Joe was ahead... until Toby decided he wanted to join in. Hey, Joe, he called, paddling over and grabbing his big brothers arm. Watch it! yelled Joe. I win! Matt called as he hurtled past him. Thanks a lot! Joe glared at his little brother. Toby bit his lip. Sorry, I just wanted to play. Dad called over to them, Time to get out now, boys. Five more minutes? begged Joe. You can stay in for two more minutes, said Dad. Come on, Toby, shower time. No! Toby wailed. Thats not fair! Hey, Matt! Joe shouted. One last race? Sure! First one back to the deep end... And he raced off. But just as Joe was about to swim after him, he spotted something streaking through the water. Then he felt something cold and slimy. Joe peered down. It was a fisha slightly green goldfish! And it had suckered itself onto his toe. Get off! Joe yelped, trying to flick it away. But the fish held tight. Joe dunked his head into the water and grabbed his foot with both hands, but just as he went to pull the fish away, it let go. Hello, Joe, it said, a stream of green bubbles popping out of its mouth. Ive been looking for you. Joe swallowed a mouthful of water in shock. Coughing and spluttering, he bobbed up to the surface. The fish followed, floating next to him. Going somewhere? it said sarcastically. Joe looked at its single googly eye and its slimy gills and groaned. It was an undead petanother zombie creature who needed his help. Ever since Uncle Charlie had given Joe a magical Egyptian amulet, there had been a series of undead animals turning up on his doorstep, unable to pass over to the afterlife until hed helped them solve their problems. The fish fixed Joe with a dead-eyed stare. Listen to me, it said in a raspy voice. Im gonna make you an offer you cant refuse. Help me, or else therell be trouble! Who do you think you are? spluttered Joe. You cant order me around like that! The fish didnt blink. Dont mess with me, or youll regret it. Chapter 2 Joe couldnt help laughing. Here he was, being bullied by a small goldfisha small, undead goldfish! It was absurd. My name is Fizz, said the fish. Joe gasped. What? Youre not Dans dead fish, are you? Yeah, and I want you to find out who killed me. But thats easyanother fish did. It ate you! Fizz puffed up like a balloon. Thats ridiculous! Its true! Matt just told me. Right then, Joe heard a shout from the other end of the pool. What happened to you? Matt called. We were supposed to be racing! I... uh... got a cramp in my leg..., Joe yelled back. He pretended to rub his calf muscle. Look, he hissed to Fizz. Youre dead because the other fish decided to have you for breakfast. Now please, leave me alone. He waved to Matt. Come on, wed better get changed. You can swim, but you cant hide, growled Fizz. If you wont help me, Ill feed you to the fishes! What? Joe rolled his eyes. Youre just a goldfish! What can you do? But the fish didnt reply. It turned and swam off, vanishing into the deep end. *** Hows the cramp? asked Matt as they headed for the locker room. Oh, um... better, thanks. I bet it was just an excuse, said Matt. What? Joe felt his cheeks turn red. Surely Matt hadnt heard him talking to the goldfish? Yeah. Matt grinned. Because you knew I was about to beat youagain! Joe breathed a sigh of relief. At last! said Joes dad, who was sitting on the wooden benches in the locker room, rubbing Tobys hair dry with a towel. Mom will be wondering where we are! Sorry, Joe said. He walked over to his locker and grabbed his towel. Then he and Matt headed for the showers. Hey, Joe, what are you doing tomorrow? asked Matt. Its my uncle Franks birthday, and hes having a barbecue. Joe groaned inside. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. Matt hated family parties because he always got stuck playing with his younger cousins Lolly and Lily. He probably wanted Joe to go along with him, to share the awfulness. I was wondering if you felt like coming, said Matt. Um... Im not sure, Joe turned on his shower, hoping Matt would drop the subject. Itll be fun, Matt continued. Dans got some amazing video games. Joe made a face. As if Dan would let them play with his stuff! He was sixteen. Well, Im not sure what were doing tomorrow... Youre not doing anything, Joe! called Dad from the changing rooms. Except cleaning your bedroom! A barbecue sounds much more fun! Joe made a face. Dad wasnt helping. But I havent finished my homework. What homework? said Matt. We dont have any. No offense, Matt, said Joe, but Im not really crazy about your family parties... Ill let you borrow any of my Xbox games, begged Matt. No! How about my new soccer game? You can have it for a whole week! Joe was about to say he wasnt interested even if he got a game for a month, when there was a choking sound and the water stopped. Joe peered up and gave the shower a thump... POP! The water burst out, along with a small, slimy blob that landed on Joes face. Hello, Joe, growled Fizz. Im back! Argh! Joe flicked the fish out of his face. It landed with a splat on the tiled floor. Are you ready to help me now? the fish said, flapping around Joes toes. Joe tried to ignore the horrible, slimy feeling of the undead fish on his feet. I want you to go to Dans house and find out who killed me. Or else... Or else what? thought Joe. At that moment, Fizz shot off down the drain. Joe heard an echoing cry rise up from the pipes below: Dont let me down! Matt turned off the shower and grabbed his towel. So, the barbecue starts at noon. We could pick you up on the way? Im not sure..., muttered Joe. He turned off his shower and followed Matt back to the lockers. Dad was already zipping up his swimming bag. Whats the matter, Joe? said Dad. You should be jumping at the chance to go to a party. Joe didnt answer. He pulled his clothes out of the locker and started to get dressed. I wish someone would invite me to a barbecue, Dad said with a sigh. That sounds much more fun than fixing the leaky bathroom faucet, which is what Ive got to look forward to! Yeah, muttered Joe. Lucky me! *** They were late to pick up Mom. By the time theyd dropped off Matt, she was standing outside the salon where she worked, waiting for them. Did you have a good time at the pool? she asked as she climbed into the car. Yeah, it was great! Toby beamed. I swam underwater! Thats amazing! And what about you, Joe? Oh, yeah, it was a lot of fun, he said unenthusiastically. The truth was, he had been having fununtil the crazy zombie fish had showed up and ruined things! Joes been invited to Matts family barbecue tomorrow, said Dad as they drove to the supermarket. Thats nice! Im not going, said Joe. Id just get stuck playing with Lolly and Lily and all Matts other cousins. The last thing I want to do is spend my afternoon babysitting. Well, a barbecue might be fun, said Mom. Matts family usually throws great parties. Joe scowled at the back of his moms head. Can I push the shopping cart? Toby asked as they pulled in to the supermarket parking lot. No! Mom and Dad said together. Toby treated shopping carts like scooters! Can I wait in the car? asked Joe. No! they both answered again. Remember that time when you were messing around with the emergency brake, said Dad, and the car started to roll downhill... ? Joe groaned. Dad! I was six then! Hey! said Toby. Im six! But Mom was already opening Joes door. Come onI only need a few things. You always say that, thought Joe. But as he followed them into the store, he cheered up. At least Fizz couldnt follow him in here. There was no water for a fish to swim in. Can you fetch me a jar of pickled onions, Joe? Mom asked. He walked through the supermarket, looking for the right aisle... Finally he found them. He was just about to grab a jar, when something moved inside it. A beady eye looked out at him. Fizz! Hello, Joe! He jumped. Fizz was wedged into the jar, glaring out at him. Go away! Joe said, looking around to make sure no one had noticed him talking. But Fizz didnt go away. He began to flip wildly around in the jar, back and forth, faster and faster. The jar started to wobble. Stop that! But Fizz just did it more. I warned you! growled Fizz. But you wouldnt listen. Watch it! cried Joe. Suddenly... SMASH! The jar tumbled right off the shelf. No! Joe gasped. He looked up to see the other shoppers in the aisle giving him stern looks and shaking their heads. Fizz? Joe glanced down to see if the fish was floundering around among the pieces of broken glass on the floor. But hed vanished. Whats going on? said a grumpy voice. A grocery stocker, pushing a cart piled high with cans of soup, had appeared next to Joe. Im sorryI was just getting a jar of pickled onions for my mom, when it slipped through my fingers. He looked at his feet, his cheeks burning. Oh, said the woman frostily. Well, these things happen, I suppose. Ill get a dustpan and a broom. Dont touch the glass! As she stomped off, Joe spotted another jar wobbling, farther along the shelf. Im still here! rasped Fizz, peering out of it. Are you ready to help find my killer now? I know who killed you! said Joe crossly. It was a bunch of goldfish in your tankand to be honest, I dont blame them! He picked up the jar so Fizz couldnt make it fall off the shelf, but when he looked inside, Fizz was gone. Over here, Joe! He spun around and spotted Fizz swishing around inside a bottle of cooking oil on the other side of the aisle. As Joe watched, the bottle began to wobble. No! Joe yelped. He dived across and caught it just before it fell off the shelf. Stop doing that! he snapped. Not until you help me find my killer! But Ive already told you, said Joe. You were eaten by your friends! I wasnt! growled Fizz. A human killed me! What? But just then the grocery stocker returned with a set of small cones to mark off the area where the jar had smashed, so she could clean it up. Joe grabbed another jar of pickled onions and raced back to find his parents. As he ran down the aisle, he saw Fizz everywhere he looked. The goldfish seemed to pop up in every jar or bottle that he passed. Im watching you! said the goldfish, peering out of a bottle of French dressing, as Joe hurtled around the corner. Here are the onions, Joe said, panting, as he dropped the jar in the cart. He heard a gurgling sound and a growly voice said: Im back, Joe! Fizz was floating in a bottle of mineral water that Joes dad had just put in the cart. Joe groaned. ; Title: Goldfish from Beyond the Grave #4 (Undead Pets) | [
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19,115 | 0 | Penguin Young Readers unite the best authors, illustrators, and brands from the Penguin Young Readers Group under one umbrella to engage all levels of early readers, from emergent all the way to fluent. With an easy numbered leveling system and the Guided Reading leveling system, these books allow educators, parents, and kids to quickly find the perfect book for any developing reader.; Title: Spyro and the Giants (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,116 | 0 | Ethan Long (www.ethanlong.com) is the author and illustrator of numerous books, including Clara and Clem Take a Ride.; Title: Clara and Clem in Outer Space (Penguin Young Readers, Level 1) | [
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19,117 | 0 | Sue Bentley is the author of the best-selling sensations the Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, Magic Ponies, and Magic Bunnyseries.; Title: Classroom Capers #4 (Magic Bunny) | [
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19,118 | 17 | True Kelley is the author-illustrator of Who Was Pablo Picasso? and the author of Who Was Roald Dahl? She lives in Warner, New Hampshire.; Title: Who Is Dolly Parton? (Who Was?) | [
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19,119 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: Vacation Dreams #2 (Magic Bunny) | [
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19,120 | 2 | Dee Leone has written several reproducible books for the educational market, covering themes such as science, language arts, and holidays. In addition, many of her stories, poems, plays, and activity puzzles have appeared in children's magazines. Dee taught at the elementary level in several states and was also a gifted program aide. She is married and has two daughters. The author enjoys writing fiction, non-fiction, and silly verse. Her interests include amateur photography, traveling, and scrapbooking. Her cooking expertise, however, only extends about as far as that of her zany little bee characters, Bizz and Buzz.; Title: Bizz and Buzz Make Honey Buns (Penguin Core Concepts) | [
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19,121 | 2 | "Hiranandani has a light touch when exploring the friendship issues of these three likable characters. Nothing is over-the-top, and the plot is fun and easy to understand for the newest chapter-book readers. Gently humorous black-and-white illustrations pair nicely with the text. With all the foodies out there, this delightful series deserves a long shelf lifeand many more courses."-Kirkus Reviews"The plot is engaging and easy to follow. The cartoon illustration, some full page, funny and enhance the text. Fans of Junie B. Jones and Judy Moody or those who like realistic fiction and friendship stories will enjoy this chapter book."--School Library Journal"This is a splendid attempt to convey several lessons about growing pains to young readers, with age-appropriate humor via an outspoken, lovable, take-charge narrator. Dreidemys wiggly spot illustrations, meanwhile, supply plenty of nervous energy."--BooklistVeera Hiranandani has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, spent six years as a book editor, and is the author of the middle grade novel The Whole Story of Half a Girlas well as the chapter book series, Phoebe G. Green. She is the proud mom of two emerging foodies who even like to eat their vegetables (most of the time).She lives with her husband and children in New York. Visit her at www.veerahiranandani.com and follow her on Twitter @VeeraHira.Joelle Dreidemy studied art at the Emile Cohl School in Lyon, France. She lives in Paris, France, where she creates illustrations for picture books includingThe Lamb Who Came for DinnerandSmelly Peter the Great Pea Eater, magazines, and greeting cards for publishers all over the world. Joelle also writes songs, sings, and plays bass guitar in a rock band. www.joelledreidemy.fr; Title: Lunch Will Never Be the Same! #1 (Phoebe G. Green) | [
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19,122 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: A Glittering Gallop #8 (Magic Kitten) | [
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19,123 | 16 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Baby's World: A First Book of Senses (Sassy) | [
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19,124 | 13 | Stephanie Spinner is a full-time writer of children's books. She lives in Sherman, Connecticut.; Title: Who Is Steven Spielberg? (Who Was?) | [
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19,125 | 18 | Janet B. Pascal is an Executive Production Editor at Viking Children's Books and the author of Who Was Dr. Seuss?, Who Was Maurice Sendak?, Who Was Abraham Lincoln?, and What Is the Panama Canal?Who Was Isaac Newton?; Title: Who Was Isaac Newton? | [
