I like stars. Blue stars. Far stars. Shooting stars. I like stars!

From ballet class to rehearsal for the big show to the final curtsies—budding ballet stars show emergent readers each step and pirouette along the way! This Step 1 story has big type and easy words, rhyme and rhythm, and picture clues and two sheets of irresistably adorable stickers. It's a natural for young readers who are learning ballet or aspire to take ballet classes.

How did a company best known for its glass jars hit a comet 83 million miles away? The answer involves technical expertise, heroic dedication, an industrial giant’s push to modernize, Hitler’s V-2 rocket, speakers destined for a Hall & Oates summer concert tour, and the search for life’s origins. In “From Jars to the Stars: How Ball Came to Build a Comet-Hunting Machine,” award-winning science journalist Todd Neff presents an inside look at the backgrounds and motivations of the men and women who actually create the spacecraft on which the American space program rides. A timeless story of science, engineering, politics and business strategy intertwining to bring success in the brutal business of space, “From Jars to the Stars” is a lively account of one of mankind’s great modern achievements. It is a story about people, foremost those on the Deep Impact mission, which smashed a spacecraft into the comet Tempel 1. “From Jars to the Stars” explores the improbable beginnings of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which built the comet hunter, and the evolution of the American space agency that funded it. The book begins with the story of a group of University of Colorado students who built a “sun seeker” for the noses of sounding rockets studying the home star. The pathbreaking device sparked the creation and development of both Ball Aerospace and the University of Colorado’s formidable Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. “From Jars to the Stars” describes how Ed Ball, president of the Ball Brothers Company of Muncie, Indiana, ended up owning a space business in Boulder, Colorado, through a combination of strategic intent and serendipity. Neff explores the personalities and the technologies behind Ball’s pioneering spacecraft, the Orbiting Solar Observatory launched in 1962. The Ball orbiter prepares the ground for Deep Impact, showing readers how much—and how little—changed across four decades of American space exploration. Neff goes on to show how Ball Aerospace evolved into an organization capable of building seven Hubble Space Telescope instruments as well as the comet hunter at the center of the story. The author describes the development of the American space enterprise as it went from emphasizing big-budget “gigabuck” missions to “faster, better, cheaper” spacecraft of the sort Ball specialized in. Neff pays special mind to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the world leader in interplanetary space exploration and Ball’s partner on Deep Impact. It was often a rocky marriage. Throughout, Neff makes clear that robotic space missions are indeed manned: the people just happen to stay on the ground.

In this debut autobiographical picture book, celebrated astronaut Scott Kelly describes how he -- and his twin brother -- grew up to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. As Scott Kelly prepares to blast back to Earth after a record-breaking year spent on the International Space Station, he thinks about what brought him here and what awaits him at home. Scott's partner-in-crime is his twin brother, Mark. They spent their childhood getting in and out of scrapes. They had a talent for finding trouble and taking risks, which turned out to be great training for the biggest risk of all -- space travel. Along the way to becoming astronauts, they learned to be peacemakers, to stay calm in the toughest of times, to support their family, to work hard and take small steps towards their goals. Scott learned that he needed people to believe in him, as his principal did, even though he was at first a terrible student who couldn't sit still. All of these skills served him well during his year on the ISS, where he and his crew ran 400 experiments and he himself became a test subject. The sacrifices Scott made, the dangers he faced and the sight of our beautiful planet from space made coming home even sweeter.

A novel approach to stargazing, this stunning space book features step-by-step guides to identifying the key constellations across the northern hemisphere. What do you see when you look up into the sky? Have you ever wondered what the stars mean? Or how they are connected? Or what each constellation is called? If so, then this may be the book for you! Little stargazers will enjoy paging through this awe-inspiring astronomy book and learning all about the constellations, their forms, shapes, and stories. This stunning space book for kids explores different groups of stars specific to the Northern Hemisphere, with step-by-step guides to identifying key constellations, star-spotting, and planet spotting! Sprinkled with stardust on every page, budding stargazers aged 9 and over can explore: - A glow-in-the-dark night-sky viewer included with the book - How to follow pathfinder stars to locate constellations - Crystal clear diagrams and illustrations - Easy-to-read maps - Fact panels that explain constellations and space science - The final spread of each chapter shows all the stars in the sky with constellations unmarked so that readers can practice star-hopping - Profile's of galaxies and nebulae in the night sky Star Finder! is packed with high-quality imagery, maps of constellations, and tips to spot stars and patterns, to keep the kids enthralled, engaged and inspired. Discover striking pictures of the night sky in this amazing astronomy book for children. The innovative step-by-step approach to learning the key features of the night sky and compelling, easy-to-understand graphic style makes for the beginning of a keen interest in astronomy. This compelling guide on constellations for kids also covers planets, spotting nebulas, the milky way, shooting stars and more. A must-have volume for budding astronomers aged 9+, the informative and accessible guides featured throughout provide crystal clear instructions on recognising the constellations one by one, as well as pronunciation aids to some of the complex constellation names, and also featuring practice star maps for each season, so curious kids will find it easier than ever to navigate the night sky!

In Dublin, 1918, a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work, risk, death, and unlooked-for love, in "Donoghue's best novel since Room" (Kirkus Reviews). In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia's regimented world step two outsiders—Doctor Kathleen Lynn, a rumoured Rebel on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney. In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work. In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue once again finds the light in the darkness in this new classic of hope and survival against all odds.

Reading on your own One moment, it is sunny and calm. The next moment, a whirling black funnel cloud touches down. Take cover! It’s a twister! This classic Step into Reading science title is brimming with facts about tornadoes and hurricanes. Whether kids are interested in the science of how they form, the history of famous storms, or offbeat stories like the tornado that picked up hundreds of fish and dropped them on a town, they’ll find it in Twisters!, now with all-new illustrations and photographs throughout.

A history of the idea of "black holes" explores the tumultuous debate over the existence of this now well-accepted phenomenon, focusing particular attention on Indian scientist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.

ONE LAST STEP (A Tara Mills Mystery—Book One) is the debut novel in a new FBI mystery series by debut author Sarah Sutton. Two hikers go missing along the Appalachian Trail, leaving only a bloodstained forest behind them, and when another hiker collapses on someone’s porch in New Hampshire, murdered by crossbow, the local police realize they have a serial killer on their hands––and need to call in the FBI. FBI Agent Tara Mills is young, brilliant and new to the force. With a promising career in front of her, she faces the ultimate test when she is assigned the case. It soon proves to be more challenging than she ever could have imagined––an impossible riddle that leaves even her seasoned partner stumped. Meanwhile, something about the case stirs a darkness within her—a tortured past that even her long-term boyfriend doesn’t fully understand. As nightmares consume her, she only hopes that her past will not come back to ruin her once again. As more hikers go missing, and with her job on the line, Tara finds herself on a race against time as she combs through the forest’s trails. Peeling back each layer, she soon realizes that she is up against a true diabolical mastermind. And just when she thinks she has it all figured out, her instincts lead her to the most shocking truth of all. Book #2 in the series—ONE LAST BREATH—is also now available! “First read by this new upcoming author and she has a winner with this series. Suspenseful from beginning to end.” --Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars “I was pulled in from the very start…in my mind it played out just like a movie.” --Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars “Absolutely loved this first in the series from start to finish. Fast paced and easy to follow with a storyline that was tense and exciting, I found it hard to put down.” --Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars