Most Popular Books by Megan Stine

When Laura Ingalls Wilder was a little girl in the late 1800''s, her family moved nine times in three years. The Wilders faced great hardships on the prairie. The crops they planted were destroyed by grasshoppers. Brutal snowstorms brought them close to starvation. But for Laura, who was born with her father''s pioneer spirit, home wasn''t a house--it was being with Ma, Pa, Mary, and baby Carrie. At the age of 65 she put pen to paper and wrote about memories. Through hard work and the help of her daughter, Rose, she became a successful author. The wonderful books she left behind tell the story of a rich life in the face of good times and bad.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together they discovered two elements and won a Nobel Prize in 1903. (Later Marie won another Nobel award for chemistry in 1911.) She died in Savoy, France, on July 4, 1934, a victim of many years of exposure to toxic radiation.

Jeffrey''s friend Ben brings his garter snake to school for a report, and the class likes it so much that their teacher agrees to have a “pet day,” when all the children can bring their pets to class. The only problem is that Jeffrey doesn''t have a pet—at least not yet. When Jeffrey finally talks his mom into going pet shopping, he realizes he has another problem. His friend Max, the ghost, has come along, and the minute they walk into the pet store some of the animals go crazy. Jeffrey really wants a dog or a cat, but they''re all terrified of Max. Will he be forced to choose between a pet and a ghost?

The history of the White House, first completed in 1799, reflects the history of America itself. It was the dream of George Washington to have an elegant "presidential mansion" in the capital city that was named after him. Yet he is the only president who never got to live there. All the rest have made their mark--for better or worse--on the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Megan Stine explains how the White House came to be and offers young readers intriguing glimpses into the lives of the First Families--from John and Abigail Adams to Barack and Michelle Obama.

Describes the life and accomplishments of the superstar singer, from his early career with the Jackson Five to his success as a solo performer and his personal troubles.

In 1978, Sally Ride, a PhD candidate at Standford University, responded to a newspaper ad to join the US astronaut program. She was accepted and became the first American woman astronaut to fly in space! Among her other accomplishments, she played tennis like a professional, was an astrophysicist who helped develop a robotic arm for space shuttles, and later, through Sally Ride Science, worked to make science cool and accessible for girls. Sally Ride, who died on July 23, 2012, will continue to inspire young children.

The Rules of Prom Night: #1: Never break up with your boyfriend right before the prom—unless you have a backup. #2: Never buy the same dress as any other girl in your school. #3: Never, ever tell your parents where you''re really going for the after party. Best friends Lisa Marie, Marianna, and Heather are totally psyched. Senior Prom—the night where anything goes, and everything changes—is just two months away, and already, things are starting to get wild. Who would have thought that Lisa Marie would suddenly find herself single and juggling way too many boys? Or that Marianna’s dream of going with her super-hot crush Luke would actually come true, only to be ruined by her super-strict father? And then there’s Heather, who’s hiding the biggest secret of them all. The sexiest moments, the wildest parties, the most unexpected, unforgettable surprises—it all happens on Prom Night.

Max, the ghost, has never appeared to anybody but Jeffrey, so no one else believes he exists. But strange things have been happening lately that only the presence of a ghost could explain, and Jeffrey''s friend Kenny is beginning to think that Max just might be real after all. When Max makes Kenny volunteer for the lead in the school play, Kenny is sure he''s real. He desperately wants to meet Jeffrey''s invisible friend, but Jeffrey can''t promise anything—he knows how stubborn Max can be. Then Kenny loses his starring role, and it looks as if he doesn''t have a ghost of a chance of getting it back without Max''s help. . . .

When Ricky Reyes dares Jeffrey to get a bloody dagger out of the old McGyver house on Halloween night, Jeffrey is counting on Max, his ghostly friend, to help him.

Sixth grader Corey Campbell and his friends at summer camp try to save themselves from hungry zombies, after failing to convince the camp director that the terrible creatures exist.

What’s Christmas without Max? Jeffrey Becker is looking forward to the greatest Christmas ever. Nothing beats spending the holidays with his best friend, Max. Especially when Max happens to be a mischief-loving 1950s ghost. But before vacation begins, Jeffrey and Max argue, and Max disappears—maybe for good! To make things worse, it looks like Jeffrey will have to spend Christmas with—yuck!—his obnoxious cousins Jonathan and Wendy. Why bother to celebrate at all? Jeffrey needs his ghostly friend to come back, but there’s no sign of the stubborn Max. Will Max ever return?

