Books with author Wil Mara

Find out how robotics technology has developed over more than a century and how to break into the industry themselves.Calling All Innovators series introduces students to careers in science and technology. The complex text allows readers (Grades 5-8) to determine the main idea and explain how it is supported by key details. From the ancient Greeks to the people living today, we have long been fascinated by the idea of robots. Today, things that once seemed like science fiction are becoming reality. Readers will learn how some of today's most innovative thinkers are creating advanced robot technology.

"Thoughtfully traces [Mara Wilson's] journey from child actress to Hollywood dropout...Who is she now? She's a writer." —NPR's "Guide To 2016’s Great Reads"“Growing up, I wanted to be Mara Wilson. Where Am I Now? is a delight.” —Ilana Glazer, cocreator and star of Broad CityNamed a best book of the month by GoodReads and Entertainment WeeklyA former child actor best known for her starring roles in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, Mara Wilson has always felt a little young and out of place: as the only kid on a film set full of adults, the first daughter in a house full of boys, a Valley girl in New York and a neurotic in California, and a grown-up the world still remembers as a little girl. Tackling everything from what she learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to discovering in adolescence that she was no longer “cute” enough for Hollywood, these essays chart her journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity. They also illuminate universal struggles, like navigating love and loss, and figuring out who you are and where you belong. Candid, insightful, moving, and hilarious, Where Am I Now? introduces Mara Wilson as a brilliant new chronicler of the experience that is growing up female.

Learn about how nature has inspired technological innovations with this book on the similarities between gecko feet and a new adhesive tape. Integrating both historical and scientific perspectives, this book explains how gecko feet inspired the invention of an adhesive. Readers will make connections and examine the relationship between the two concepts. Sidebars, photographs, a glossary, and a concluding chapter on important people in the field add detail and depth to this informational text on biomimicry.

Who can resist trucks? They’re loud. They’re complicated. They have wheels twice as tall as your dad. Trucks! has many cool images of the trucks we know and love. There are also curiosities like the $3 million mining truck that’s "like driving a house." This level 1 text is revved up with sound words and images to steer young readers on the road to reading success.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

Meet Thomas Edison!Fact-filled Rookie Read-About Biographies introduce the youngest readers to influential women and men, both past and present. Colorful photos and age appropriate text encourage children to read on their own-as they learn about people like Serena Williams, Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank and many more. Thomas Edison changed the world when he invented an electric light bulb. This books introduces his fascinating life to the youngest readers.