An article that describes budgeting with an anecdote about going to camp and not having enough money to buy the special soap needed to bathe in the lake.
Born in 1844, Nellie Cashman's family moved to the United States from Ireland. At the age of 25, Cashman moved out West to mine for gold during the California Gold Rush of the late 1800s. She continued throughout her life to move from place to place mining for precious metals. Cashman never struck it rich, but she opened successful restaurants and boarding houses wherever she went. She became known as the "Miner's Angel" because she often helped those in need of food, shelter, and money. Cashman died in 1925 after living a rough and adventurous life in the Old West.
The book is a biography of Guion Bluford, an aerospace engineer and the first African American astronaut in space. It tells about his love of airplanes as a boy and highlights his years as a pilot in the Air Force and as an astronaut and a space shuttle mission specialist for NASA.
When Sarath brings a white flower to show-and-tell, most of the kids are unimpressed. But her teacher takes the flower home, and his wife, a biologist, is intrigued by it. A school field trip to the place where Sarath found the flower confirms what she suspected: it is a very rare specimen. However, the patch where the flower grows is in danger of being destroyed by a land developer. Through the students' efforts, the developer decides to build around the area where the rare flowers grow.
Ada has to share her home with her cousin Chika and her family, who are recent immigrants from Nigeria. While Ada has trouble sharing her space, belongings, and friends, Chika has trouble adjusting to life in a new place.
In the 1841, five Japanese fisherman are rescued at sea by an American whaling ship. Prohibited by law from returning to Japan, the fisherman are taken to Hawaii. Manjiro, the youngest, decides to stay on the American whaling ship and live in America. He eventually returns to Japan, is thrown in prison, and becomes a samurai because of his knowledge and intelligence.
Ida Pfeiffer spent many years raising her two sons. Once they were grown, Pfeiffer decided to use the money she had saved up over many years to travel all over the world to places she had only read about. Despite the danger, hardships, and negative attitudes toward women who traveled alone, Pfeiffer traveled all over the world to places such as the Middle East, Iceland, South America, China, Asia, and Africa. She authored several books that detail her journeys. Pfeiffer proved that with courage and determination, anyone can make a dream come true.
Isabel is worried about her friend Derrick because his big brother, Andy, is a bully. He yells at Derrick and makes him do things that sometimes get Derrick hurt. One day, Andy tries to convince Isabel, Derrick, and their friend Grace to sneak into the closed pool to swim alone. Isabel decides that it's time for someone to stand up to Andy.
Isabel's uncle, Arturo, flies into Cincinnati from Mexico City to play violin with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and to visit Isabel's family. Throughout the visit, Isabel works hard to teach her uncle English, however, it seems difficult for him. Isabel feels like he isn't really trying to learn the language. When the day of his performance comes, Isabel is amazed and impressed to find out that he is the featured performer. Later Isabel asks him to give her a violin lesson. He agrees, and Isabel finds out what it is like to try to learn something that is difficult, just as learning English is for Arturo.
Mercedes is the new kid in school. The first group of kids she sits with at lunch turn out to be mean girls. Mercedes doesn't like the way they act, so she starts sitting with a different group. Later she sees Jessica, one of the mean girls, crying. Mercedes talks to Jessica and finds out that she is afraid that all the kids at school will laugh at her when they find out her problem. Mercedes offers Jessica a chance to start over and make new friends.
