Set in the 1880s, Valentine Harper heads West to the Colorado Silver Rush to find her father in this fast-paced adventure! Valentine Harper's father has been in Colorado for more than a year seeking his fortune in the Silver Rush. But she's tired of waiting for his overdue return. Aunt Margaret is nice, but Uncle Franklin seems unhappy to have an extra person in the house and Cousin Harold's pranks have been getting meaner. Unfortunately, a girl can't get far on her own in America in 1885. But with a haircut, the right clothes, and a big dose of courage, Vallie Harper just might make it on a journey across the country to look for her father, and pull off an adventure that will change her life.

Coin collectors have long believed Anna W. Williams was the model for George Morgan's 1878 silver dollar design, but was she? The author examines available evidence and suggests Miss Williams modeled for Mr. Morgan, but her likeness was not part of the standard silver dollar design.

Young Harry Houdini runs away from home only to find himself a prisoner of Professor Murat's circus, where Harry and his new circus friends form their headquarters for their unique detective agency.

Successful young writer Marjorie McClelland leads a solitary, comfortable life in the quiet, post-prohibition town of Ridgebury, CT. Her tranquil life is disrupted when Creighton Ashcroft, a British heir with time and money to burn, purchases a deserted mansion with a mysterious history on the outskirts of town. Instantly smitten with the talented and beautiful Marjorie, Creighton craftily arranges an intimate meeting, but the mood is spoiled when they stumble across a body while touring the ample grounds of Creighton's new estate. With the intention of reaping the story's literary benefits, the two forge an unlikely partnership and research the mansion's sordid past, but they soon find themselves in the middle of an unfolding series of hidden murders and family deceit. On top of this, the handsome detective assigned to the case has caught Marjorie's attention--and Creighton's suspicious eye. The trio must work together to break through a web of deceptively demure townspeople and the discreet upper class to solve the mystery of the mansion's past before becoming victims themselves. Filled with rumor and humor, this historical thriller delights to its captivating close.

During the Great Depression, a boy who faces bullying stumbles upon a mystery and comes of age in this novel that integrates fact and opinion and has a rich 1930’s vocabulary. Extra material: An Author’s Note is included in the back of the book. Mike Costa has lived his whole life in The Strip, Pittsburgh’s warehouse and factory district. His father’s large Italian family runs a food wholesale business, and Mike is used to the sounds and smells of men working all night to unload the trains that feed the city. But it’s 1933, and the Depression is bringing tough times to everyone. Money problems only add to Mike’s worries about his beloved grandfather, who is getting forgetful and confused. Mike is being tormented at school by a loud-mouth named Andy Simms, who calls Mike “Macaroni Boy.” But when dead rats start appearing in the streets, that name changes to “Rat Boy.” Around the same time Mike notices that his grandfather is also physically sick. Can whatever is killing the rats be hurting Mike’s grandfather? It’s a mystery Mike urgently needs to solve in this atmospheric, fast-paced story filled with vibrant period detail.

Angel had no memory of the secret message, but the writing was hers. It read, "Violet eyes lie." SILVER EYES In a world where humans work on Mars and loyalty is controlled by a brain chip, eighteen-year-old Angel Eastland can't retrieve her memory. Violet-eyed from the effects of a genetic experiment, she is hired as an investigator by the SilverDollar Mining Company. When she captures an nineteen-year-old fugitive named Michael Vallant, Angel senses an intimate connection with him -- one that disturbs her, especially when they kiss. Angel's chip and her silver-eyed boss, Anaximander, one of the Augmented, tell her that Mike is a threat and must go through Loyalty Induction. But more secret messages compel Angel to resist and to help Mike. As Spacer terrorists from Mars attack SilverDollar, Angel and Mike race to Þnd out who's really behind the unrest. Against an evil enemy who will kill to win, Angel has one chance to Þnd her memory -- and to save her life.

"Barbara Woolworth Hutton (November 14, 1912? May 11, 1979) was an American socialite, heiress and debutante, often dubbed "Poor Little Rich Girl" due to the fact that she was given a lavish and expensive debutante ball during the depression era and due to her troubled life."--Wikipedia.