When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn't know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate Magellan's life and voyage, with sidebars and a time line that enhance readers' understanding of the period

Marie Curie, the woman who coined the term radioactivity, wonnot just one Nobel Prize but two—in physics and chemistry, bothsupposedly girl-phobic sciences.

Amelia Earhart was a woman of many "firsts." In 1932, shebecame the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In1935, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific.From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance whileattempting a flight around the world, readers will find AmeliaEarhart's life a fascinating story. Annotation Examines the life ofpioneer aviator Amelia Earhart, who mysteriously disappeared duringan around-the-world flight in 1937.

Even grownups enjoy a bedtime story every now and then,especially one that combines, as does this one, the sophisticationof a novel with the whimsy of a fairy tale. Gaarder, the Norwegianformer professor of philosophy who brought us The Solitaire Mystery(1996) and the bestselling Sophie's World (1995), is up to hisusual tricks here, serving up a metaphysical brainteaser thatunfolds into a warm?but not preachy?meditation on God and theChristian doctrines. Set in an unnamed town in present-day Norway,it tells the story of Joachim, a young boy who finds a faded,handmade Advent calendar in a bookstore on the eve of Decemberfirst, and begs his father to let him take it home. The nextmorning, when he opens the calendar's first door, Joachim discoversnot just the expected picture but also a tightly folded piece ofpaper, the first installment of the fantastic tale of a littlegirl's journey through time and space to be present at theNativity. Soon the girl's story is making unexpected intrusionsinto Joachim's o

As a young boy, Charles Darwin hated school and was oftenscolded forconducting "useless" experiments. Yet his passion forthe natural world was so strong that he suffered through terribleseasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwincollected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America,and the Galapagos Islands, and expanded his groundbreaking ideasthat would change people's understanding of the natural world.About 100 illustrations and a clear, exciting text will make Darwinand his theory of evolution an exciting discovery for every youngreader.

As the world now knows, Barack Obama has made history as ourfirst African-American president. With black-and-whiteillustrations throughout, this biography is perfect for primarygraders looking for a longer, fuller life story than is found inthe author's bestselling beginning reader Barack Obama: UnitedStates President.

Kathleen Krull proves Sigmund Freud deserves a place in her much-lauded series, because he essentially created a brand-new branch of medicine: psychoanalysis.

One day Greg Mortenson set out to climb K2 - the world's second highest mountain - in honour of his younger sister, but when another member of his group fell ill, they turned around and Greg became lost in the mountains of Pakistan. He wandered into a poor village, where the chief and his people took him in. Moved by their kindness, Greg promised to return and build a school for the children. This is the remarkable story of how, against all the odds, Greg built not only one but more than sixty schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and how he dedicated his life to establishing literacy and peace, and understanding.

Take a close-up look at Jesse Owens, an African American trackstar—and one of the greatest athletes of all time. Interviews withexperts and lively writing deliver the accurate reporting youexpect from Time For Kids. Historical and contemporary photographscapture the life and times of this remarkable Olympic-medalwinner.

One day in 1882, Thomas Edison flipped a switch that lit up lower Manhattan with incandescent light and changed the way people live ever after. The electric light bulb was only one of thousands of Edison’s inventions, which include the phonograph and the kinetoscope, an early precursor to the movie camera. As a boy, observing a robin catch a worm and then take flight, he fed a playmate a mixture of worms and water to see if she could fly! Here’s an accessible, appealing biography with 100 black-and-white illustrations.

Albert Einstein. His name has become a synonym for genius. His wild case of bedhead and playful sense of humor made him a media superstar—the first, maybe only, scientist-celebrity. He wasn't much for lab work; in fact he had a tendency to blow up experiments. What he liked to do was think, not in words but in "thought experiments". What was the result of all his thinking? Nothing less than the overturning of Newtonian physics. Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute look at one of the true Giants of Science and the turbulent times in which he lived.

This is the remarkable story of Roald Dahl's early years atschool and with his family. Like his stories, Dahl's childhoodtales are unmissable. This edition has a great new Quentin Blakecover and a new end section of facts about Roald Dahl.

As a teenage slave, Harriet Tubman stood up to an overseer whowas trying to harm another slave. From that time forward, Tubman(above left) fought against unfairness and for what she believedwas right. She helped hundreds of African Americans escape on theUnderground Railroad. TIME For Kids Biographies help make a connection between thelives of past heroes and the events of today. Harriet Tubman'scourage and ideals have inspired generations of Americans to fightfor equal rights and to stand up for their convictions.