"It will . . . sweep readers away." --Kirkus Reviews "Henry's lush, digital artwork depicts the splendors of eighteenth-century France . . . a good addition to units on aviation and inventors." --Booklist More than a century before the Wright Brothers invented their plane, Josephand Etienne Montgolfier sent a flying machine into the skies--a hot-air balloon with three animals in the basket. Go up, up, and away with them on their first, magical journey! Back in 1782, in Ardeche, France, lived Joseph Montgolfier, a dreamer and an inventor who liked to learn about how everything worked. When one day a gust of wind blew his papers into the fireplace, he noticed that something lifted the pieces into the air--and he realized that heat could make things rise. With the help of his brother, Etienne, he began to experiment . . . and created a new kind of flying machine: a hot-air balloon! This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of how the balloon came to be, King Louis XVI's visit to see it fly, and the three animals--a rooster, a duck, and a sheep--who became its very first passengers.

After watching the zombie apocalypse unfold from his home in Northern Virginia, Ian leads his family and friends to the one place guaranteed to have what they need to survive, Wal-Mart. But once they make it through the throngs of the undead, he realizes that its not enough to just survive. As the survivors in Wal-Mart watch the end of civilization, Ian knows that he needs more from life with the dead than just surviving, he needs a purpose. As he looks at the other survivors he sees that they are searching for hope, and discovers his purpose.

A year after the the Flemmings were brought to the Arden Marin and Avery are learning how to use their magic and about the world of Lindmeara. TJ and Suzi are making friends their own age and Avery and Petra are learning to track. All of them are now in danger because someone or something has attacked the Elves of Lindmear and freed the Dragon. King Talon is under threat and another Guild is threatening the people of the Arden. It's now up to Marin and the other wizards of the Arden to save all the world of Lindmeara.

Book 1 of the "Peoples of the Arden" series When the Flemming family and their friends go on an end of summer camping trip in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to get a photo of Bigfoot they are suddenly transported to the land of Lindmeara. Lindmeara is a land of elves, dwarves, Kings and wizards. It is also land besieged by the Horde and King Talon believes that only the Flemmings can save them. When the families realize they aren't in Washington anymore they set out to explore their new surroundings. As they meet the inhabitants of Lindmeara they learn that their young daughters all possess magical abilities. They start to suspect that their girls are the reason they were brought there, and when they learn the truth, they have to decide if getting back to earth is more important than trying to help a people in desperate need. If they decide to stay they will need to use all of their knowledge, weapons and skills to survive. Most importantly, their daughters will need to learn to use magic or neither they nor Lindmeara will survive.