Beatrice Gormley

From a young age, Jorge Bergoglio knew he was called to serve God and other people as a priest. He never dreamed that he would become Francis, the first pope from the Americas.

Civil rights activist. Political prisoner for 27 years. Nobel Peace Prize winner, for keeping his beloved South Africa from a bloody civil war. Mandela's life is a story of astonishing courage and commitment.

Who is Mary Magdalene? A prostitute? A saint? A madwoman? A goddess?
Her story begins with Mariamne, a gifted but vulnerable girl who knows little of the world. Much as Mari wants to control her own destiny, she soon learns she has no such power.
This portrait of one of the most misunderstood and controversial figures in the Bible traces a young girl's path through manipulation and possession, madness and healing, to a man who will change the world forever.

Barack Obama, son of a white mother and a Kenyan father, grew up in Hawaii. His parents and grandparents expected great things from him--and they were not disappointed.

You may think you know her story . . . how her seductive Dance of the Seven Veils led to the beheading of John the Baptist. But you don't know how a web of betrayal, greed, and desire was spun around an innocent teenage girl. How she came to doubt her own mother. How she searched for a friend in an unfamiliar land. And how she walked into a trap and changed the course of history.

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - generation after generation, young readers open Little Women for the first time and meet these girls, so much like Louisa and her sisters. "We really lived it," said Louisa after writing Little Women, "and if it succeeds that will be the reason of it."

But the life Louisa "really lived" was even more dramatic than the stories that made her famous.
From the popular Childhood of Famous Americans series.

Laura Bush has loved education and reading since she was a young child. From 2001 to 2009, she brought her talent, experience, and love of children to a much wider audience as the wife of the forty-third president of the United States, George W. Bush.

This biography tells the story of Laura's childhood in Midland, Texas, of her years as a teacher and librarian, of her first meeting with her husband, of the birth of their twins, and of her important work as an advocate for women and children.

Growing up a Rome torn by civil war and threatened by enemies, Caesar learned to use his extraordinary talents for military conquest and political power. Along the way, he was put on a "death list" by the dictator of Rome, he was captured by pirates, and he led troops through fierce battles. But he cheated death with charm and brilliance as he built a mighty empire -- until his tragic end.

Marie Curie was a world-renowned scientist who made many important discoveries, as well as a great teacher and a mother, but her accomplishments didn't come easily.

Born Maria Sklodovska in 1867, Marie grew up in Russia-occupied Poland, where schools were not allowed to teach Polish history or language, and lab experiments were forbidden in science classes. When Marie was young, her mother and eldest sister both passed away. Marie was determined not to let hardships get in the way of her dreams. She went on to win two Nobel Prizes, making her the first woman to win the award and the first person ever honored with two of them.

Growing up in the English countryside, Diana didn't imagine she would be a princess one day. She was busy with dancing, swimming, and playing games, and trying to forget the sadness of her parents' divorce. When the Prince of Wales asked for her hand in marriage, she thought this was her chance to live happily ever after. It didn't turn out that way, but it was her chance to discover and use her special gifts.

From the "Childhood of World Figures" series.

Amelia Earhart was the first woman pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first woman pilot to fly nonstop across the United States - and on and on, setting record after record. She is still a heroine to each new generation of girls dreaming of high adventure. But in early 20th-century Kansas, Amelia was just a girl who loved to climb trees and ride horses and play games of imaginary journeys to the ends of the earth.

From the Childhood of Famous Americans series.

They were athletic and non-nonsense, like Bess Truman; they were sophisticated society beauties, like Jacqueline Kennedy; they were pioneer women, like Anna Harrison. They were artists, like Ellen Wilson, or businesswomen, like Lady Bird Johnson.
Some First Ladies, like Eleanor Roosevelt and Abigail Adams, were independent thinkers who were well ahead of their time, and whose husbands listened to their opinions.

These are the funny, romantic, shocking, and sometimes tragic stories of the women who helped to shape our nation.

Growing up in Harlem in the 1940s, Althea showed a remarkable gift for getting into trouble. But the headstrong girl also showed remarkable athletic talent, and a series of mentors guided her toward her trail-blazing career in tennis.

Step through the other side of the wardrobe and meet the creator of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and all the other Chronicles of Narnia.

Struggling with poverty and racism as a boy, Malcolm X grew up to become the leader of a black nationalist group. A powerful speaker, he dared to voice his frightening observations about race problems in America.
For that reason many people, black and white, feared and even hated him. For the same reason, many people saw him as a hero—someone who was unafraid to speak the truth as he saw it, and was willing to stand up and fight for black equality and power.

NEW EDITION!
In the mid-1800s, a time when women were often thought to be unworthy of higher education, Maria Mitchell rose above the prejudices of the day to become America's first professional woman astronomer. This exciting biography tells the story of Maria Mitchell's life, her amazing achievements,and her faith that saw God's handiwork in the heavens.

Jackie Bouvier grew up amid wealth and privilege, a talented, headstrong, romantic girl. Her childhood was marred by her parents' unhappy marriage and divorce, but from an early age she found joy in beauty and excellence. She loved her strong, graceful horse Danseuse, the dramatic Long Island seashore where she spent her summers, and the proud legend of her family,the aristocratic French Bouviers. She grew up to marry an ambitious senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy.

Eventually Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, as the president's wife, would restore elegance and a sense of history to the White House. The most glamorous First Lady in American history would also lead the nation with heartbreaking courage and style during the tragedy of President Kennedy's assassination.

From the Childhood of Famous Americans series.

