Books published by publisher Lerner Classroom, 2006

What if the neighborhood cat had teeth that measured a foot long? Saber-tooth cats have been extinct for thousands of years, but once upon a time they were the predators of their neighborhoods. Learn more about the different types of these ancient felines with diagrams, critical thinking questions, and more, compiled in an accessible and interesting format for young readers.

You may know that singing sensation Taylor Swift has won over fans of both pop and country music. But did you know that Taylor: • used to help out on her family’s Christmas tree farm by pulling bugs off the trees? Yuck! • won a national poetry contest in fourth grade with her poem “Monster in My Closet”? • thought of the melody for her hit song “Tim McGraw” in her ninth-grade math class and sang it into her phone in the school bathroom so she wouldn't forget it? Want to know more about the life of this talented celebrity? Read on to learn all about Taylor's childhood, family, career, boyfriends, favorite things, and more!

LeBron James has been a National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar since he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as a teenager in 2003. In 2010, after turning Cleveland into a winning team, LeBron left his hometown to play with the Miami Heat. In Miami, LeBron and his teammates won the NBA Finals in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, LeBron returned to Cleveland to try to bring a championship to the city. Read all about LeBron's remarkable journey.

Learn what a mountain gorilla has in common with a hippopotamus. Find out what sets a mountain gorilla apart from a raccoon or a mountain lion. Readers will compare key traits of mountain gorillas―their appearance, behavior, habitat, and life cycle―to traits of other mammals. Charts and sidebars support key ideas and provide details. Through gathering information about similarities and differences, readers will make connections and draw conclusions about what makes this animal a mammal and how mammals are alike and different from each other.

Do you like the challenge and adventure of video games? As Jane McGonigal was growing up, she had fun playing early video games. As an adult, she saw games as an outlet for problem solving and teambuilding. McGonigal started creating alternate reality games (ARGs), which may be based online but take place mainly in the real world. She enjoys challenging others to engage in modern issues and to work together, as in her game World Without Oil and in The Lost Ring, which she created for the 2008 Summer Olympics. McGonigal was named one of the world's top innovators by MIT's Technology Review, and her 2010 TED Talk, "Gaming Can Make a Better World," is one of the most-watched of all time. But how did she get there? Find out how she developed her passion for games to become the public face of game design.

The supercharged facts about energy and waves can set your brain buzzing! You learn about huge rates of consumption (like the 35.3 quadrillion BTUs of petroleum used in the United States in 2011), huge timelines (it took 300 million years for our greatest source of energy, fossil fuels, to be created), and even huger mysteries (how long it will be before fossil fuels run out). How can all these big numbers and concepts make more sense? Infographics! The charts, maps, and illustrations in this book tell a visual story to help you better understand key concepts about energy and waves. Crack open this book to explore mind-boggling questions such as: • What is “the grid” and how does it work? • How does sound travel? • How can dancing create energy? The answers are sure to be shocking!

Who disposes of your garbage when your trash can is full? Garbage collectors are very important to keeping your community clean. Carefully leveled text and fresh, vibrant photos engage young readers in learning about how garbage collectors serve their community. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.