Who Was Selena?


Max Bisantz - 2018
    The family performed at fairs, weddings, quinceañeras, and on street corners in their native Texas. Selena learned how to sing in Spanish and soon became hugely popular within the Latino community--so much so that she became the best-selling Latin artist of the 1990s. Selena was poised to be a great success, but her life was cut short after being fatally wounded by the president of her fan club. Selena's contributions to music and fashion during her life made her one of the top Latin musicians in the 1990s, and readers will want to know more about the woman who introduced the world to Tejano music.

Who Was Henry Ford?


Michael Burgan - 2014
    Ford quickly created a manufacturing dynasty, bringing affordable cars to the masses and forever changing America and the American workplace. Who Was Henry Ford? details his meteoric rise, and explains how the genius behind the assembly line and the Model T shaped modern American industry.

Where Is Area 51?


Paula K. Manzanero - 2018
    What exactly is going on there? Is Area 51 a top secret military base that lies in the middle of the barren Nevada desert? Or could it actually be a facility for examining aliens and their spaceships? People can't drive anywhere close to it; the US government rarely acknowledges its existence; and until recently, the airspace overhead was restricted! Conspiracy theories abound about what goes on at Area 51, especially since 1947 when strange objects were found in the middle of a field in Roswell, New Mexico. Author Paula K. Manzanero explains why Area 51 was established and reveals the mystery behind those unidentified flying objects in the sky. Check out this book and decide what you believe.

Who Was Maria Tallchief?


Catherine Gourley - 2002
    With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina. Black-and-white illustrations provide visual sidebars to the history of ballet while taking readers through the life of this amazing dancer.

Born to Play: My Life In the Game


Dustin Pedroia - 2009
    At a time when steroid scandals dominate media coverage of America's beloved pastime, Pedroia has proven to the world that a good baseball player is more than size and statistics. His success comes from the heart.Pedroia started swinging a bat when he was just a toddler, and by the time he was four years old he was hitting line drives off his older brother. He has natural talent, an unparalleled work ethic, and a pure love of the game, but he has spent his life overcoming the naysayers who believed he was too small, couldn't hit, and would never make it in the big leagues.With commentary from coaches, teammates, and friends, including Red Sox manager Terry Francona and ninety-two-year-old fan (and daughter of Babe Ruth) Julia Ruth Stevens, Pedroia shares the story of his difficult and uplifting journey to prove himself at every turn -- from giving up his college scholarship so his team could have a shot at the College World Series to helping the Red Sox win their second championship in four years in his rookie season to nearly winning back-to-back World Championships in 2008. He takes readers into the legendary Red Sox clubhouse and reveals the challenges a rookie faces in a city so serious about baseball.More than anything, Pedroia's love of the game and desire to win, not just for himself but for his teammates, defines him as an athlete -- but his dedication, his perseverance, and, of course, his monster swing have made him a beloved new symbol of baseball and offer hope for the future of America's favorite game.

Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans


Joan B. Garvey - 1983
    This book is clear, concise, and authentic, but not overpowering. A perfect reference book for students, teachers, tourists and native New Orleanians---a must for every library and home.

Cape Cod


William Martin - 1991
    both destined to generations of proud leadership, shameful intrigue, and passion for the sandy crest of land that became their heritage...This is the story of the Bigelow and Hilyard clans, from their first years on America's shores, through the fury of her wars and the glory of her triumphs, to our own time when young Geoff Hilyard must fight to save both his marriage to a Bigelow heir and the windswept coast he loves. It is a struggle that will take him deep into the past, to a centuries-old feud that never died..And on a dangerous quest for a priceless relic of American history that has lain hidden in the Cape for over two hundred years.

Who Is R. L. Stine? (Who Was?)


