The Rocket Years

The Defining Decade for the #Adulting generation—a book that blends storytelling and data to unpack the choices you make in your twenties, why they matter, and how to turn those critical years into a launchpad for the life you want. We tend to think of our twenties as a playground for life: A time for low-consequence experimentation and delaying big decisions. But the truth is that while you’re muddling through those years—exploring new cities, dating the wrong people, hopping between jobs—a small shift in your flight path can mean the difference between landing on Mars or Saturn. As the data shows, the choices we make (or put off) during this critical decade about our career, marriage, health, friends, even downtime have the greatest impact on how our lives play out. For example, did you know that people who marry between the ages of 28 and 32 have the lowest risk of divorce? And that the average 25 year old has 20 close friends, but this will shrink to 8 after age 40? And that most of us don’t acquire new hobbies after we hit our thirties? Rather than prescribing one correct path (who are we kidding, there’s no such thing anyway!), Elizabeth Segran invites readers to think critically and holistically about the life they want to build. With signature warmth and humor, Segran is the guide we all wish we had to show us the way. Blending insightful anecdotes with research from economics, sociology, and political science, The Rocket Years is an empowering exploration of these exciting, confusing, wonderful years.

Inspire a lifelong love of reading with an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird in this sequel to the New York Times bestselling picture book, How Rocket Learned to Read. #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal • Publishers Weekly "A perfect choice to inspire new readers and writers." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review Rocket loves books and he wants to make his own, but he can't think of a story. Encouraged by the little yellow bird to look closely at the world around him for inspiration, Rocket sets out on a journey. Along the way he discovers small details that he has never noticed before, a timid baby owl who becomes his friend, and an idea for a story. Tad Hills, the creator of the beloved Duck & Goose series delivers another heartwarming story, filled with fresh, charming art making this a favorite for story time. Don’t miss the animated movie based on the bestselling Rocket books--now airing on PBS!

Reproduction of the original: The Rocket Book by Peter Newell

Welcome to ’90s Montreal. It’s been five years since the OKA crisis and the sex garage riots; the queers are rioting against assimilation, cocktail AIDS drugs are starting to work, and the city walls on either side of the Main are spray-painted with the words YES or NO. Revolution seems possible to eighteen-year-old Eve, who is pining to get out of her parent’s house in Dorval and find a girl who wants to kiss her back. She meets Della: ten years older, mysterious, defiantly non-monogamous, and an avid separatist. Their explosive beginning and volatile relationship paves a path for the personal and political to collide on the night of the referendum.

In his 18 years with the Montréal Canadiens (1942-1960), Maurice Richard's story appeared everywhere from novels to songs, and his name marked streets and public squares. In this entertaining and lavishly illustrated biography, cultural historian Benoît Melançon traces the Rocket's elevation from mortal to myth. The book's opening pages revisit Richard's greatest feats and most memorable moments, from his 1955 suspension for hitting a referee to his standoff with NHL president Clarence Campbell that became a symbol of Quebec nationalism. Melançon then explores the Rocket's legend and mystique -- his burning eyes, wild temper, physical strength, and sudden tendency to break down in tears. The Rocket draws on a rich mix of print sources, photos, and illustrations to show how sportswriters, artists, playwrights, politicians, and ordinary citizens all played a part in immortalizing this extraordinary man and athlete.

George takes a giant leap for monkeykind when he gets suited up and blasts off into space in this out-of-this-world interplanetary adventure. This lively story captures George’s adventure of becoming the first space monkey from the classic Curious George Gets a Medal. Praise for the Curious George books “What distinguishes the George stories is where the trouble is—almost never in a person, never in humanity. George lives in a super benign world, even if it is often strange and unfamiliar to him. This is different than living in a world that is familiar but crowded with evil or indifference . . . George is at once an impossible monkey, a fantasy, and also, simply, one of us.” —The New Yorker “Curious George certainly deserves a spot on the shelf, and these engaging stories will provide a good exercise in imagination and creativity.” —The Horn Book

Big names have always dominated baseball, and one of the biggest in recent history is Roger Clemens--the Rocket. As a baseball great, he has shown what it means to succeed, both on the field and off, in his near quarter century of major-league service. The Rocket: Baseball Legend Roger Clemens journeys from Clemens's humble and sometimes difficult childhood through his illustrious career in Boston, Toronto, New York, and Houston. Clemens rose through the ranks, setting a new example of devoted work ethic and responsibility to team and fan alike. Through it all he remained a dedicated family man, not a trait usually associated with the free-for-all image of a major-league baseball player. Joseph Janczak traces Clemens's career from his high school days; through his University of Texas collegiate baseball (where he was given the pre-Rocket nickname of "Goose"); and on to his minor-league and major-league career. Baseball's image when Clemens first started in the halcyon days of the mid-1980s quickly dissolved into that of a sport saddled with crises and scandals, such as gambling, steroids, strikes, and fan distrust. But Clemens rose above it all and has set an example for the fans, who he says are the reason for his hard work on the mound each game. The Rocket includes thoughts from teammates, opponents, and Clemens himself on his legendary career. Janczak also discusses the ongoing steroid controversy and the Rocket's philanthropic endeavors to the community. Written for baseball fans of all ages and all levels of knowledge of the game, The Rocket shows why baseball is America's pastime and why some stars still deserve to be idolized.

The Rocket Lab: Maurice Zucrow, Purdue University, and America’s Race to Space focuses on the golden era of space exploration between 1946 and 1966, specifically the life and times of Purdue University’s Dr. Maurice J. Zucrow, a pioneering teacher and researcher in aerospace engineering. Zucrow taught America’s first university course in jet and rocket propulsion, wrote the field’s first textbook, and established the country’s first educational Rocket Lab. He was part of a small circle of innovators who transformed Purdue into the country’s largest engineering university, which became a cradle of astronauts. Taking a chronological and thematic approach, The Rocket Lab weaves between the local and national, drawing in rival universities, especially Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Caltech. Also covered is Zucrow’s role in the national project system of research and development through World War II and the Cold War. At Aerojet, he was one of the country’s original project engineers, dedicated to scientific-technical expertise and the stepwise approach. He made vanguard power plant contributions to the Northrop Flying Wing, as well as the Corporal, Nike, and Atlas missiles, among others. Zucrow’s work in propulsion helped to improve the country’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and space launchers, and as a teacher, he educated the first generation of aerospace engineers. This book elevates Zucrow and the central role he played in getting the United States to space.