It was a clear autumn night in 1847. Maria Mitchell stood on the roof of her parents'' house on the island of Nantucket, focusing her telescope on a faraway star. Suddenly she realized that the faint, blurry light wasn''t a star at all—it was a comet! Maria Mitchell''s discovery changed her life. She became famous as the first acknowledged woman astronomer in the United States. During her many travels, Maria came to realize that most women did not have the same opportunities as men. She thought that women should be encouraged to be anything they wanted to be. This was a lesson she taught her students as an astronomy professor at Vassar College and a message she stressed as the president of the Association for the Advancement of Women. From the rooftops of Nantucket to the great observatories of Europe, Stephanie Sammartino McPherson skillfully chronicles the life of this outstanding woman.

Jan Matzeliger felt anything but welcome in Philadelphia in 1873. As well as being a foreigner, Jan was half African American, which meant that most doors were closed to him. Although the Civil War had been over for nearly ten years, inequality for African Americans still persisted in its aftermath. However, Jan refused to let prejudice keep him from achieving his dream of making a shoe-lasting machine to replace the tedious, time-consuming hand sewing that held up shoe manufacturing processes in his day.

Scott Joplin came from a music-making family in Texarkana, Texas. As a small boy, he loved the lively, rhythmic African melodies and the soft, touching spirituals that he heard his father sing. By the age of twenty, Joplin had left home to make a living as a musician. Barbara Mitchell''s Raggin'' is the story of this talented composer/musician who overcame prejudice and hardship to create such favorites as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer"--music that still makes people tap their toes.

In 1877 a young man developed a way to reproduce sounds so they could be heard again and again. This young man, Thomas Edison, has since been heralded as one of the world''s greatest inventors. This inspiring biography details the creation of Edison''s favorite invention, the phonograph. Young readers will also discover that Edison did not allow his handicap (he was hard of hearing) to slow him down.

It was a clear autumn night in 1847. Maria Mitchell stood on the roof of her parents'' house on the island of Nantucket, focusing her telescope on a faraway star. Suddenly she realized that the faint, blurry light wasn''t a star at all—it was a comet! Maria Mitchell''s discovery changed her life. She became famous as the first acknowledged woman astronomer in the United States. During her many travels, Maria came to realize that most women did not have the same opportunities as men. She thought that women should be encouraged to be anything they wanted to be. This was a lesson she taught her students as an astronomy professor at Vassar College and a message she stressed as the president of the Association for the Advancement of Women. From the rooftops of Nantucket to the great observatories of Europe, Stephanie Sammartino McPherson skillfully chronicles the life of this outstanding woman.

Jan Matzeliger felt anything but welcome in Philadelphia in 1873. As well as being a foreigner, Jan was half African American, which meant that most doors were closed to him. Although the Civil War had been over for nearly ten years, inequality for African Americans still persisted in its aftermath. However, Jan refused to let prejudice keep him from achieving his dream of making a shoe-lasting machine to replace the tedious, time-consuming hand sewing that held up shoe manufacturing processes in his day.

Scott Joplin came from a music-making family in Texarkana, Texas. As a small boy, he loved the lively, rhythmic African melodies and the soft, touching spirituals that he heard his father sing. By the age of twenty, Joplin had left home to make a living as a musician. Barbara Mitchell''s Raggin'' is the story of this talented composer/musician who overcame prejudice and hardship to create such favorites as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer"--music that still makes people tap their toes.

In 1877 a young man developed a way to reproduce sounds so they could be heard again and again. This young man, Thomas Edison, has since been heralded as one of the world''s greatest inventors. This inspiring biography details the creation of Edison''s favorite invention, the phonograph. Young readers will also discover that Edison did not allow his handicap (he was hard of hearing) to slow him down.