Enslow Series Explores The Secret World of Spies

If truth is indeed stranger than fiction, then nowhere is it stranger than in the secret world of spies. Contemporary spying embraces high-tech gadgetry, computer-driven cryptology, bureaucratic empires, and action resembling The Bourne Identity and James Bond 007 adventures. There's also the more mundane, but far more common, spying generated from agents or "human assets" in which envy, greed, lust, and other very human emotions play central roles.

Enslow's "The Secret World of Spies" series explores this fascinating, shadowy world where cool analysis mixes with cloak-and-dagger escapades. Author Susan K. Mitchell's six-title ensesmble offers a page-turning, age-appropriate look at different aspects of spying. Each 48-page book, in addition to its exciting text and full-color illustrations, provides useful references for further research.

All books in this new, Fall 2011 series is available in paperback for $7.95. Library-bound editions are also available at the school/library discount price of $17.95.

Today is Nelson Mandela's Birthday

Today is Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday. He is a living symbol of the anti-apartheid movement. Written by Ann Graham Gaines, this history title traces the history of the racial policy of apartheid, from its beginning to its end. Gaines shows how black South Africans succeeded in winning equality in their homeland.

Free Friday Recipe!

Library Edition ISBN: 0-7660-3765-6
Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-1-59845-270-9

Why save dessert until last? We've decided there's no reason to, so today we're posting a free dessert recipe from our new Easy Desserts From Around the World book. Tie on your apron and find a reason to celebrate.

Celebration Cookies

In Mexico, people hand out small sweet, nutty cookies during celebrations and weddings. Mexican celebration cookes are often wrapped in white, ruffled tissue paper and given to guests.

What You Need

Equipment:
Large bowl
Wooden spoon or electric mixer
2 cookie sheets
Plastic or paper bag
Wire cooling rack

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, left out of the refrigerator until they are at room temperature
1¾ cups confectioner's sugar (Confectioner's sugar is also called powered sugar.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped pecans (You can use other chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts.)

Let's Cook!

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Use a wooden spoon or electric mixer (with help from an adult).
3. Add vanilla extract and blend well. Stir in four and salt; then add pecans. Use your clean hands to blend the dough.
4. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake one sheet at a time for about 20 minutes.
6. While cookies are baking, place confectioner's sugar in a plastic or paper bag.
7. Cool the cookies on a wire rack for 2–4 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, drop three or four into the bag of sugar. Shake the bag to coat the cookies. Return the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Continue until all the cookies are covered by sugar.

Makes 20–24 cookies.

New books on colors of the seasons!

Using sight words and simple sentences, early readers are shown the colors of the rainbow, and then find each color of the rainbow as the book progresses. Available in both library and paperback versions, these titles will be available soon!

Potter Fans...



Library Binding ISBN: 978-0-7660-3209-5
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-7660-3624-6

 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much anticipated release begins with midnight shows Thursday night. Fans can read about Harry Potter star and now Broadway star, Daniel Radcliff in Enslow's biography, Daniel Radcliffe: Film and Stage Star from our Hot Celebrity Biographies series. For grades 5–9 these high interest, celebrity biographies are perfect for reluctant readers. These books are available in both library binding and in paperback. Free educator's guides are also available.

New Enslow Books Salute Yankee All-Star Derek Jeter!

New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter made baseball history this weekend, when he reached the 3,000-hit mark by hitting a dramatic home run at Yankee Stadium. Only 28 other players in major league baseball history have achieved this milestone. What made Jeter's feat even more remarkable was that he was the first player in Yankee history to have 3,000 or more career base hits.

Read About Derek Jeter, a title in Enslow's new six-book "I Like Sports Stars!" series, informs young readers about the Yankee All-Star infielder's skills, individual records, and championship accomplishments. David P. Torsiello's 24-page book includes many action photos that neatly dovetail with text appropriate for children in Grades K-3.

Older readers looking for greater detail about Jeter's background and athletic success should read Derek Jeter: Captain On and Off the Field, from Enslow's "Sports Stars With Heart" series. Author Tom Robinson's 128-page, Guided Reading Level "V" book provides a winning combination of engaging text, colorful sidebars of key statistics and other information, and full-color photos that bring Jeter's iconic career into vivid life.

Both Derek Jeter titles are available in library-bound and paperback editions directly from Enslow Publishers. Prices for each book are as follows:
      Read About Derek Jeter

• library-bound: $21.26 (list); $15.95 (school/library discount price)
• paperback: $6.95

     Derek Jeter: Captain On and Off the Field

• library-bound: $31.93 (list); $23.95 (school/library discount price)
• paperback: $9.95

New Bug series

Available this fall, for readers through first grade, Enslow will have a new series on bugs. All About Counting Bugs 1-2-3 uses simple colorful graphics to get young children reading and counting. Large type and sight words will engage readers.

Available in both library and paperback versions, the titles are:

Counting Ants 1-2-3

Counting Bees 1-2-3

Counting Butterflies 1-2-3

Counting Ladybugs 1-2-3

Free Friday Recipe

ISBN 978-0-766-3707-6

Today we are featuring a breakfast recipe for La Bouillie, a hot cereal, from our new Easy Breakfasts From Around the World book, for grades 3–4.

La Bouillie is hot cereal from the African country of Chad. It is made with rice, millet, and peanut butter and served with milk and sugar, like oatmeal.

Millet is a grain. Millet grows in hot, dry field. It is an important crop and a main food in Africa. It has been eaten as cereal in Africa for thousands of years.

What You Need:
Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked rice
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
¼ cup of wheat or millet cereal (optional)
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar

Equipment:
Cereal bowl
Spoon
Mircrowave OR saucepan

What to Do
In the microwave:

1. In a cereal bowl, mix all ingredients.
2. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Stir until peanut butter dissolves.
4. Heat again in microwave until hot, about 45 seconds.

OR

On top of the stove:

1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan on the stove on low heat.
2. Stir until heated thoroughly.
3. Pour into a bowl.

Serves one. Enjoy!

Jane Austen facts

During the time of Jane Austen's life, a woman was not expected to work to support herself. Because of this, she had to rely on the financial support of relatives. Through the efforts of her male relatives her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was published in 1811. Since it was also not acceptable for a female's writing to appear in public or in print, "A Lady" was used as the author. None of her works ever appeared in print with her full name as author.

Born into a large family, she had one older sister, four older brothers, and then two younger brothers. After her father's death, Jane, her sister, and their mother moved around a lot, staying with relatives and receiving some financial assistance from the brothers. Eventually one of the brothers secured housing for them, which started Jane's creativity going, and she wrote several more novels in that cottage. She remained in that cottage until shortly before her death.

In Enslow's A Student's Guide to Jane Austen, her life and work are examined, offering accessible insight for young readers.

Another title in the Hot Celebrity Biographies series

Jeff Burlingame adds another title to the series in his biography of Taylor Swift.

This reluctant reader title offers personal stories and quotes. Available in both library and paperback versions, this title will be available soon!

Classical Myths for 21st Century Readers

Young readers have renewed interest in the beautiful, imaginative stories that relate ancient myths. For children and young adults, the challenge has been to find books that deliver these timeless tales with contemporary style and visual appeal. Enslow Publishers answers that need with its new "Mythology Rocks!" series. With a refreshing design and age-appropriate text, each title in the six-book series focuses on a specific mythological culture or topic. The titles embrace some of the world's most respected mythological traditions, including those of China, Africa, and the Mesoamerican lore of the Mayas and Aztecs. European legends from Celtic and Greek classics are also featured.

These Fall 2011 releases are available via direct order to Enslow Publishers for $9.95 (paperback edition) or $23.95 (library-bound edition school/library price).

Free Recipe!

ISBN: 978-0-7660-3766-3

Straight from our new title, Easy Main Dishes From Around the World, for Grades 3–4, an easy recipe for wiener schnitzel that children will enjoy making with adult supervision.

Wiener schnitzel is a special dish from Austria. Thin slices of veal are breaded and then deep-fried. There is a story that hundreds of years ago, the ruler of Austria liked his veal covered in flakes of gold. People wanted to eat what he ate, but most could not afford to wrap their food in gold. A golden breadcrumb covering was created.

