April 11, 1970: Apollo 13 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It should have been the third manned Apollo mission to land on the moon. But when an explosion on board damaged the spacecraft, it became a perilous and near-impossible fight for survival. Battling to get back to Earth, the crew on board traveled further into space than any humans had done before . . .

In this gripping retelling of the astonishing Apollo 13 mission, David Long shows how courage, determination and teamwork succeeded in beating all odds to bring the spacecraft home.

Perfect for anyone seeking captivating middle grade books about historical adventures and overcoming challenges, the Everyone Can Be a Reader (Nonfiction) hi-lo book series presents accessible history books for kids in an easy-to-read style. Union Square & Co.'s EVERYONE CAN BE A READER books utilize dyslexia reading tools like specialized fonts and paper tones, and are carefully formatted to meet readers where they are with engaging stories that encourage reading success across a wide range of age and interest levels.

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. This Ship of Dreams was the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world. She was proclaimed unsinkable. But four days later, when the ship struck an iceberg, the loss of Titanic and more than 1,500 passengers would become one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.

This fact-filled retelling of its meticulous construction and doomed first and only voyage brings the ship's tragic tale to life.

Perfect for anyone seeking Titanic books for kids or middle grade books about infamous events, the Everyone Can Be a Reader (Nonfiction) hi-lo book series presents accessible history books for kids in an easy-to-read style. Union Square & Co.'s EVERYONE CAN BE A READER books utilize dyslexia reading tools like specialized fonts and paper tones, and are carefully formatted to meet readers where they are with engaging stories that encourage reading success across a wide range of age and interest levels.

Everest is the world's highest mountain, towering like an icy giant over the Himalayas. For the millions of people living nearby, it has always been a magical place, known as Goddess Mother of the World or the Peak of Heaven. To explorers and adventurers, it represents a perilous but thrilling challenge to be conquered.

In this exhilarating account by award-winning author David Long, he looks back at the first attempts by international mountaineers to reach the fabled summit, many of which ended in disaster. But in May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the roof of the world!

Union Square & Co.'s EVERYONE CAN BE A READER books are expertly written, thoughtfully designed with dyslexia-friendly fonts and paper tones, and carefully formatted to meet readers where they are with engaging stories that encourage reading success across a wide range of age and interest levels.

Where can you eat dinner under the sea? Which country has the most pyramids? Can a church become a swimming pool?
Including a stunning central gatefold map that opens out to reveal where all 80 structures are located, this book is a visual celebration of the incredible structures people have built throughout history and their cultural significance. From ancient wonders such as Stonehenge to bridges spanning countries, record breaking rollercoasters and hotels where even the beds are made of ice.
Discover a floating palace, a terracotta army, a cinema in a bank vault, and a building so tall that clouds form at the top!

Step back in time to Ancient Rome and meet some of the many people who lived, worked, and played during that time.

The illustrations are strikingly colorful, highly detailed, and immensely informative. Through these pages, readers will discover a fuller understanding of Ancient Roman culture....As this book follows a narrative format, readers will be challenged to think critically and draw connections between the various societal roles featured rather than simply absorb facts presented via informational text....Recommended.--School Library Connection

From a young slave boy to a fierce gladiator, a washerwoman to a wealthy lady, and a mosaic artist to the emperor himself - each one will share with you the story of their own daily life. Together, they are the Romans.

Featuring 19 different characters from Roman times, as well as an introduction to the Roman world, a map of the empire and a timeline of key events, this book provides a new angle on a classic subject, bringing the ancient world to life.

It takes all sorts to build a powerful kingdom: farmers, fishermen, slaves, sculptors . . . even pharaohs!

So, listen to our stories and we'll tell you what life was really like in Ancient Egypt. Step back in time and meet a cast of characters who will give you an inside look at their daily lives.

Visit a boatman who carries cargo across the Nile, an embalmer who prepares the bodies of the dead for burial, and a papyrus maker who makes his own paper out of reeds. Featuring a map of Ancient Egypt, a timeline, a guide to writing hieroglyphics, and more, this engaging window into the world of Ancient Egypt breathes new life into ancient history.

Contents:

We are the Ancient Egyptians

I am the Pharaoh

I am a Queen

I am a Naval Commander

I am a Necropolis Builder

I am an Embalmer

I am a Priest

I am a Merchant

I am a Musician

I am a Doctor

I am a Sculptor

I am a Slave

I am a Tomb Robber

I am a Papyrus Maker

I am the Vizier of the South

I am a Brewer

I am a Farmer

I am a Fisherman

I am a Jewelry Maker

I am a Boatman

Would You Like to Be an Ancient Egyptian?