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19,126 | 0 | Sam Hay is a former journalist and has written several childrens books. She lives with her husband, two children, and several pets in a small house with a big garden in Scotland.CHAPTER ONEJoe grabbed a handful of strawberries and dropped them into the jug. PLOP! Maybe a little more banana, he said, stirring the mixture with a long wooden spoon. His best friend, Matt, was standing next to him, smashing a bag of ice cubes with a rolling pin. He glanced at the jug. Theres no room. A few more blueberries, then... Joe was just searching along the countertop for the bowl of berries when something hit his cheek. Hey! He spun around to find the most annoying boy in the class, Spiker, smirking back at him. In his hand was the bowl of blueberries. Want some more? Spiker fired another berry in Joes direction. Joe and Matt both ducked. Ow! Leonie, who was behind Joe, let out a shriek as the blueberry bounced off her head. Another volley followed. Joe and Matt dodged out of the way. Argh! groaned Leonie. She turned around to see who was throwing the fruit just in time for a big squishy berry to explode on her cheek. Ms. Bruce! Someones throwing fruit at me! In the blink of an eye, Spiker slid the bowl of blue- berries away from him along the countertop like a cowboy barman serving drinks in a saloon. It was Joe! he shouted. What? No, it wasnt! Joe cried. Joe Edmunds! shouted Ms. Bruce from the other side of the classroom. Im surprised at you! But I didnt do anything... It was Spiker! Matt added. Ms. Bruce held up her hand to silence them both. Finish what youre doing, then bring your mixture over to the blender. Its your turn next. It was Friday morning and the sixth grade students were making fruit smoothies in their home economics class. There was going to be an official tasting at the end of the day by their principal, Mr. Hill. The best smoothie would win a prize! Hold it still, said Matt as he poured the bag of crushed ice into their mixture. Whats your smoothie called? asked Molly, peering over Joes shoulder. Berry Blaster! He scowled over at Spiker. Joe, Matt, hurry up! called Ms. Bruce, who was supervising the blender. Bring your jug over here. Matt shoved in the rest of the crushed ice, and Joe picked up the jug. Just then, something splattered on his head. He spun around, expecting to find Spiker lobbing more fruit at him. But Spiker was over by the trash can, getting some paper towels. Joe glanced around suspiciously. Who was it, then? SPLAT! Hey! Something else had landed on his head. Joe reached up and touched it. It was soft and squishy. He inspected his fingers. Ugh... It was white with black bits in it. It looked just like bird poo. There was a loud squawk and a brightly colored bird flashed in front of him. Joe gasped. He twisted around to see where it had gone. Did you see that? It looked like a parakeet! Very funny! said Matt, taking the jug out of Joes hand. And theres a UFO landing in the playground! Come on, or Leonie and Natalie will grab the blender before us! Wait! Look over there! said Joe. On top of the whiteboard. But Matt wasnt listening. He was already helping Ms. Bruce tip their mixture into the blender. Get the spoon, he called over to Joe. There are some bits stuck at the bottom. But Joe didnt move. He couldnt take his eyes off the bird. It was hopping along the top ledge of the whiteboard now, cocking its head and nervously looking around the room. Joe blinked a few times. Why hadnt anyone else noticed it? You couldnt miss ita bright green parakeet with a big scar and one bulging red eye! Must have gotten in through the window, Joe muttered to himself. Ms. Bruce always had the windows open. She said fresh air was good for you. But Joe figured she just couldnt stand the smell of Spikers sweaty feet! Look! said Joe as Ava walked past with a bag of apples. Its a parakeet. What? She glanced to where Joe was pointing, then rolled her eyes. Very funny! Hurry up, Joe! Matt called from the blender. Hurry up, Joe! echoed the bird in a high-pitched singsong voice. Joe grinned. It was mimicking Matt! Then suddenly it fluttered over, landing on Joes head. Hey! Joe said, trying to swat it away. Hey! it repeated. Kissy, kissy! Stop that! Joe tried to wriggle free. Stop that! copied the parakeet. Whos a pretty boy? it twittered. Then it dug its feet into Joes scalp. Get off! Joe yelled. Ava glanced up from the workbench and nudged her twin sister, Molly. They were looking at Joe like he was nuts! Others were staring, too... Leonie giggled. Bethany pointed. Joe was just about to shout to Ms. Bruce when the bird fluttered down from his head and hovered in front of his nose. It blinked a few times, then cocked its head at him. Sorry about that, Joejust had one of my funny turns! What? My names Petey, and I need your help!; Title: Flight of the Pummeled Parakeet #6 (Undead Pets) | [
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19,127 | 18 | Michael Burgan specializes in books for children and young adults and has written biographies of scientists, explorers, and world leaders. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in history, Burgan is also the editor ofThe Biographer's Craft,the newsletter for Biographers International Organization.Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?For all the history teachers who have inspired meMBWho Was Theodore Roosevelt?On October 14, 1912, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, crowd eagerly waited to hear Theodore Roosevelt speak. Roosevelt had served as president of the United States several years before, and he was campaigning once again for his old job.His speech was written on fifty pages of paper that he had folded and stuck in his upper jacket pocket. Outside his hotel, Roosevelt never saw the saloonkeeper who approached him with a gun drawn. Someone in the crowd did see the gun and pushed the would-be assassins arm away, just as the trigger was pulled. The shooter fired once and Roosevelt fell to the ground, but quickly rose. He did not know he had been hit until someone noticed a hole in his overcoat. When he reached inside his coat, he realized he had been wounded. The bulky, folded speech in his pocket, along with the steel case for his glasses, saved his life.Although he was bleeding, Roosevelt insisted that he give the speech. The crowd could not believe that he would continue to speak rather than go to the hospital after being shot. But Roosevelt told them, It takes more than that to kill a bull moose.Bull Moose was just one of the nicknames Theodore Roosevelt earned during his long career in politics. Some of the others were Teedie, TR, Teddy (a nickname he hated), and the Trust Buster. But Bull Moose was a good choice for a man who was physically strong and who was always determined to do things his way.I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character! he famously said. The Bull Moose was certainly a man of great character.Chapter 1 New York BoyhoodIn 1858, New York City was the largest city in the United States. Almost eight hundred thousand people lived there! Ships arrived at its port carrying a wide variety of goods, including fabric, clothing, and food, along with people from many countries. Horse-drawn carriages rumbled down crowded streets. And on October 27 of that year, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born there.His father, Theodore Sr., thought the newborn was a pretty baby, but his mother, Martha, nicknamed Mittie, wasnt so sure. She thought her new son looked like a turtle. The Roosevelts already had a daughter named Anna. She and young Theodore were later joined by a little brother, Elliott, and then baby Corinne. For a time Mrs. Roosevelts sister, Annie Bulloch, also lived with the family.Teedie, as his parents soon called Theodore, was part of a family that had deep roots in America. The first Roosevelt had come to New York from the Netherlands in 1644. The family bought plate glass in Europe and sold it in America. Teedies family was quite wealthy. Mr. Roosevelt believed in using his time and his money to help others. One of his concerns was helping orphaned children in New York City to find homes.ROOSEVELT HOME IN NEW YORK CITY; Title: Who Was Theodore Roosevelt? | [
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19,128 | 16 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Baby Loves Colors (Sassy) | [
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19,129 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: Classroom Princess #9 (Magic Puppy) | [
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19,130 | 18 | Margaret Frith is the author of Who Was Thomas Alva Edison? and Who Was Franklin Roosevelt? She lives in New York City.; Title: Who Was Louis Braille? | [
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19,131 | 2 | Loren Long is a Midwesterner - he grew up in Missouri and attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After graduating with a BA in Graphic Design/Studio Art, he pursued graduate-level studies at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He and his wife, Tracy, have two sons.; Title: Let's Go, Otis! | [
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19,132 | 18 | True Kelley is the author-illustrator of Who Was Pablo Picasso? and the author of Who Was Roald Dahl?Who Was Abigail Adams?On June 17, 1775, at 3:00 a.m., Abigail Adams woke up with a start. Her bed was shaking. The dull boom of cannons ten miles away in Boston shook the whole house. The British and the American colonists were at war. Abigail had almost gotten used to hearing the boom from cannons every day as the armies fought. But this time was different. The cannon fire went on and on and on.; Title: Who Was Abigail Adams? | [
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19,133 | 2 | Ann Hood is the author of the middle grade novel How I Save My Father's Life (and Ruined Everything Else), and has written several adult novels, including The Obituary Writer,An Orinthologist's Guide to Life, The Knitting Circle, Comfort, and The Red Thread. Her work has appeared in the The Paris Review, O, and elsewhere.CHAPTER 1THE MISSING EGGStanding in The Treasure Chest as the late-afternoon sun sent rays of colored light through the stained-glass window and across the parquet floor, Felix thought the room looked sad. All of the items seemed ordinary somehow. Maybe it had to do with that late-afternoon light, which was dim and fading. Felix had never noticed the fraying around the edges of the carpet from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan where, according to Great-Uncle Thorne, the most beautiful carpets were made. The desk and shelves, their wood probably once gleaming, looked dull. Or maybe it was the items themselves, the gold nugget and test tubes and all the things filling the room, dusty and neglected.Felix tried to imagine Phinneas Pickworth filling this room, coming back to Elm Medona from Turkmenistan or Persia or the Amazon with his precious items. How excited he must have been to unpack his trunk and remove the carefully wrapped treasures! Felix narrowed his eyes, as if he could almost see his great-great-grandfather here, lifting an object close to his eyes to examine it. He would have smiled as he did. Satisfied. Delighted. Eager.Have you heard a word Ive said? Great-Uncle Thornes voice boomed.Felix stared a moment longer at the spot where a trick of light beneath the stained-glass window seemed to reveal a vague figure.Felix blinked.No, he convinced himself, it was just a shadow cast from the high shelf against that wall.A cold breeze blew through The Treasure Chest, rifling the papers on the desk and sending goose bumps up Felixs arm.Whatever was beneath the windowghost or shadowvanished. But near where it had appeared, something glistened gold. Felix felt that the object was beckoning him. Rubbing his arms to warm himself, he walked toward it.But Great-Uncle Thorne reached out a gnarled and liver-spotted hand to stop him.Does the fact that the Ziff twins are missing have no impact on you at all? he shouted, lowering his face to Felixs eye level.It does, Felix said, looking past Great-Uncle Thornes voluminous white eyebrows to the twinkling object across the room.It, uh, impacts me, he managed.And it did. Of course.Maisie and Felix had left the Ziff twins in the Congo facing all sorts of danger: wild beasts, poisonous snakes, tropical diseases. While they had lived in homey comfort with Amelia Earhart in Iowa, fishing and riding rides at the state fair, the Ziff twins had been dodging calamity. At least Felix hoped theyd dodged calamity. He couldnt let himself think the worst. And now Great-Uncle Thorne had insisted they accompany him here to The Treasure Chest, even though their father was downstairs, no longer engaged to Agatha the Great, sitting with their surprised mother.But despite all of that, Felix could not stop staring at the object, which as he slipped out of Great-Uncle Thornes grip and inched toward it, appeared to be a highly decorated egg.What in tarnation are you staring at? Great-Uncle Thorne said so loudly that the globe on a shelf vibrated.That, Felix said, pointing.Maisie, who had been quietly listening to Great-Uncle Thornes hypotheses about what might have happened to the Ziff twins, stepped forward and followed Felixs pointing finger with her eyes.What? she asked, unimpressed.Honestly, boy, Great-Uncle Thorne said, shaking his head, your friends... No! Your cousins!... are missing, and you suddenly become mesmerized by a gaggle of objects.Not a gaggle of objects, Felix said. Just the egg. The one thats... He struggled for the right word. Twinkling sounded too light, glowing too strong. Shining, he said finally, though that wasnt quite right, either.A shining egg? Maisie repeated.Great-Uncle Thorne tapped his walking stick on the floor three times, loud. It happened to be the walking stick Maisie liked least, with a crystal globe at the top, each continent etched in miniature on it, and along the length of the ivory stick itself the name of every country in the world had been carved. There were so many countries that their names carved there like that gave the impression of an intricate design. But up close you could make out the wordsmany of them, like Rhodesia, no longer even countries. I think its cool, Felix had said when Maisie told him the walking stick gave her the creeps. Countries that dont even exist anymore? shed said with a shudder. And a stick made out of some poor elephants tusk?Actually, Great-Uncle Thorne said when he saw her staring at it now, this walking stick was made by a witch doctor in Uganda for my father.Its illegal to kill elephants for their tusks, you know, Maisie told him.Elephant? he said, his eyes blazing. My dear child, this is made from the tusk of the rare white rhinoceros!Even worse, Maisie said, her eyes blazing right back at Great-Uncle Thorne. White rhinoceroses are an endangered species!That egg, Felix said softly.Both Maisie and Great-Uncle Thorne watched him as he gently lifted the egg from its place among the fossils and feathers.The small bells from the yoke of a yak tinkled as another cold breeze blew through The Treasure Chest.The egg was the most magnificent thing Felix had ever seen.Heavy in his hand, larger than a baseball, beneath its ornamentation the egg was the purest white. Whiter than fresh snow. Whiter than clouds or angel hair. Four ribbons of gold radiated from its top, along the delicate curve of the egg, all the way to the bottom. Each ribbon had a different motif carved into it. Cherubs. Roses. Wolves heads. And what appeared to be interlocking letter Rs.Then there were the jewels. Sapphires and diamonds bigger than marbles formed a cap at the top and covered the bottom. They sparkled as if they had just been polished, revealing every shade of blue imaginable. Cobalt and navy and midnight and sky. The diamonds, too, were different shades. Champagne and pink and yellow and eggshell.Felix stroked the top of the egg, marveling at how many diamonds and sapphires covered it. All of them a slightly different color, all of them so smooth.Except one.His hand paused over a particularly deep-blue sapphire. So dark, in fact, that it almost looked black. This sapphire did not shine like the others. It was dull and rougher cut.Put! That! Down!Great-Uncle Thorne ordered.When Felix didnt obey fast enough, Great-Uncle Thorne poked him in the knees with his walking stick.Ouch! Felix exclaimed, holding on even tighter to the egg.Give it to me this instant, Great-Uncle Thorne demanded.He didnt wait for Felix to hand over the egg. He just grabbed it from him.Hey! Felix protested.But Great-Uncle Thorne was not listening. His eyes took in every inch of the egg. His hands ran over its surface slowly, as if they were memorizing it.Not memorizing, Felix realized as he watched Great-Uncle Thorne. The opposite. Remembering it.Have you been here the whole time? Great-Uncle Thorne whispered in a raspy voice to the egg.Tears sprang to his eyes and fell down his cheeks.What in the world is going on? Maisie asked, confused.Was she the only one worrying about Hadley and Rayne? Was she the only one who didnt care an ounce about this fancy egg?Felix put his hand on Maisies shoulder.Its the missing egg, he said, tears in his eyes, too.What missing egg? Maisie asked.Great-Uncle Thorne managed to lift his eyes away from the egg and look at Felix and Maisie.All those years she accused me of stealing it, he said. And it was here the whole time.Who? Maisie asked.Great-Aunt Maisie, Felix said softly, for Great-Uncle Thornes attention had gone back to the egg. He was tracing the design on each gold ribbon and whispering to himself as he did.Dont you remember? Felix said to Maisie. She had her Faberg egg, and you broke the code to open it. But she told us that Thorne had stolen another one. Thats why they never spoke again.Great-Uncle Thorne turned to face them. In that one instant, Felix thought, he looked like the very, very old man that he was.Thats one reason, Great-Uncle Thorne said. But also because I kept her from staying with Harry.He added, Harry Houdini.Maisie and Felix nodded.But I knew what it would mean if she stayed. And I didnt want to lose her, Great-Uncle Thorne said.Although he was speaking to them, he had a faraway look in his eyes.When we got back, she was furious, he continued, and she threatened to lock The Treasure Chest and throw away the key. Youve kept me from my one true love, Thorne, she told me. And Ill never forgive you for that.Great-Uncle Thornes gaze settled on Maisie and Felix.You didnt know her the way I did. She was strong willed and stubborn and thickheaded. And, he said with a sigh, utterly marvelous.Felix tried to reconcile the old Great-Aunt Maisie that hed known with the girl Great-Uncle Thorne described. He thought of the picture on the wall of the Grand Staircase, and the glimpse of her as that girl when they had met Harry Houdini. But still, to him, Great-Aunt Maisie was a crabby, snobbish old woman.And then, Great-Uncle Thorne said with a sigh, we discovered that the egg was missing. How she carried on! Accusing me of thievery. And worse. The more I insisted I had nothing to do with its disappearance, the more she insisted I did. There were no more trips to The Treasure Chest. No more midnight swims or Newport parties or adventures. That autumn I went to school in England and I never spoke to or saw my sister again. Until I came back last winter. And then...Great-Uncle Thorne dropped his head in his hands and began to sob.There, there, Felix said, rubbing Great-Uncle Thornes back the way his own mother did when Felix was upset.But... , Maisie began.Then she waited, because with Great-Uncle Thorne sobbing like this, it probably wasnt the time to ask.Great-Uncle Thorne raised his tearstained face.What? he asked