Most Popular Books by Elaine Scott

In the Paris village of Montmartre in 1904, fourteen-year-old Brigitte works long hours in her aunt's cafe, where she serves such regular customers as the young artist Pablo Picasso, encounters Russian revolutionaries, and longs to attend the exciting circus nearby. Includes author's note on the Picasso painting "Family of Saltimbanques."

This illustrated book for young readers explores our fascination with the moon from ancient lunar theories to the Apollo 11 landing and beyond. Since the dawn of human existence, people have gazed up at the night sky and wondered about the moon. In Our Moon, Elaine Scott presents a concise history of what the moon has meant to humanity over the centuries, from ancient lunar legends and theories to the revolutionary discoveries of Galileo. She then shares a wealth of captivating, kid-friendly overview of what we know about the moon today. Scott covers everything from the newest theories on how the moon formed, to the recent, startling discovery of water on its surface and the very real possibility of future moon colonies. Illustrated with stunning, full-color photographs and packed with fun facts, this is the most complete and up-to-date book available on the moon. A glossary, bibliography, and index are included.

New Horizons was designed by NASA to study Pluto and the fringes of our solar system, farther away than any spacecraft has ever explored. Join science writer Elaine Scott as she tells the story of this mission. For Stephen Hawking, New Horizons signifies that "We explore because we are human and we want to know." This remarkable ship, no bigger than a piano, and using no more energy than a lightbulb, has already traveled three billion miles out to Pluto, and is continuing on to the Kuiper Belt, the farthest reaches of our solar system. The book will feature the beautiful, amazingly sharp photographs it is sending back from its journey, which are letting scientists fill in the blanks in our knowledge of Pluto--and delivering a few surprises along the way. Elaine Scott tells the exciting story of everyone's favorite planet, from Pluto's discovery through the frustrating attempts to study such a distant object, the creation of the New Horizons project, scientists' hopes and expectations for the mission, and what is being discovered. Her clear, engaging prose does more than narrate the events. By showing how scientists operate, their hypotheses, hopes, and disappointments, and how they make use of them, she gives readers an inspiring portrait of the scientific method itself.

In August 2010, thirty-three miners were buried alive, two thousand feet below the surface of the earth. After seventeen tense days, just as hope was nearly gone, rescuers made contact with the men. Joy broke out around the world—all thirty-three men were alive! But it would be long weeks before they emerged from the mine. What did the miners feel, trapped in the steamy darkness so far underground? What did they eat? How did they get along? And most important, how did they survive in those seventeen days when death lingered so near, and after, during the long wait for rescue? This amazing true story about problem-solving, community, and real-life heroes is made kid-friendly by veteran nonfiction writer Elaine Scott. It will inspire for years to come.

Examines the theories about life on Mars, providing both historical and current information about our exploration of the Red Planet.

We’re in the money! Many things come with instructions. Unfortunately, money isn’t one of them. Most people learn how to use it—or lose it—by trial and error. Dollars & Sense is a basic operating instruction manual for money that will teach readers about the history of money, the way our American economy works, and how to make important decisions about personal finance. From skulls, sheep, and shells as barter in ancient civilizations to credit, interest, and collateral of our modern day economics, money—and all its glorious uses and cantankerous troubles—is explained in this concise and entertaining volume. Learn about how to make money, how to budget your money, how the government manages (or mismanages!) money, and how to be rich without even trying. Money is sometimes your friend and sometimes your enemy, but in this day and age, we all have to learn to get along with it. An engaging and approachable guide for kids tackling how to responsibly manage their money. Included are sidebars, time lines, diagrams, a glossary, and further resources, as well as information on related topics such as the Great Recession and sequestration.

Space and planets are topics of endless fascination to kids and part of every grade-school curriculum. Yet because of the history-making reassignment of Pluto from "planet” to "dwarf planet” on August 24, 2006, all books on the solar system are now out of date. Enter When is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto by Elaine Scott, an esteemed writer of non-fiction for children. Scott is the first to put the answer to the title question into terms simple enough for a very young audience to understand, based upon the new definitions determined by the International Astronomical Union. Well-researched and accompanied by large, awe-inspiring photographs and paintings, this exciting new book makes clear what astronomers have argued about for decades.

Explains how the Sanctuary for Animals and the Dawn Animal Agency hire out healthy animals for jobs in the performing arts and then use the money to support other animals who are to old or too sick to work themselves.

An overview of banking, its history, its services, how banks earn money with your money, and how banking laws ensure protection for your savings.

After football fever causes seventeen-year-old Beth to become an unwitting participant in the vandalism of a rival high school, her fight for her civil rights brings her both disillusionment and a recognition of new loyalties.

Describes what scientists have been able to deduce about the nature of our solar system and the universe based on data collected by the Hubble telescope.

Uses an insider's view of the making of the ten-part series Ramona to depict how a television show is created, from the script adaptation and auditions to the actual filming and final editing.

Discusses the different methods used by geophysicists to locate petroleum.

Discusses the problem of children being kidnapped by one of their parents, usually parents involved in a divorce, and suggests ways for children to deal with the problem.