Ancient Egypt

Timeline

Gods & Goddesses

How to Build a Pyramid

Hieroglyphics

Make Your Own Papyrus Paper

Egyptian Food

Glossary

Find Out More

Index

A single spy can save thousands upon thousands of lives . . .

From Harry Ree, teacher turned saboteur, to Margery Booth, the spy who sang for Hitler, to Scotch Lass, Britain's smallest ever agent, discover twenty-seven of the most courageous and daring spies . . .

For as long as there have been secrets to keep, there have been spies, the world over, trying to uncover this classified information. Spying goes on all the time, and everywhere, but some of the most astonishing exploits occur during wartime.

The stories in this beautiful collection unpick some of the most astonishing missions undertaken during World War Two - actions that helped to save many lives. Amazingly, many of these tales had to remain a deadly secret at the time and are little known even to this day.

Discover twenty-seven of the most courageous and daring, including:

Giliana Gerson, Britain's first female spy,

Harry Ree, teacher turned saboteur,

Margery Booth, the spy who sang for Hitler,

Roald Dahl, the spy who became a bestselling author,

Noor Inayat Khan, the first woman wireless operator,

Scotch Lass, Britain's smallest ever agent,

'Major Martin' the man who never was

and many more!

A single spy can save thousands of lives.

Spies and secret agents have been hard at work for centuries, risking their lives, and sometimes changing the course of history. Discover twenty-seven of the most courageous and daring, including Britain's first female spy, a teacher turned saboteur, the spy who sang for Hitler and the man who never was . . .

An unputdownable collection of real life adventures, stunningly illustrated by Terri Po.

From the world's oldest indoor loo to a theatre where spectators fill their pockets with poo, the definitive guide to the stranger side of Scotland shows there's a lot more to the place than tartan, haggis and tossing the caber. Inside you'll find:

The world's longest man-made echo
A city where aliens are welcome
What the Royals really think of it
Britain's weirdest wig
The worst Scottish accents ever
Our tallest hedge and oldest tree
Loch monsters nastier than Nessie
A road you can roll up
Scots in Space
Whether it's Ruthven or Ruthven?
Britain's loneliest bus stop (and its loveliest)
A school for spies
The cost of burning witches
An aeroplane made from seaweed
. . . and why the Queen needs rubber gloves

Praise for Bizarre London:

'In a market niche that's now as crowded as the 18:22 to Reading, Bizarre London pummels its bantamweight rivals with knockout clouts of trivia that even this weary correspondent hadn't encountered before.' The Londonist

The Man Who Sucked Blood from a Shark, a sailor who survived for 133 days on a raft in the Atlantic when his ship was torpedoed, using shark's blood in place of fresh water.
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, a teenager who fell 2 miles from an airplane and trekked through the Amazon jungle to safety.
The Woman Who Froze to Death -- Yet Lived, a woman who was trapped under freezing water for so long her heart stopped. Four hours later, medics managed to warm her blood enough to revive her.

Combining classic tales such as Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic voyage, as well as more modern exploits such as the adventurer who inspired the movie 127 Hours, these astonishing stories will be retold by young readers to all of their friends.

Scrambling from the wreckage of his school after an earthquake, a nine-year-old Sichuan boy rescued two unconscious friends. I was hall monitor, he said afterwards. It is my job to look after my classmates.
Whether dragging a friend from a blazing car, masterminding a search far below the earth's surface, or recovering astronauts from an aborted space mission, Rescue reveals the ingenuity, courage and doggedness of the human spirit all over the world. Another unputdownable collection of eye-opening and moving true adventures, both contemporary and historical. Impeccably told by David Long and brought to vibrant life by illustrator Kerry Hyndman.

The longest ship ever built, the heaviest digger and the largest aeroplane, the world's first working motorcar, and its most expensive one. What machines like these have in common is that they all say a lot about the inventiveness and imagination of the people who conceived and created them. Some of them are useful, others are just a bit of fun, but the best ones are truly magnificent, and fascinating to discover.

Designed to drive faster, fly higher, carry more cargo or - in the case of space rockets - travel hundreds of thousands of miles to places no-one has ever been before, not every idea has worked but the best have been inspired and inspirational, and in a few cases they have gone on to change the world.

It is the human stories and atmospheric art that make this a book to actually read and delight in.