X-Books are for kids who love facts-especially in bite-sized portions and about fascinating, true subjects. As plentiful images and graphical representations stimulate visual perception, readers will be drawn into learning how to use informational texts. Each title is framed by a signature Top 5 countdown feature that not only serves as an example of sequential order but also narrates a brief story within the main topic: in X-Books: Fighters, these sidebars summarize the extraordinary true tales of famous warriors throughout history. Count down the world's most extreme fighters, and launch a lifetime of reading without limits!

These were no damsels in distress! Did you know that a woman named Kady Brownell was the color bearer for 5th Rhode Island infantry? She braved enemy fire at Bull Run to hold her banner high! Or that Dr. Mary Walker, a battlefield surgeon, was the first and only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor? These women, and many more, marched alongside the soldiers and were on the battlefields of the American Civil War. They were both respected and admired by their male comrades. Stephanie Ford regularly speaks at historical societies and participates in reenactments as a vivandiere. Through her thorough research comes a compelling collection of stories of remarkable women from both sides of the conflict.

Flame throwers, spy trees, bird bombs, and Hell Fighters were all a part of World War I, but you won't learn that in your history books! Uncover long-lost secrets of spies like Howard Burnham, "The One-Legged Wonder," and nurse-turned-spy, Edith Cavell. Peek into secret files to learn the truth about the Red Baron and the mysterious Mata Hari. Then learn how to build your own Zeppelin balloon and mix up some invisible ink. It's all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: World War I. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

THE BOOK BEHIND THE BBC SERIES 'HIS DARK MATERIALS' The third volume in Philip Pullman's groundbreaking HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, now a thrilling, critically acclaimed BBC/HBO television series starring Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen and James McAvoy. "We're going to the land of the dead and we're going to come back." Will and Lyra, whose fates are bound together by powers beyond their own worlds, have been violently separated. But they must find each other, for ahead of them lies the greatest war that has ever been - and a journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned... The first series was the most-watched new British show in five years - and peaked at 7.2 million viewers. It received a 5-star review from Lucy Mangan in The Guardian: "a riveting realisation of Philip Pullman's magic". HIS DARK MATERIALS is one of the most popular and successful children's series of all time.

Discover all the foul facts life at home during the Second World War with history's most horrible headlines: Blitz edition. Get to grips with Home Front life with Terry Deary, the master of making history fun. From what really happened in Dad's Army to the perils of air raids, and why the Blitzed Brits were eating chicken-fruit, sinkers and nutty. It's all in Horrible Histories: Blitzed Brits: fully illustrated throughout and packed with hair-raising stories - with all the horribly hilarious bits included with a fresh take on the classic Horrible Histories style, perfect for fans old and new the perfect series for anyone looking for a fun and informative read Horrible Histories has been entertaining children and families for generations with books, TV, stage show, magazines, games and 2019's brilliantly funny Horrible Histories: the Movie -Rotten Romans. Get your history right here and collect the whole horrible lot. Read all about it!

A magnificent tale of adventure, emotion and a girl who defies an empire set in the backdrop of sublime landscape! 'A dazzling, confident debut about power and personal discovery' THE TIMES 'A wonderful, swashbuckling read and an exceptional debut.' BOOKS FOR KEEPS When her father dies nobly in battle, fourteen-year-old Thirrin becomes Queen of the Icemark, a tiny kingdom forever caught between dangerous neighbours. Thirrin must raise an army to protect her people from seemingly invincible Imperial invaders. Her search for allies takes her beyond her northern borders, to former enemies in The-Land-of-the-Ghosts and onwards to the frozen Hub-of-the-World. But can she save her kingdom in time? A new stunning cover look for the previous winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. A gloriously dramatic and heartfelt story about a remarkable girl who defies an empire. Combines breathtaking description, steely-edged action and warm characterisation.

Special Forces looks at commandoes around the world.

For as long as there have been wars, animals have been out there saving lives. Courageous dogs, cats, birds, horses, and even a bear have shown courage and devotion, and this book tells you their extraordinary stories.

Includes the story of Jet the Alsatian who became a hero of the Blitz, pulling survivors from burning rubble, night after night. Gallipoli Murphy, the donkey who served as an ambulance. Simon, the cat who saved his crew. And many, many more.

These animals help us to remember that not all heroes are human.

Glorious full-colour double-page illustrations throughout.

From internationally acclaimed YA author M. T. Anderson comes the true story of a city under siege, thrillingly told and impeccably researched. In September 1941, Adolf Hitler's Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history. After three years of bombardment and starvation, culminating in the bitterly cold winter of 1943-44, more than a million citizens lost their lives. In order to survive, many residents burned books, furniture and floorboards to keep warm; they ate family pets and, eventually, each other. In the midst of this bloodshed, Dimitri Shostakovich composed the Leningrad Symphony, a piece that both rallied and eulogized his fellow citizens ... and which would come to play a surprising part in the Allies' eventual victory.

Pearl Witherington Cornioley, one of the most celebrated female World War II resistance fighters, shares her remarkable story in this firsthand account of her experience as a special agent for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). Told through a series of reminiscences-from a difficult childhood spent in the shadow of World War I and her family's harrowing escape from France as the Germans approached in 1940 to her recruitment and training as a special agent and the logistics of parachuting into a remote rural area of occupied France and hiding in a wheat field from enemy fire-each chapter also includes helpful opening remarks to provide context and background on the SOE and the French Resistance. With an annotated list of key figures, an appendix of original unedited interview extracts-including Pearl's fiance Henri's story-and fascinating photographs and documents from Pearl's personal collection, this memoir will captivate World War II buffs of any age.

Forty-four finely detailed illustrations with fact-filled captions bring all the drama of the quest for air superiority to life in an exciting collection that includes a low-flying U.S. F-117 Stealth fighter, an aircraft carrier-based F-15, a Tornado GR-1, a Russian-built MiG-15, a Northrop F-5, an English Electric Lightning, a Republic F-105D and more. A spectacular coloring book that's also a special treat for aircraft enthusiasts.

No Better Friend tells the remarkable story of Royal Air Force technician Frank Williams and Judy, a purebred pointer, who met in an internment camp during WWII. Judy was a fiercely loyal animal who sensed danger and instinctively mistrusted anyone in enemy uniform. Their relationship deepened throughout their imprisonment. The prisoners suffered severe beatings which Judy would interrupt with her barking. The dog became a beacon for the men, who saw in her survival a flicker of hope for their own. Judy was the war's only canine POW, and when she passed away in 1950, she was buried in her Air Force jacket. Williams would never own another dog. Their story--of an unbreakable bond forged in the worst circumstances--is one of the great undiscovered sagas of World War II.

A stunning full-colour illustrated gift hardback of the second book in Philip Pullman's world-famous and beloved His Dark Materials trilogy. The perfect gift for every fan, of any age. "What is he? A friend, or an enemy?" "He is a murderer." Will has just killed a man. He's on the run. His escape will take him far beyond his own world, to the eerie disquiet of a deserted city, and to a girl, Lyra. Her fate is strangely linked to his own, and together they must find the most powerful weapon in all the worlds... Now a major HBO/BBC TV series starring Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, Dafne Keen, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Beautifully illustrated by acclaimed artist Chris Wormell, the creator of the covers for The Book of Dust: la Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth.The perfect companion to the illustrated gift hardback edition of Northern Lights

At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phil Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.