Books with author Kathleen Tracy

Haley O Malley and her classmates are going on a class trip to Chicago. Before leaving, they will learn about the city s exciting history and discover little-known fascinating facts about the Windy City. Founded in 1781 by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an African American from present-day Haiti, Chicago began as a trading post. A little more than 100 years later it was one of America s most important industrial and economic centers. It was also the home to the world s first skyscrapers. The class will also learn about Chicago s extreme climate, its most famous residents, the local flora and fauna, and the city s many museums. Haley and her friends will also get to enjoy Chicago s most famous food deep-dish Chicago-style pizza. Join the class on their visit to one of America s most unique cities and see why the Second City is first in the hearts of those who live there.

Singer, actor, songwriter, and comedian Demi Lovato has taken Hollywood by storm. Born in Texas, she dreamed of being a performer ever since she was a little girl. She began her acting career at age ten on Barney & Friends, where she met her future BFF Selena Gomez. But her next attempts at acting failed, and for a while she considered giving up. After appearing in As the Bell Rings as Charlotte, Demi got her big break starring opposite the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock. Since then her life has been a whirlwind. After touring with the Jonas Brothers, Demi released her first solo album and was given the chance to star in her own Disney Channel comedy, Sonny with a Chance. Find out what makes Demi so successful, and what dreams she still wants to achieve.

Inventor, artist, scientist . . . Leonardo da Vinci s wide-ranging inquisitiveness was the source of his greatest accomplishments and his lifelong financial difficulties he would get bored quickly and rarely finish his projects. As an artist, only seventeen of his finished works survive, and yet they include two of the most famous paintings in the world: The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. His scientific studies of human anatomy were centuries ahead of their time. And his designs for inventions, such as mechanical flight, foresaw technologies that would not be developed for hundreds of years. Leonardo s achievements make him more than just an important historical figure: He is the ultimate Renaissance man who continues to inspire both artists and scientists more than 500 years after his death.

Judy Blume is one of the most popular writers of young adult fiction in the world. For over three decades Blume’s books have been embraced by young girls everywhere. She has sold over 75 million books, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Much of Blume’s success is due to her insistence on portraying ‘tweens and teens in realistic situations. But that same dedication to the truth has also made Blume one of the most controversial authors of the last fifty years. No other writer has had more books banned from libraries and schools than Blume because of her straightforward depiction of teen issues. As a result, Blume has become one of America’s most vocal advocates against censorship and a champion of the First Amendment to ensure that the next generation of writers will have the same creative freedom she has enjoyed.

Matt Christopher grew up with two passions baseball and writing. As a young man, he played semiprofessional ball but quickly realized that while talented, he wasn t good enough to be a professional player. So he channeled all his creative energies into being a writer. Every night when he got home from work he would sit in front of his typewriter and turn out stories. Eventually, he started getting published, but he wasn t selling enough to make a living at writing. And then he took the advice of his local librarian, who suggested he combine his love of sports with his love of writing. The result was The Lucky Baseball Bat, and Matt Christopher knew he had finally found his niche. He became known as the bestselling sportswriter for children, having written more than 100 books that have sold over six million copies. More than anything, Matt Christopher proved that if you try hard enough, your dreams really can come true.

Justin Timberlake could have taken it easy. As a member of the boy band NSync, he had traveled the world, produced hit records, and become comfortably wealthy all before he was old enough to legally go into a music club. While Justin loved NSync, he also wanted to prove himself as a solo artist. But the music he wanted to make was nothing like what he d done with NSync. It was a risky choice: What if his old fans didn t like his new sound? Would he be accepted by the public as a mature performer instead of a boy band singer? If the album tanked, would his career go down with it? Justin was willing to take the chance and in doing so, he carved out one of the biggest success stories in recent music history. This is the story of how Justin went from an unknown to a Disney Mouseketeer to a teen idol to one of the most respected, popular performers in the world.

It was a beautiful late summer morning, the kind of day even busy New Yorkers took a moment to appreciate. The sky was spectacularly clear, tinted an azure blue, the air stirred by a gentle breeze. The mood of the city seemed optimistic as people hurried down the crowded streets on their way to work. Then the world as people knew it changed forever . . . The attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and New York City s World Trade Center by three fuel-laden, hijacked airplanes was the worst attack ever on mainland American soil. The nation watched in horror as the events were captured by video and live news coverage. The attacks temporarily brought the nation to a stop, both emotionally and literally for the first time, all commercial flights were grounded. Ironically, the attacks intended to undercut America s way of life only served to reinforce its core values. And out of the carnage of that day came acts of unspeakable bravery, uncommon courage, and true heroism.

There is perhaps no greater symbol of both political oppression and the human spirit in the 20th century than the Berlin Wall. Built during the height of the Cold War in 1961, the Wall was meant to both stop the number of citizens trying to leave East Germany for the freedoms and opportunities of the West and to prevent people spreading the ideals of democracy from coming in. In the 28 years the Wall stood, it is estimated over 1,000 people were killed trying to escape into West Berlin. In the end, the Wall fell without a shot being fired. As Mikhail Gorbachev was laying the foundations for the peaceful dismantling of the Soviet Union, the people of East Berlin and East Germany began demanding their city and country be freed from Soviet occupation. Finally, in November 1989, the Wall was torn down and Germany was once again reunited. This is the story of the dark rise and the eventual uplifting triumph over the Wall that split not only a city and nation, but friends and families.

Before he reached 18, Justin Berfield had already made Hollywood history. He was the youngest person in television history to have shot 100 episodes on not one but two different series—“Unhappily Ever After” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” And as one of television’s brightest young stars, that’s no doubt only the beginning. Justin was bit by the acting bug early and appeared in more than 30 national commercials and several television series before landing the role of his life up to now as “hit-first-think-later” Reese on “Malcolm in the Middle.” Justin takes the reader on a personal backstage tour of what it’s like working on a hit TV show and offers advice to those who want to follow in his footsteps.