Search

What happens when you get a shattering diagnosis, receive devastating news or experience a life-altering event? Far too often we let the circumstances of our life dictate our happiness, our fruitfulness. We all-too-quickly give up our confidence, joy and purpose and exchange these for worry, doubt and fear...But it doesn't have to be that way. In this inspiring true story, you will read how to thrive no matter what life circumstances offer. Born with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that both kills and debilitates, Bethany Bryan's story will encourage your heart and inspire you to rise above all the obstacles that you face to embrace life and love with wild abandon despite emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual battles. As Bethany shares: “My parents raised me to believe and trust in God for all things, including life itself. Sure, my life has had its ups and downs, but Cystic Fibrosis was just an additional tool used by God to bring Him glory. Enduring treatments, serving in ministry, arranging my funeral, finding God's victory, planning my crazy, plot-twisting future...only God could put together a story like this one!”

Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world, a landlocked nation that borders both China and Russia. Kazakhstan has long struggled to find its own identity. Since declaring independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhs have struggled to regain their unique culture. This volume takes readers through its past and current events, across mountains and valleys, and into the everyday lives of its citizens, using vivid photographs, engaging sidebars, and accessible maps. Readers explore Kazakhstan's culture, geography, government, and people. They'll be encouraged to develop an interest in global exploration, history, and current events.

Simone Biles is four foot eight, making her the shortest American athlete to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games. But Biles soars high above her competition and is one of the most decorated athletes in the world, with twenty-five competition medals between the Olympics and World Championships. This engaging biography delves into the early life of Biles, including her Texas roots and how she found a unique family with her adoptive parents Ron and Nellie. Appealing photographs and thought-provoking sidebars support the narrative. Readers will explore her demanding career as a gymnast, her tireless work ethic, the ups and downs of competition-level gymnastics, and what it takes to soar.

The African nation of Angola has faced more than its share of conflict, originally colonized by Portugal in the sixteenth century and then embattled by a civil war that began in 1975 and lasted for almost thirty years. Today, Angola is a combination of African and Portuguese culture, and as the second-largest oil producer in Africa, its economy continues to grow. This comprehensive volume takes readers on a trip through the nation of Angola, delving into its history and exploring its modern culture, economy, government, and natural features and wildlife. It includes maps, colorful photographs, and engaging sidebars to guide readers through this fascinating country.

Winning the American Revolution was the first step to starting the new nation of the United States. However, without a ratified constitution, the fledgling country was not completely united. This insightful book guides readers through the eighty-five essays that make up the Federalist Papers. It explores the notions that pushed the states toward ratification and promoted a solid federal government. It takes readers through the history of why these documents were necessary and the role they played, and shares insight on how the Federalist Papers, their authors, and the U.S. Constitution itself continue to play a role in American society.

On September 2, 1957, the Arkansas governor announced that he would prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in the city of Little Rock. Violence followed, and, in response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10730, which allowed him to send in military troops to enforce the law and protect the students. This comprehensive book explores the history of segregation, why this executive order was necessary, and how it remains relevant today as the United States continues to address the struggle for the equality of black Americans.

Barbados, a small island in the Caribbean, has a rich and vibrant culture influenced by the almost 350 years it spent as a colony of England and by its West African roots stemming from the slave trade. Once dominated by the sugarcane industry and the white-owned plantations that supported it, today Barbados is a popular tourist destination and a hub for manufacturing. Barbadians, or Bajans as they refer to themselves, take pride in their home, even long after they move away. This book explores the sometimes murky history of this country, its fight for independence from England, how it continues to struggle against economic setbacks today, and the incredible music, food, festivals, sports, and landmarks that make Barbados unique.

Electricity was not the invention of one individual, but the work of many over generations, from civilizations around the world. This book comprehensively covers the invention of electricity, from the cultures that tried to harness the power of lightning over centuries to Benjamin Franklin's tests with a kite and a key, the industrialization of the lightbulb by Thomas Edison, and the use of electric power today. Through sidebars, fact boxes, and colorful photographs, this book highlights the key moments, positive and negatives impacts, and technological innovations relating to one of the most revolutionary technologies today.

