When Trim gets off to a bumpy start as ship's cat, new friends, human and animal, help him settle in.

"As the sun sank over the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, one warm October night in 1871, a smoky haze hung in the dry air. There had been little rain, and small fires had been rolling through town continuously since the summer. For weeks the people had tried to protect their homes and businesses from fire. But they could not protect themselves from what would culminate in the deadliest fire in American history. As industrialization surged across the...

In this fictional story, Amelia Simmons, writer of the first American cookbook, creates an Independence Cake in 1789 to offer the newly elected President, George Washington.

"Carter G. Woodson was born ten years after the end of the Civil War, to parents who had both been enslaved. Their stories were not the ones written about in history books, but Carter learned them and kept them in his heart. Carter's father could not read or write, but he believed in being an informed citizen. So Carter read the newspaper to him every day, and from this practice, he learned about the world and how to find out what he didn't know....

"Trim looks for a way to help his crewmates without much success, but when he discovers a big problem on the ship, it is all hands on deck"--Provided by publisher.

In 1931, a boy and his father watch as the world's tallest building, the Empire State Building, is constructed, step-by-step, near their Manhattan home.

"...when Beatrix decides to paint a picture of her neighbor's guinea pig, the magnificent Queen Elizabeth, she promises that no harm will befall the regal rodent. After all, what could possibly go wrong?"--Provided by publisher.

A child struggles to write a story until he finds inspiration outside his window. Includes writing prompts for young writers.

Congress has ruled that settlers in Kansas Territory will decide whether Kansas will enter the Union as a free or a slave state. Charlie Keller's papa is an abolitionist, and he's moving the family to Kansas so he can cast his vote for freedom. Will Kansas ever feel like home to Charlie?