her.Well, Great-Aunt Maisie had her egg. We saw it, Maisie said, looking to Felix, who nodded in confirmation.And I presume you have yours? Maisie asked rhetorically. So this one is the egg Phinneas Pickworth gave to Ariane when you and Great-Aunt Maisie were born?The very one, Great-Uncle Thorne said, and sobbed even harder. He held the egg close now, like a long-lost friend.Maisie waited until Great-Uncle Thornes sobs quieted.But whats so special about this egg? I mean, she added quickly, other than the fact that it was your mothers and everyone thought it was missing.Great-Uncle Thorne took a deep breath.Maisie and Felix held their breath.I dont know, Great-Uncle Thorne said.What do you mean, you dont know? Maisie, puzzled, asked him.Great-Uncle Thorne held the egg at arms length and studied it. Maisie and Felix studied it, too.The Treasure Chest grew very quiet.Yes, he said finally. It is special because it belonged to our mother, a woman we, sadly, never knew.He paused again, took another deep breath, then continued.And of course, the fact that it was missingstolen, we all believedmakes finding it even more wonderful.So maybe thats it? Felix said. Those facts alone make it a very special egg. And make it even more exciting that we found it again after all this time.But Great-Uncle Thorne shook his head.You see, he said, one finger rubbing the odd sapphire, unlike my Faberg egg or Maisies, this one has never been opened.Why not? Maisie asked.Inside is the key, Great-Uncle Thorne said.The key to...? Maisie prodded.My mother was French, Great-Uncle Thorne said. You know that, oui?Is that why everyone here speaks French and eats French food? Felix said, thinking of the moules frites and duck lorange and pot-au-feu that showed up for dinner almost every night.And you know that Elm Medona is an anagram forLame demon, Maisie interrupted, frustrated.Which comes from the French novel Paris Before Man, which was written by Pierre Boitard in 1861 and which is about time travel, Great-Uncle Thorne said.What does any of this have to do with the egg? Maisie said in exasperation.The key is in this egg, Great-Uncle Thorne said.Maisie opened her mouth to ask, again, What key?But Great-Uncle Thorne held up his hand to stop her.I have no idea what the key opens. Or what it means, he said. I only know that my father, Phinneas Pickworth, he added, as if Maisie and Felix might have forgotten who his father was, ordered Maisie and me to never, under any circumstances, take out the key unless he told us it was time.Thats why it was so terrible when it went missing, Maisie said, thinking out loud.I know that if we lift this sapphire, something will open, Great-Uncle Thorne said, his long fingers resting on the dark sapphire.I know that whatever opens will reveal another door, and that door requires a code to open it, he said. But whatever the implications of all of that are... well...Great-Uncle Thorne shrugged.For now, he said, I will take this to my room with me and reunite it with the other two.He began to walk toward the door.Wait! Maisie called to him. What about Hadley and Rayne?Great-Uncle Thorne, baffled, looked at her.The Ziff twins? she reminded him.Ah! Yes. Very troublesome.He considered for a moment then said, Ill return this to my room and then come back here to discuss the Ziff twins.Felix watched Great-Uncle Thorne leave The Treasure Chest.Weird, right? Maisie said. The mysterious key. The right time...Mmmm, Felix said, because that was all he could think to say.What he knew, what he felt certain of, was that the egg had not been in The Treasure Chest all these years after all. Someone, or something, had returned it today, this very afternoon. And Felix had a terrible feeling that whatever that key opened, the time had come to use it.CHAPTER 2THE RETURN OF THE ZIFF TWINSMinutes passed.Then more minutes passed.Maisie sighed. Thats it, she said. Im going back downstairs. I cant waste another minute waiting for Great-Uncle Thorne to come back while Dad is downstairs maybe convincing Mom to marry him again.She delivered this while she walked across The Treasure Chest to the door. Suddenly, to Maisie, a whole world of possibility lay not in time travel here in this room like it used to, but downstairs with her parents. Maybe they were already making plans. Maybe they were in one of those kisses they used to do sometimes, when her father dipped her mother backward over his arm and bent over to kiss her. Maybe this entire year was like a bad dream of broken homes and broken hearts, a dream that was about to end.Maisie stood in the doorway, bouncing up and down on her toes, ready to go.Coming? she asked Felix.Felix hesitated. What about the Ziffs? he asked, glancing around as if the the twins might be lurking behind a shelf, or about to drop in from the Congo all of a sudden.Great-Uncle Thorne can figure that out, she said, only a little guiltily. I mean, Mom and Dad are together downstairs. And theres no AgathaWell, there is a Bruce Fishbaum, Felix reminded her.How in the world could anyone choose Bruce Fishbaum over Dad? Maisie shrieked.Now Felix sighed. If he could explain the confusing way the human heart worked, he would. But he had no idea.Bruce Fishbaum has nautically themed clothes! Maisie said. He wears purple! A lot!Felix shrugged. I just thinkI dont care what you think, Maisie said. Im going downstairs, where Ill maybe even celebrate their reunion.With that, she left, making sure to stomp out so that Felix was absolutely sure she was fed up with him.From the top of the stairs, Maisie heard the most beautiful sound she could imagine: the sound of her parents laughing together. She paused to take it in, her fathers husky chuckle and her mothers tinkling-bell laugh, the one that she perfected doing summer- stock musicals.Maisie breathed in the laughter and then ran down the stairs, following the sound through the Library and into the Cigar Room, which was little used now but once was where Phinneas Pickworth and his cronies would meet after dinner for cognac and cigars, retelling their great adventures.The Cigar Room had striped wallpaper and a zebra-skin rug; the furniture was all heavy and ornate and made of teak by a craftsman in Indonesia. Despite all the time that had passed since Phinneas Pickworth was in the room, the smell of cigar smoke still lingered.Maisies father sat perched on the corner of the long narrow table that held crystal decanters of cognacs and single-malt whiskeys, some of them still holding the amber liquids. Her mother looked up at him from the largest, most ornate chair, the one that looked like a throne. And she was smiling, a big toothy smile. When Maisie cleared her throat, neither of them even turned toward her.Hello? Maisie said.Oh! her mother said, color rushing to her cheeks. Maisie.Thats the one, Maisie said. What are you two up to?Your father is just... Her mother frowned. Hes just making me laugh, thats all.The foibles of love, her father said.Maisie took this as hopeful.Wait until Mom tells you about Bruce Fishbaum, she said wickedly. He wears purple.Maisie! her mother said.He does, Maisie insisted. Also, his ties all have a nautical theme.Her father stifled a smile.Jake, her mother said, getting up stiffly, you were just about to leave, werent you?I was, he said, hopping down from the table. But Ill be at the Viking for a few days so I can see you two, he said, pointing at Maisie.The smell of dog overtook the faint aroma of cigars as James Ferocious wandered into the Cigar Room.Ugh! Maisies mother groaned. What are we going to do with this monstrosity?Tell you what, her father said, Ill come by first thing and take him to the vet and to a groomer for a bath.; Title: Leonardo da Vinci #9: Renaissance Master (The Treasure Chest) | [
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19,134 | 18 | Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso are authors of several books in this series, includingWho is George Lucas?andWho Was Susan B. Anthony?; Title: Who Was Charles Dickens? | [
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19,135 | 2 | Sue Bentley is the author of the best-selling sensations the Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, Magic Ponies, and Magic Bunny series.; Title: The Perfect Secret #14 (Magic Puppy) | [
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19,136 | 12 | James Buckley, Jr is a sports writer for children. He has written more than 50 books about sports for kids, including titles on baseball, football, NASCAR, soccer, the Olympics, and more.; Title: Who Was Milton Hershey? | [
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19,137 | 11 | Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso have co-authored several children's books, includingWho Is J.K.Rowling?andWho Was Steve Jobs?; Title: Who Was Nelson Mandela? | [
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19,138 | 1 | Richard Sobol's photographs appear regularly in Time, the New York Times, and National Geographic, among others. He has written numerous books for young adults, including books on whales, mountain gorillas, animal conservation, and African wildlife.; Title: Elephant Twins (Penguin Core Concepts) | [
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19,139 | 17 | April Jones Prince is the author of several children's books, including Who Was Mark Twain?Who Was Frederick Douglass?Frederick Douglass was born a slave. Just like a horse or a plow, he was the property of a white man. From a young age, Frederick wondered why that was so. Wasnt he as smart, strong, and deserving of liberty as anyone else?At the time Frederick was born, in 1818, there were 1.5 million black slaves in the southern United States. Most didnt learn to read. This was against the law! But Frederick taught himself to read and write.Most slaves didnt risk their lives to run away to freedom. This was against the law, too. But Frederick escaped and helped others do the same.; Title: Who Was Frederick Douglass? | [
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19,140 | 13 | Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso have co-authored several children's books, includingWho Is J.K.Rowling?andWho Was Steve Jobs?; Title: Who Is George Lucas? (Who Was?) | [
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19,141 | 11 | Patricia Brennan Demuth is the author of Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?, Who Is Bill Gates?, What Was Ellis Island?, and What Was Pearl Harbor?Who Was Galileo? August 1609. Padua, Italy. It was a bright, starry night. A scientist named Galileo walked outside to his back garden. He carried a new telescope that hed made himself. For weeks, Galileo had been carefully grinding the lenses. Now his telescope could enlarge objects many times their size. Galileo pointed the telescope upward. Dazzling sights leaped into viewsights no one had ever seen. How could they? These sights were not visible to the naked eye. Over the next few weeks, Galileo roamed the heavens with his telescope. What he saw amazed him. Mountains rose up from the moons surface! New stars took form from fuzzy patches in the sky! Moons circled Jupiter! Yet Galileos discoveries led him into trouble. Terrible trouble. What he saw convinced him that the sun was the center of the universenot the Earth. In 1609 this was a strange idea. For thousands of years, people thought that the sun and all the planets circled Earth once a day. The Catholic church held this belief as well. When Galileo lived, the church was very powerful in Italy. It had its own court, called the Inquisition. The Inquisition could arrest and try hereticsanyone who spoke against the churchs teachings. Heretics were sometimes tortured, even killed. Galileo was torn. He himself was a faithful Catholic who honored church teachings. Yet his own eyes pointed him to a different truth. This truth would put his life at stake. Chapter 1: Boyhood On February 15, 1564, Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy. His full name had a musical ring: Galileo Galilei (gal-uh-LAY-oh gal-uh-LAY). Yet the great scientist became known by just his first name. Italy honored its most famous citizens that way, including the painter Michelangelo. Even books by Galileo were printed without his last name. And today, encyclopedias list him simply as Galileo. He was born into an exciting age known as the Renaissance. Discovery was in the air. Europe was exploding with a renewed interest in the arts and science. In 1564 the English writer William Shakespeare was born, and Michelangelo died. Both men, along with Galileo, went down in history as geniuses of the Renaissance. The printing press, invented in 1454, allowed books to be mass-produced instead of being copied by hand, one by one. With more books, more people began to read. Artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci created beautiful paintings, sculpture, and architecture. With improved seagoing instruments, explorers bravely set sail for uncharted lands. Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World of the Americas in 1492. Ferdinand Magellans crew sailed around the globe, returning in 1522. And in 1607, when Galileo was forty-three, settlers arrived in Jamestown and founded one of the first English settlements in North America. Pisa was a beautiful old city by the River Arno. Its cathedral was already five centuries old when Galileo was born. Pisas most famous landmark stoodor rather, tiltedbeside the cathedral. It was called the Leaning Tower because it looked ready to topple at any moment. Galileo was the firstborn child. His mother and father both came from noble Italian families. However, that didnt mean the couple was wealthy. Galileos father, Vincenzio, worked hard as a musician. He sang, played the lute, wrote songs, and taught. Vincenzio also wrote books about music theory. His books stirred up trouble. Songwriters were supposed to follow strict rules for composing. But Vincenzio questioned the rules. He even added notes to the scale! Old masters tried to stop one of his books from being published. Vincenzio, however, was able to push it into print. I... wish to be allowed freely to question... in search of truth, he said. Young Galileo listened carefully. Years later, he would be bold and outspoken, too. Even as a boy, Galileo was gifted. His curiosity had no limits. He took apart machines to see how they worked. And he invented clever little toys and moving gadgets of his own. Galileo also spent hours and hours learning music and drawing. His father taught him to play the lute. This stringed instrument was as popular then as guitars are now. Playing the lute became a lifelong passion for Galileo. From tutors, he learned to draw in perspective, which meant things looked as if they were in three-dimensional space. He practiced drawing objects and scenes until they looked perfectly lifelike. Years later, Galileos art skills would come in very handy. When Galileo was eight, his family moved to Florence. Vincenzio had a wonderful new job playing music at the royal court. Galileo remained in Pisa to study with tutors, and then he joined the rest of his family. Florence was a thrilling place to live. During the Renaissance, the city was a center for learning and the arts. It was the capital city of an area called Tuscany. Vincenzios job at the palace let the family mingle with dukes and princes. At age eleven, Galileo was sent to a monastery to begin school. There the Catholic monks taught him everything an educated person of the 1500s needed to know. Galileo learned the Greek and Latin languages. And he studied the ancient subject of logic, learning how to break down and solve complex problems in an orderly way. Galileo also studied religion. It interested him so much that he decided to become a monk. The idea horrified his father. As the oldest son, Galileo was expected to support his family one day. A poor monk couldnt do that. Vincenzio quickly withdrew Galileo from the monastery. After that, Galileo lived at home and studied at a nearby school. At seventeen, Galileo was ready for university. Back then, very few young men had the chance to attend one. Only the sons of rich or noble families could usually afford to go. (Girls were not allowed to enter.) But Vincenzio was determined to give his smart son the best education possible.; Title: Who Was Galileo? | [
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19,142 | 15 | Theo Baker is the co-author of the middle-grade novel, Sound Bender and its sequel, The Shadow Mask. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and young daughter.; Title: Hard Hat Zone (Penguin Core Concepts) | [
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19,143 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Baby Sees: A First Book of Faces (Sassy) | [
