When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor whointroduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Whydoes she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who isthe other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? Tosolve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but thetruth is far stranger than she could have imagined. A phenomenal worldwide bestseller, SOPHIE'S WORLD sets out to drawteenagers into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel andall the great philosophers. A brilliantly original and fascinatingstory with many twists and turns, it raises profound questionsabout the meaning of life and the origin of theuniverse.

BOY,Roald Dahl's bestselling autobiography,is full of hilarious anecdotes about his childhood and school days.With fabulous new line drawings by Quentin Blake. An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details.This is not an autobiography' - Roald Dahl.This reissue includes 30 delightful new line drawings by the inimitable Quentin Blake. Throughout his young days at school and just afterwards,a number of things happened to Roald Dahl,which made such a tremendous impression he never forgot them.Boy is the remarkable story of Roald Dahl's childhood; tales of exciting and strange things - some funny,some frightening,all true. Roald Dahl,the best-loved of children's writers,was born in Wales of Norwegian parents.His books continue to be bestsellers,despite his death in 1990,and worldwide sales are over 100 million! Quentin Blake is one of the best-known and best-loved children's illustrators and it's impossible now to

Clara Barton is most renowned as the Civil War nurse who laterfounded the Red Cross. Yet in everything she did, Clara strove tomake a difference. This important biography highlights many of herlesser-known feats, including her early teaching career, work inthe U.S. Patent Office, and unceasing fight for women’s rights.There are also sidebars on kids’ games, Civil War Medicine, MysteryPerson (Florence Nightingale), Red Cross fast facts, and Glen Echo(Clara’s home, which is now a National Historic Site)—as well as aninterview with Bonnie McElveen Hunter, Chairman of the American RedCr

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

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Leader in Troubled Times Through his fireside chats, Franklin D. Roosevelt changed theway the President interacted with his fellow Americans. He also ledour country out of the Great Depression and through World War II,despite his physical disabilities. Readers will be amazed by hiscourage and his insight in developing Social Security and otherinnovative programs that still exist today.

Born to a family of farmers, Lincoln stood out from an earlyage—literally! (He was six feet four inches tall.) As sixteenthPresident of the United States, he guided the nation through theCivil War and saw the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln wastragically shot one night at Ford’s Theater—the first President tobe assassinated. Over 100 black-and-white illustrations and mapsare included.

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.

Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do.

Roald Dahl is one of the most famous children's book authors ever. Now in this Who Was . . . ? biography, children will learn of his real-life adventures. A flying ace for the British Air Force, he was married to an Academy Award-winning actress. He also wrote books and screenplays for adults. Entertaining and readable, this biography has 80 black-and-white illustrations.

Jim Henson created puppets like none ever seen before, with expressive fabric faces and rod-controlled arms. His Muppets became world-renowned celebrities and formed the backbone of a media empire. Illustrations.

More About Boy is the story of Roald Dahl’s very ownboyhood, as told in Boy, featuring never-before-seen material frombehind the scenes, and some of the secrets he left out. Enjoy talesof sweet shops and chocolate, mean old ladies and a Great MousePlot—the inspiration for some of his most marvelous stories in theyears to come. This stunning new edition includes some wonderfuland strange things that have NEVER been seen before! Some funny,some frightening—all true.

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

Like Michelangelo, Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name--a name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Pisa, Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era's great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope to observe the heavens. From there, not even the sky was the limit! He turned long-held notions about the universe topsy turvy with his support of a sun-centric solar system. Patricia Brennan Demuth offers a sympathetic portrait of a brilliant man who lived in a time when speaking scientific truth to those in power was still a dangerous proposition.

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.

Each day was an adventure for President Theodore Roosevelt.When he was a kid, he kept turtles in the bathtub and frogs underhis cap. As an adult, he was a cowboy, a river explorer, and a biggame hunter. Sometimes he would go on marches through deep puddlesand icy rivers -- just for fun! TIME For Kids Biographies help makea connection between the lives of past heroes and the events oftoday. When Teddy became president, Americans were looking aheadwith excitement to the twentieth century. Teddy's spirit and dreamshelped make the United States one of the greatest countries in theworld.

For a long time, the main role of First Ladies was to act as hostesses of the White House...until Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in 1884, Eleanor was not satisfied to just be a glorified hostess for her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor had a voice, and she used it to speak up against poverty and racism. She had experience and knowledge of many issues, and fought for laws to help the less fortunate. She had passion, energy, and a way of speaking that made people listen, and she used these gifts to campaign for her husband and get him elected presidentfour times! A fascinating historical figure in her own right, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady forever.

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.

As a young boy, Henry Ford was fascinated by technology andhow objects worked. His childhood interests led him to leave theFord family farm in Michigan in search of a career with machinery,and the rest is automotive and economic history. TIME For Kids Biographies help make a connection between thelives of past heroes and the events of today. Henry Ford made carsaffordable, turning them into the primary means of travel forAmericans. His innovations, including the assembly line, are stillbenefiting us today.