What You Need

Equipment:

Meat mallet or rolling pin

Three bowls

Large skillet

Tongs

Plastic wrap

Gallon-size plastic bag

Paper towels

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil for frying

4 veal cutlets

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup dry plain breadcrumbs

1 lemon

Let's Cook!

1. Wrap the veal cutlets with plastic wrap or put in a 1 gallon plastic bag. Flatten the cutlets with a meat   mallet or a rolling pin until they are only ¼-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap.
2. Combine the flour and salt in one bowl. Beat the eggs in a second bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
3. Heat ¼ inch oil in a large skillet on the stove on the medium heat.
4. First dip a veal cutlet in the flour mixture. Then dip it in the egg shaking off the extra. Finally, lightly dip it in the breadcrumbs and, with an adult's help, place it in the skillet. Repeat for all the cutlets.
5. Cook the veal for four minutes on each side until golden brown. Use tongs to flip the cutlets and remove them when done. Drain cutlets on a paper towel.
6. Serve warm right away, so breading doesn't get soggy. Cut the lemon in half. Add a swuirt of lemon juice on top.

Makes 4 servings.

Did You Know?

In Austria, weiner schnitzel is always served with a slice of lemon on top.

Today is Meteor Watch Day

Hopefully the weather will be clear tonight so that you can do some watching. I hope you will see some!

Have you ever seen a comet or a shooting star? You may think they look pretty, but these giant space rocks can cause major destruction. Scientists keep a close watch on comets and asteroids using high-powered telescopes and spacecraft. Get ready to learn lots of far-out facts about asteroids and comets!


Check out Far-Out Guide to Asteroids and Comets, written by Mary Kay Carson for the upper elementary/lower middle school reader. It's available in both library and paperback!

New Fall Titles Arriving!

New Fall Titles are arriving in July! I'm having a hard time choosing which one to read first.

Speedboat Racers

If you're vacationing or living near the water, the chances are strong that you're hearing the sounds of speedboats. The racing side of speedboating adds excitement and challenge to this fun summer activity. Among the few speedboating books with age-appropriate text for children and young adults is Enslow Publishers' Speedboat Racers. Author Michael Hauenstein's easy-to-read text delivers a pleasant overview of  this warm-weather activity. The 48-page work's contemporary design and excellent illustrations invite readers to explore this popular topic. It's a strong choice for reluctant readers and for kids with a desire to know more about boats and racing.

Speedboat Racers, part of Enslow's five-book "Kid Racers" series, is available in paperback for $7.95. A library-bound edition, suitable for school libraries and public libraries, is also available.

New Elementary title about the 4th of July coming soon

Elaine Landau has written a new elementary series of holiday books for Enslow. What Is the 4th of July? describes the traditions and symbols of this holiday, as well as includes a hands-on activity. This title (as well as the rest of the titles in the series) is available in both library and paperback bindings.

Other titles in the I Like Holidays! series include Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and Veterans Day.

All of these titles will be available soon.

Free books at ALA

On Saturday, come visit booth 1329 at ALA and get a free book while supplies last!

Summer Reading and Math Skills

So many children have reading projects and math packets to complete over the summer. But what could be more fun than a camping trip with a pig? Join Sebastian Pig and and friends, Percy and Milo, on a camping adventure. Subtracting with Sebastian Pig and Friends on a Camping Trip is a fun way for young readers to reinforce their reading and math while practicing subtraction skills over the summer.



Grades 1–3

Check out other titles in our Math Fun with Sebastian Pig and Friends! series. It may be the best trip you take this summer!

Attending ALA in New Orleans?

Stop by booth 1329 and say hello! Find out how you can get a free Kindle or Nookcolor!

New Michael Phelps Video Game Released

Have you heard? Olympic medalist, Michael Phelps is now part of the virtual pool. His new video game, Michael Phelps: Push the Limit, was released earlier this week. The game was developed by Blitz Games and published by 505 Games for use with the Kinect system for Microsoft's Xbox 360. My kids love the Kinect games and I can see this one being both fun and challenging. It's also a great way to bring more attention to the sport of swimming.

Young readers can learn more about Michael Phelps in our book, Michael Phelps: Swimming for Olympic Gold for grades 5–9 available in both library binding and paperback. A free educator's guide is also available through our web site.