Mary-Kate and Ashley are spending a month at Camp Evergreen - making new friends and having new adventures.

Born into a close knit family in Chicago, Michelle Robinson was a star student who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law. Then in 1992, she married another promising young lawyer and the rest, as they say, is history. It is undeniable that President Barack Obama has changed the United States but so has Michelle Obama, the self proclaimed "Mom in Chief." This compelling, easy-to-read biography is illustrated by New Yorker artist John O''Brien.

Jeffrey loves to tell a good story, but it actually turns out that his new best friend is a mischief-loving ghost from the 1950s named Max.

The seventeen-year-old Investigators try to locate a film star kidnapped during the filming of a horror movie.

How far would you go just to get asked to the prom? A: Throw yourself at any guy who would take you? B: Spend your college fund on the world’s hottest dress? C: Spread nasty rumors about your rivals? D: All of the above . . . and all the way? Carmen Salgado is in Senior Hell. She just moved to town—meaning new school, no friends, and worst of all, no date for the prom. Desperation is setting in when she suddenly gets some attention from the most popular jock in the school, Joey Perrone . . . attention that takes a bad turn when Carmen refuses to go all the way with him. But thanks to Joey, the whole school thinks she did. Being invisible was bad, but being a laughingstock is worse. Her only hope is to get into the school play, and into the arms of Tyler North, her crush. But things may not go as she plans—and this year’s prom might have a brand new theme: Carmen’s Revenge. The dresses. The hair. The makeup. The hookups. It all happens on Prom Night.

The Three Investigators look into a rumor of poisoning in a fast-food chain.

The truly inspiring story of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. Outspoken, energetic, and fun, Sonia Sotomayor has managed to turn every struggle in life into a triumph. Born in the Bronx to immigrant parents from Puerto Rico, Sonia found out at age nine that she had diabetes, a serious illness now but an even more dangerous one fifty years ago. How did young Sonia handle the devastating news? She learned to give herself her daily insulin shots and became determined to make the most out of her life. It was the popular sixties TV show Perry Mason that made Sonia want to become a lawyer. Not only a lawyer, but a judge! Her remarkable career was capped in 2009 when President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court, only the third woman and first Hispanic justice in the court''s history. Stories of Sotomayor''s career are hardly dry legal stuff—she once hopped on a motorcycle to chase down counterfeiters and was the judge whose ruling ended the Major League baseball strike in 1995.

Regardless of ancestry, background or status, almost every Canadian had a relative in the First World War. Yet very few of us realize what it was like or what exactly the Canadians were asked to do for country and king. How were these men trained? What was it like tin the trenches? Why did the early disasters of 1915 and 1916 end in the victories of 1918? How did soldiers find the courage to face death and terrible wounds?When your Number''s Upis unique in that it deals directly with the lives of these soldiers; it is an upclose, personal view of a very terrible war. The book begins with the "Old Originals" of 1914, describes recruiting, training, battle tactics, even the fate of Canadian prisoners of war. It tells of men who had very little understanding of what they had to face: brutal conditions, disease, mustard gas, trench warfare, and years away from home. Desmond Morton gets behind the battles and the generals and the politicians to give us fresh insight into the people who really make history.

Egypt 1908: Nine-year-old Indy gets introduced to archaeology by Lawrence of Arabia, but the thrill is gone when the guard of a newly opened tomb is murdered.

Who doesn''t love a great mystery? This book presents the eerie accidents and unexplained disappearances that have occurred in the region known as the Bermuda Triangle. Even before it was named, the Bermuda Triangle--roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico--had gained a mythic reputation. The Bermuda Triangle became famous for making boats and ships vanish, and for snatching planes right out of the sky. But are these stories true? And if they are true, is there a more sensible reason that refutes the bad karma of the region? With so many mystifying events to learn about, readers will love disappearing into this story.

