The Astronomically Grand Plan

In this first book of a brand new-chapter book series, a young girl is determined to be the first astronaut with hearing aids in space! Astrid can't wait for the school year to start so she can put her Astronomically Grand Plan into action! She and h

Astrid is excited about her upcoming first year of Shooting Stars, a club dedicated to all things space, but now that her best friend Hallie is more interested in art Astrid is not sure her goal of becoming an astronaut will happen without her friend.

This is the fourth book in the Astrid the Astronaut chapter book series about a young girl determined to be the first hard-of-hearing astronaut in space! When Astrid and the rest of the Shooting Stars find out that their teacher, Ms. Ruiz, is about to celebrate a big birthday, they band together to create the perfect gift. Her big day happens to be the same as the upcoming robotics competition and they decide to do something there. With the help of Astrid’s big sister, Stella, they program their robot to do a fun dance and give Ms. Ruiz a sweet surprise. But on the day of the competition, the data for the Shooting Stars robot somehow gets mixed up with another one! Will their fun present end up being a major malfunction?

From the temples of Egypt to the stone circles of Britain, Michell traces the development of the science of astro-archaeology.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo, which officially ended the U.S.-Mexican War in 1848, cost Mexico half its territory, while the United States gained land that became California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Because the new United States-Mexico border ran through territory that was still incompletely mapped, the treaty also called for government commissions from both nations to locate and mark the boundary on the ground. This book documents the accomplishments of both the U.S. and the Mexican Boundary Commissions that mapped the boundary between 1849 and 1857, as well as the fifty-four pairs of maps produced by their efforts and the ongoing importance of these historical maps in current boundary administration. Paula Rebert explores how, despite the efforts of both commissions to draw neutral, scientific maps, the actual maps that resulted from their efforts reflected the differing goals and outlooks of the two countries. She also traces how the differences between the U.S. and Mexican maps have had important consequences for the history of the boundary.

In this third book in the Astrid the Astronaut chapter book series, Astrid is torn between her best friend and arch-rival! The Shooting Stars and Petite Picasso groups are working together on a combined STEM and art project—which means BFFs Astrid and Hallie finally get to team up! But Astrid’s excitement doesn’t last long when they are grouped with her arch-nemesis: Pearl. And what’s worse, Hallie actually agrees with some of the ideas Pearl has for the project. Isn’t she supposed to be on Astrid’s side? Can Astrid, Hallie, and Pearl learn how to work together and create a project that’s out of this world?

In this second book of a brand new-chapter book series, aspiring astronaut Astrid designs a rocket! After seeing the big Space-E rocket launch, Astrid just knows she’s going to be exploring space in a rocket of her own someday! And in honor of the big launch, Astrid and her fellow Shooting Stars will be building rockets of their very own. What’s more exciting is the guest helper, Luke, who actually worked on the Space-E team! The Shooting Stars are working towards more points on the Astro Board and Astrid is hoping she can impress Luke enough to score a tour of Space-E headquarters. But it turns out that Luke’s design might not be the best—and Astrid isn’t sure if she should speak up. Can Astrid use her voice to show there is more than one solution for a perfect take-off?

A lyrical, gorgeously illustrated look at the majesty of trees—and what humans can learn from them Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Be a tree! We are all like trees: our spines, trunks; our skin, bark; our hearts giving us strength and support, like heartwood. We are fueled by air and sun. And, like humans, trees are social. They “talk” to spread information; they share food and resources. They shelter and take care of one another. They are stronger together. In this gorgeous and poetic celebration of one of nature’s greatest creations, acclaimed author Maria Gianferrari and illustrator Felicita Sala both compare us to the beauty and majesty of trees—and gently share the ways in which trees can inspire us to be better people.