One of the most popular players in Cincinnati Reds history, Ernie "Schnozz" Lombardi played 1931-1947 as an eight-time All-Star catcher. A big man with huge hands, a cannon for an arm and a namesake nose, he held two National League batting titles and a career average of .306. Yet he was so famously slow a runner that the infielders took to the outfield, where they could still throw him out. Fastballs not thrown hard enough were caught barehanded and fired back to the mound. One unfortunate play in the 1939 World Series dogged Lombardi for the rest of his life and kept him from the Hall of Fame until long after his death. This first full-length biography gives a complete account of this outstanding player.

Liz, Bodey, Maude, and Justine's band, Odd Schnozz and the Odd Squad, are sure to win this year's Battle of the Bands. But when a talking chimp, who claims to be a scientist from the mysterious organization B.L.A.N.K., interrupts their practice session, the band's got a whole new set of problems. Now B.L.A.N.K. agents are closing in, determined to recapture the escaped chimp before he becomes a liability. Jeffrey Burandt (Americans UK) and Dennis Culver (Edison Rex) bring you this thrilling tale of cyborg animals and punk rock teenagers. 1, 2, 3, 4!

The S.S.M.P. goes up against their STINKIEST monster yet! Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!Everything stinks! Alexander, Rip, and Nikki aren't in the same class anymore. The monster notebook is missing. And a HONKing monster is sliming Stermont! Plus, actual smelly stuff is going missing all over town. Could all of these stinky things be connected? The S.S.M.P. will have to sniff out their latest monster!

In 1941 Westheimer was in a B-24 that ditched off the coast of Italy. It was the first American plane to be lost over Italy in the early days of WW2. Behind enemy lines, the author & 6 other survivors were taken to a camp at Poggio Mirteto before being assigned to another Italian POW camp. After 9 months in captivity, the prisoners had a brief brush with freedom. Retaken by advancing Germans before they could escape, they were transported through the Alps, to Stalag Luft III. Westheimer spent 19 more months in German hands before he was finally liberated by American troops on April 29, 1945. Westheimer wrote this book shortly after his release.