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19,144 | 18 | Janet Pascal is an Executive Production Editor at Viking Children's Books and the author of Who Was Dr. Seuss?,Who Was Maurice Sendak?,and Who Was Abraham Lincoln? She lives in New York City.What Is the Panama Canal?I would never . . . navigate . . . round that wretched place again. It is the kingdom of Satan, said a sailor in the nineteenth century. He was speaking of the trip around Cape Horn between South America and Antarctica. Rounding the Horn, as sailors call it, is one of the wildest, most dangerous trips a ship can make. For as many as two hundred days a year, gale-force winds blow there with gusts ranging from fifty to eighty miles per hour. The waves can reach ninety feet high or more.Yet for hundreds of years, if anyone wanted to sail west from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, they had no choice. They had to round the Horn. Surviving the trip became the sign of a truly brave seaman. After a sailor had managed to sail around the Horn three times, he could wear a silver earring, as a badge of honor. Many did not make it. No one knows for sure, but there may be one thousand shipwrecks lying under the water, and as many as fifteen thousand drowned sailors.People dreamed of an easier way to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. On maps, one place looked very promising. This was the Isthmus of Panama. An isthmus is a narrow strip connecting two pieces of land. The Isthmus of Panama joins Central America to South America. On one side is the Caribbean Sea, which runs into the Atlantic Ocean. On the other, the Gulf of Panama flows into the Pacific. At its narrowest, the isthmus is only thirty miles wide. The Atlantic and the Pacific looked so close together there! Surely some way could be found to cut across. Then ships would be able to sail right through Panama. The trip would become thousands of miles shorter, and no one would have to risk their lives sailing around Cape Horn.; Title: What Is the Panama Canal? (What Was?) | [
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19,145 | 11 | Pamela Pollack and Meg Belviso have co-authored several children's books, including Who Was Nelson Mandela?, Who Is J.K. Rowling?, and What Was the Alamo?; Title: Who Was Steve Jobs? | [
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19,146 | 16 | Eric Carle is the acclaimed and beloved creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 50 languages and sold over 33 million copies. Since the Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 110 million copies of his books have sold around the world. Eric Carle recently won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for Lifetime achievement in children's literature, and his books, as well as the new Eric Cale Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, continue to keep him at top momentum. Eric Carle has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter. With his wife Barbara, he divides his time between the Florida Keys and the hills of North Carolina. Visit him at www.eric-carle; Title: Eric Carle's All Around Us (The World of Eric Carle) | [
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19,147 | 13 | Mark Iacolina has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for over 15 years and lives in New Jersey with his wife, two very adorable children, and one very furry cat. He is the author-illustrator of My Pet Giraffe, My Pet Polar Bear,andMy Pet Penguins.; Title: Frances Dances (Penguin Young Readers, Level 2) | [
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19,148 | 13 | Jim Gigliotti is a freelance writer based in Southern California. A former editor at the National Football League, he has written more than 50 books for all ages. His writing credits include biographies for young readers on Olympian Jesse Owens and baseball star Roberto Clemente.; Title: Who Was Bruce Lee? | [
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19,149 | 18 | Joan Holub is the author of What Was the First Thanksgiving?, What Was the Gold Rush?, and other Who Was...? titles, including Who Was Marco Polo? and Who Was Babe Ruth? She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.What Were the Salem Witch Trials?In the winter of 1692, trouble came to the village of Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Witch trouble!Suddenly, two girls got a strange illness. Their bodies twitched and shuddered. They spoke nonsense and seemed to be choking. They said they were being pinched and poked by something invisible. Soon more girls in Salem began acting strangely, too. If this was an illness, no one could find a cure.Some villagers thought it might be the work of witches! Witches were serious stuff in the New England colonies. Scary stuff. Many people believed witches were real and that they wanted to hurt people. A hunt began in Salem to catch and punish the witches who were making the girls sick. But who were the witches? Could they be neighbors? Family members? Frightened villagers panicked. They pointed fingers at one another and cried, Witch!Over the next ten months, about two hundred people in Salem Village and surrounding areas were accused of witchcraft. Most were women. A few were children. Almost all went to jail. There were trials. There were hangings. Innocent people were convicted of witchcraft and killed. It was horrible! For a while, it seemed there would be no end to this awful time. But eventually, the witch hunt did stop and so did the trials.So, what was really going on in Salem in 1692?; Title: What Were the Salem Witch Trials? (What Was?) | [
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19,150 | 6 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 0–12, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Portal of Puzzles Sticker Activity Book (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,151 | 0 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: Picture Perfect #13 (Magic Kitten) | [
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19,152 | 1 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 012, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Sporty Bunny Tales (Max and Ruby) | [
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19,153 | 2 | Giada De Laurentiis was born in Rome and grew up in a big Italian family. They spent lots of time together in the kitchen, which is where Giada iscovered her love of cooking! Later, she would hone her skills at Le Cordon Bleu, a very cool cooking school in Paris. Many puff pastries and a graduation later, Giada began working in a fab restaurant called Spago in Los Angeles. Shortly after, she founded her very own catering company. She is now the Emmy Award-winning star of Food Network's Everyday Italian, Giada's Weekend Getaways, Giada in Paradise, and Giada at Home, as well as the author of six cookbooks. She lives with her husband Todd and daughter Jade in a cozy house by the beach in Los Angeles. Giada loves the colors pesto-green and eggplant-purple and Nutella pancakes are her favorite treat to share with Jade.This book is dedicated to my aunt Raffy, who always inspires me to be adventurous in cooking and in life!Questo libro è dedicato a mia zia Raffy, che ispira sempre che io sia avventurosa in cucina e nella vita!All Alfie could see was the goal. With each step he guided the ball toward the net, where a frightened-looking Jackson stood guard.Quick as a cheetah, Alfie dodged the other players. From the corner of his eye he saw people shouting and waving their hands, but he tuned it all out and kept his focus steady. He aimed. He kicked. The ball sailed past Jackson, who reacted so slowly that he didn’t even raise his hands to block the ball until it was already bouncing in the corner of the net. Victory was Alfie’s.“Yes! In your face, Jackson!”Alfie ran screaming across the soccer field while the other team—which was really part of his own team, since this was a practice game—looked away, probably ashamed of their own performance.“Bertolizzi!” Coach Schrader called from the sidelines. “Get over here!”Alfie ran toward Coach feeling as if he’d found his place in life. This was the first year he’d played a sport in the after-school program, and it was turning out to be the best decision of his ten-year-old life. In fact, Coach was probably about to make him team captain!However, Coach Schrader’s face looked a little red, like he’d been the one racing across the field toward total domination.“What was that?” Coach asked, gesturing toward the field.“A goal, sir. A point for my team.”“Your team?”“Well, the jerseys.” He tugged on the yellow jersey his side wore for the practice game.“Alfredo,” said Coach. He rarely called the kids by their first names, and he had never called Alfie by his proper name. “You had shirts all over you. Didn’t you see?”“Yes, sir,” he said, because of course he’d seen. He’d seen and he’d conquered!“If you saw, then why didn’t you pass?”“Pass?”“The ball, Bertolizzi. Why didn’t you pass the ball? You had two teammates in the clear.”“Coach . . . ,” Alfie said. Clearly the guy was confused. “I got the goal. My team won. Isn’t that the whole point?”“Is that what you think?” his coach asked.Alfie was positive this was a trick question. Of course he knew that winning was the point—they weren’t out here to just kick the ball back and forth—but he got the feeling he couldn’t say that out loud. So he said, “No, sir,” even though he really wanted to say, “Well, yeah. Duh!”Alfie was 100 percent positive you couldn’t say duh to your coach.“We have our first game on Saturday,” Coach said, as if Alfie needed reminding. He couldn’t wait! “I need players on the field who are a part of a team. Not some one-man show.”“I’m ready to play, Coach.”“I know you can play, but can you play on a team?” he said. “‘In your face’? Really?”Alfie suddenly became very aware of his surroundings. The other players were standing on the field not too far from them. Coach wasn’t yelling at Alfie, but Alfie was sure those kids could hear every word. Even worse, some kids—including a few girls from his class—were sitting in the bleachers doing homework and watching practice.“There’s nothing worse than an obnoxious winner,” Coach said. “Until you can be a respectful team player, I’m going to have to bench you for Saturday’s game.”“But, Coach!”“I’m sorry, Alfie. I’ve made my decision.”“How am I supposed to learn to be a team player when I’m sitting on the bench?” Alfie asked desperately. It didn’t even make sense!“Hopefully you’ll figure that out,” Coach said. “I expect you to be here suited up at every practice, on time with the rest of your team.”“Suit up to do nothing? No thanks,” he said.“I’ll tell you this once,” Coach Schrader said, lowering his voice. “If you’re not at the game on Saturday, supporting your team, then you’re off the team. Is that clear?”“Yes, sir,” Alfie muttered.The last thing he wanted was to get kicked off the team. But sitting on the bench the whole game? That was just about the worst thing that could happen.“Should I order pizza from Presto Pesto for dinner?” Zia Donatella asked that night.“Zia!” said Emilia, Alfie’s sister. She was older than him by one year, but sometimes she acted like a thirty-year-old. “You hate Presto Pesto.”“I don’t hate anything, and neither should you,” Zia said. Her long salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back in a braid, and the faded, fitted jeans she wore looked straight out of a Western movie. A spaghetti Western, thought Alfie.“Well, I don’t want it,” Emilia said. “I’d rather you make a pizza from scratch.”“Oh, really!” Zia laughed, touching her stone necklace as she did. Zia had all sorts of trinkets from her travels around the world. Those stones just might be from ancient Egypt. “You think I can just whip up a homemade pizza like that?”“Leave her alone, Emilia,” Alfie said. “We can order in if you want, Zia.”Alfie only said this because Emilia was getting on his nerves. Everyone was getting on his nerves, except for Zia. As soon as he’d gotten home from school, his mom demanded he clean up the study, where he was sleeping while Zia stayed in his room. Then when his dad got home, he told Alfie he needed to take out the trash. Everyone was on his case today.“Oh, kids, I’m teasing,” Zia said. “No pizza tonight. I’m cooking you something new.”“When you say new,” Alfie said, “what exactly do you mean?”The first time Zia had cooked for them, something utterly impossible had happened. As she made them an Italian treat called zeppole, she told Alfie and Emilia about growing up in Naples, Italy, and how she would always buy a warm, freshly made zeppole any time she had a little pocket money. When Alfie and Emilia bit into the fluffy fried treat, they were transported—literally!—to Naples. They spent an entire day there with a boy named Marco, whose family made the best pizza in all of Naples. They even won the top prize at the city’s annual pizza festival.So now that Zia had that look in her eyes and said she was going to cook “something new,” Alfie and Emilia became suspicious.“Let me go pack a bag,” Alfie said. Maybe if they went to Naples again—and he hoped they would—he could be better prepared.“No. State qui ed aiutami!” Zia said. “Stay and help. The food is always better when you cook together.”Mom ruffled Alfie’s hair as she walked by him, and he pulled away. “Wow! Someone’s grumpy.”“I’m not grumpy,” Alfie said, even though he totally was. How could he not be after the way he was treated today?Mom washed her hands. As she dried them on a towel, she went to the refrigerator. Meanwhile, Zia drizzled olive oil in a pan and turned on the burner.“Bad day at school?” Mom asked.“Is there ever a good day at school?” Alfie said.“Watch the attitude,” Mom said, her arms loaded with fresh vegetables.The last thing Alfie needed was to get in trouble, so instead of being mad, he decided to tell everyone what was wrong.“School was okay,” Alfie said. “Soccer practice was a beating.”“I thought you said you were going to be the big star on the team, captain and everything,” Emilia said with a smirk.“I am, and I will be,” he said defiantly. “It’s just that Coach wants to give some of the other players a chance to play, so he’s thinking of sitting me out for Saturday’s game.”; Title: Paris! #2 (Recipe for Adventure) | [
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19,154 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Baby's Day (Sassy) | [
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19,155 | 2 | David Soman and Jacky Davis (www.ladybuggirl.com) are creators of the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series. David and Jacky write the stories together and David illustrates them. Their books are inspired by their own family experiences. They live with their two children in Rosendale, New York.; Title: Doodle All Day with Ladybug Girl | [
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19,156 | 18 | Judith St. George has published dozens of successful nonfiction books for children, including the Caldecott Medal-winningSo You Want to Be President?and the historical Turning Point series, includingYoure On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt;Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln; andTake the Lead, George Washington. You can visit her online at www.judithstgeorge.com.In history books the names of two men, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, are always linked. Their names could almost be one word: LewisandClark. They had much in common. They were both from Virginia. Both served in the US Army in the late 1700s, where they became friends. Both men were intelligent and brave. Born leaders, they were experienced woodsmen who could survive in the wild. But their names are linked because together they were cocaptains of a famous journey across the North American wilderness. They headed up a two-year-long trip all the way from the Midwest to the Pacific Oceanand back again. Their journey became known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.; Title: What Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition? | [
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19,157 | 0 | Patricia Lakin is the author of numerous picture books, including Snowy Day!, Rainy Day!, and Beach Day!; Title: Muddy, Mud, Bud (Penguin Young Readers, Level 1) | [
