Did the Great Chicago Fire really start after a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn? Find out the truth in this addition to the What Was? series.
On Sunday, October 8, 1871, a fire started on the south side of Chicago. A long drought made the neighborhood go up in flames. And practically everything that could go wrong did. Firemen first went to the wrong location. Fierce winds helped the blaze jump the Chicago River twice. The Chicago Waterworks burned down, making it impossible to fight the fire. Finally after two days, Mother Nature took over, with rain smothering the flames. This overview of a stupendous disaster not only covers the fire but explores the whole history of fire fighting.
From the legendary author of Hatchet, a laugh-out-loud middle-grade romp about a boy, his free-thinking dad, and the puppy-training pamphlet that turns their summer upside down.
Twelve-year-old Carl is fed up with his father's single-minded pursuit of an off-the-grid existence. His dad may be brilliant, but dumpster-diving for food, scouring through trash for salvageable junk, and wearing clothes fully sourced from garage sales is getting old. Increasingly worried about what schoolmates and a certain girl at his new school might think of his circumstances—and encouraged by his off-kilter best friend—Carl adopts the principles set forth in a randomly discovered puppy-training pamphlet to “retrain” his dad’s mindset . . . a crackpot experiment that produces some very unintentional results.
This is a fierce and funny novel about family and untangling some of the ties that bind from middle-grade master Gary Paulsen.
A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The Phantom Stallion's new foal is ready to be born, and River Bend Ranch's own Dark Sunshine is the mother. Samantha couldn't be more excited, and she's sure she can handle the new baby while everyone is gone on the annual cattle drive.
This program is read by the author.
In Roxy the Unisaurus Rex Presents: Oh No! The Talent Show, Instagram superstar and New York Times-bestselling author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes Eva Chen sends listeners on a second adventure of self-discovery alongside Roxy and her friends.
Come one, come all to a talent show of PREHISTORIC proportions!
The annual talent show is coming up at Roxy and Dexter’s school. Roxy and the all the other dinosaurs have brilliant talents to show off, from hula-hooping to rollerskating.
But Dexter the dinocorn doesn’t feel like he has any talents.
With a little help from Roxy, he learns that being a good friend and listener is actually the most important talent of all.
A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends
Holiday mischief abounds in this third book in the middle-grade series that feels like The Secret Life of Pets meets Toy Story.
Are the Good Dogs up for a holiday-sized mission?
All of the doggy day care friends are excited about the holidays! King, Cleo, and Napoleon can't wait for their eight nights of Hanukkah prezzies, and Hugo, Waffles, and Lulu are ready for cozy Christmases at home.
But then surprise visitors interrupt Lulu's shooting schedule, Cleo struggles at an agility contest, and Hugo learns that Waffles, his new puppy sister, is expecting someone called Santadoodle to bring them all presents on Christmas morning. Hugo has never even heard of Santadoodle!
Of course, Hugo doesn't want Waffles to be disappointed, so there's only one thing to do-rally his friends for their biggest mission yet!
Luckily, these Good Dogs are always up for an adventure!
A heartfelt and hopeful debut about a bird-loving autistic child whose family's special nest is in danger of falling apart.
Axel loves everything about birds, especially eagles. No one worries that an eagle will fly too far and not come home-a fact Axel wishes his mother understood. Deep down, Axel knows that his mother is like an osprey-the best of all bird mothers-but it's hard to remember that when she worries and keeps secrets about important things. His dad is more like a wild turkey, coming and going as he pleases. His dad's latest disappearance is the biggest mystery of all.
Despite all this, Axel loves his life-especially the time he spends with his friends observing the eagles' nest in the woods near his home. But when a tornado damages not only Axel's home but the eagles' nest, Axel's life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly his dad is back to help repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad's presence and his beloved birds' absence. Plus, his mom seems to be keeping even more secrets.
But Axel knows another important fact: an eagle's instincts let it soar. Axel must trust his own instincts to help heal his family and the nest he loves.
It takes one smart sheep to escape from a piano movers' van and find his way home in this humorous friendship story for emerging and newly independent readers by beloved, award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt and coauthor Elizabeth Stickney.Wilson is a curious sheep, and after he foolishly climbs into the back of a piano movers' truck, he ends up alone in the big city, far from the farm. But Wilson is also one smart sheep, and soon enough he's finding his way home to his worried owner by recognizing the sounds that he heard while he was trapped in the truck-a jackhammer, a calliope, a hotdog man. And could that be the excited barking of his friend Tippy, the border collie? This lighthearted story about loyalty, problem solving, friendship, and independence is divided into short, action-packed chapters and has the cozy feel of a modern classic.
Lenny Henry's hilarious new adventure, The Boy with Wings, is for readers of 9 to 12 and illustrated throughout by Keenon Ferrell. Includes an exclusive comic book adventure illustrated by Mark Buckingham.
An ordinary kid is about to become an EXTRAORDINARY hero!
Wings? Check.
A super-cool, super-secret past? Check.
An impossible mission to save the world from a fur-ocious enemy? Check.
When Tunde sprouts wings and learns he’s all that stands between Earth and total destruction, suddenly school is the least of his problems. Luckily, his rag-tag group of pals have got his back, and with his new powers, Tunde is ready to fly in the face of danger.
So what if he can’t even stand up to the school bully? He’s the boy with wings – this is his destiny.
No pressure then. . .
In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake.
One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake-one that registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Not only was there major damage from the quake itself but broken gas lines sparked a fire that ravaged the city for days. More than 500 city blocks were destroyed and over 200,000 people were left homeless. But the city quickly managed to rebuild, rising from the ashes to become the major tourist destination it is today. Here's an exciting recount of an incredible disaster.
On August 25th, 2005, one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes in history hit the Gulf of Mexico. High winds and rain pummeled coastal communities, including the City of New Orleans, which was left under 15 feet of water in some areas after the levees burst. Track this powerful storm from start to finish, from rescue efforts large and small to storm survivors’ tales of triumph.
Welcome to the town of Barksdale, where the canine residents strive for perfection. Every shopkeeper claims to be the "best
groomer" or sell the "best biscuits." And at Barksdale Academy, the pressure is on every year for one pup to be named Best in
Show.
Nova, Duke, Harley, and Peanut have never won Best in Show... which is okay with them! But they have to work together to pass
their Agility Exam, because either the whole pack passes or the whole pack fails.
Nova has convinced her pals to train, but on her practice course, Duke is afraid to climb the high ramp, Harley keeps chasing
squirrels, and Peanut can't make it through the hoops. Nova's not doing much better-she's so excited she keeps knocking the
whole course over!
Will the pups make the grade, or are they doomed to be Underdogs forever?
