The steamboat they’re traveling on is the biggest and fanciest boat Marie-Grace has ever seen. It’s crowded with all sorts of interesting passengers, including Wilhelmina Newman, a girl her age. Wilhelmina is traveling alone, and she’s carrying a secret in one of her trunks—clues to hidden Gold Rush treasure. Marie-Grace and Wilhelmina have to unravel the clues to find the gold—and they’re not the only ones looking for it! An illustrated “Looking Back” essay provides facts about the 1850s.

    Knowing that the necklace was the last gift Tante Tay's husband gave her before he died, C�cile is desperate to find it. As she tracks down the people in the crowd who were near her when she fell, her search takes her into many corners of New Orleans, from a society tea party to the crowded French Market, even the dangerous cypress swamps...and deep into secrets she never imagined! An illustrated �Looking Back� essay provides facts about the 1850s.

    While there, she finds evidence that someone is smuggling precious supplies to the British. She can't believe anyone would help the enemy during wartime! Even worse: could the traitor be her own uncle? Includes an "Inside Caroline's World" essay about smuggling during the War of 1812.

    But when she returns home with the baby, she discovers there has been a terrible mistake.

    Rossi, seem to be having bad luck. When Mr. Rossi sprains his wrist, Rebecca takes over the care and feeding of his pigeons--and discovers a strange black pigeon with an eerie message warning Mr. Rossi of danger. Where did the pigeon come from, and what sort of danger is lurking? Is Rebecca herself now in danger as well? Only a visit to a fortune teller will reveal the truth!

    Now Kaya's blind sister, Speaking Rain, has dreamed of a stallion like none she's ever met. Then the two girls come upon a silver stallion in the woods. Could he be a Ghost Wind Stallion of legend?

    Grace becomes a local celebrity, and all the attention is a lot of fun for Kit--until the night Grace mysteriously vanishes. But who would take Kit's dog, and why? At the end of the story, the Looking Back section provides interesting facts about pets during the Great Depression.

    That means a three-day stagecoach trip with her friend Rhonda! The other travelers, including a charming magician and a beautiful young woman with a sad past, fascinate the girls. But when Caroline's precious package goes missing, she realizes the culprit must be a fellow passenger. Will she unmask the thief in time, or will her promise to Papa be impossible to keep?

    Then a valuable trumpet goes missing, and Kit herself is accused of theft. Can Kit prove her innocence and put a stop to the mayhem before the real thief sends the band packing? Includes an "Inside Kit's World" essay about the popularity of jazz and swing music during the Depression.

    But soon she realizes that she has taken on more than she can handle. Then Julie discovers that an old friend is hiding secrets from her. Could he be responsible for the strange things happening at Ivy's house? Or is someone--or something--else to blame? An illustrated "Looking Back" section describes the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill, plus the increase in vegetarianism in the 1970s.

    When Aunt Eleanor, now a WASP pilot, stops for a visit while ferrying a warplane from one airbase to another, a security check uncovers anti-American propaganda stashed aboard her plane. The FBI interrogates Eleanor but quickly zeroes in on another suspect--Anna's 17-year-old brother Max, who works at the local airfield. Though Anna knows her brother is loyal to America, she fears he'll be sent away to an interment camp as an enemy alien, as other German-American friends have been. Molly and Anna decide that the only way to clear Max is to find the person who is smuggling propaganda. With lots of daring and a little luck, the girls manage to finger the real culprit but they discover that that may not be enough to save Max. In a poignant ending, Molly realizes that wartime, even on the home front, changes friends and family forever."

    Each offers new perspectives on the past as it really was during the times of the American Girls -- from major historical events to the details of everyday life. Filled with exquisite photos, illustrations, and cutaway scenes, these large-format books also feature letters and diaries of real girls and women, boys and men, that bring the voices of yesterday to life for today's readers.

    Perfect for book reports with full-page illustrations throughout, these nonfiction chapter books also include historical photos, maps, a timeline, a glossary, and a bibliography at the back. Plus, in each book, an American Girl historical character shares a bit of her own fictional story.The Underground Railroad includes miles of real stories of passengers, conductors, and abolitionists-well-known and unknown-that traveled on the slavery escape route known as the Underground Railroad. American Girl Addy Walker shares the story of her own journey to freedom.

    But what other things might you experience in 1904? Join Samantha on exciting adventures where the two of you can dress up for a fancy dinner or take a trip to her summer home in the mountains. Your journey back in time can take whatever twists and turns you choose, as you select from a variety of exciting options in this multiple-ending story.

    She knows she's grown-up enough to help in her grandparents' market. But before she can prove that she's ready for more responsibility, the unthinkable happens: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the naval base where her father works, and America is at war! With friends and family missing, and rumors of more attacks to come, Nanea worries―will life ever be the same again?