In a gripping adaptation of one of the first known slave narratives, Cameron has modernized and shortened the 1789 autobiography of a man who was kidnapped from his home in Africa and spent 11 years in slavery until he was able to buy his freedom. Introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard professor of Afro-American studies. Included are historical engravings and a map of Equiano's travels.

"Seven-year-old Juan lives in Guatemala, a place of stunning beauty and grim economic reality. Abandoned by his mother, Juan lives with his grandmother and shines shoes. He passionately wants to attend school, but fears Grandmother will say no. Finally gathering his courage, he is surprised when she not only agrees to send him to school but also chides him about the importance of standing up for himself. Juan tells this bittersweet story, which reads smoothly and powerfully on several levels, with warmth and dignity."--Booklist.

Bicycles shiny, whizzing, wobbly bicycles scare Julian more than lions or tigers. But how can he tell that to his best friend, Gloria? She can already ride with no hands. So instead of telling the truth, Julian makes up a little fib. And he almost gets away with it until his fib backfires and Julian finds himself in the biggest, most confounding fix ever."

Gloria is thrilled when she goes to the store to buy an onion and meets Dr. Grace Street, an astronaut. It's there that Dr. Street tells Gloria to have confidence in herself and that the big things aren't always as big as they seem. But Gloria doesn't really understand Dr. Street's advice. Right now her problem seems gigantic. It's the beginning of fourth grade and Gloria can't do anything to please her teacher, Mrs. Yardley, who roars and hisses like the Dragon of Doom. When Gloria writes a report about meeting Dr. Street, Mrs. Yardley doesn't believe her. Gloria knows she's telling the...