Diane Dakers

Steve Jobs was a pioneer of the personal computer age who passed away at the early age of 56 in 2011. This compelling biography describes his life and career as a visionary entrepreneur who helped usher the world into the digital age—in style and comfort.

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist and an intellectual giant of the twentieth century. This fascinating biography reveals Einstein’s life story, and how his theories changed the way we looked at the universe.

This fascinating book describes the details of three real case studies of investigative journalism about human rights. Stories include journalists exposing slave labor used in other countries for the sea food we buy, child labor in Mexico's coffee fields, and fraud by doctors to deny coal miners their health benefits. Readers will gain an understanding of the research process, the ethical standards journalists must follow, and the perseverance required to confirm a story and affect change. Teacher's guide available.

This absorbing book describes the details of three real case studies of investigative journalism about sports. Stories include journalists exposing the FIFA soccer scandal and Olympic committee wrongdoings, the promotion of violence in hockey leading to death, and the abuse of USA gymnasts by their team doctor and the attempt to cover it up. Readers will gain an understanding of the research process, the ethical standards journalists must follow, and the perseverance required to confirm a story and affect change. Teacher's guide available.

Do you see people who look and talk like you in media? Are the people who have the most influence on you your age, gender, ethnicity, or even body type? How do we understand ourselves if we don't see ourselves represented in the world? Representation in Media takes a careful look at how point of view is crafted to represent the views and ideologies of just a portion of the population, and why lack of diversity in media should matter to us all. Teacher's guide available.

Readers learn about making, saving, and borrowing money in this illuminating guide for young people on how to manage the money they earn. Helpful examples get readers thinking about how they plan to earn income in the future. Clear text helps them understand relevant concepts such as income tax, interest, and the positive and negative effects of making investments and borrowing money for large purchases. Teacher's guide available.

Building the skills now to make smart money decisions throughout your lifetime is a sure way to secure your financial future. This inspiring guide encourages young readers to be financially literate for life and to look past today to their financial futures. Readers will learn that financial decisions can have a long-term impact on their lives and that it's important to learn how to manage risks and debt. Using the tips and concepts they have learned, readers will be given the opportunity to practice financial planning for the future. Teacher's guide available.

Readers learn about making, saving, and borrowing money in this illuminating guide for young people on how to manage the money they earn. Helpful examples get readers thinking about how they plan to earn income in the future. Clear text helps them understand relevant concepts such as income tax, interest, and the positive and negative effects of making investments and borrowing money for large purchases. Teacher's guide available.

The basic concepts of financial literacy are explored in this important book for young people. Relevant and accessible terms and real-world examples teach readers about financial responsibility and how to think critically about their wants and needs. Financial planning strategies are discussed and opportunities to practice activities, such as budgeting and record keeping, are provided. Teacher's guide available.

Brielle and Tawni have played cello side by side in orchestras since they were nine years old. Brielle has always played second chair to Tawni's first, and she's been happy with that arrangement. When Tawni is injured, Brielle suddenly finds herself principal cellist. Not only does that mean she'll be thrust into the spotlight, but it also means she is now leader of the cello section. Brielle is terrified. Is she good enough? Will the other musicians accept her? What if she screws up? Despite her fears, Brielle rises to the occasion. Her cello skills, and her leadership skills, improve as she grows into her new role. But just as Brielle is beginning to feel confident, Tawni returns. And she wants her job back. If Brielle steps down now, she'll lose her place in the spotlight. If she doesn't, her friendship could be in jeopardy. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Perhaps no two people in history exemplify the spirit of invention better than brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Born in the Midwest in the late 1800s, Orville was exceptionally good at creating mechanical devices, and Wilbur had a genius for ideas. The turn of the 20th century came during an age of invention and technological development. Inspired by a fierce worldwide competition to be the first to invent a machine that could fly and be controlled by a pilot, the Wright brothers tested and refined several prototypes. At last, on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they achieved their pioneering flight. The brothers went on to develop machines and controls that made possible powered, fixed-wing flights and laid the foundation for pilot-controlled aviation as we know it today. They also founded the Wright Company, which built airplanes for the rising new industry of commercial aviation. Had Wilbur not died at the early age of 45, who knows what else the innovative pair might have accomplished.

