Stephanie Bearce – författare

Blind pigs, speakeasies, coffin varnish, and tarantula juice were all a part of the Roaring 20s. Making alcohol illegal didn''t get rid of bars and taverns or crime bosses: They just went underground. Secret joints were in almost every large city and could be entered if you knew the right code words. Discover the crazy language and secret codes of the Prohibition Era—why you should mind your beeswax and watch out for the gumshoe talking to the fuzz or you might end up in the cooler! It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Pirates of the Golden Age had to deal with scurvy, fight ferocious battles, and eat everything from monkeys to snakes to sea turtles, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Discover the truth about Anne Bonny, the Irish woman who was a true Pirate of the Caribbean, and the secrets of Blackbeard and the daring pirate Cheng I Sao. Then learn how to talk like a pirate and make a buried treasure map for your friends. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: Pirates and Buried Treasure. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

George Washington had his own secret agents, hired pirates to fight the British, and helped Congress smuggle weapons, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Learn the true stories of the American Revolution and how spies used musket balls, books, and laundry to send messages. Discover the female Paul Revere, solve a spy puzzle, and make your own disappearing ink. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The American Revolution. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

The pigpen cipher, the Devil''s Coffee Mill, and germ warfare were all a part of the Civil War, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Discover the truth about Widow Greenhow''s spy ring, how soldiers stole a locomotive, and the identity of the mysterious “Gray Ghost.” Then learn how to make a cipher wheel and send secret light signals to your friends. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Civil War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Poison dart umbrellas and cyanide guns were all a part of the arsenal of tools used by spies of the Soviet KGB, American CIA, and British MI6, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Learn the true stories of the Cold War and how spies used listening devices planted in live cats and wristwatch cameras. Discover how East Germans tried to ride zip lines to freedom, while the Cambridge Four infiltrated Britain and rockets raced to the moon. Then make your own submarines and practice writing secret codes. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Cold War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . .Ages 9-12

Flame throwers, spy trees, bird bombs, and Hell Fighters were all a part of World War I, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Uncover long-lost secrets of spies like Howard Burnham, “The One-Legged Wonder,” and nurse-turned-spy, Edith Cavell. Peek into secret files to learn the truth about the Red Baron and the mysterious Mata Hari. Then learn how to build your own Zeppelin balloon and mix up some invisible ink. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: World War I. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Spy school, poison pens, exploding muffins, and Night Witches were all a part of World War II, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Crack open secret files and read about the mysterious Ghost Army, rat bombs, and doodlebugs. Discover famous spies like the White Mouse, super-agent Garbo, and baseball player and spy, Moe Berg. Then build your own fingerprint kit and crack a spy code. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: World War II. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

London was once covered in a fog so polluted that it killed 12,000 people. The Aleppo earthquake killed 230,000 people, and a wall of water mysteriously wiped out the whole town of Burnham-on-Sea. All of these were catastrophic disasters, but they led to important discoveries in science. Learn about how the earth turned to liquid in New Zealand and what happens when a tsunami meets a nuclear reactor. These stories may sound twisted and strange, but they are all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Two thousand years ago, Chinese scientists were looking for a medicine that would make them live forever. Instead, they blew up their lab and discovered gunpowder. Alfred Nobel blew up his laboratory twice before he discovered the formula for dynamite. Learn about the Apollo 13 and Challenger explosions and the strange space explosions caused by top secret Starfish Prime. These stories may sound twisted, but they''re all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Nikola Tesla was crazy smart. He invented the idea for cell phones in 1893, discovered alternating current, and invented a death ray gun. Of course, he also talked to pigeons, ate only boiled food, and was scared of women who wore jewelry. He was an insane inventor. So was Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen, calculated the density of the Earth, and was so scared of people that he had to write notes to communicate. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity, believed in magic, and thought he could make a potion to create gold. These stories may sound twisted, but they''re all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Ground-up mummy bones, leeches sucking human blood, and a breakfast of dried mouse paste. It sounds like a horror movie, but those were actual medicines prescribed by early doctors. Medical students studied anatomy on bodies stolen from graves and had to operate on people while they were awake. Learn about the medicines that came from poison and doctors who experimented on themselves and their families. It''s a twisted tale of medical mayhem, but it''s all true!Ages 9-12

Blind pigs, speakeasies, coffin varnish, and tarantula juice were all a part of the Roaring 20s. Making alcohol illegal didn''t get rid of bars and taverns or crime bosses: They just went underground. Secret joints were in almost every large city and could be entered if you knew the right code words. Discover the crazy language and secret codes of the Prohibition Era—why you should mind your beeswax and watch out for the gumshoe talking to the fuzz or you might end up in the cooler! It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Pirates of the Golden Age had to deal with scurvy, fight ferocious battles, and eat everything from monkeys to snakes to sea turtles, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Discover the truth about Anne Bonny, the Irish woman who was a true Pirate of the Caribbean, and the secrets of Blackbeard and the daring pirate Cheng I Sao. Then learn how to talk like a pirate and make a buried treasure map for your friends. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: Pirates and Buried Treasure. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

George Washington had his own secret agents, hired pirates to fight the British, and helped Congress smuggle weapons, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Learn the true stories of the American Revolution and how spies used musket balls, books, and laundry to send messages. Discover the female Paul Revere, solve a spy puzzle, and make your own disappearing ink. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The American Revolution. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

The pigpen cipher, the Devil''s Coffee Mill, and germ warfare were all a part of the Civil War, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Discover the truth about Widow Greenhow''s spy ring, how soldiers stole a locomotive, and the identity of the mysterious “Gray Ghost.” Then learn how to make a cipher wheel and send secret light signals to your friends. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Civil War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Poison dart umbrellas and cyanide guns were all a part of the arsenal of tools used by spies of the Soviet KGB, American CIA, and British MI6, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Learn the true stories of the Cold War and how spies used listening devices planted in live cats and wristwatch cameras. Discover how East Germans tried to ride zip lines to freedom, while the Cambridge Four infiltrated Britain and rockets raced to the moon. Then make your own submarines and practice writing secret codes. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: The Cold War. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . .Ages 9-12

Flame throwers, spy trees, bird bombs, and Hell Fighters were all a part of World War I, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Uncover long-lost secrets of spies like Howard Burnham, “The One-Legged Wonder,” and nurse-turned-spy, Edith Cavell. Peek into secret files to learn the truth about the Red Baron and the mysterious Mata Hari. Then learn how to build your own Zeppelin balloon and mix up some invisible ink. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: World War I. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

Spy school, poison pens, exploding muffins, and Night Witches were all a part of World War II, but you won''t learn that in your history books! Crack open secret files and read about the mysterious Ghost Army, rat bombs, and doodlebugs. Discover famous spies like the White Mouse, super-agent Garbo, and baseball player and spy, Moe Berg. Then build your own fingerprint kit and crack a spy code. It''s all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: World War II. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden . . . Ages 9-12

London was once covered in a fog so polluted that it killed 12,000 people. The Aleppo earthquake killed 230,000 people, and a wall of water mysteriously wiped out the whole town of Burnham-on-Sea. All of these were catastrophic disasters, but they led to important discoveries in science. Learn about how the earth turned to liquid in New Zealand and what happens when a tsunami meets a nuclear reactor. These stories may sound twisted and strange, but they are all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Two thousand years ago, Chinese scientists were looking for a medicine that would make them live forever. Instead, they blew up their lab and discovered gunpowder. Alfred Nobel blew up his laboratory twice before he discovered the formula for dynamite. Learn about the Apollo 13 and Challenger explosions and the strange space explosions caused by top secret Starfish Prime. These stories may sound twisted, but they''re all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Nikola Tesla was crazy smart. He invented the idea for cell phones in 1893, discovered alternating current, and invented a death ray gun. Of course, he also talked to pigeons, ate only boiled food, and was scared of women who wore jewelry. He was an insane inventor. So was Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen, calculated the density of the Earth, and was so scared of people that he had to write notes to communicate. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity, believed in magic, and thought he could make a potion to create gold. These stories may sound twisted, but they''re all true tales from science!Ages 9-12

Ground-up mummy bones, leeches sucking human blood, and a breakfast of dried mouse paste. It sounds like a horror movie, but those were actual medicines prescribed by early doctors. Medical students studied anatomy on bodies stolen from graves and had to operate on people while they were awake. Learn about the medicines that came from poison and doctors who experimented on themselves and their families. It''s a twisted tale of medical mayhem, but it''s all true!Ages 9-12