Pam Pollack Boeken

This book was first published in English by Grosset & Dunlap in 2014.

Read the story of the Founding Father who inspired the smash Broadway musical. Born in the British West Indies and orphaned as a child, Alexander Hamilton made his way to the American Colonies and studied to become a lawyer. He joined a local militia during the American Revolution, rose to the rank of Major General, and became the chief aide to General George Washington. After the war, he became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He founded the Bank of New York and The New York Post newspaper. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and is also celebrated as a co-author of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays that are still used today to interpret the U.S. Constitution. The end of his life became a national scandal when he was shot and killed in a duel with then-Vice President Aaron Burr.

Discover how Neil deGrasse Tyson became one of the world’s most successful and well-known scientists in this new addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series. When he was nine years old, Neil deGrasse Tyson went on a trip that would change his life. While visiting the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, he discovered the world of astronomy and felt like the universe was calling to him. He answered that call by diving deep into astronomy courses. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science, he went on to earn a doctorate in astrophysics and eventually found his way back to the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist and, later, as its director. Neil has not only found an exciting way to share his love and knowledge of space through his documentaries and podcasts, he’s also broken barriers for Black scientists and become one of the most famous astrophysicists ever. He is a published author, television host, and winner of the prestigious Public Welfare Medal for the role he has played in exciting the public about the wonders of science.

Learn the story of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León and how he shaped the history of both Florida and Puerto Rico during the Age of Exploration in this new book from the #1 New York Times bestselling series.In the early 1500s, Ponce de Leon was one of the most important Spanish military figures in the Caribbean. He made his first voyage across the Atlantic with Christopher Columbus and then, after years of battle with the native Taino, became the first governor of Puerto Rico. Although the story of his search for the Fountain of Youth is entirely fictional, his noteworthy expedition to – and naming of – Florida is one of his greatest legacies.

Steve Jobs, adopted in infancy by a family in San Francisco, packed a lot of life into fifty-six short years. In this Who Was...? biography, children will learn how his obsession with computers and technology at an early age led him to co-found and run Apple, in addition to turning Pixar into a ground-breaking animation studio. A college dropout, Jobs took unconventional steps in his path to success and inspired the best and the brightest to come with him and change the world.

Learn how a Prussian princess grew up to be Russia’s longest-ruling female leader!

Everyone loves Harry Potter. Now kids can learn about Harry's creator! In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as compelling as the world of Hogwarts that she created. This biography details not only Rowling's life and her love of literature but the story behind the creation of a modern classic.

Susan B. Anthony may be an international icon but her campaign for women’s rights had personal roots. Working as a school teacher in New York, Anthony refused to settle for less pay than her male colleagues which ignited her lifelong devotion to women’s equality. Anthony toured the United States and Europe giving speeches and publishing articles as one of the most important advocates of women’s rights. Learn more about the woman behind the movement in  Who Was Susan B. Anthony?