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Books in Totally True Adventures series

  • Balto and the Great Race

    Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Nora Köerber

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Dec. 21, 1999)
    Balto has a quiet life as a sled dog—until tragedy strikes. Dozens of children in Nome become sick with diphtheria. Without antitoxin serum, they will perish—and the closest supply is 650 miles away! The only way to get the serum to Nome is by sled, but can the dogs deliver it in time? Heading bravely into a brutal blizzard, Balto leads the race for life.A Kansas City Children’s Book Award for Grades 1–3
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  • Apollo 13

    Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Wesley Lowe

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, March 24, 2015)
    Could you survive an outer-space disaster? Aspiring astronauts and young explorers will love this out-of-this-world Totally True Adventure. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise blasted off for the Moon on April 11, 1970. But after a disastrous explosion damaged their spacecraft, the three men had only one goal: to get back home safely. This informational text makes space travel exciting and accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a map, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived series and the Who Was series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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  • The Curse of King Tut's Mummy

    Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, James Nelson

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Jan. 23, 2007)
    When the pharoahs of Egypt died, they were mummified and buried in pyramids and tombs with all their riches. But as centuries passed, the tombs were looted and the pharoahs' gold stolen. Then Howard Carter found the greatest Egyptian treasure trove of all—the tomb of King Tut's mummy! But did the amazing treasure come with a deadly curse?
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  • Finding the First T. Rex

    Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Jim Nelson

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, June 24, 2008)
    IN 1902, WILLIAM HORNADAY handed a map to the famous paleontologist Barnum Brown. It was Hornaday’s hand-drawn directions to a remote area of the Montana Badlands, where he believed amazing dinosaur fossils lay buried. Following the map, Brown dug up a jawbone edged with six-inch long teeth, the remains of a monstrous creature no one had ever seen before. But one bone wasn’t enough, and Brown soon found himself in a desperate race to discover the skeleton of the mystery carnivore!
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  • Climbing Everest

    Gail Herman, Michele Amatrula

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Aug. 4, 2015)
    Could you climb the world’s highest mountain? Thrill seekers and young explorers will love this inspiring Totally True Adventure. The peak of Mount Everest is the highest place on Earth—and one of the deadliest. Terrible storms stop climbers in their tracks! Avalanches tumble down! Brave adventurers disappear on the snowy slopes. Then Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay decide to climb. They come from different cultures, but their dream is the same. Can teamwork help them make it to the roof of the world? This nonfiction chapter book makes history exciting and accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a map, Common Core connections, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived series and the Who Was . . . ? series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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  • Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse

    David A. Kelly, Tim Jessell

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Feb. 24, 2009)
    Before 1918, the Boston Red Sox were unstoppable. They won World Series after World Series, thanks in part to their charismatic pitcher-slugger Babe Ruth. But some people on the Red Sox felt the Babe was more trouble than he was worth, and he was traded away to one of the worst teams in baseball, the New York Yankees. From then on, the Yankees became a golden team. And the Red Sox? For over 80 years, they just couldn’t win another World Series. Then, in 2004, along came a scruffy, scrappy Red Sox team. Could they break Babe Ruth’s curse and win it all?
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  • The Search for El Dorado

    Lois Miner Huey

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, April 19, 2016)
    Was the City of Gold a real place? Treasure seekers and mystery readers alike will love this action-packed Totally True Adventure. Towers of gold! Glittering streets! Jewels, coins, and more! Early Spanish explorers heard a story about El Dorado. It was a lost city in the Americas made of gold. The explorers believed it was real—and they believed they could find it! Soon the story became a legend, and the legend changed the world. But the city of El Dorado has not been found . . . yet. This nonfiction chapter book makes history exciting and accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a map, Common Core connections, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived series and the Who Was . . . ? series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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  • George Washington's Spies

    Claudia Friddell

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Dec. 27, 2016)
    Think you know everything about Washington? Think again. During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington (AKA “Agent 711”) was the leader of a ring of spies! The group—called the Culper Ring—used secret names, codes, invisible ink, and more to spy on the British and pass along information. Nobody knew about it at the time (and few do so today), but those sneaky heroes risked their lives to help win the American Revolution! Illustrated throughout in black and white, with an appendix that includes photographs, bonus content, and links to primary source materials, this Totally True Adventures series book is ideal for supporting the Common Core State Standards and today's renewed interest in nonfiction. It’s a thrilling read—made even better because it really happened!
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  • The $25,000 Flight

    Lori Haskins Houran, Wesley Lowe

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Aug. 26, 2014)
    Can Charles Lindbergh set a world record? Follow America’s first superstar pilot in this high-flying Totally True Adventure. In the 1920s, flying was brand new—and very dangerous. A $25,000 prize for the first flight from New York to Paris went unclaimed for years. Many teams tried. And many teams failed. Still, Charles Lindbergh felt he had a shot at the prize. He wasn’t famous. He wasn’t rich. But he was determined. He’d cross the ocean in a tiny plane . . . and he’d do it all by himself! After you've read the story, don't miss the bonus content with extra facts, a timeline, and more 20th century history, geography, and science-tie-ins!
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  • Kerri Strug and the Magnificent Seven

    Kaitlin Moore

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, May 3, 2016)
    Can Kerri Strug help Team USA win Olympic gold? Discover an inspiring American gymnastics story with this unforgettable Totally True Adventure. In 1996, seven gymnasts—the Magnificent Seven—are America’s best chance to win its first team gold medal. Kerri Strug is one of them. After years of training, Kerri wants to do her best for the team. But the competition is tough—and full of surprises! Can Kerri help Team USA make history? This nonfiction chapter book makes an exciting moment in Olympic history accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a glossary, Common Core connections, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived and Who Was . . . ? series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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  • The Race Around the World

    Nancy Castaldo, Wesley Lowe

    Paperback (Random House Books for Young Readers, Aug. 4, 2015)
    Does Nellie Bly have what it takes to race around the world? Travel to all corners of the globe in this action-packed Totally True Adventure. When Nellie Bly read Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, she had an amazing idea. What if she traveled around the world in real life, and did it in less than eighty days? In 1889, people doubted it could be done—especially by a woman. But with one small bag and a sturdy coat, Nellie set out anyway. Soon the whole world was rooting for her. Could she make it back home in time? This nonfiction chapter book makes history exciting and accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a map, Common Core connections, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived series and the Who Was . . . ? series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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  • Kerri Strug and the Magnificent Seven

    Kaitlin Moore

    Library Binding (Random House Books for Young Readers, May 3, 2016)
    Can Kerri Strug help Team USA win Olympic gold? Discover an inspiring American gymnastics story with this unforgettable Totally True Adventure. In 1996, seven gymnasts—the Magnificent Seven—are America’s best chance to win its first team gold medal. Kerri Strug is one of them. After years of training, Kerri wants to do her best for the team. But the competition is tough—and full of surprises! Can Kerri help Team USA make history? This nonfiction chapter book makes an exciting moment in Olympic history accessible for younger readers and features illustrations, photographs, a glossary, Common Core connections, and additional Story Behind the Story facts. Perfect for readers of the I Survived and Who Was . . . ? series, Totally True Adventures are captivating nonfiction stories with not-to-be-missed bonus content.
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