Alexis O'Neill

Laura Huliska-Beith

Mean Jean is the biggest bully on the school playground until a new girl arrives and challenges Jean's status as the Recess Queen. By the author of Loud Emily.

The Recess Queen

This revealing biography of a pioneering photojournalist and social reformer Jacob Riis shows how he brought to light one of the worst social justice issues plaguing New York City in the late 1800s--the tenement housing crisis--using newly invented flash photography. Jacob Riis was familiar with poverty. He did his best to combat it in his hometown of Ribe, Denmark, and he experienced it when he immigrated to the United States in 1870. Jobs for immigrants were hard to get and keep, and Jacob often found himself penniless, sleeping on the streets or in filthy homeless shelters. When he became a journalist, Jacob couldn't stop seeing the poverty in the city around him. He began to photograph overcrowded tenement buildings and their impoverished residents, using newly developed flash powder to illuminate the constantly dark rooms to expose the unacceptable conditions. His photographs inspired the people of New York to take action. Gary Kelley's detailed illustrations perfectly accompany Alexis O'Neill's engaging text in this STEAM title for young readers.

Bringing Light to Tenement Children

Jacob Riis's Camera

Homan Walsh loves to fly his kite. And when a contest is announced to see whose kite string can span Niagara Falls, Homan is set on winning, despite the cold and the wind—and even when his kite is lost and broken. Homan's determination is beautifully captured in this soaring, poetic picture book that features Terry Widener's stunning acrylic paintings. Both author and illustrator worked with experts on both sides of the falls to accurately present Homan Walsh's story. The book also includes an extensive author's note, timeline, bibliography, and further resources.

Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge

The Kite that Bridged Two Nations

Presents a fictionalized version of the story of a young man who won a contest by flying his kite across Niagara Falls and inspired the construction of the first bridge across the span, connecting Canada and the United States.

When his best friend Conrad dumps him to hang out with the new cool kid in school, Mike demonstrates how a real best friend is supposed to act when Conrad gets a dose of his own medicine.

The Worst Best Friend

"Please be soft," says Father. "Please do whisper," says Mother. Emily doesn't mean to be loud. But whenever she says anything in her Emily voice, windows crack, plates shatter, and the neighbors can't believe their ears. Emily tries and tries but she just can't be quiet. It seems like there's nowhere she fits in...until the day she sees a ship with a sign that says: LOUD HELP NEEDED. NOW. Nobody's louder than Emily! So she sets sail for an adventure on the high seas, looking for a place where she can be herself. Loud Emily. Climb aboard for a memorable tall tale of ships, whales, and a little girl with a very BIG voice.

Alexis O'Neill

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