As a pioneer girl in the woods of Wisconsin, or on the prairies of Kansas, Minnesota, and Dakota Territory, Laura never dreamed of becoming a writer. She was too busy fighting fires, pitching hay, braving raging floods, and surviving sub-zero winters. But she would grow up to tell the story of her family's adventures on the frontier in her best-selling series of novels, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods.

What most readers don't know is that Laura left many adventures untold. Here is the exciting and true story of one of America's best-loved writers.

From the Childhood of Famous Americans series.

Adara has always longed to do the things that well-brought-up girls of her time are not supposed to do. She wants to learn to read and write - like men. And she wants the freedom to travel - like men - outside the boundaries of her sheltered life.

One day Adara awakens to a blast of trumpets as the Israelites and Arameans battle just outside the safety of her town walls. Curious, she sneaks out to see the battle. Little does she know that this will be her last day of freedom for a very long time . . .

"The first time I sensed my special gift, I did not even know that it was special. I certainly did not guess it was the same gift as our ancestor Joseph's."
Little did Miriam know that her gift would lead her far from her home and peole, into the great palace of Pharaoh's daughter with her baby brother Moses.
At first homesick for the humble world of the Hebrew village she left behind, Miriam soon finds herself enjoying the luxury of her new surroundings. As she learns the ways of palace life from Lady Nebet, the princess's powerful lady-in-waiting, Miriam begins to dream of becoming someone important in Pharaoh's court.
But the suffering of the Hebrew people grows worse, and Miriam feels torn. Must she choose between her heritage and her new life? Can she remain loyal to her people - and to her God?

Matt and Emily, and their scientific genius friend, Jonathan, are about to take a trip to the night President Lincoln was shot.

They arrive in Washington, D.C., in 1865, and start immediately on their mission: to prevent President Lincoln from being assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Matt visits Mrs. Lincoln; Emily goes to Ford's Theater; and Jonathan goes to see the president himself!

Can the kids convince someone to listen to them? Can they really change history?

Travelers Through Time #3

Matt and Emily's grandfather has invented a way to travel back in time. Now Matt, Emily, and Matt's friend Jonathan are about to take a trip: to the night the American Revolution began.

They arrive in Lexington, Massachusetts, in the year 1775 just in time to see Paul Revere ride by, warning the country that the Redcoats are coming.
Then the three kids get separated. Suddenly they aren't just watching history being made -- they're part of the action.

Matt is captured by the British. Emily makes a wild cross-country horseback ride of her own. And Jonathan finds himself in the middle of a famous battle.

Travelers Through Time #2

Matt, Emily, and Matt's best friend, Jonathan, find a way to travel back to the Titanic in April 1912. They are on the Titanic - but can they save the great ship before it hits the iceberg and sinks to the bottom of the ocean?
And more important, will they be able to get back to the present time?
Back to the Titanic! gives readers a historically accurate experience of this milestone event, combined with an accessible and page-turning story.
Travelers Through Time #1

Was this the right optometrist? Aunt Bets is convinced that it is, but Andrea thinks it's all pretty strange. The sign on the door says BIRPP - Borderline Institute for Research in Psychic Phenomena, explains Valerie Weirse, the white-coated woman inside. Andrea does get a pair of glasses there, although she's not sure what Valerie Weirse means by "the improvements that are possible with them."
But Andrea soon finds out. When she uses the glasses' magical powers, strange problems pop up at home and school. In the end, she has to decide how to foil Ms. Weirse's terrible plans for the Ghastly Glasses.
A sequel to Mail-Order Wings.

Gretchen Nichols fully expects to be the star of the fifth-grade play. She’s been waiting for this moment for years, and she’s a terrific actor.
But just before the teacher picks the cast, Gretchen accidentally gets on her wrong side. Mrs. Sheppard doesn’t give Gretchen any part at all! Even worse, she gives the starring role to new girl Amy Sacher, who speaks her lines like a robot.
Desperate, Gretchen reaches out for help from anywhere, anyone. She’ll even try a person who says she’s a fairy godmother and tries to work magic with her high-tech wand.
Gretchen’s troubles are just beginning—with hilarious results.

Amy's friend Gretchen had warned her: "Magic just gets you in a terrible mess." But Amy couldn't imagine what that meant . . . until she discovered her calendar had magic powers. All she had to do was write something on her calendar . . . and it happened! The trouble was, she had to be very careful about how she worded her calendar wishes. When she wished she could be in two places at once, it turned out to be pretty embarrassing. Her clothes turned up in only one place!
But it was when Amy wished her mother would change her mind (and forgot to say about what) that things really began to get out of control . . and Amy found out what Gretchen meant by A TERRIBLE MESS!
A sequel to Fifth Grade Magic.

How can Alison Harrity beat that bully Spencer Cunningham? Alison would have a good chance to win the fifth grade chess tournament—except that Spencer is cheating his way to the championship. And Alison isn’t pushy enough to stand up to him. Then Marvin Smith, a science wiz, invents the DISAST to help Alison get really tough. But is it worth it to win the tournament, if she loses all her friends?

Fifth-grader Alison loves Sharkey, her adopted stray cat. But where did his mysterious collar come from, and why is he acting so weird? At the same time, Alison’s best friend, Denise, seems to be ditching her for a mean but “popular” girl. Can Alison save her friendship, or at least her cat? Science genius Marvin thinks he has the answers, but no one foresees the hilarious outcome.
A sequel to The Magic Mean Machine.

Exploring the hills near his house, Richard sees an odd drawing and hears eerie sounds: "vratch, vratch." Is a strange animal hiding in the sagebrush, or is it Richard’s imagination? What’s the matter with Richard’s new dog?. And why is that creepy scientist Dr. MacNary so interested in him? By the time Richard learns the answers, only he can save his beloved hills—and the vratches.