Books in Step-Up Biographies series

She just wouldn’t get up—and with that simple, courageous act Rosa Parks struck a blow against injustice. Parks showed what one person, without guns or violence, could do to change the course of history forever. Nelson Mandela claimed “she is who inspired us to be fearless when facing our oppressors.” As a volunteer secretary for the NAACP, Parks chronicled racial injustices and fought for desegregation. Then, on December 1, 1955, she made a stand on a Montgomery, Alabama bus: she refused to relinquish her seat for a white man. Her arrest mobilized the black community for a citywide bus boycott that led to a landmark Supreme Court decision. Award-winning author Ruth Ashby beautifully conveys Park’s dignity and determination.

This title focuses on Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. Go upside-down with information related to her early life, her time in the spotlight, and the legacy she will leave behind. This hi-lo title is complete with dazzling photographs, simple text, glossary, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Fly! is an imprint of Abdo Zoom, a division of ABDO.

This title focuses on pro-wrestler turned mega-star Dwayne Johnson. This book explores his early life, his time in the spotlight, from wrestling as The Rock to mega movie star, and the legacy he will leave behind. This hi-lo title is complete with dazzling photographs, simple text, glossary, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Fly! is an imprint of Abdo Zoom, a division of ABDO.

At once daring, clever, smart, rich, determined, and rash, Cleopatra is one of history’s most fascinating figures. Here, children will find out all about: - The Ptolemy Dynasty into which she was born, its traditions and infighting- The role of women in ancient Egypt - How she ascended to, and maintained her place on, the throne- Her relationships with both Caesar and Mark Antony and the political repercussions of these affairs within the Roman Empire and Egypt- Her death in Alexandria- And much more, all beautifully illustrated

Neil Armstrong was America’s rocket man, the first person to set foot on the moon and turn science fiction into amazing reality. Award-winning authors Tara Dixon-Engel and Mike Jackson tell the fascinating story of how Armstrong went where no one had gone before, leaving his mark on the powdery surface of another world. Even at an age when other boys were just learning to drive, Neil was training to reach the skies. He went on to study aeronautical engineering, win medals as a fighter pilot, try out the X-15 experimental rocket plane, and become one of the elite few chosen to be a NASA astronaut…where he took the test pilot’s credo of “higher, faster and farther” to thrilling heights.

Helen Keller lived in darkness and silence, but she dazzled the world with her accomplishments. Her powerful story lives in this remarkable biography by Emma Carlson Berne. Find out about:- The illness that destroyed young Helen’s sight and hearing- Her explosive first meeting with her teacher Annie Sullivan- Her struggle to become the first blind/deaf student ever awarded a degree from prestigious Radcliffe College- The romance that almost led to marriage- Her life as writer, lecturer, and world traveler

If you are tired, keep going; if you are scared, keep going, if you are hungry, keep going; if you want to taste freedom, keep going. These are the words of Harriet Tubman, called the “Moses of her people” for leading slaves northward to freedom. After successfully escaping when only in her twenties, she put herself in danger again and again in order to help other slaves achieve liberty. And when the Civil War began, this freedom fighter not only spied for the Union, but became the first American woman to plan and direct a battle. Her compelling story is beautifully told here, along with a rich store of information about slave life, the Underground Railroad, and famous abolitionists.

One of the great thinkers of all time, Thomas Jefferson helped shape America in its early years, and his ideas continue to inspire us today. His amazing contributions include not only writing the Declaration of Independence, but his actions as the United States’ third President, as well as his influence as a scientist, inventor, farming pioneer, and educator. The engrossing life of this founding father is fully captured in this richly detailed biography, from Jefferson’s childhood in a simple wooden farmhouse in Virginia through his careers in law, diplomacy, and politics, in addition to his marriage to his beloved Martha and the family tragedies they endured.

The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. That was Thomas Edison’s philosophy, and it led him to create the incandescent light bulb and illuminate the world with electricity. But that was just one of the many groundbreaking inventions Edison devised, many of which changed the shape of entertainment, industry, and everyday life. Meet the Wizard of Menlo Park, and see how he grew from a lonely, inquisitive boy who carried out experiments in his basement to the smart, enterprising, and imaginative inventor who gave us the stock market ticker, helped develop the phonograph and cinema, and even came up with the first storage battery and electric car.

Honest Abe, The Great Emancipator, The Martyr: Abraham Lincoln was perhaps America’s greatest President. He is also deeply beloved by many, who are inspired by Lincoln’s unwavering sense of justice and willingness to fight for his beliefs. Young readers will marvel at Lincoln’s path to greatness from his humble beginnings as a poor Illinois rail splitter up through his election as America’s 16th President, and into the dark days of the Civil War leading to his tragic assassination. In addition to background on his childhood and his marriage to Mary Todd, numerous sidebars provide simple explanations to relevant historical events such as the Dred Scott Decision and the Mexican Wars.