Tom McCarthy

The book includes five true tales of thievery, from New York City in the 1800s to a train robbery in 20th century England.

When Daniel Collins and the crew of the Betsey set sail for Cuba in 1824, they have no idea of the horrors that lie ahead. This is just one of the stories in a collection of five true tales about pirates and shipwrecks that introduces readers to the perils of the high seas.Pirates and Shipwrecks: True Stories is the first book in the Mystery & Mayhem series for 9–12 year olds, which features true tales that whet kids' appetites for history by engaging...

Carl Fredericksen is a 78- year-old curmudgeon. He used to enjoy his modest life as a balloon seller when his adventure-loving wife Ellie was still alive. When she died, Carl was left with his memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats away. He discovers that...

Each of the true tales in Pirates and Shipwrecks, including stories about pirate Barbarossa and adventurer John Franklin, is paired with interesting facts about the setting, industry, and time period.

JB Bernstein is a once-successful sports agent who may have to close his business. To save it, he comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. Setting off for Mumbai, JB stages a televised, nationwide competition called 'Million Dollar Arm' where two young finalists emerge as winners. JB brings them back to the US with a goal: get them signed as pitchers to a major league team. While the boys learn the game, they teach JB the meaning of teamwork...

"Carl Fredericksen, a retired balloon salesman, is part rascal, part dreamer, who is ready for his last chance of high-flying excitement. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl sets off to the lost world of his childhood dreams. Unbeknownst to Carl, Russell, an overeager 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer who has never ventured beyond his back yard, is in the wrong place at the wrong time: Carl's front porch! The world's most unlikely duo reach...

The young boy, who loved taking adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with a gang of spirited and loveable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into that world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.