Books in Life as series

The Oregon Trail was an important part of American history. It helped bring new people to the western United States. Explore what life was like for pioneers on the Oregon Trail, what difficulties they faced along the way, and what it was like to live in Oregon once they arrived. Complete with vivid photographs, a glossary, and colorful designs, this is an excellent way to introduce readers to Americas early westward expansion.

Whether it’s counting their birthdays or measuring their height, kids love to see how their bodies change over time. This series looks at the life cycle of familiar plants and animals, introducing the reader to the concept of change over time. Each book looks at the habitat the plant or animal lives in, what they need to grow, and the stages of changes they go through.

Did the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia survive the slaughter of her family, and did Amelia Earhart perhaps survive her famous flight across the Pacific? Where did the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson go when she vanished in May of 1926, and where did the mystery writer Agatha Christie disappear to later that same year? Was Napoleon in fact murdered, and might the same fate have befallen Dag Hammarskjold? Where's all the loot from the Great Train Robbery, not to mention all the spoils that were stashed away by the notorious gangster Dutch Schultz? Did two other mountain climbers reach the summit of Mount Everest before Sir Edmund Hillary, and did a French airplane cross the Atlantic just before Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis? Who was Jack the Ripper, and who was the Axman of New Orleans? All of these questions will be asked anew (and some of them will finally be answered) in the pages of this intoxicating new LIFE book. Here are no fewer than 50 cases from the files, each more baffling than the last. The famous folks are here--from Edgar Allan Poe to Jim Morrison to JonBenet Ramsey--as are equally compelling stories involving people who you have yet to meet. LIFE's editors have unearthed more than a few obscurities for your entertainment. Entertainment? Indeed. As these editors point out in their introductions: "There is something in human nature that draws up to the mysterious. We seek conclusions--but not really. We want answers but are entertained when they prove elusive. A mystery fascinates us, intrigues us, beguiles us. In its uncertainty, it has a softness and a sense of wonder that a solved, buttoned-down case lacks. An unsolved mystery can be romantic." Enter, then, into the romance of The Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of All Time. Puzzle out the possible solutions to these narratives and delight in the extraordinary photographs. Riveting stories and great photography: just what you would expect from LIFE, and the only aspect of this book that is not at all mysterious.

Summer’s finally here, and Derek Fallon is looking forward to pelting the UPS truck with water balloons, climbing onto the garage roof, and conducting silly investigations. But when his parents decide to send him to Learning Camp, Derek’s dreams of fun come to an end. Ever since he’s been labeled a “reluctant reader,” his mom has pushed him to read “real” books—something other than his beloved Calvin & Hobbes. As Derek forges unexpected friendships and uncovers a family secret involving himself (in diapers! no less), he realizes that adventures and surprises are around the corner, complete with curve balls.My Life as a Book is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

The semi-autobiographical graphic novel about young girl facing bullying and struggling for acceptance by Anja Dahle Øverbye won the Norwegian Comic of the Year award in 2016. It is an impressive debut book that has drawn inspiration from North-Western Norway where she grew up. Dog days are a phenomenon taking place in late summer. According to folklore, the dog days are extremely hot, muck floats up to the surface of water, food goes bad and dogs may more easily go mad. It is at this time of year we meet Anne, who is mid-way between childhood and adolescence. The intensely stifling, sultry weather that summer affects her relationships with both her friends and family.Her best friend Marielle wants to hang out with slightly older Carrie. When the two of them strike up a friendship, Anne is left out. She is too young to go to the youth club, and too restless to find anything else to do. Can she and Marielle become close friends again? And what is she willing to do to make that happen?The images are sensitively portrayed in detailed pencil drawings and display keen insight into human nature. The scenery of Western Norway plays a central role in the story.