M.D. Payne - 2019
    L. Stine, author of the hugely popular Goosebumps series, is a scary-good time! R. L. Stine began writing stories at the age of nine, after finding a typewriter in his family's attic. (Was it a haunted typewriter? Who can be sure?) Often referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature," R.L. has created some of the scariest books to have ever been passed around a campfire, leaving readers wide awake at night. With over 400 million copies of his horror fiction novels sold across the world, R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling authors in history.

Weird Al: The Book


Nathan Rabin - 2012
    What do you do when someone's sold more comedy recordings than any other artist in history? How do you commemorate over three decades' worth of live concerts and groundbreaking music videos? And what's a fitting way to celebrate a slew of Grammy-award-winning albums and singles of brilliant satire? You write a book - a big, fat, career retrospective book, that's what!This comprehensive illustrated tribute to the undisputed king of pop-culture parody, "Weird Al" Yankovic, covers his songs, videos, performances, and life story in words and pictures, including phot captions, tweets, lists and an introduction by the man himself.Weird Al: The Book is the fitting companion piece to an extraordinary career.

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912


Lauren Tarshis - 2010
    The ship is full of exciting places to explore, but when George ventures into the first class storage cabin, a terrible boom shakes the entire boat. Suddenly, water is everywhere, and George's life changes forever.Lauren Tarshis brings history's most exciting and terrifying events to life in this new fictional series. Readers will be transported by stories of amazing kids and how they survived!

Arthur Turns Green


Marc Brown - 2011
    D.W. is suspicious of her brother's weird behavior, but when Arthur shows up late for dinner with green hands, she really gets the creeps! But it turns house Arthur is making a poster listing all the ways to save energy at home--and go green! Just in time for Earth Day, this heartwarming story will be printed on recycled paper with soy based ink.

Who Was Charles Darwin?


Deborah Hopkinson - 2005
    Yet his passion for the natural world was so strong that he suffered through terrible seasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwin collected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands, and expanded his groundbreaking ideas that would change people's understanding of the natural world. About 100 illustrations and a clear, exciting text will make Darwin and his theory of evolution an exciting discovery for every young reader.

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & Other Female Villains


Jane Yolen - 2013
    Strong females smack of the unfeminine. They have been called wicked, wanton, and willful. Sometimes that is a just designation, but just as often it is not. "Well-behaved women seldom make history," is the frequently quoted statement by historian and feminist Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. But what makes these misbehaving women "bad"? Are we idolizing the wicked or salvaging the strong?In BAD GIRLS, readers meet twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. But authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple remind us that there are two sides to every story. Was Delilah a harlot or hero? Was Catherine the Great a great ruler, or just plain ruthless? At the end of each chapter, Yolen and Stemple appear as themselves in comic panels as they debate each girl’s badness—Heidi as the prosecution, Jane for context.This unique and sassy examination of famed, female historical figures will engage readers with its unusual presentation of the subject matter. Heidi and Jane’s strong arguments for the innocence and guilt of each bad girl promotes the practice of critical thinking as well as the idea that history is subjective. Rebecca Guay’s detailed illustrations provide a rich, stylized portrait of each woman, while the inclusion of comic panels will resonate with fans of graphic novels.

Who Is Hillary Clinton?


Heather Alexander - 2016
    The reply was a flat out rejection: the space program didn't take women. It was a critical moment for the young girl, one that made her realize the world she lived in needed changing and that she had better try to make those changes happen. Clinton's life has been a thrilling series of firsts—First Lady of the US, then first First Lady to become a US Senator, Secretary of State, and possibly the first woman to run as the Democratic candidate for President. This easy-to-read biography gives readers a firm grounding not only in Clinton's life history but the history of the times in which she's lived. It comes out as she makes her historic run for the White House.

Child of the Silent Night: The Inspiring Story of Laura Bridgman, Both Deaf and Blind


Edith Fisher Hunter - 1963
    Also blind and deaf, she was the first to break the pattern of early nineteenth-century tradition, learning to read the alphabet and leading the way for others to be freed of their handicaps.