Ulysses S. Grant certainly does not have the typical war hero “back story.” Although a graduate of West Point, he never wanted to be a soldier and was terrified when he first saw battle. However, during the Civil War, after many Northern generals failed to deliver decisive victories, U.S. Grant rose to what the times required. He took command of Union forces, helped bring the war to an end in 1865, and went on to serve two terms as president.

Young readers will connect with the story of this National Historic Landmark--the Brooklyn Bridge! Building the Brooklyn Bridge was no simple feat. Despite a brilliant plan from a father-son team of engineers, the process was a dangerous and grueling one. Construction workers developed a mysterious illness (now known as the bends), several died, and the project had devastating effects on the engineers'' lives. Still, after fourteen years, the Brooklyn Bridge was finished and became the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time and is still widely admired today. Megan Stine tells the fascinating story behind one of the city''s best-loved landmarks. Includes black-and-white illustrations and a foldout color map!

Bailey faces a sexual harassment lawsuit from a restaurant employee and could lose everything.

Elliot doubts that he will survive the fifth grade, because the obnoxious class bully has selected him as his own special victim.

Jeffrey Baker''s got a problem, and his name is Robin Dessart. Robin, the new kid in Jeffrey''s class, is a know-it-all and a bully. First, he gives all of Jeffrey''s friends a hard time. Then he gives Jeffrey the chicken pox! Jeffrey knows that the only one who can stop Robin Dessart is Max, the third-grade ghost. Max''s endless pranks should put Robin in his place once and for all. And Jeffrey''s birthday party is coming up—the perfect day for revenge! But, as usual, Max has a few tricks of his own up his sleeve, and Robin isn''t the only one in for a surprise. . . .

Mesa Verdel: Summer, 1912. Searching for a stash of stolen gold, Indy gets a taste of the real Wild West when the robbers want their booty back. Young Indiana Jones #10

Discover what lives and grows in the Congo Basin in Central Africa, one of the planet''s most remarkable regions. Running through six countries in the middle of Africa, the Congo Basin contains some of the largest tropical rainforests in the world. Dealing with present-day issues of climate change, it is home to bonobo apes, mountain gorillas, forest elephants, and more. With details about the exploration (and exploitation) by the European colonialists and the aftermath of their arrival in the Congo, this book will give readers a better understanding of the second largest rainforest in the world.

Learn more about Richard Nixon--one of America''s most unpopular presidents and the only one to resign from the position. On August 8, 1974, millions sat stunned as they watched Richard Nixon on TV when he announced he was stepping down as the President of the United States. He''d participated in a scandal that included secret tape recordings, a burglary, and a cover-up, and now his secrets and lies were catching up to him. How could Nixon, a man who had been reelected in a landslide victory just two years earlier, now be leaving office in disgrace? Author Megan Stine takes readers through President Nixon''s life--from his childhood and military experiences during World War II--to his long political career and the Watergate scandal that tarnished his legacy and deepened American''s mistrust of the government.

While traveling through Canada in 1678, a French priest came across the most gigantic waterfalls he''d ever seen. Stricken with both awe and fear, he began to shake, fell to his knees, and prayed. Ever since, people from all over the world have come to explore Niagara: among them the daredevils determined to tumble down or walk across the falls on tightrope. Kids will get a kick reading about the hare-brained stunts and will also learn how the falls were formed and how--one day--they will disappear.

Lively and imaginative, this popular series continues to grow. Boys 8 to 10 will want to continue to follow the adventures of Jeffrey, his pals, and his ghostly friend Max, brimming with suspense, mystery, humor, and line drawings that add to the fun.

What''s left of Machu Picchu stands as the most significant link to the marvelous Inca civilization of Peru. Now readers can explore these ruins in this compelling Where Is? title. Built in the fifteenth century and tucked away in the mountains of Peru, Machu Picchu was abandoned after the Spaniards conquered the Incan empire in the sixteenth century. It remained hidden until 1911 when Hiram Bingham uncovered the marvelous complex and shared his discovery with the world. Today, hundreds of thousands of people visit the site to climb the 3,000 stone steps, explore the towering monuments, and see the numerous species that call these famous ruins home.

A biography of the writer whose pioneer life on the American prairie became the basis for her "Little House" books.

The reader''s decisions will determine whether the Three Investigators will be able to solve the mystery of unexpected screams heard on a local amusement park ride.