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19,158 | 13 | As a former expat and travel writer, Michelle Schusterman has blogged her way through ancient graveyards in Scotland, fortresses in Korea, and deserted beaches in Brazil. She once played a rousing game of cards with a Prohibition-era ghost in Seattleand lost. (In her defense, it's impossible to read a ghost's poker face.) Michelle is the author of the I HEART BAND series and currently lives in New York City.Chapter 1: The Haunted HouseFright TV: Your Home for HorrorPress Release: January 9 SCREAM QUEEN EDIE MILLSS DOCUMENTARY SERIES COMING THIS SUMMER Former teenage Scream Queen Edie Mills will be producing and narrating MAGIC HOUR, a 13-episode documentary series that details her rise to horror movie stardom from 1972 to 1985. The series will include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from Millss most popular films, including VAMPIRES OF NEW JERSEY and INVASION OF THE FLESH-EATING RODENTS, as well as RETURN TO THE ASYLUM and its controversial prequel. Fans will enjoy never-before-seen interviews with cast and crew, as well as stories from Mills herself about her infamous disagreements with studio heads and her experience with a stalker, the details of which she kept out of the press at the time. My reflection glared at me, fists clenched as if she wanted to punch through the mirror and wrap her hands around my neck. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to relax, letting my fingers uncurl one by one. Brush your teeth, I told myself. Fix your hair. Then get out. I grabbed the tube of toothpaste next to the sink and rolled it up to squeeze the last bit onto my toothbrush. A lot of girls probably looked at themselves critically in the mirror, especially before a date. But Id bet none of them had a ritual like I had. Every morning for the last three weeks Id had to force myself to face off with my reflection. Because I hated her. Because I was afraid of her. Because honestly, Id be happy if I never had to look at her again... but obviously that wasnt an option. After tying back my hair and sliding in a few bobby pins, I switched off the bathroom light and headed over to the giant, open box near the front closet. The sticker with our hotels address in New York was peeling off in places, but I could still read the return address: Edie Mills 3852 Sparrow Street Chelsea, OH 43209 My chest tightened a bit as I knelt next to the box. The smell of my house, the one Id grown up in, filled my head as I inhaled deeply. It smelled like Grandmas perfume and apple spice air freshener and Pledge furniture cleaner. I missed that house. Kind of. Grandma had packed the box neatly and carefully, but after a few weeks of Dad and me rummaging around inside without ever actually unpacking, it was kind of a mess. Winter clothes and boots were jumbled up with folders from Dads home office and boring-looking mail about tax returns. Thered been a package of snickerdoodle cookies from Cinnabeth, my favorite bakery in Chelsea, but those were long gone. There had also been a formal invitation to my mothers wedding in May. Id mailed the RSVP back to her that day without giving myself time to think too hard about checking Yes. Then Id taken a short, frigid walk to Central Park and thrown the invitation into a frost-covered trash can. Now, I unearthed my favorite hoodieblack with dark red claw marks across the chestand slipped it over my head. Hows the research coming? I asked, looking around for my snow boots. Oscar was sitting at the desk in front of my dads laptop, head in his hands like he was reading intently. His aunt Lidia, Passport to Paranormals producer, was working in their room, and Oscar had been desperate for some Internet time. When he didnt answer, I grabbed my boots and sat on the edge of my bed directly behind him. Hello? I nudged his back with my toe. He jumped out of his chair and spun around, eyes wild and unfocused. I tried not to laugh. Did you actually fall asleep in the three minutes I was in the bathroom? Oscar blinked, and his gaze sharpened. No. Well... just for a few seconds. I double-wrapped the laces around my boot before knotting them. Still not sleeping well? He mumbled something incoherent under his breath as he sat down and pulled the laptop closer. I eyed the back of his head, wondering if I should press further. The whole P2P crew had spent the last few weeks together in New York after shooting an episode in Buenos Aires. My dad and Oscars aunt Lidia, as host and producer of the show, had been busy meeting with Fright TV executives about our next few episodes, which would be the last of the second season. So I wasnt sure if theyd noticed the change in Oscar: constant yawning, dark circles under his eyes, easily distracted. When I finally asked him about it on New Years Eve, he told me hed been having weird dreams and waking up a lot. He didnt offer any more details, and I didnt ask. I knew Oscar pretty well by now. It always took him a while to open up about stuff. Sometimes, though, he needed a little push. Nightmares? I asked lightly, pulling on my other boot. Oscar shrugged without looking at me. Theyre not nightmares. You said weird dreams, I said. I assumed you meant bad weird. So... nightmares. No, I meant theyre... Oscar broke off, yawning widely. He turned around when I stood up, and stared at my boots in surprise. Where are you going? I wrinkled my nose. To that paranormal museum? To check out the thoughtography exhibit? Remember, we talked about it last night... His expression cleared. Oh, right. Seriously, whats going on with you? I asked. Did you get some bad news or something? No, its... Oscar stopped and shook his head. Its hard to explain. Later, okay? Youre gonna be late. I glanced at the time on the laptop screen. Yeah, all right. My gaze fell on a stack of papers between the laptop and the mirror. Fright TV had renewed Passport to Paranormal for a third season after our Buenos Aires episodes great ratings. The contract theyd given my dad had been sitting on our desk for almost two weeks now. Oscar and I shared a glance before I slid it toward me and flipped to the last page. At the sight of the still-blank line, I sighed. He still hasnt signed? Oscar said, brow furrowed. Why? Eh, hes probably just waiting for his agent to approve it. I ignored the twinge in my stomach and pushed the contract back to where Dad had left it. Maybe they have to negotiate some stuff. Maybe, Oscar replied. But Im pretty sure Roland and Sam turned theirs in a week ago. Huh. I grabbed my puffy gray winter coat off the armchair. Im sure Dadll turn it in soon. Hope so. I swallowed hard as I zipped up my coat. Id been trying not to stress about that unsigned contract, but every morning that I woke up to find it still on our desk made it more difficult. And it bothered me that Roland Yeske and Sam Sumners, P2Ps parapsychologist and medium, had already turned in their contracts. Dad loved hosting P2P. He loved his job. So why hadnt he committed to another season yet? He couldnt possibly want to move back to Ohio... could he? I could just ask him. I should. But I was too afraid of what his answer might be. Did he decide what to do about your house yet? Oscar asked suddenly. I cringed, glancing over at the box from Grandma. The day it arrived Dad and I called to thank her, and it turned out she had some news. Good news. A documentary series about her horror movie star days. Moving to L.A. to get back into the business. Great news. Selling the house we rented from her. Not-so-great news. She wanted to give Dad a chance to buy it before putting it on the market. I could tell Dad had been just as floored as I was. He asked if he could have time to think about it, and she said there was no rush. Afterward, Dad and I just stared at each other. Well, Id said. Its not like we really live there anymore. But we still need a home, Dad had responded. A home base. Between seasons. Between seasons. Hed said that, but he still hadnt actually agreed to host season three. On the other hand, he hadnt given Grandma an answer about the house yet, either. No, I told Oscar. But I mean, even if he buys it, that doesnt mean hes not coming back to the show. We need a place to live when were not traveling, obviously. Yeah. Oscar looked like he wanted to say more, but just turned back to the laptop. Anyway. Have fun at the museum. Thanks. His voice turned a little sly. Tell Jamie I said hi. I shot him a look, willing myself not to blush. I will. Hey, wheres my camera? It was right here by the TV. Oscar frowned. I didnt touch it. I turned slowly, my eyes darting from the TV to the desk to the little table by the window. Then I spotted a flash of silver on the armchair, just behind the cushion. Aha. I tucked the Elapse into my pocket, ignoring a familiar sense of unease. This had been happening a lot over the last few weeksmy camera, my homework, all kinds of items turning up in the wrong place. I kept trying to convince myself I was just being forgetful, but it was getting to the point where that was almost as unsettling as the other option: Someone, or something, was moving them. After double-checking my coat pockets for my gloves, I headed down the hall to the elevator. I could worry about Dad and the house and why he hadnt signed that contract later. But right now, it was time for my second date with Jamie Cooper. Chapter 2: We're All Madder HereP2P FAN FORUMS Season 3 Finale Gossip! Maytrix [admin] Word on the street is Fright TVs booked a guest star for the finale of P2P next month. Anyone have any thoughts on who it might be?AntiSimon [member] Bernice!! I hope, anyway. Jacks a great host but I really miss her. And the crews in NYC right nowshe works at the natural history museum there.spicychai [member] if its a former host, my bets on emilyAntiSimon [member] Uh, pretty sure shes locked up. Also pretty sure youre joking, because why would they bring back someone who LITERALLY ATTACKED THEM.YourCohortInCrime [member] Ratings.presidentskroob [member] sorry Simon, I know for a fact its not Bernice. (and YCIC, there is no way theyd bring that loony bird back, give me a break) AntiSimon [member] How do you know its not Bernice? And hey, wheres beautifulgollum? Her predictions are usually right on track. Havent seen her post in a while. skEllen [member] OMG THEY WOULD NEVER LET EMILY NEAR MY PRECIOUS SAM AGAIN!!!1!!! When it snowed a few days after we got to New York, it was kind of magical. Like being in one of those miniature Christmas villages set up in the department store windows, surrounded by cotton ball fluff. But a few weeks later... well, it was kind of gross. Along the curbs and sidewalks, the shoveled snow had hardened into dirty gray slush. It was frozen solid, and I could see piles of trash bags trapped inside like flies in amber. Not so magical. I pulled my hood over my head and quickened my pace as I turned onto West 96th Street. The bitter wind cut right through my gloves, and shoving my hands in my coat pockets only helped a little. Not for the first time, I wished the crew had just decided to stay in Argentina over the holidays. Except not really, because Jamie wasnt in Argentina. I was walking so fast, I almost missed the sign for Madders Museum of the Paranormal. It was hanging over an otherwise nondescript glass door sandwiched between a gelato shop and a really expensive-looking boutique that apparently sold only the kinds of caps worn by old men and newspaper boys in movies set in the 1930s. Slipping a little on the icy sidewalk, I pulled open the door and hurried inside. For a second, I thought Id accidentally walked into someones home. All the museums Id ever been to were spacious, usually with a giant foyer that split off into several halls. This looked more like an apartmentand a pretty small one, too. Except instead of sofas and chairs, it was filled with shelves and glass cabinets holding all sorts of creepy stuff: old dolls with cracked porcelain faces; jars filled with murky liquid; skulls and bones that mightve been fake, but it was hard to tell. I spotted a stained wooden Ouija board and made a mental note to tell Mi Jin to check out this place before we left New York. Kat! Jamie waved from the back of the room. Next to him, a petite middle-aged woman with bright blue hair and a Ghostbusters T-shirt beamed at me. Kat Sinclair! she called, skirting around a cabinet and hurrying toward me. Oh wow, its so cool to meet you! I blinked in surprise as she grabbed my gloved hand and shook. Um, hi! Carrie Madder. My mom owns this place, but shes retiring next month so Im basically running it now. Ive been reading your blog since the beginning, she rambled, helping me out of my coat and hanging it on a rack by the door. Im on the P2P forums all the time, too. We miss having you on there, by the way! I smiled, trying not to cringe. Id stopped hanging out on the fan forums last month when this troll kept posting horrible things about me. Horrible things that I knew werent true, but that I still thought about every day. Thats so cool! I said, hoping my face wasnt red. Ive never met someone from the forums in real life before. Whats your username? Presidentskroob, Carrie replied. Man, you and Oscar are so great. Ive always loved this show, but its even better with you guys on it. Now I was definitely blushing. Thanks! Jamie joined us. Carrie was just telling me theres supposedly going to be a guest star for the finale, he told me eagerly. As usual, his smile set off a ridiculous amount of fluttering in my stomach. Have you heard anything? No, nothing. I smiled back at him, resisting the urge to press my frozen hands to my flaming-hot cheeks. Wed spent a lot of time together the last few weeks, but always with his sister, Hailey, and Oscar. This was the first time it was just the two of us since our first date to a graveyard in Buenos Aires. Well, just the two of us and a really chatty museum curator. Part of me wished Carrie wasnt around, but another part of me was relieved. I loved hanging out with Jamie, but calling this a date made it different. Exciting and a little bit nerve-racking. Well, if the hosts daughter and the network VPs son dont know anything, maybe its really just a rumor, Carrie was saying. Thats a bummer. Not necessarily, Jamie said. My dad pretty much never tells us anything about the show. But Kats a cast member, Carrie said, grinning at me. They wouldnt keep her in the dark, right? I pictured my dads unsigned contract and shrugged. I dont know. They might, to be honest. Well, if there is a guest, I know for sure its not Bernice Boyd. Carrie lowered her voice, despite the fact that we were the only ones in the museum. I saw her last time I went to the natural history museum and asked. She snorted. A few fans think its Emily Rosinski. As if theyd ever do that, no matter how wild the ratings would be. At the mention of Emilys name, goose bumps broke out on my arms. Shes in a psychiatric hospital, I said, keeping my voice even. Theres no way. Oh, I know, Carrie said hastily. Sorry, I shouldnt have brought her up. A slightly awkward silence fell, quickly broken by Jamie. So, wheres all the thoughtography stuff? Carries face lit up. In the back room! Follow me. She led the way around the shelves to a corridor. Jamie took my hand and squeezed, and we smiled at each other. My frozen fingers finally started to thaw. But I couldnt help getting chills as I pictured Emily the last time Id seen her. Knocking Oscar unconscious, pulling out her knife, forcing me up the twisting staircase to the prison guard tower, and Ta-da! Carrie exclaimed, and I jumped, jerking my hand out of Jamies grip. He gave me a concerned look, which I pretended not to see. Our psychic photography exhibit. I helped curate all of thisthoughtographys kind of an obsession of mine. I gazed around the room, which was much smaller than the other one. The walls were covered in framed photos: some yellowed newspaper clippings, some black-and-white, and even a few color Polaroids and prints. In the corner, a small TV sat on a card table, topped with a VCR. Static played silently on the screen. So Jamie told me you guys did a little research on thoughtography already, Carrie said, gesturing for us to check out the pictures hanging near the door. Ive tried to curate only pictures that havent been debunked... which is pretty hard to do, because most of the ones out there are fake. She tilted back her head, glancing at the ceiling. You should see the number of boxes Ive got upstairs, all filled with what I was told were psychic photographs that turned out to be bogus. Its really easy to do. Carrie grinned at me. Well, you probably know that already. What? I asked, startled. Why? Because youre a photographer, she said. You know, you can mess with the exposure, the printing... although, I guess its a little different with digital cameras. Have you ever played around with analog cameras? A little, I said. A really long time ago, though. My, um... my moms a photographer. She brought me to a darkroom a few times in elementary school. Do you remember much about developing? I frowned. A little bit... you put the negative in the enlarger and set a timer for how long you want it exposed to light, then put the print in the developer, then a... um, a stop bath? I think thats what its called. And then a water bathno, the fixer, then the water bathand then you hang it up to dry. Exactly. Carrie pointed to a small framed black-and-white photo behind me, and I turned to look. So what do you think went wrong there? Jamie leaned closer, too. The slightly blurred picture featured an older man in a suit sitting in a chair in what looked like a study or office. He had no beard, but thick, dark hair covered the sides of his face and extended down to his chin. His expression was stern yet exasperated, as if posing for this photo was a massive waste of his time. Behind him, a bookshelf was just visible next to an open door. Beyond that, the corridor was dark, save for a blur of white. A ghost? Jamie asked immediately. I shook my head. Nope. Whoever printed the photo just underexposed that part, thats all. Exactly! Carrie said. But in 1896, this guy published a whole paper about what he called evidence of psychic photography. Youd be amazed at how many people tried stunts like this back then. Even though they were almost all proven to be frauds, a lot of people still totally bought it. Jamie looked half-amused, half-embarrassed. I probably wouldve, he admitted. Because you want to believe, I said. Theres nothing wrong with that. He smiled at me in a way that made my heart thump a bit faster, and I hoped Carrie didnt notice the blush creeping up my neck. So whyd you include this one if you know its fake? I asked her. As an example, she replied, leading us over to the next photo. So that people will understand the real thing when they see it. Whoa, I whispered, stepping closer to study the picture. It was taken at the foot of a grand wooden staircase, at the top of which stood a woman in a silk gown with a high waist and lace sleeves. She was smiling in a posed sort of way, seemingly unaware of the other, transparent woman huddled at the bottom of the stairs, this one in a dark, long-sleeved dress with full skirts. Her features were blurred, so all I could make out were two dark spots for eyes and a thin line for a mouth. So, Kat, Carrie said. Any idea how you could fake that? Photoshop? Jamie joked, and she laughed. Not really a thing a hundred years ago. Long exposure? I suggested, pointing to the woman in the silk gown. With a slow shutter speed, she would have to hold her