Most Popular Books by Sally M. Walker

On February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley made history as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. Soldiers on the shore waited patiently after seeing the submarine's return signal. But after several days, the ship had failed to return. What had gone wrong? In 1995, after over 130 years of searching, the H.L. Hunley was finally found buried off the coast of South Carolina. Follow author, Sally M. Walker on a fascinating journey through the workings of the famous submarine, its voyages, and the difficult obstacles that were overcome to recover, excavate and conserve the ship.

On a hot summer day in 2005, Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution peered into an excavated grave, carefully examining the fragile skeleton that had been buried there for four hundred years. “He was about fifteen years old when he died. And he was European,” Owsley concluded. But how did he know? Scientists discovered this grave inside the remains of James Fort, in Jamestown, Virginia. They were excavating the site with the goal of better understanding the Europeans and Africans who lived in Jamestown and the Chesapeake Bay area during the 1600s and 1700s. Who were these people? How did they live? And how did they die? Just as forensic scientists use their knowledge of human remains to help solve crimes, they use similar skills to solve the mysteries of the long-ago past. From the skeletons, the burial practices, and remnants of objects found nearby, scientists can determine gender and ancestry, along with probable age, what the person ate, what lifestyle he or she lived, and the cause of death. In some cases, further research helps scientists speculate on who the dead were. Join author Sally M. Walker as she works alongside the scientists who use state-of-the-art methods to decipher clues from America's colonial past. As you follow their investigations, Walker will introduce you to what scientists believe are the lives of a teenage boy, a ship's captain, an indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an African slave girl. All are reaching beyond the grave to tell us their stories, which are written in bone.

What do flagpoles and some window blinds have in common? They use pulleys to perform work! Pulleys are simple machines. They help us to do jobs more easily. But don't take our word for it. Put pulleys to the test with the fun experiments you'll find in this book.

As part of the Searchlight Books(tm) collection, this series sheds light on a key science question--How Do Simple Machines Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

What do bicycles, doorknobs, and screwdrivers have in common? All of them use wheels and axles to perform work! Wheels and axles are simple machines. They help us to do jobs more easily. But don't take our word for it. Put wheels and axles to the test with the fun experiments you'll find in this book.

As part of the Searchlight Books(tm) collection, this series sheds light on a key science question--How Do Simple Machines Work? Hands-on experiments, interesting photos, and useful diagrams will help you find the answer!

Did witches always ride brooms? No! In fact, long, long ago, witches crept about on tiptoe. On Halloween, they would scare children and cast spells . . . but always from the ground. No witch ever thought of flying—no witch until Druscilla. Druscilla was an old witch with the loudest, creakiest knees anyone had ever heard. But she was determined not to let anything spoil her element of surprise. One Halloween, after many failed attempts at sneaking up on unsuspecting villagers, Druscilla made a discovery that changed the course of witch history.