Opioids include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. Because some people can obtain prescriptions for prescription painkillers, it can be easily obtained and easily abused. In fact, since 2010, opioid use has continually increased in the U.S. and Canada, leading some local governments and organizations to declare an opioid epidemic. This book examines the dangers of opioid abuse and the physical and legal consequences opioid abusers face. It also provides support for those who want to seek treatment or have loved ones with opioid addictions.

In the United States, the women's rights movement began with women demanding suffrage, or the right to vote, in the late nineteenth century. Over the next hundred years, this fight for equal rights would evolve and shift. Readers will trace the history of the women's rights movement through project-based learning. Students can model their own projects on those provided, including drawing maps, writing letters to important historical figures, and more. Vibrant photographs and enlightening sidebars enhance the background information and projects provided.

Hair and makeup can transform actors, placing them in a different time and place, or even altering their age. This book explores the ways these artists lend their talents to the stage and how they work with others on the theater team to give each play a distinctive look.

Melania Trump began her career as a model and now holds the position of first lady of the United States. As a Slovene American, Melania was born in the former Yugoslavia and became a citizen of the United States in 2006. Her marriage to Donald Trump placed her even more in the spotlight as he campaigned for and won the presidency. In her new role as first lady, Melania considers what social concerns she will address to serve the American public.

United States president John F. Kennedy advocated an invasion of Cuba. Led by anti-Castro supporters, the Bay of Pigs invasion was unsuccessful. Castro understood the invasion as an attempt to overthrow his government. After this unsuccessful event, the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union came close to a nuclear confrontation. This book takes a closer look at this dramatic conflict and the tensions that emerged from the threat of nuclear power.

The theater needs people who are good with their hands. Creative and handy people make, paint, and maintain the sets and props that bring a show to life. Learn what is required to get a set ready for opening night, and how job skills developed on the stage can translate into a career that is always in high demand.

Crystal meth and other amphetamines are illegal synthetic drugs that are cheap to produce and very damaging. These stimulants are highly aggressive and gradually destroy the body of a user. This book will guide readers through the warning signs of possible crystal meth abuse and suggest potential interventions and ways to seek treatment. Personal narratives, sidebars, and organizations that treat crystal meth addiction are also included to instill hope in readers seeking help for themselves or loved ones.

Ice hockey—which has been evolving for thousands of years—is not now, nor has it ever been, a sport for the timid. Armed with pounds of padding, wooden sticks, and goal-driven intensity, the players of this sport are indeed a force—a fast and often fierce force. Readers of this book will learn about the history and evolving rules of the game, how it came to be organized into leagues, and who the movers and shakers in the icy and often adrenaline-riddled rink are.

While plays are printed works and are therefore certainly able to be read, they don't truly come alive until they are performed, with actors breathing life into the words on the page. After reading this engaging and informative book, young readers may well want to write and perform their own creative works. Happily, how to do just that is spelled out in the book itself. Also included are excerpts from famous and not-so-famous plays—all to educate, entertain, and inspire young readers, including those students who may well be budding playwrights.

The basics of measurement are an important part of the science and mathematics curriculum for students and readers. This volume is a simple and straightforward guide to measurements, including a history on how measurements were formed and have been standardized and basics on measuring distance, weight, temperature, volume, time, and more, along with information on the metric and imperial systems. Chapters contain vocabulary words and simple exercises that help to supplement the text and add an interactive, hands-on learning experience for students wanting to learn more.

Rocks are everywhere on Earth, and they can actually tell us a lot about the Earth's history. This exciting scientific resource examines the different kinds of rocks, how they form, and what they can be used for. Charts, graphic organizers, and diagrams make the rock cycle easy to understand.