pose for several seconds while the photographer took the picture. I pointed to the other woman. If she was walking down the stairs at the same time, shed appear all blurry and transparent in the photo. Carrie raised her eyebrows. Wow. I think you remember more from your mom than you give yourself credit for. I tried to smile, even though my skin prickled uncomfortably at the mention of my mom. Thanks. But, Carrie went on, how do you explain this? She tapped the photograph hanging next to it. The two were almost identical, but taken from slightly different angles, as if the photographers were standing a few feet apart at the base of the stairs. The woman in the silk gown stood in the same pose, the same small smile curving her lips. But the other woman wasnt there at all. These were taken at a mansion up in Harlem in 1912, Carrie said. Two photographers. The one who captured the image with the ghost, his family owned the place. Hed grown up believing it was haunted by his great-grandmother, and as he was taking this picture of his niece, he was thinking about her. Really focused. Thats why she appeared in his photo, but not the other. At least, thats the story his son gave me when he donated this to the exhibit. Awesome, Jamie said fervently. I know theres no way to prove this is a real psychic photograph, Carrie said. But theres one other detail that pretty much convinced me. Any guesses? Jamie and I studied the picture again. Oh! Jamie exclaimed. Her dressthe great-grandmothers dress. Carrie beamed. Exactly! I must have still looked confused, because Jamie continued. This was taken in 1912, but her dress has petticoats, a high collar, long sleeves. Totally different than what the niece is wearing. But very much in fashion in the mid-eighteen hundreds, Carrie finished. When great-grandma here still lived in the mansion. I exhaled slowly. Oh. Okay. Thats... thats pretty cool. Really cool, Jamie added, his eyes sparkling. I couldnt help but grin at how into this he was. I believed in ghosts, but I still tried to stay skeptical until I saw proof. Jamie was always ready to believe. Carrie led us through the rest of the small exhibit, giving us the story behind each photo and why she believed it was real. She showed us the footage of a sance captured on VHS; it was only fifteen seconds, so we watched it probably a dozen times. A dark figure appeared in the shadows right at the twelve-second mark, then vanished. No one at the table seemed to notice it, and as Carrie explained, the woman behind the video camera had claimed to have projected the image from her mind. It was outlandish and ridiculous and to be honest, a few months ago I never wouldve believed any of it for a second. But now? Maybe I did. Because Id done it myself. Id never shown anyone the flash drive currently tucked safely in my backpack back at the hotel. The footage it contained of a figure moving behind me in the mirror as I practiced being on camera seemed just as outlandish and ridiculous as anything in this exhibit. But Id been there. Id been thinking about this, the other version of me. The Thing. And it had appeared. I couldnt prove it any more than the woman whod taken this sance video, or the man whod captured a photo of his great-grandmother in the mansion. So whos to say they werent telling the truth, too? Maybe they were. Or maybe they were crazy. Maybe I was crazy. Psychic photography was an explanation for that footage, and that was a relief. But I hadnt been trying to do it... so why had it happened? The idea that I might have projected the Thing there without meaning to kind of freaked me out. The distant sound of bells jangling pulled me from my thoughts. Be right back! Carrie said, hurrying out of the room. Once she was gone, Jamie turned to me. So, do you think this ones I think I created a ghost, I blurted out, surprising both of us. Jamies eyes widened. You... what? Id told Oscar about the Thing back in Brussels. And when we got to New York, Id told him about what really happened in Buenos Airesthat somehow, Id created an artificial ghost based on this other version of me. The version my mother had always wanted: a pretty little princess kind of daughter. I hadnt seen the Thing since that last night in Argentina, but I felt it around me constantly. Hovering just outside of my peripheral vision. Lurking in the corners of every mirror. Breathing down my neck, as it had most of my life. When Dad first got this job with Passport to Paranormal, Id thought traveling around the world was my chance to get the Thing out of my head. Id never meant to do that literally. Now it was with me in a very real way. Oscar had believed me. But that didnt mean he believed in the Thing. I mean, part of me even wondered if I was hallucinatinga thought just about as terrifying as the Thing actually being real. I knew Oscar had to be thinking the same thing. We were both skeptics, after all. But Jamie was a believer. And right now, I needed someone to believe me. Even if I didnt quite believe myself. So I took a deep breath. Then I gave him the short version, glossing over all my embarrassing issues with my mother and focusing on the fact that Id created a ghost version of myself that was now haunting me. Jamies expression remained serious the entire time, not a trace of worry or skepticism. And I dont know how to get rid of it, I finished. Its not... you know, possessing me. Nothing like that. Its just... with me. All the time. You have video of it, Jamie said slowly. You projected it onto a video, just like this? He gestured to the sance playing on a loop behind us, and I nodded. Yeah. I winced, sure he was about to ask if he could see the video. I wasnt exactly thrilled at the thought of him watching me stammering and rambling anxiously on camera, trying to get rid of my stage fright. But instead, he said: If you can project it, maybe you can control it. What? The bells jangled again, and I heard footsteps as Carrie headed back to the exhibit. Jamie stepped backsomehow wed ended up standing really closeand grinned at me. I have an idea.; Title: Final Girl #3 (The Kat Sinclair Files) | [
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19,159 | 15 | Megan Stine has written several biographies for young readers, includingWho Is Michelle Obama? and Who Was Sally Ride? She lives in Clinton, Connecticut.; Title: Who Was Marie Curie? | [
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19,160 | 15 | James Buckley, Jr. is a sportswriter for children. He has written more than 50 books about sports for kids, including titles on baseball, football, NASCAR, soccer, the Olympics, and more.Who Were the Wright Brothers? On May 25, 1910, Milton Wright took his first airplane flight. He had lived a long and busy life, working for his church, raising his family, and traveling. But he had never been in an airplane. Of course, in 1910, only a handful of people had! Two people who did have flying experience were Miltons sons, Wilbur and Orville Wright, who had invented the airplane in 1903. Milton had watched them grow from curious and hard-working boys into two of the most famous men in the world. The Wright brothers built and flew their plane only after years of trial, error, and hard work. From the early twentieth century to the present, every single airplane ever built includes something first created by the Wright brothers. Their invention changed the world. However, on this day in May of 1910, the brothers didnt care about the world. They were just happy to share their success and joy with their father, who had given them so much support. On a field not far from their family home in Dayton, Ohio, Orville Wright settled his eighty-one-year-old father into the plane. Then Orville sat at the controls. The two men held on as the aircraft slowly got up to speed and then took off! They circled the field over and over, staying in the air for nearly seven minutes. During the flight, Milton leaned toward his son. Over the roar of the engine, he shouted, Higher, Orville... higher! So thats where Orville took Milton... and thats where the Wright brothers took the world.; Title: Who Were the Wright Brothers? (Who Was?) | [
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19,161 | 7 | Onk Beakman has devoted his life to chronicling the greatest adventures of the Skylanders. Though he was hatched on the icy wastes of Skylandss Frozen Desert, this book-loving penguin now lives in a shack on the beautiful sands of Blistering Beach with his two pet cucumbers.Chapter OneLadies and gentlemen, we are proud to present the greatest champion Skylands has ever knownLightning Rod!The crowd went wild as soon as Lightning Rods name was announced. They cheered; they clapped; they threw their hats in the air. A couple of Rotting Robbies even threw their heads in the air . . . but the less said about that the better. Lightning Rod was the most popular participant in the annual Storm Titan Games. In fact, some said he was the most popular participant in the events entire history. No one had won as many medals as he had, and no one else had had anywhere near as many statues carved in his or her image. They were everywhere you looked: Rod throwing a lightning bolt; Rod running a marathon; Rod lifting an entire herd of saber-tusked elephants stacked on top of each other. There was even a statue of Rod snoring his beard off. Even when asleep, Rod was the most impressive specimen for miles around. No one performed like Rod, no one flexed their muscles like Rod, and no one polished off as many eggs for breakfast as Rod.In the crowd, Pop Fizz bounced up and down in his seat as everyones favorite Storm Titan made his way into the arena.Hey, watch it! said Cali, as the excitable alchemist slopped potion all over her. Youre spilling that stuff everywhere!Whoops, sorry, apologized Pop Fizz, before taking a slug from the bottle. There was a puff of smoke and the distinct whiff of brimstone, and Pop Fizz transformed into a hairy beast with more teeth than was healthy. Im just so pumped up to be here, he rumbled, suddenly taking up twice as much room as he had before his transformation. Go Lightning! Go Lightning!Stop moving, snapped Drobot from the other side of Pop Fizz. You are interfering with my visual circuits!With a gurgle, Pop Fizz shrank back to his normal size.Whoops again, he spluttered, his eyes spinning from the sudden metamorphosis. This is exciting though, isnt it? I mean, look at this place.Drobot had to admit that the arena was spectacular. Over a billion games had been played here, and every year the Storm Titans added more seats. The stands stretched for miles and seated millions of spectators, all of whom were now looking expectantly at Lightning Rod. The amazing blue hero stood in the middle of the field, soaking up the applause, flexing his bulging muscles, and flashing a blinding smile.Cali was grinning, too. Rod was in his element here, surrounded by his adoring fans. Yes, Cali knew that Rod loved being a Skylander, protecting the magical realm of Skylands from the forces of Darkness, but he was also massively proud of his sporting accomplishments. They all were.Do you think hes going to do it? Pop Fizz asked, half-raising a soda bottle to his lips before being stopped by Drobot. Do you think hes going to break the record?There is a ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine percent probability that Rod will triumph.Eh? said Pop Fizz, looking completely bewildered.He said yes, whispered Cali as a hush fell over the crowd.In the royal box, the king of the Storm Titans had raised his hands. My friends, he boomed, his voice like a thousand thunderstorms rolled into one. Please be silent for our guest of honor.Beside the king stood a tall thin man, leaning heavily on a crystal-topped staff. It was Master Eon, Skylands greatest Portal Master. Master Eon had been asked to open this years games, but he looked so old and tired. Cali frowned. She knew the last few weeks had been tough for the ancient wizard, but shed hoped the excitement of the games would revive him. Still, the Portal Master smiled as he drew himself up, his eyes resting on Lightning Rod far below.People of Skylands, Master Eon said, his voice magically amplified around the stadium. It is my pleasure to pronounce these games . . . open.A buzz of excitement rippled around the assembled throng. And without further ado, we shall enjoy the first eventthe five-hundred-ton hammer throw. And our first contender, Lightning Rod!The crowd roared once again as Lightning Rod approached the massive metal ball and chain at the center of the field. It was twice the size of the Titan, and yet he grabbed the heavy chain without hesitation. Straining he began to spin the ball around, faster and faster, electricity crackling up and down the metal links.Cali couldnt help but be impressed. She often worked with the Skylanders, training them to use their powers, but shed never seen Lightning Rod lift something this heavy, let alone spin it around.Hes gonna win, Pop Fizz was babbling, almost beside himself. Hes gonna get the gold. I just know it.But Drobot didnt say anything.Cali turned and saw he wasnt looking at Lightning Rod, but into the sky.Whats wrong? she asked, the fur on the back of her neck bristling.That is wrong, Drobot replied, pointing toward the clouds with a claw. Cali turned to see a solitary balloon drifting high above them. If Lightning Rod lets go of the hammer . . .Cali didnt need him to complete the sentence. Worst of all, she knew who owned the balloon.It was Flynn, the so-called best pilot in all of Skylands, and someone who seemed to have a knack for flying into trouble. The guy had an ego the size of an entire island, but hed helped the Skylanders time and time again.Weve got to warn them! Cali cried out.Too late, reported Drobot as the Storm Titan let go of the chain and flung the hammer into the air. It rocketed up, soaring over the heads of the crowd . . . straight for Flynns balloon.Chapter TwoEverything happened so fast. Before Cali could shout a warning, the hammer zoomed out of the stadium and hit the balloons basket. There was a flash of blinding light and the craft went into a spin, its propeller snapping off. The balloon went one way and the propeller went another.The crowd gasped.Drobot calculated the trajectory of the rogue propeller. It was heading straight for one of the many statues of Rod. The balloon, meanwhile, was in free fall, plummeting toward where Master Eon was sitting.With a crash, the propeller bounced off the statue and ricocheted in the direction of the stands.The crowd screamed.There was no time to lose. Drobot shot into the air, shouting over his shoulder, You deal with the propeller. I will stop the balloon!The crowd scattered as the whirling blades spun toward them. Beside Cali, Pop Fizz downed an entire bottle of potion and transformed into his fuzzy beast form.Lets play ball, he growled, grabbing an empty bench. Just as the propeller was about to plow into the fleeing spectators, Pop Fizz swung the bench like a baseball bat and whacked the blades out of harms way.Meanwhile, on the playing field, Lightning Rod had raced over to the royal box. As the balloon came crashing down, the Storm Titan threw himself forward, stretching out his muscular arms to shield Master Eon and the king.; Title: The Mask of Power: Lightning Rod Faces the Cyclops Queen #3 (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,162 | 13 | Gr 68Lou, a self-proclaimed MTN (Musical Theater Nerd) returns home from summer theater camp to discover a new family, with a boy her age, moving into the neighborhood. When she spies Jack wearing a Mary Poppins Broadway show T-shirt, Lou wonders if she has found a kindred spirit, a fellow MTN. She is ecstatic to learn that Jack not only hails from New York City, but has actually appeared in several Broadway musicals. However, Jack left New York in humiliation after his voice started to change during rehearsals for a new play. When the two tenuous friends start seventh grade, Jack declares himself finished with theater, and tries out for the soccer team instead. But Lou won't give up on him, and when the community theater announces auditions for Into the Woods, she is confident that she and Jack are destined for the leads, whether he knows it or not. The story is told alternately in the voices of Lou and Jack, which allows the personalities of both characters to shine. Lou is passionate and sarcastic, Jack is angry and unsure. Their relationship develops in fits and starts as they learn to trust each other. While there are no surprises in this book, it is an entertaining examination of friendship and theater.Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor School District, Lancaster, PA"Theater fans will eat this up." - Kirkus Reviews"A sweet series opener... sure to please any young MTN." - Publishers Weekly"The friendship that develops between Jack & Lou isn't just about Musical Theater Nerds (or MTNs) but finding each other. This is a loving, funny and sweet book. Can't wait for the next one." - Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth"Funny, fabulous, and most of all true, Jack & Louisa are every theater kid's new best friends." - Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever; Title: Act 1 (Jack & Louisa) | [
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19,163 | 18 | Patricia Brennan Demuth is the author of Who Is Bill Gates?, What Was Pearl Harbor?, and Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?; Title: What Was Ellis Island? | [
