Times were hard for the people of colonial Boston in the winter of 1774. Not only had King George III of England closed the Boston harbor to punish all those who spoke against his harsh laws, he had sent thousands of soldiers, led by their commander-in-chief General Thomas Gage, to reinforce his edicts. Large numbers of British soldiers were encamped on the Boston Common, preventing the people of Boston from using their own public space. But at least the king had not closed the schools -- young Henry Price and his two brothers still had classes every day.

It had snowed hard for three nights, but Henry's ninth birthday was clear, perfect for sled riding. To his delight, despite the hard times, he was given a beautiful new sled made by his father. Excited by the thought of sledding on the Common, which had the best hills in Boston, Henry and his brothers took their sleds to school. Their sister, Kate, met them at lunchtime with corn bread, apple jam, and her own sled. Together, they hurried to the Common -- only to find that British troops had put their tents and cooking fires right in the middle of the sled runs. But Henry was determined to try his new sled. Could he find a way?

Based on the local lore of Boston, this tale of a courageous boy gives a rich picture of colonial life at a troubled time....

"For hundreds of years ships had been sailing to places far and near without really knowing where they were!"

Sailors knew how to measure latitude, their location north or south of the equator, but they could not measure longitude, their location east or west of their home port. Because of this, many lives were lost worldwide. The key to solving this problem lay in devising a clock that could keep absolutely accurate time while at sea, unaltered by rough water or weather conditions. With such a timekeeper sailors would be able to know the time back at their home port and calculate the longitude. But no one knew how to design such a clock.

John Harrison (1693-1776), an Englishman without any scientific training, worked tirelessly for more than forty years to create a perfect clock. The solution to this problem was so important that an award of 20,000 pounds sterling (equal to several million dollars today) was established by the English Parliament in 1714. Harrison won recognition for his work in 1773.

Together with beautifully detailed pictures by Erik Blegvad, Louise Borden's text takes the reader through the drama, disappointments, and successes that filled Harrison's quest to invent the perfect sea clock....

What is America?

It is fifty states from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean and beyond. It is a flag of stars and stripes. It is farmers, miners, factory workers, bakers, and bankers. It is Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, swamps and desert.

It is the stories of all of us, told together....

In May of 1940 -- the early days of World War II -- half a million British and French soldiers were trapped in France. Weak and wounded, they needed aid. Help came in the form of countless small craft, steered by brave young men, in the legendary armada of "little ships" that sailed aross the English Channel. Many people wanted to be a part of the rescue mission. Here is the story of a girl who was so determined to help that she disguised herself as a boy to blend in with the men as they sailed toward Dunkirk....

Now -- finally -- the last day is here! Matthew Perez, one of Mrs. Mallory's students, has a perfect good-bye gift for his teacher, and he can't wait to give it to her. But when is the right time? Not in the morning when other kids are giving their gifts. Not during the Last Day fun of kickball and ice-cream treats. Will Matt get his chance before the school day is over?

The last Day of School will resonate with all children who know the excitement, energy, and bittersweet emotions that the final days of a school year bring....

It would be the most exciting day of the whole school year! A real author was coming to talk at Eddie's school. To get ready for the day, Eddie and his third-grade classmates had been reading, reading, reading. In every one of the author's books, Eddie had found a part that seemed just for him. "How does the author do that?" he asked his teacher. "That's a great question," the teacher said. "You'll have to ask the author." Eddie wondered if the stories he wrote could ever be like a real author's

At last the day comes. Eddie's class files into the gym, and there is the author, testing the microphone. The assembly period whizzes by while the author talks. Will Eddie have a chance to ask his important question when she finishes?

Louise Borden visits many schools, and her own experiences provide a rich background for this delightful story of a small boy and what happens when he meets a real author. Just-right illustrations in full color enrich a book that will speak directly to young readers everywhere....

When Bessie Coleman was a child, she wanted to be in school -- not in the cotton fields of Texas, helping her family earn money. She wanted to be somebody significant in the world. So Bessie did everything she could to learn under the most challenging of circumstances. At the end of every day in the fields she checked the foreman's numbers -- made sure his math was correct. And this was just the beginning of a life of hard work and dedication that really paid off: Bessie became the first African-American to earn a pilot's license. She was somebody....

"Mr. Carillo is our A+ Custodian!"

John Carillo, Dublin Elementary School's custodian, has a big job. He mops and sweeps, polishes and scrubs, changes lightbulbs, washes windows, fixes pipes, moves furniture, and more! The teachers, students, parents, and principal all count on Mr. Carillo, and he never lets them down.

Now his early-bird helpers, Gracie and Zach, want to do something to show Mr. Carillo how important he is to them.

But showing him how much they appreciate everything he does will take lots of planning, some hard work, and the help of everyone in the whole school!

In her classic style Louise Borden brings to vivid focus one elementary school, the students and faculty who bring it to life, and the clever way they show Mr. Carillo he's their A+ custodian!...

Every young reader will find someone to identify with as this class deals with the excitement, nerves and feelings of anticipation that go along with the first day of first grade....