Middle

Kathleen Krull has received numerous accolades from publications such as Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal for her biographies for young readers. Here she profiles Sir Isaac Newton - the father of calculus and the man who pioneered studies of gravity.

As the illegitimate son of a notary from Vinci, Leonardo is banned from Italian universities and trade guilds. But he soon becomes the shining star in the studio of the acclaimed Florentine artist Verrocchio. After being investigated for alleged homosexual activities, Leonardo leaves Florence in 1482 to make weapons for the prince of Milan.

The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history - with damage so profound that few people believed the city could ever rise again.

Mystery is in Herculeah Jones's blood. How could it not be, with a father on the police force and a mother who's a private eye? So when Herculeah notices a man hanging around the "Dead Oaks" mansion, she can't resist doing some investigating of her own. Legend has it the old estate was the site of a murder, and now it looks like there's something even more nefarious going on.

When Herculeah Jones's best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there's nothing funny about murder. Things can't get any worse - until the body disappears!

Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka The Murder King. King's novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders - particularly A Slash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Many people believe Mathias King knows too much. Could he be responsible for the crime?

At the eerie Hunt mansion, Herculeah Jones has been reading aloud to Lionus Hunt, an elderly stroke victim who can only communicate by blinking his eyes (once for yes, twice for no). Mr. Hunt seems to be trying to tell Herculeah something, but his gruff nurse won't allow her to ask any questions. What is Mr. Hunt trying to say?

Herculeah Jones finds herself in the middle of another mystery when her best friend, Meat, barely escapes a hitman's bullet. Someone must have mistaken Meat for someone else. But who? Herculeah is determined to solve the mystery, before the assassin comes after her!

When Herculeah Jones discovers a letter in her secondhand coat, she instantly recognizes it as a cry for help. It doesn't take Herculeah long to uncover the clues and track down the truth. But what Herculeah doesn't realize is that someone is stalking her - someone who would kill to keep the truth under wraps.

Sara's life has always flowed smoothly, like the gliding swans on the lake, until her little brother Charlie disappears. Then Sara is forced to see her life in a whole new way.

"Trouble Twins" Dallas and Florida have been shuffled between foster families and the orphanage all their lives. All they want is a loving place to call home, but they are mistrustful that one exists for the likes of them.

"My second life began when I was kidnapped by two complete strangers...."

Leo's papa stood in the doorway, gazing down at him. "Leo, you make gold from pebbles," and the way he said it, Leo could tell that this was a good thing.

He may have been given a bit part in the school play, but Leo dreams he is the biggest star on Broadway.

It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny covered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

In 1290, her 14th year, Catherine begins a diary that quickly fills with the irrepressible joys and frustrations of her days. Always looking for ways to avoid drudging hours of embroidery, Birdy fills her time with pranks, celebrations of feast days, and local gossip. Wriggling out of her father's plans to find a prosperous husband for her proves to be Birdy's greatest challenge.