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19,164 | 2 | Martin Widmark has been hailed as the childrens Agatha Christie in his native Sweden. He lives in Stockholm.Helena Willis lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden.The books in The Whodunit Detective Agency series are set in the charming little town of Pleasant Valley. Its the kind of close-knit community where nearly everyone knows one another. The town and characters are all fictional, of course... or are they?The main characters, Jerry and Maya, are classmates and close friends who run a small detective agency together.; Title: The Mummy Mystery #5 (The Whodunit Detective Agency) | [
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19,165 | 6 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 012, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Strawberry Shortcake's Easter Egg Hunt | [
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19,166 | 11 | Stephanie Spinner is a full-time writer of children's books.Who Was Sitting Bull?When Sitting Bull was ten years old, he went on his first buffalo hunt. He was the only boy in a group of skilled warriors. He had made his bow and arrows himself and used them on birds, rabbits, and other small game. But he had never hunted buffalo.; Title: Who Was Sitting Bull? | [
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19,167 | 13 | Gr 24In this series opener, 10-year-old Tyler "Tiger" Brooks and his family have just moved into a new house. When his four-year-old sister Maggie tells him she saw a pig in a top hat outside, he scoffsbut sure enough, when he follows his remote-controlled helicopter into his neighbor's yard, he meets Chives, the talking pig who acts as a butler to the "mean and crazy" elderly lady who lives there. He decides to investigate with his new friend, Luna Lopez, and before long they are hearing a truly incredible tale from Viola Dots, whose 13-year-old son David disappeared into a magical frame 50 years ago. Tiger almost immediately figures out the frame's particular magicinvolving an "Hour of Power" and whatever painting resides in the frame at that timeand he and Luna are sucked into a copy of Henri Rousseau's Surprised! where they meet David himself, still a teenager. They narrowly escape the painting's tiger and return to Viola's house, promising to return at another time to try to rescue her son and effectively setting up future installments. Cartoonish drawingsin full color when the duo is inside the painting, black-and-white when they are notare plentiful, and an afterword introduces readers to the painting and the artist. VERDICT This mildly entertaining adventure is one to recommend to less than confident readers looking for a new series.Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MILin Oliver is the New York Times best-selling author of more than thirty books for young readers. She is also a film and television producer, having created shows for Nickelodeon, PBS, Disney Channel, and Fox. The cofounder and executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she loves to hang out with children's book creators. Lin lives in Los Angeles, in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, but when she travels, she visits the great paintings of the world and imagines what it would be like to be inside the paintingso you might say she carries her own Fantastic Frame with her!Samantha Kallis is a Los Angeles-based illustrator and visual development artist. Since graduating from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 2010, her work has been featured in television, film, publishing, and galleries throughout the world. Samantha can be found most days on the porch of her periwinkle-blue Victorian cottage, where she lives with her husband and their two cats. More of her work can be seen on her website: www.samkallis.com; Title: Danger! Tiger Crossing #1 (The Fantastic Frame) | [
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19,168 | 1 | Michael B. Kaplan has worked as a television writer and producer of twelve different prime time shows for ABC, NBC, FOX, and UPN. His career as a comedy writer includes stints as a writer and supervising producer on two of television’s most respected comedies, Roseanne and Frasier. He co-created and produces I’m in the Band for Disney XD. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.Stéphane Jorisch has illustrated many beautiful books for children, and he also curates two art collections in Canada. He was particularly taken with Betty Bunny and her family because they remind him so much of his own family (especially his kids!). He lives in Montreal, Canada with his family. ; Title: Betty Bunny Is Very Busy | [
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19,169 | 6 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 012, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Ultimate Search-and-Find (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,170 | 0 | Martin Widmark was born in 1961 in Sweden and today lives in Stockholm with his family. He has worked as a middle-school instructor and a Swedish-language teacher for immigrants, but he is now a full-time children's book author. Over his career, he has also written several textbooks. He is fascinated by life's little oddities and anything unique, from food and music to languages and people.Chapter 1: Five Hundred and Fifty Pounds of Pure Gold It was a beautiful, warm afternoon in July. School was out, and Maya and Jerry had nothing but free time. So far that summer they had spent a lot of time riding their bikes, looking for adventure. That morning they had set out on their bikes as usual. And now, they had joined the police chief on a dock in the harbor. They were watching a wooden crate as it was hoisted out of a big ship. Here comes the gold, said the police chief with excitement. Five hundred and fifty pounds of solid gold! I wonder how much its worth, said Jerry. Lets see, said the police chief, pushing his cap to the back of his head. Probably more like sixteen million dollars, Id say. Wow, said Jerry, impressed. Why is all this gold coming to Pleasant Valley? asked Maya. Well, its not going to stay here, explained the police chief. Tomorrow the gold heads to a big bank in another city. But tonight we are responsible for it. Where will the gold spend the night? asked Jerry. The hotel, like other visitors? Very funny, Jerry, said Maya, rolling her eyes. Well keep it in the safest place in Pleasant Valley, replied the police chief. The bank vault, of course! The crate was loaded next to another similar-looking crate on the back of a truck. A dark-haired woman in uniform walked over. She saluted the police chief, who saluted her right back. Maria Gonzales de la Cruz, said the woman with a smile. Head of security at the bank. Randolph Larson, replied the police chief. Its a pleasure to meet you! Are you new at the bank? I dont think weve met before. Thats right. The security officer smiled. Ive been at the bank for about three weeks. Now, she said, holding out a piece of paper, I need your signature here. Whats that youre signing? Maya asked the police chief. She stood on tiptoe to see what was on the piece of paper. Gold: five hundred and fifty pounds, she read. Maya couldnt see what else it said because the security officers thumb was in the way. A consignment note, explained Maria Gonzales de la Cruz, smiling at Maya. It shows that we received the gold, explained the police chief, who signed the bottom. The security officer tore off a yellow copy and gave it to the police chief, who folded the paper and tucked it in the pocket of his uniform. Okay, were off to the bank, said Maria Gonzales de la Cruz as she jumped into the truck. Come on, kids, said the police chief, hopping onto his bike. Lets head that way, too. When Jerry, Maya, and the police chief reached Pleasant Valleys bank, the security officer was hard at work wheeling the second crate inside. A bald-headed man in a gray suit watched from a nearby spot. He looked worried. Careful there, Maria. Make sure it doesnt tip over, he said to the security officer. Do you need a hand? asked the police chief. The man in the gray suit looked up in surprise. Jerry thought he seemed pretty nervous. Id probably be jumpy, too, he thought. That gold is worth a lot of money. Thanks for the offer, but Ive got this, said Maria to the police chief. After a few more grunts, she disappeared into the bank. Maya rested her bike against the wall of the building and looked through the window into the bank. She saw the security officer wheeling the crate into a big bank vault. Maya looked at her watch. It showed ten to six. Then she saw Maria Gonzales pulling the heavy door to the vault closed. Well, well, the police chief is here to make sure everything goes smoothly, said the man in the gray suit. He walked over to the police chief and held out his hand. The police chief and the man shook. This is the bank manager, Larry Mernard, said the police chief to Jerry and Maya. Maya looked into the bank again. The security officer was now standing with her back to Maya and the others, adjusting something above the door to the vault. Maya leaned closer to the window but couldnt see exactly what Maria Gonzales was doing. Its a big day for our little bank here in Pleasant Valley, continued the police chief. And a stressful one, acknowledged the bank manager. Just imagine if something were to go wrong! Larry Mernard wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.; Title: The Gold Mystery #8 (The Whodunit Detective Agency) | [
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19,171 | 18 | James Buckley, Jr. is a sports writer for children. He has written more than 50 books about sports for kids, including titles on baseball, football, NASCAR, soccer, the Olympics, and more.; Title: Who Was Ernest Shackleton? | [
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19,172 | 0 | Nancy Krulik has written over one hundred books for children and young adults, including two New York Times best sellers. You can follow Nancy on Twitter @NancyKrulik. She lives in New York City.MAGIC BONEGO FETCH!MAGIC BONEGO FETCH!For Ian, my DC connection!NKFor GrahamSBTable of ContentsCHAPTER 1Throw the ball, Josh! I bark. Throw the ball!My two-leg, Josh, is holding a ball in his paw. He looks straight ahead and gets ready to throw.My tail is wagging back and forth. It loves playing fetch.My paws are bouncing up and down. They love playing fetch, too.Throw the ball! I bark. Throw the ball.Josh doesnt speak dog. But I think he knows what Im saying because he throws the ball.I got it! I got it! I bark excitedly.My paws run after the ball. Fast. Faster. Fastest.Fur flies into my eyes. Its hard for me to see. But my paws keep running. Fast. Faster...Crash! Ouch! I bang right into the tree in my yard. Stupid tree. Stupid fur in my eyes.I look up and see a girl two-leg. Shes standing by my tree holding the ball in her paw. My ball. Who is this two-leg? And why did she catch my ball?Now shes throwing my ball in the air.Yay! The girl two-leg wants to play!I got it! I got it! I bark.My paws bounce up high in the air. My mouth opens wide. I got it! I bark again.Chomp! I grab the ball in my mouth. I run over to Josh and drop it at his feet.Josh picks up the ball. He shakes his head and says, No, Sparky. No!Sparky, no? Ive heard those words before. But usually its when I grab some food from the table. Or drink from the big white water bowl Josh uses when he has to make a yellow puddle.Josh never tells me no when were playing fetch. Until now.Josh throws the ball to the girl two-leg. She fetches it and throws the ball back to him. No one is letting me fetch the ball.No fair!I watch as the ball goes back and forth between Josh and the two-leg girl.Finally, Josh drops the ball on the ground. My tail picks up. My ears stop drooping. My paws start boinging.Anything on the ground is mine! Thats the rule.Wiggle, waggle, woo-hoo! Its my turn to play with Josh!I fetch the ball and start to run. But before I can reach him, Josh and the girl leave the yard. Then I hear a loud noise. Its Joshs big metal machine with four round paws.The machine sounds like its going away. But, thats okay. I can play fetch by myself.I spit the ball out of my mouth. It doesnt go very far. This game of fetch isnt any fun.What now? I know! I race over to Joshs flower bed and start diggety, dig, digging. Diggety, dig, dig. Diggety, dig... WOW!Its a bone. A bright, beautiful, sparkly bone.Sniff, sniff, sniff. It smells so good. Like chicken, beef, and sausage all rolled into one.Hello, bone! I bark excitedly.The bone doesnt bark back. Bones dont bark.This bone smells so meaty. I just have to take a bite...Chomp!Wiggle, waggle, whew. I feel dizzylike my insides are spinning all aroundbut my outsides are standing still. Stars are twinkling in front of my eyeseven though its daytime! All around me I smell foodfried chicken, salmon, roast beef. But there isnt any food in sight.Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!CHAPTER 2The kabooming stops.; Title: Go Fetch! #5 (Magic Bone) | [
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19,173 | 18 | Joan Holub is the author of What Was the First Thanksgiving?, What Was the Gold Rush?, and other Who Was...? titles, including Who Was Marco Polo? and Who Was Babe Ruth? She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.What Is the Statue of Liberty?In July 1976, the United States had a holiday. It was the two-hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. All over the country, towns and cities celebrated. In New York City, there were fireworks, parades, and patriotic speeches. Right in the middle of it all stood that towering symbol of American freedomthe Statue of Liberty!The statues real name is Liberty Enlightening the World, but its often called Lady Liberty or the Statue of Liberty. The statue is huge151 feet and 1 inch tall. Thats about as tall as a tower of thirty-five eleven-year-old kids stacked head-to-toe.Its made of copper and is mostly hollow, with a metal skeleton-like support structure inside and stairs so visitors can walk up into its crown. Today about four million people visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island every year.; Title: What Is the Statue of Liberty? (What Was?) | [
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19,174 | 0 | Jenny Goebel is the mother of three and in her free time she writes anything from picture books to middle-grade novels.; Title: The Firefighter (Penguin Core Concepts) | [
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19,175 | 2 | David A. Adler is the author of more than two hundred childrens books, including two Level 3 easy-to-read series, Young Cam Jansen and Bones. Visit David at davidaadler.com. Sam Ricks is a children's books illustrator and lead graphic design faculty at The Art Institute of Salt Lake City. Visit him at samricks.com.From the Hardcover edition.; Title: Don't Throw It to Mo! (Mo Jackson) | [
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19,176 | 2 | Reviews for Get a Hit, Mo!:"The text is appropriately simple, yet Adler cunningly coaxes emerging readers to use their understanding of narrative conventions and their prediction skills to make savvy inferences. African-American Mo and his multiethnic, mixed-gender, woman-coached team make for a nicely inclusive read."Kirkus ReviewsDavid A. Adler is the author of more than two hundred children's books, including two Level 3 easy-to-read series, Young Cam Jansen and Bones. Visit David at davidadler.com.; Title: Get a Hit, Mo! (Mo Jackson) | [
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19,177 | 11 | James Buckley, Jr. has written more than 50 books for kids, includingWho Was Ernest Shackleton?; Title: Who Was Roberto Clemente? | [
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19,178 | 0 | Nancy Krulik has written more than 100 books for children and young adults, including twoNew York Times bestsellers. Her very first story (in first grade) was about how she wanted to be Mary Poppins so she could dance in the park with Bert and the penguins.Sebastien Braun (www.sebastienbraun.com) studied fine and applied arts at Strasbourg University in France. Since his move to London in 2000, he has been illustrating childrens books.CHAPTER 1Get off me! Samson grumbles angrily. Its not my job to give rides!Samson is the old mixed-breed who lives next door to me. Ive never heard him so upset. I wonder whats going on.I hurry over to my fence and peek at him through the holes. Samsons two-leg is sitting in a chair. Theres a mini two-leg sitting on Samsons back.The mini two-leg is smiling, which is something both two-legs and dogs do when they are happy.But Samson isnt smiling. And he isnt happy.I said, get off! Samson barks. He kicks his back legs in the air.Wham! The mini two-leg falls off his back.Whaaa! The mini two-legs not smiling anymore. Shes screaming. Whaaa!Samsons two-leg starts shouting, too. I dont understand a lot of two-leg words. But I do understand bad dog. And I know that means Samson is in trouble.Samsons two-leg carries the mini two-leg into the house and closes the door, leaving Samson outside alone.I cant believe my two-leg yelled at me, Samson grumbles.Two-legs do that a lot, says Frankie, the German shepherd who lives on the other side of my house.I guess Frankie was watching from behind his fence, too.Ever since that mini two-leg came to visit, shes been crawling on my back, Samson explains. It was making me nuts. So I threw her off.Makes sense to me, Frankie says.Its not my job to carry a little two-leg around, Samson continues. Im a dog, not a horse.Right, I say. Ive never met a dog who had a job giving rides to two-legs.Frankie laughs. Its not like youve met that many dogs, Sparky, he says. You only hang out with Samson and me.; Title: Rootin' Tootin' Cow Dog #8 (Magic Bone) | [
