"America was the place Smith had dreamed of his whole life.There, his character, determination, and ambition had propelled him to the top of society. He spent the rest of his life trying to return. Though he failed, he pointed the way for others, who were drawn by the dream that opportunity was here for anyone who dared seize it . . . Smith founded more than a colony. He gave birth to the American dream."
--from Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith tells the real story behind the swashbuckling character who founded the Jamestown colony, wrote the first book in English in America, and cheated death many times by a mere hairbreadth. Based on rich primary sources, including Smith's own writings and newly discovered material, this enlightening book explores Smith's early days, his forceful leadership at Jamestown that was so critical to its survival, and his efforts upon his return to England to continue settlements in America. This unique volume also reveals the truth behind Smith's relationship with Pocahontas, a tale that history has greatly distorted. Bringing to life heroic deeds and dramatic escapes as well as moments of great suffering and hardship, Captain John Smith serves as a great testament to this important historical figure.

"America was the place Smith had dreamed of his whole life.

There, his character, determination, and ambition had propelled him to the top of society. He spent the rest of his life trying to return.Though he failed, he pointed the way for others, who were drawn by the dream that opportunity was here for anyone who dared seize it. It was a powerful thought, one that had as much to do with creating the country we have today as anything Smith did to keep Jamestown alive. Smith founded more than a colony. He gave birth to the American dream."
--from Captain John Smith

It is one of history's ironies that the person who guaranteed the success of English settlement in America first arrived as a prisoner under sentence of death. Captain John Smith tells the real story behind this swashbuck-ling character who founded the Jamestown colony, wrote the first book in English in America, and cheated death many times by a mere hairbreadth. Based on rich primary sources, including Smith's own writings and newly discovered material, this enlightening book explores Smith's early days, his forceful leadership at Jamestown that was so critical to its survival, and his efforts upon his return to England to continue settlements in America. This unique volume also reveals the truth behind Smith's relationship with Pocahontas, a tale that history has greatly distorted. As the four hundredth anniversary of the first colony in America at Jamestown approaches, Captain John Smith serves as a great testament to this confident, brash, and heroic figure.

A priceless ruby has been stolen and an innocent family framed for the crime. Can Seikei prove himself a worthy samurai by uncovering the real thief?- Nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young-Adult Mystery- Named to five State Award Lists- An ALA Best Book for Young Adults- An IRA/CBC Young Adult Choice- "Parent's Choice Silver Medal recipient- A "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon selection

The Great Pyramids of Egypt - all kids over the age of five recognise them instantly. These massive tombs were built thousands of years ago, and still no one knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians did it! In this informative account, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler tell the story of the powerful pharaohs who commissioned the pyramids at Giza and offer a fascinating look at the culture of the afterlife in ancient Egypt, explaining exactly how mummies were made. Easy to read and scrupulously researched, this explores the mysteries that have attracted countless visitors to the pyramids for centuries.

Open this book to all the joys and troubles, the triumphs and disappointments, of being an American girl. Here is the chance to read selections from private diaries and look at the portraits of real girls across two centuries. From best friends to boyfriends, hair problems to homework problems, it seems there will always be some things only girls can understand.
Maybe you'll be surprised at how similar these girls' diaries are to your own. They took walks in the woods and read novels, had trouble learning English as a second language, wrote essays about George Washington for history class, experienced their first kisses and first periods, and struggled to prove they were just as good as boys.
But you'll probably also find that a lot of things were very different for girls who lived a century or more ago. For instance, have you ever named your bedposts after boys you like? Is the word "pants" considered improper at your school? Do you wear a skate key around your neck on a string, or shop for calico at a dry goods store?
In these excerpts and images, girls of all ages will find surprises and revelations and meet some new friends along the way. Here are American girls from a vast array of backgrounds: wealthy and poor, from urban and rural areas, both famous and not-so-famous. Be there as they share friendships, school days, get into mischief, have fun, fall in love, and become real American women.

The Taj may look like a palace but it's actually a tomb and a lasting testament to one of the world's great love stories. In 1612, Mogul emperor Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal. It had been love at first sight and for nineteen years they were so inseparable that Mumtaz even accompanied Shah Jahan to battlefields. When she died suddenly giving birth to their fourteenth child, the emperor set about building a magnificent memorial to his wife. Everything about the Taj was perfectly planned, from the white marble walls that shimmer in the sunlight and sparkle by moonlight to the countless decorative flowers made from precious gems that still astound visitors today, Recent discoveries at the site make this a timely account of a timeless monument.

The authors of the award-winning "In Darkness, Death" share the remarkable true story of "Frankenstein's" origins and the curse on its creators.

Samurai Lord Inaba has been murdered in his sleep. To make matters worse, the crime took place under the protective eye of the Shogun himself. This is a case for Judge Ooka, Japan's own real-life Sherlock Holmes, and his 14-year-old apprentice, Seikei.

Turn-of-the-century Paris was the beating heart of a rapidly changing world. But the City of Light was also a violent place. Criminals eagerly took advantage of the inventive nature of the age--the first getaway car, increasingly dangerous weapons, more creative disguises. The police battled back with a weapon of their own: Alphonse Bertillon, the world's greatest detective, the inventor of the mug shot and the crime-scene photo, and a brilliant innovator who pioneered the new science of criminal investigation. Then on August 21, 1911, came a crime like none other: Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre. It was assumed that Bertillon would quickly solve the mystery and retrieve the painting. It would not be so simple.
In "The Crimes of Paris," Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler tell the gripping story of the theft and the investigation that followed. Bertillon and his associates would pursue clues leading them into the world of avant-garde artists, cheap apartments in Montmartre and Montparnasse, cabarets, and from this first great mystery into yet others. Their suspects would be everyone from the poet Guillaume Apollinaire to J. P. Morgan to Pablo Picasso. A vivid tapestry of Paris, daring thieves, and relentless investigators, "The Crimes of Paris" is a heart-pounding true-crime thriller of the highest order, as well as a brilliant account of the modern detective.

Turn-of-the-century Paris was the beating heart of a rapidly changing world. Painters, scientists, revolutionaries, poets--all were there. But so, too, were the shadows: Paris was a violent, criminal place, its sinister alleyways the haunts of Apache gangsters and its cafes the gathering places of murderous anarchists. In 1911, it fell victim to perhaps the greatest theft of all time--the taking of the "Mona Lisa "from the Louvre. Immediately, Alphonse Bertillon, a detective world-renowned for pioneering crime-scene investigation techniques, was called upon to solve the crime. And quickly the Paris police had a suspect: a young Spanish artist named Pablo Picasso....