Peering into the immense blackness of space has taught us a lot throughout the centuries, but it’s also left us with unanswered questions and a burning desire to learn more. Readers are taken on an amazing voyage through some of the freakiest space scenarios, such as other Earthlike planets beyond our solar system that could support life, the possibility of mining water on the moon, and the dark world of the plutoids—the distant dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. Filled with exciting facts, awe-inspiring images, and comprehensive sidebars, this book poses the ultimate freaky question: When we stare up at the stars, is something staring back at us?

Discusses activities astronauts do while they're in space.

Space is infinite. There are never-ending mysteries in its starry reaches, and we're still learning about them. In this detailed, fascinating book, young readers will learn more about freaky stories of space, including weird planets, strange stars, unexplained phenomena, and tales of the brave people who've traveled into this final frontier. Intriguing facts and historic photographs will catch students' interest as they investigate these mysteries and learn more about the universe in which we live and beyond.

Reveals the most unusual space missions ever devised inside and outside of NASA during a time when nothing was too odd to be taken seriously, and the race to the moon and the threat from the Soviet Union trumped all other considerations. --Publisher.

New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback. After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man"—a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. As the trio head out into the woods—bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them—the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small." And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.

In Unexplained: Freaky Phenomena, readers in grades 4–8 will explore a variety of unexplained phenomena. Is dance fever real? Can something be both a plant and an animal? Can a human simply burst into flames? The Unexplained series is designed for readers to be able to flip through until an image catches their interest. Each 32-page book includes spreads that feature a handful of info-packed sentences. Quick tidbits mean the book doesn't have to be read cover to cover, making this series perfect for reluctant readers.

Growing up on either side of the Iron Curtain, David Scott and Alexei Leonov experienced very different childhoods but shared the same dream to fly. Excelling in every area of mental and physical agility, Scott and Leonov became elite fighter pilots and were chosen by their countries' burgeoning space programs to take part in the greatest technological race ever-to land a man on the moon. In this unique dual autobiography, astronaut Scott and cosmonaut Leonov recount their exceptional lives and careers spent on the cutting edge of science and space exploration. With each mission fraught with perilous risks, and each space program touched by tragedy, these parallel tales of adventure and heroism read like a modern-day thriller. Cutting fast between their differing recollections, this book reveals, in a very personal way, the drama of one of the most ambitious contests ever embarked on by man, set against the conflict that once held the world in suspense: the clash between Russian communism and Western democracy. Before training to be the USSR's first man on the moon, Leonov became the first man to walk in space. It was a feat that won him a place in history but almost cost him his life. A year later, in 1966, Gemini 8, with David Scott and Neil Armstrong aboard, tumbled out of control across space. Surviving against dramatic odds-a split-second decision by pilot Armstrong saved their lives-they both went on to fly their own lunar missions: Armstrong to command Apollo 11 and become the first man to walk on the moon, and Scott to perform an EVA during the Apollo 9 mission and command the most complex expedition in the history of exploration, Apollo 15. Spending three days on the moon, Scott became the seventh man to walk on its breathtaking surface. Marking a new age of USA/USSR cooperation, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project brought Scott and Leonov together, finally ending the Cold War silence and building a friendship that would last for decades. Their courage, passion for exploration, and determination to push themselves to the limit emerge in these memoirs not only through their triumphs but also through their perseverance in times of extraordinary difficulty and danger.