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19,179 | 0 | Award-winning actor, host, composer, and writer and lifelong dog lover John OHurley is one of televisions busiest and most versatile personalities. Since 2002, he has served as the host of NBCs National Dog Show presented by Purina, which attracts an audience of more than 20 million viewers each Thanksgiving. He danced his way into the hearts of America as the ultimate champion on the first season of the hit ABC showDancing with the Stars. He is well known for his portrayal of the wry and witty J. Peterman onSeinfeld, the host ofFamily Feud, and as the voice of many popular cartoon characters, such as King Neptune inSpongeBob SquarePants. He is the author of several books, including theNew York TimesBest SellerIts OK to Miss the Bed on the First Jump. John, his wife, Lisa, and their son, Will, share their home in Beverly Hills with Sadie, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and Lucy, a Havanese.; Title: The Perfect Dog | [] | Train |
19,180 | 2 | Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1938. The second child in a family of seven, Dori fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings. She claims she learned about story pacing early. If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 44 years. Everyone says the romance will last. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsonsespecially Grandpa, having been outnumbered by women all those years.When their daughters were young, Dori wrote for them. She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children's magazines. In the 70's, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars. Her stories reflect the warmth of family life. Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.; Title: The Swimming Lesson (Cork and Fuzz) | [
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19,181 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Let's Count!: A First Book of Numbers (Sassy) | [
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19,182 | 2 | Sue Bentley lives in England. Angela Swan lives in northeast England. Andrew Farley lives in the South of England.; Title: A Puzzle of Paws #12 (Magic Kitten) | [
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19,183 | 6 | Cavan Scott is an author and comic writer for both adults and children.He has written for a large number of high-profile series including Doctor Who, Star Wars, Penguins of Madagascar, Skylanders, Adventure Time, Pathfinder, Angry Birds, Judge Dredd, Disney Infinity, Blake’s 7, and Warhammer 40,000.His credits include novels, comic books, children’s annuals and activity books, award-winning audio plays and short stories.A member of The Society of Authors, the Scattered Author Society and the Dennis the Menace Fan Club, Cavan lives near Bristol with his wife, two daughters and an inflatable Dalek named Desmond.Brandon T. Snider has authored numerous books based on Cartoon Network favorites such as Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Uncle Grandpa. He has also written for and appeared on Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer. Brandon lives in New York City, where he's a member of the Writers Guild of America.; Title: The Complete Collection (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,184 | 2 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 0–12, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Angelina and the Easter Bonnet (Angelina Ballerina) | [
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19,185 | 15 | Michael Burgan has written more than two dozen biographies for young readers. HisBreaker Boys, about photographer Lewis Hine and his depiction of child labor, was named one ofSLJ's 20 Outstanding Nonfiction Books of 2013.; Title: Who Was Henry Ford? | [
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19,186 | 13 | Lin Oliver is the New York Times best-selling author of more than thirty books for young readers. She is also a film and television producer, having created shows for Nickelodeon, PBS, Disney Channel, and Fox. The cofounder and executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she loves to hang out with children's book creators. Lin lives in Los Angeles, in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, but when she travels, she visits the great paintings of the world and imagines what it would be like to be inside the painting—so you might say she carries her own Fantastic Frame with her!Samantha Kallis is a Los Angeles-based illustrator and visual development artist. Since graduating from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 2010, her work has been featured in television, film, publishing, and galleries throughout the world. Samantha can be found most days on the porch of her periwinkle-blue Victorian cottage, where she lives with her husband and their two cats. More of her work can be seen on her website: www.samkallis.comPROLOGUEOh, hi there. I’m Tiger Brooks. I think we might have met before.   I’m here to tell you a story you’re probably not going to believe. But trust me, it’s all true. Even the parts that don’t seem true. I know because it happened to me.   It started when my friend Luna Lopez and I paid a visit to our neighbor Viola Dots. She’s the—well, let’s just say unusual woman who lives next door with her butler, a talking orange pig named Chives. I know what you’re thinking. A talking orange pig—that’s a hard one to believe.   But wait, there’s more. Viola has this magical, fantastic picture frame in her house. What? You’re not sure magical picture frames actually exist? Well, neither was I until I fell into one. But I’m getting ahead of myself.   Viola’s frame hangs on the wall in her living room. It looks like one of those fancy golden frames you’d see in a museum. And it has a gold clock on the front. When the clock on the frame strikes four, the painting inside opens up and sucks you in.   That sounds exciting, but it hasn’t worked out too well for Viola Dots. Her son, David, was sucked into a painting fifty years ago and has been lost ever since. The only thing she got in return was Chives, who came flying straight out of some old painting and into her living room.   Mrs. Dots is pretty old now and still misses David like crazy, which is why Luna and I agreed to help her. Every week she paints another painting to put in the frame. And every week, we travel into the frame to look for David.   This would be totally fun except for one little detail: If we’re not back from inside the painting in exactly one hour, we’ll be stuck. That’s right. We would have to stay in the world of art forever.   That’s a good thing if you’re trying to get out of doing your homework. But if you care about ever returning home, it’s not so good.   I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me. It’s a pretty wild story. So read it for yourself, and then you tell me.   Do you really think there is such a thing as a fantastic frame?      CHAPTER ONE   Come on, Luna! I thought. Where are you?   Our wooden front porch groaned as I paced back and forth. I checked the time on my Batman watch. Luna had agreed to meet me at exactly fifteen minutes to four, but she was late. We had promised Viola Dots that we’d be at her house on time. If we were even one minute late, the magic wasn’t going to work.   Luna Lopez, you’re going to ruin everything!   I heard footsteps coming from inside our duplex. “Luna!” I called out. “It’s about time!”   “It’s not Luna,” an annoying little voice said. “It’s me, Maggie. I came to play with you.”   Can someone please tell me why little sisters always show up at exactly the wrong time?   “I can’t play with you now, squirt,” I told Maggie. I tried to herd her back into the house, but the little pest wasn’t budging.   “Why can’t you?” Maggie stomped her foot on the porch, which made her sneakers light up. “Are you and your new girlfriend going to visit the orange pig with the funny hat?”   I had to put an end to this conversation right now. The orange pig was a secret—only Luna and I could know he actually existed.   “Listen up, Maggie,” I said. “Number one, Luna is not my girlfriend. She is a girl who happens to be a new friend. And number two, there’s no such thing as an orange pig. Didn’t they teach you that in preschool?”   Maggie burst out laughing. I didn’t think I had said anything funny.   “Tiger, you said number two.” She giggled. “I’m going to tell Mommy you’re using bathroom words.”   “Be my guest,” I said. “Go tell Mom.” I figured at least that would get her back into the house.   As Maggie turned and ran inside, I could hear her chanting, “Mommy, Tiger said number two. Tiger said number two.”   That’s four-year-olds for you. Their brains are only half-baked.   I checked my watch again. Time was running out.   Luckily, I heard Luna’s footsteps clopping down the stairs. We just moved into a duplex that our families share. Luna lives in the upstairs part. This time, I knew it was her because her shoes clomp when she walks.   “Hi, Tiger,” she said, like she wasn’t even late at all. “My grandma made us horchata.” She handed me a plastic cup with a frothy white liquid in it. “It’s like a cinnamon toast milkshake, minus the brain freeze.”   “We don’t have time for refreshments,” I said.   “Just taste it. It’s my grandpa Arturo’s recipe.”   I took a sip. It was delicious.   “Your grandpa Arturo knows his stuff,” I said. “But we have to hurry. The fantastic frame kicks in at four exactly, and we promised Viola we’d be there. She’s counting on us.”   “Okay, okay. We can drink while we walk.”   Luna grabbed a flowered hat from a chair on the porch and popped it on her head. She loves to make crazy-looking hats, and this one definitely was. We raced down our driveway and headed to Viola’s house. It was a crumbling old place next door to ours, with peeling blue paint and an overgrown lawn. The house was covered in cobwebs and had a spooky lookout tower on top.   We were almost at the front gate when a hand reached out and snatched my horchata. I turned to see a boy with bleached blond hair and braces. Before I realized that he was at least a head taller than me, I blurted out, “Hey, you! Give that back!”   “Take it easy, shrimp,” the kid said. “I just want a sip.”   The kid tilted the cup back and drained the whole thing in one awful gulp. Crunching my ice in his mouth, he put the cup on the ground and squashed it under his foot. Then he handed the squashed cup back to me.   “Aren’t you going to introduce me to the new guy?” the boy asked Luna.   “This creep is Cooper Starr,” Luna said. “He thinks he’s great.”   “That’s why everyone calls me Super Cooper.” The boy grinned, showing off his mouth full of braces.   “He lives on our street,” Luna explained. “He’s a very rude boy with a very small imagination.”   “Hey, shrimp,” Cooper said, giving me an annoying poke. “Why do you want to be friends with her? Everyone knows Luna Lopez has bugs. Don’t you, Luna-Bug?”   Luna got right in his face. “I don’t have bugs!”   He leaned in close and picked a speck of something from one of the flowers on her hat.   “Gross! It’s a bug! They’re crawling all over you!” He jumped back and laughed like a donkey, showing off his squiggly metal teeth.   “Don’t talk to her that way!” I said.   “Come on, Tiger.” Luna grabbed my arm. “We’re late. Let’s go.”; Title: Splat! Another Messy Sunday #2 (The Fantastic Frame) | [
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19,187 | 6 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 012, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Secret Vault of Secrets (Skylanders Universe) | [
19183
] | Validation |
19,188 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comic books, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family and continues to produce work for clients in the areas of advertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Zoom!: Things That Go (Sassy) | [
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19,189 | 2 | Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1938. The second child in a family of seven, Dori fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings. She claims she learned about story pacing early. If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 44 years. Everyone says the romance will last. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsonsespecially Grandpa, having been outnumbered by women all those years.When their daughters were young, Dori wrote for them. She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children's magazines. In the 70's, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars. Her stories reflect the warmth of family life. Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.; Title: The Babysitters (Cork and Fuzz) | [
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19,190 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Bedtime for Baby (Sassy) | [
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19,191 | 6 | Barry Hutchison is the author of the popular Book of Elements handbook series. He has also written a six-book middle grade horror series called Invisible Fiends.; Title: Book of Elements: Life & Undead (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,192 | 0 | David Soman and Jacky Davis (www.ladybuggirl.com) live in Rosendale, New York. They are a husband-and-wife team, and the Ladybug Girl books are inspired by their daughter and son.; Title: Do You Like These Boots? (Ladybug Girl) | [
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... | Train |
19,193 | 6 | Barry Hutchison is the author of the popular Book of Elements handbook series. He has also written a six-book middle grade horror series called Invisible Fiends.; Title: Book of Elements: Fire & Water (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,194 | 2 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 0–12, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Meet the Hive | [
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19336,
19342
] | Train |
19,195 | 0 | Onk Beakman has devoted his life to chronicling the greatest adventures of the Skylanders. Though he was hatched on the icy wastes of Skylandss Frozen Desert, this book-loving penguin now lives in a shack on the beautiful sands of Blistering Beach with his two pet cucumbers.; Title: The Mask of Power: Gill Grunt and the Curse of the Fish Master #2 (Skylanders Universe) | [
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] | Test |
19,196 | 6 | Activision Publishing, Inc. was founded in 1979 as the first independent video game software developer and distributor.Today, the company is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products for a variety of platforms.; Title: Skylanders SWAP Force: Master Eon's Official Guide (Skylanders Universe) | [
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19,197 | 2 | Illustrator Dave Aikins grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, immersed in comicbooks, action figures and B-movies. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1995 and worked for a large newspaper and commercial art studio before founding Let's Draw Studio, his freelance illustration studio, in 1998. Hee now lives outside Columbus, OH with his family andcontinues to produce work for clients in the areas ofadvertising, product design and publishing.; Title: Baby's First Words (Sassy) | [
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19,198 | 0 | Henry Winkler is an actor, producer, and director, and he speaks publicly all over the world. In addition, he has a star on Hollywood Boulevard, was knighted by the government of France, and the jacket he wore as the Fonz hangs in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. But if you ask him what he is proudest of, he would say, "Writing the Hank Zipzer books with my partner, Lin Oliver." He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Stacey. They have three children named Jed, Zoe, and Max, and two dogs named Monty and Charlotte. Charlotte catches a ball so well that she could definitely play outfield for the New York Mets.Lin Oliver is a writer and producer of movies, books, and television series for children and families. She has written over twenty five novels for children, and one hundred episodes of television. She has produced four movies, many of which are based on children's books. She is cofounder and executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an international organization of twenty thousand authors and illustrators of children's books. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alan. They have three sons named Theo, Ollie, and Cole. She loves tuna melts, curious kids, any sport that involves a racket, and children's book writers everywhere.; Title: A Short Tale About a Long Dog, No. 2 (Here's Hank) | [
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22... | Train |
19,199 | 1 | Grosset & Dunlap creates high-quality books for young readers of any level. Focused on books for ages 012, Grosset offers a wide range of original fiction series, nonfiction titles, leveled readers, and licensed tie-ins to captivate every reader.; Title: Buzzbee's School Day (Sticker Stories) (The Hive) | [
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] | Train |
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