Books published by publisher First Avenue Editions, 2001

Fourteen-year-old John Darragh was a spy. But British-occupied Philadelphia in 1777 was not a safe place for an American spy. If he were captured, John knew he would be hanged. In this suspenseful story based on accounts of the Darragh family's spying activities for General Washington, young John undertakes a dangerous mission to deliver a message to the American army.

On October 11, 1896, 10-year-old Sam Deal and his horse, Ginger, watch as the brave surfmen of Pea Island struggle to save the lives of nine people stranded on a shipwreck. Sam has dreamt of becoming a surfman just like the all-African-American crew, and this is his chance. Can he and Ginger help the crew rescue the victims, or will they be lost forever?

As a young man growing up in Greenland, Leif Ericsson had heard stories about a land to the west across the Atlantic Ocean. One day, he gathered a crew and set off to explore the land himself. He landed at three different places, finally settling at “Vinland”, now Newfoundland, Canada, for the winter. When he returned home, he became a hero, and inspired many other Vikings to explore the new world.

Casey Jones was the most famous railroad engineer there ever was. Casey had one hang up. He had to be on time. He expected his trains to be on time too. One night Casey was asked to drive a train that was far behind schedule. He got that train running as fast as she could go. Would Casey make it on time? Hop on board and find out what made this railroad engineer an American hero in this fast-paced tale.

Silkworms are not actually worms at all. They are the caterpillars of a large white moth. Many moth caterpillars produce silk thread inside their bodies, but the thread of the silkworm is so fine and strong that human beings use it to make a beautiful fabric. In countries like Japan, people raise millions of silkworms on farms and take their thread to be processed into silk cloth. Readers of this book will find out how silk farmers process silk and what role this amazing thread plays in the life cycle of the silkworm moth.

In this inspiring and relevant book, discover how "The Pledge of Allegiance" has become one of the enduring symbols of America's pride. In 1888, a children's magazine announced that a new holiday--Columbus Day--would begin in 1892, on which the American flag would be raised to celebrate the founding of America. As the flag was raised, children would say something to honor it. What resulted was a simple one-line poem that became known as "The Pledge of Allegiance." after more than a hundred years, the poem has changed very little, and is still recited in classrooms across America.

Growing up, Alexander Graham Bell was fascinated with music, speech, and sounds. He worked hard to invent things that would not only help those with impaired hearing, but also bring people together in new and special ways. What he didn't know was that his simple idea--to help people communicate--would change the world when he invented the telephone.