The late 1970s were Britain's years of strife and the good life. They saw inflation, riots, the peak of trade union power - and also the birth of home computers, the rise of the ready meal and the triumph of a Grantham grocer's daughter who would change everything. Dominic Sandbrook re-creates this extraordinary period in all its chaos and contradiction, revealing it as a turning point in our recent history, where, in everything from families and schools to punk and Doctor Who, the future of the nation was being decided. 'A brilliant historian.' A. N. Wilson, Spectator 'Magnificent . . . If you lived through the late Seventies - or, for that matter, even if you didn't - don't miss this book.' Mail on Sunday 'Entertaining, engaging, masterful, a joy . . . as a storyteller, Sandbrook is superb.' Sunday Telegraph 'Sandbrook has rummaged deep into the cultural life of the era to remind us how rich it was, from Bowie to Dennis Potter, Martin Amis to William Golding.' The Times 'While Sandbrook punctures some of our favourite myths . . . what makes this book such a pleasure is the sheer, unashamed nostalgia it evokes.' Daily Telegraph 'Compulsively readable . . . Sandbrook is right to argue that the 1970s was the moment when our century arrived.' Guardian

The family from Secrets of the Garden are back in a new book about backyard science that explains why the seasons change. Alice and her friend Zack explore the reasons for the seasons. Alice's narrative is all about noticing the changes as fall turns into winter, spring, and then summer. She explains how the earth's yearlong journey around the sun, combined with the tilt in the earth's axis, makes the seasons happen. Alice's text is clear and simple, and experiential. Two very helpful—and very funny—chickens give more science details and further explanation through charts, diagrams, and sidebars. Packed with sensory details, humor, and solid science, this book makes a complicated concept completely clear for young readers—and also for the many parents who struggle to answer their kids' questions! "Several adults of my acquaintance . . . would find Secrets of the Seasons to be an eye-popping revelation." —John Lithgow, The New York Times Book Review

SEASONS OF THE SUN: CELEBRATIONS FESTIVALS & OBSERVANCES blends year round celebrations from the many cultures that make up the American melting pot. The author includes rituals from over 40 cultures and traditions such as Native American, Tibetan, Greek, Jewish, Hindu, Senegalese, Hungarian, Guatemalan and too many more to name! Provides a way for Americans to explore the holidays and rituals important to both their own ethnic backgrounds and to others around them.

The heart of professional baseball, if not its roots, may be found in the American Midwest, especially in Missouri. In Seasons in the Sun, Roger D. Launius offers an excellent overview of the teams, pennant races, trials, and triumphs of the different major-league teams that have resided in the state over the years. Since 1876, when St. Louis became a charter member of the newly formed National League, there have also been other major-league franchises from less well known leagues in St. Louis. The St. Louis major-league baseball experience is not limited to the extraordinary success and fame of the Cardinals, who have won more World Series championships than any other National League team. St. Louis also claims the excellent but short-lived Brown Stockings, the city's first entry into the National League; the American League's Browns, who spent most of their existence in the first half of the twentieth century at the bottom of the standings; the virtually forgotten Terriers of the Federal League in 1914-1915; and the Maroons of the pre-twentieth-century National League.

Cold winters, hot summers--year after year the seasons repeat themselves. But what causes them? Why is there winter in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time there is summer in the Northern Hemisphere? In summertime, why is it still light out in the evening? With simple language appropriate for young readers, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the four seasons and explains why they change throughout the year. Newly revised and vetted by experts, this updated edition of The Reasons for Seasons introduces the solstices, the equinoxes, and the tilt in Earth's axis that causes them, and gives examples of what each season is like across the globe from pole to pole. Clear, simple diagrams of the earth's orbit are labeled with important vocabulary, explained and reinforced with accessible explanations. Fascinating and easy to understand, this is a perfect introduction to seasons, earth's orbit, and axial tilt. Different effects on different parts of the world are included, illustrating the difference in climate between the equator, the northern and southern hemispheres, and the polar regions.

The shadow of one woman's illness confronts six friends who meet again at a secluded bed-and-breakfast to recapture enjoyable college days and to recount the stories of their lives.

A boy and his grandfather set off on a scorching adventure in this companion to "Snow" and "Rain." Full color.