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Science doesn't have to be all about boring lab reports and tiresome test tube measurements'it can be fun, explosive, and really gross. Just think about the old alchemists who tried to turn urine into gold or the acids that can burn flesh right off the bone. Not to mention dangerous metal elements, fiery reactions, and gasses that could make anyone gag. But there are safer ways to experiment with the more horrible aspects of science, and all the necessary ingredients can be collected throughout your home- under proper parental supervision, of course.

Ever wonder what the real story is behind all those stars and planets in the sky? Could there really be alien invaders? Follow Oddblob the alien on his out of this world tour and you'll be an expert on everything galactic in no time. Oddblob will tell you why you can't be in outer space without a space suit (you'll explode!), why you definitely don't want to stay in the Neutron Star Hotel, and why you'd better bring both your sunscreen and your mittens if you plan on visiting Mercury. You'll learn everything strange and wacky about the galaxy we call home.

Repulsive regurgitations, icky intestines, boisterous bowels, loathsome livers, attacking acids-all of these are involved in the foul science of digestion. Can you stomach it? If not, keep a barf bucket handy! After eating your breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack, you probably don't think much about that food until you visit the bathroom several hours later. But in the meantime, the edibles you gobbled up take an amazing journey-a trip through the fizzy digestive tract that's also really, really gross.

Spurred on by Sir Walter Raleigh, John White leads 120 men, women, and children across the treacherous Atlantic to colonize the wilds of Virginia. Landing at Roanoke Island in July of 1587-with hostile Indians afoot and little food for winter-the colonists persuade White to return to England for the supplies and help they need. After a terrifying ocean crossing, White finds every available British ship pressed into service against the looming threat of the Spanish Armada. When White finally returns to Virginia after three years, the colonists are nowhere to be found.

Americans pride themselves in their knack for innovation, and nowhere has America's can-do attitude been more apparent than at the supermarket. Need a cheese that is virtually indestructible? Want to find a way to stretch a pound of hamburger into a hearty main course for a family of five? Hard pressed for time to throw together a home-cooked meal?

Acclaimed poet and award-winning children's author Jonah Winter-inspired by a political rally he attended during the historic 2008 presidential campaign-tells the moving story of Barack Obama. Beginning in Africa and Kansas, this enlightening biography describes Obama's life as an ongoing journey, from his birth in Hawaii to his election as president. Obama emerges as someone who, even from an early age, wondered where he belonged and who he might become.

I wanna rock and roll all night are the words that fans shout at KISS concerts. Self-proclaimed hottest band in the land, KISS rocks stadiums and albums. Their upbeat anthem Rock and Roll All Nite rocketed them to stardom. Fans can t get enough of their loud, showy, and flashy concerts. Read about the band members and how they formed KISS, the ups and downs of some of the members, how they became a marketing machine, and where they are today.

"When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. This ancient proverb of the Kikuyu people, a tribal group in Kenya, Africa, is as true today as when the words were first spoken, perhaps thousands of years ago. Its essence is simplicity--when the large fight, it is the small who suffer most. And when it comes to war, the smallest, the most vulnerable, are the children. When Elephants Fight presents the stories of five children--Annu, Jimmy, Nadja, Farooq and Toma--from five very different and distinct conflicts--Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sarajevo, Afghanistan and the Sudan.

When three heroic men traveled aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft bound for the moon, the entire world sat glued to their television sets in suspense. But few knew just how much it took to get that far. To put a man on the moon, thousands of people diligently worked behind the scenes. Countless preparations had to be made and no detail, however small, could be overlooked-the lives of the crewmen were at stake.

Did you know Toll House Cookies were created accidentally in an old Toll House in Massachusetts by a woman hurrying to make a tasty snack for her patrons? And did you know that Liquid Paper (or white-out) was invented because of one small typing mistake? Often overshadowed by famous male inventors, women have also made many significant contributions to science and industry. This audiobook profiles women like Stephanie Kwolek who created Kevlar body armor.