At once brutal and tender, despairing and rashly hopeful, spare of language and profoundly moving, this work is a fierce and haunting meditation on the tenuous divide between civilization and savagery, and the essential, sometimes terrifying power of filial love.

A modern-day classic. This highly acclaimed adventure series about two friends desperate to save their doomed city has captivated kids and teachers alike for almost fifteen years and has sold over 3.5 MILLION copies!
 
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure...

For many, the thought of Scotland conjures up little more than kilts, bagpipes, and Scotch whiskey. In this lively and engrossing history, Arthur Herman--distinguished historian, author, and coordinator of the Smithsonian's Western Heritage Program--makes it clear that Scotland truly invented modern civilization

Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed — and what hasn’t. Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis in the south...

"The story of the making of a colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film ... and the humble comic book that inspired it. Part one of this story takes place in 1947. A troubled soldier, returning from the war, meets his talented five-year-old nephew, leaves an indelible impression, and then disappears for 23 years. Cut to 1970: The nephew, now drawing underground comic books in Oakland, California, reconnects with his uncle and,...

"A charmingly illustrated exploration of the wonders of Ancient Egypt -- from pyramids and mummies to pharaohs and gods--for curious kids ages 8 to 11 to enjoy"--

Presents nearly fifty essays by American writer Gore Vidal, spanning 1992-2000 and discussing such topics and people as Mark Twain, Sinclair Lewis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Charles Lindbergh, the CIA, and the national security state.

In Harran, the locals refused to convert. They were dismembered, their limbs hung along the town’s main street. In Alexandria, zealots pulled the elderly philosopher-mathematician Hypatia from her chariot and flayed her to death with shards of broken pottery. Not long before, their fellow Christians had invaded the city’s greatest temple and razed it — smashing its world-famous statues and destroying all that was left of Alexandria’s Great...

In 1931, Molly and her younger cousins, Gracie and Daisy, were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, were taught to forget their families, their culture, and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. The three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, traveling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by...

A look at the history, economy, everyday life, language, education, values and beliefs, arts and pastimes, and science and technology of ancient China.