John Bankston

Describes the charities and philanthropists who provide money and services for environmental protection and looks at the ways that these efforts can help to keep the Earth habitable.

Environmental Protection

For years, people doubted pro soccer would ever catch on in the South. After the Miami and Tampa Major League Soccer teams folded in 2001, there wasn't an MLS team in the region for a very long time. It took the owner of the Atlanta Falcons ten years to convince MLS to let him have a team. Then it cost over one billion dollars to build a new stadium for football and soccer. When Atlanta United FC began playing, fans thought it was worth it. Today some games attract over 70,000 people. They come to watch a young, fast, and high scoring team. In their very first year, Atlanta reached the playoffs. In their second, they were at the top of their conference. For most fans the question isn't whether Atlanta will win a championship, but when.

Atlanta United FC

A biography of the reclusive inventor of dynamite and the story of how he came to establish the prestigious prizes that bear his name.

Alfred Nobel and the Story of the Nobel Prize

Airports welcome planes of all shapes and sizes. Only one attracts crowds wherever it lands. The Antonov 124 was built to carry tanks and helicopters for the Russian military. Today it carries everything from jet engines to trains. It is the biggest working cargo plane in the world.

Antonov 124 Cargo Plane

Shonda Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is best known as the showrunner (creator, head writer, and executive producer) of the television medical drama Grey's Anatomy and the political ser.

Shonda Rhimes

Most television and music stars are discovered in Los Angeles or New York. Selena Gomez was living in Grand Prairie, Texas, when she was cast on the hit television show, Barney & Friends. She loved acting, but when she turned ten, she was told she was too old to continue on the show. Selena did not give up. She took small parts in movies. And when The Disney Channel went looking for their next big star, they chose her. From Disney to even bigger movie roles, it seems the best is yet to come for this young actress. Join her to discover what it’s like to be Selena Gómez. A la mayoría de las estrellas de la televisión y de la música las descubren en Los Ángeles o en Nueva York. Selena Gómez vivía en Grand Prairie, Texas, cuando la eligieron para el famoso programa televisivo, Barney y sus amigos. Le encantaba actuar, pero cuando cumplió diez años le dijeron que ya era demasiado mayor para continuar en el programa. Selena no se dio por vencida. Hizo papeles pequeños en películas. Y cuando el Canal Disney empezó a buscar su próxima gran estrella, ella resultó la elegida. Desde Disney a papeles aun más importantes en películas, parece que lo mejor está por llegar para esta joven actriz. Ven a descubrir qué se siente al ser Selena Gómez.

Selena Gomez

The sound of a rattlesnake's rattle is very scary. In South America, it means a snake with far more venom than a northern rattler is nearby. The South American rattlesnake is great at hiding and catching small animals. Its rattle warns people to stay away. Learn all about this crafty predator in South America's Deadly Rattlesnake. One of six titles in the series Lethal Strikers: Latin America's Deadliest Snakes, this book is filled with valuable info and photos of this deadly rattler.

South America's Deadly Rattlesnake

Looks at the personal life and career of Australian actor Heath Ledger, who achieved international fame and became a millionaire at the age of twenty-one for his starring role in "A Knight's Tale."

Heath Ledger

With a head as big as an adult's fist and a body almost as thick as your leg, the Gaboon viper is a massive snake. It doesn't like to move and can lie patiently for hours. When it strikes, its head shoots out at 200 mph. Its huge fangs can release enough venom to kill an elephant. Learn all about this deadly snake in Gaboon Viper: Africa's Largest Viper Snake –– just one of the titles in the series Lethal Strikers: Africa's Deadliest Snakes. This book is filled with full-color pictures of this gorgeous reptile along with interesting facts about how it lives and how it kills.

Gaboon Viper: Africa's Largest Viper Snake

Few places on Earth are as scary as "Snake Island." Across the small island, there are thousands of golden lanceheads. This snake is so deadly and so plentiful that most people aren't allowed to visit. The snake is also a very skilled hunter. It mainly eats birds. The snake's venom is so powerful that once a bird is bit, it usually can't fly away. Learn all about the place called Snake Island and its main inhabitant in Golden Lancehead: Is a Highly Venomous Pit Viper. Part of a series, Lethal Strikers: Latin America's Deadliest Snakes offers plenty of full-color photos and information about this isolated, dangerous viper.

Golden Lancehead: Is a Highly Venomous Pit Viper

A biography of the young star of the movie "E.T." who survived her troubled early years and has gone on to become a successful actress and movie producer.

Drew Barrymore

Guillermo del Toro began experimenting with film and horror movie makeup as a boy growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico. He founded his own special effects company, Necropia, in 1985 and made his first movie, Cronos, in 1993 before going on to make The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim, award winner The Shape of Water, and other beloved horror, fantasy, and science fiction films. Guillermo del Toro tells the story of this filmmaker's life and career, from the violence he witnessed as a child in Guadalajara to the crimson peak of his success.

Guillermo del Toro

As a little boy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began writing musical compositions when most kids his age were still learning to read. By the time he was seven, Mozart was an accomplished musician who could play several instruments and also sing. Accompanied by his older sister, Nannerl, and his father, Leopold, young Wolfgang toured Europe. He performed before royalty and some of the richest members of society. By the time he was twelve, Wolfgang was famous. He first tasted failure as a teenager, as audiences ignored his operas, and he had trouble making money. He began to be known for his bad jokes and relentless pursuit of women. He eventually married the sister of the woman who broke his heart. In adulthood, Mozart's problems grew. He couldn't keep a job. He was usually broke. One of the greatest composers the world had ever known was forced to make a living giving piano lessons. Yet today, he is one of the most celebrated and respected composers of all time.

The Life and Times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Profiles the professional soccer player, describing her accomplishments in soccer, and contribution to the U.S. women's soccer team's Olympic gold medals and World Cup titles.

Abby Wambach

Discusses the life and musical career of Grammy winning R&B artist Alicia Keys.

Alicia Keys

Temujin was nine years old when his father was killed. His father's clan would not help his mother. He almost starved. Yet despite growing up poor, he united the Mongol tribes. As an adult, he successfully led an invasion of China, one of the most powerful countries in the world. He ruled over the largest empire in history. He became known as Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan

When Jacqueline Wilson was 16, she dropped out of school, a choice that could have been devastating.

Jacqueline Wilson

When Luke Bryan was nineteen, he was ready to become a country music star. His bags were packed. He had an apartment waiting for him in Nashville. Then his older brother Chris was killed. Everything changed. He remained in his hometown of Leesburg, Georgia. It looked like his dreams might never come true. It would be a long, hard journey to Nashville to become a hit singer.

Luke Bryan

Boats can carry games and bikes across the ocean. They are used for fishing and sailing. But some boats save other boats. The Arctic Icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent rescues ships stranded in the frozen Canadian north. It also helps villagers who live in the Arctic Circle. It is even protecting people by helping scientists learn more about warming oceans and rising seas.

Arctic Icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent

Kevin Durant was usually the tallest boy in his class. By the time he was 13, he was taller than most adults. Playing basketball was a natural choice. Yet he wanted to be the best. He wanted to play basketball as a career. That meant hard work. It also meant giving up free time and playing the way he wanted to. The hard work paid off. When he was nineteen, Kevin Durant was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics. This is his story.

John Bankston

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