Developed in the 1880s by Mid Westerners looking for a sunny winter getaway, Hollywood was a small housing development outside still-small Los Angeles. But everything changed in the early 1900s when filmmakers from New York flocked to the area, where they could make movies without having to pay Thomas Edison's patent fee. It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect, too. Readers will take a journey from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the present-day film industry, learning all about what turned lush farmland into Tinseltown.

Discover the history and culture of one of the most famous waterways in the world: the mighty Mississippi!

The most famous river in America runs like a spine between the eastern and western parts of the country, flowing through ten states before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The mighty Miss also flows through the history of America, giving rise to great stories about the people who lived on it and used it as a watery highway, from Native Americans and European explorers to skillful riverboat captains and colorful gamblers traveling on luxurious steamboats. And of course it was the first truly American writer, Mark Twain, who grew up along its banks and made the Mississippi River famous around the world.

This book, part of the New York Times best-selling series, is enhanced by eighty illustrations and a detachable fold-out map complete with four photographs on the back.

When the plans for the Eiffel Tower were first announced, many people hated the design of the future landmark, calling it ungainly and out of step with the beautiful stone buildings of the city. But once it went up for the World's Fair in 1889, the people of Paris quickly fell in love with the tower. Today it seems impossible to imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, which greets millions of visitors each year who climb up its wrought-iron stairs, ride its glass elevators, and enjoy the wonderful views of the city spread out below it.

Syd Stowe hated the idea of leaving New York City and her best friend Jill. But when she arrived in that Minnesota town and met Laura, her new best friend, she thought everything would be just fine-until she realized that Laura looked exactly like the wooden doll in the toy shop. And when she noticed that the carved Laura doll was an exact replica of a girl who had lived more than fifty years ago-well, that was even more confusing. As Syd unravels the secret of the carved wooden dolls, she learns about her new town, her family history, and herself.