Helaine Becker

"The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the early 1800s. When pirates attacked her town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. Zheng Yi Sao agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died six years later, she took command of the fleet. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. On land...

"You've likely heard of the law Title IX. It protects the equal rights of students, athletes, and professionals in America regardless of gender. But do you know about the women who fought to enact this new law? Here is the rousing account of how Title IX was shaped at the hands of brave politicians who took risks to secure women's dreams and their futures under the Constitution. From the creative team that brought you Counting on Katherine and told...

"Robots that look, act and think like humans are no longer the stuff of science fiction - they actually exist in the real world! Hubots explores the characteristics of 10 human-like robots, examines the challenges of integrating them into society and offers a sneak peek at the next generation."--Page 4 of cover

Helaine Becker places six different kinds of monsters under her microscope to expose the proven scientific principles behind the legends. There's also historical background on each monster, as well as trivia and jokes in sidebars, and quizzes at the end of every chapter for readers to test their knowledge. Becker uses the never-ending appetite for all things monster to engage the imaginations of children and get them excited about science, especially...

"You've likely heard of the historic Apollo 13 [mission]. But do you know about the mathematical genius who made sure that Apollo 13 returned safely home? As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, about the universe. From Katherine's...

"A picture book biography about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's early years and how the challenges she faced early in life helped her become a compassionate public servant and champion of human rights"--

When Darren Dirkowitz's evil stepbrother (code name Waldo) gets hold of Darren's tippity-top-secret spy journal, he threatens to expose it to the entire Preston Middle School student body. Unless, that is, Darren starts doing his dirty work for him. Now Darren's got to use the oh-so-cloak-and-daggery skills he's honed in his secret alternate life as Dirk Daring, Secret Agent to spy on kids at school. Naturally, he also sets up a separate, sneaky surveillance...

Darren Dirkowitz thought his life was over when his tippity-top-secret alter ego, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, was outed to the entire Preston Middle School student body. If only he'd been so lucky. Now the Wolf Lords-a gang of teen thugs bent on wringing every last penny out of Preston students-are breathing down his neck. There's only one solution: Dirk Daring must embark on his most daring mission yet. A mission so audacious, so cunning, so doggone...

Science fiction comes to life in this riveting showcase of zoobots - robots inspired by animals. Detailed reports on machines that look and behave like creepy, crawly creatures such as geckos, jellyfish and bats will encourage budding scientists to imagine the next zoobot.

Born in Scotland over 250 years ago, William Playfair was a dreamer who "saw the world differently from other people." Unfortunately, this skill didn't easily translate into the fame and fortune he hoped for. In fact, it often got him into trouble with family, friends and bosses. But Will's innovative vision did inspire a big idea that would set him apart: he turned numbers into pictures by creating line graphs, bar graphs and pie charts! Numbers...