Perhaps no two people in history exemplify the spirit of invention better than brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Born in the Midwest in the late 1800s, Orville was exceptionally good at creating mechanical devices, and Wilbur had a genius for ideas. The turn of the 20th century came during an age of invention and technological development. Inspired by a fierce worldwide competition to be the first to invent a machine that could fly and be controlled by a pilot, the Wright brothers tested and refined several prototypes. At last, on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they achieved their pioneering flight. The brothers went on to develop machines and controls that made possible powered, fixed-wing flights and laid the foundation for pilot-controlled aviation as we know it today. They also founded the Wright Company, which built airplanes for the rising new industry of commercial aviation. Had Wilbur not died at the early age of 45, who knows what else the innovative pair might have accomplished.

Dian Fossey was known as a highly respected primatologist—a scientist who studies apes and other primates—and a fiercely devoted champion of their safety and preservation. Fossey had made powerful enemies because of her opposition to poaching, and in 1985, she was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda. The case remains unsolved to this day, but her intense love for this endangered species helped create a legacy that survives in the work of others to this day.

Readers will discover that the natural element carbon is found in all living things, including people. This fascinating book explains how the Earth’s supply of carbon moves among Earth's oceans, atmosphere, ecosystem, and geosphere in a process called the carbon cycle. Detailed diagrams and an experiment help explain photosynthesis, respiration, and how human activities can disrupt the cycle's balance.

Essential to life, water can be found in different states, or forms, all around us. This important book explains how the Earth’s supply of water moves from bodies of water, to the atmosphere, and to land in a process called the water cycle. Informative text, detailed diagrams, and an experiment help explain transpiration, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as the ways in which human activities interfere with the water cycle.

This fascinating book explains the patterns and cycles created on Earth by the influence of the Sun and the Moon, as well as by the Earth's magnetic poles and the planet's rotation on an axis. Informative text, vivid photographs, and detailed diagrams help explain patterns such as day and night, the four seasons, the lunar cycle, the rise and fall of tides, and weather cycles.

Readers will discover that the natural element carbon is found in all living things, including people. This fascinating book explains how the Earth's supply of carbon moves among Earth's oceans, atmosphere, ecosystem, and geosphere in a process called the carbon cycle. Accessible text and detailed images help explain such processes as photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition. Feature boxes highlight examples of the ways in which human activity, such as burning fossil fuels, releases too much carbon dioxide into the air disrupting the balance of the carbon cycle. Readers are encouraged to find ways to take action and find solutions.

Before they spearheaded the musical phenomenon called “the British Invasion,” John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were just four kids from Liverpool. Throughout the 1960s, however, they embodied, as the Beatles, the musical, artistic, social, and spiritual promise of an entire generation. After their stormy breakup in 1970, the Fab Four became four solo artists, at times even appearing on each other’s recordings. In addition to the millions of records each band member has sold on his own since their breakup, more than 40 Beatles compilation albums have been released and continue to sell millions of copies. To this day, more than one billion Beatles recordings have sold, and thousands of books, academic papers, blogs, and websites are dedicated to the group. Despite being the Beatles for only a decade, John, Paul, George, and Ringo together formed the most successful—and arguably the most influential—musical group in history.

Touring, Trekking, and Traveling Green explores the many careers open to people in the fast-growing field of ecotourism. From being an ecotour leader or naturalist to managing a wildlife eco-lodge, working as a travel agent certified in ecotourism, or teaching on-the-ground tour guides and college students interested in making a living helping others enjoy nature, the opportunities for people seeking work in ecotourism are many—and growing fast.

Calvin Klein, a boy from the Bronx, took his first clothing line of three dresses and six coats to an appointment at Bonwit Teller, New York's department store for the wealthy. Before long, he had designed a line of jeans that sold 200,000 in a week, and he was called the "King of Clothes" by People magazine. Today his clothes are recognized as classics, and his style represents the best in American design.