As the only maximum-security prison in the state, the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) has housed some of the most violent criminals on the West Coast, including brutal serial killers Charley Panzram in 1915 and Jerry Brudos in 1969. Sixty men have been executed inside OSP. The prison was originally built in Portland in 1851 but moved to Salem 15 years later, after Oregon became a state. From that time forward, the Oregon State Penitentiary grew from 23 prisoners in 1866 to 1,912 by 1992. T...

Ever notice how bad song lyrics get stuck in your head? It's not just you. After Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry's column about this tendency, reader response was enormous. But Barry didn't know what he was getting himself into when he invited his Legion of Alert Readers to submit their nominees in the Bad Song Survey. "Song badness," he soon learned, "is an issue that Americans care deeply about."Encompassing such categories as "songs people always get wrong," "teen dea...

Tupperware ladies, eighties people, and leisure concept salesmen beware: Dave Barry is on the loose and no one is safe! In this collection of eighty essays, the inimitable columnist observes everything that makes America the unique, special place you've grown to love: taxes, toilets, airbags, baseball, beer commercials, and numerous other American artifacts.With his beloved brand of zany humor, Barry covers it all, from lauding the little-appreciated characteristics of yeast to the...

This collection of children’s stories offers a mix of some best-loved tales as well as newer favorites. Included are: “Puss in Boots,” read by Robby Benson; “A Day at Santa’s Workshop,” read by Betty White; “Elfis, the Elf Who Saved Christmas,” read by Brian Austin Green; “Jack and the Beanstalk,” read by John Ritter; “Peter Pan,” read by Sandy Duncan; “Wild Swans,” read by Michael York; and “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” read by Michael York.

In his 3rd book on baseball, John Ritter takes the reader to Dillontown where, through a series of events, the fate of the town rests on the outcome of a baseball game. Tom and a newcomer, Cruz, convince a former Major-League Baseball player to coach the team. The team prepares for the big day by using unorthodox training methods. While the team wins the game, it still takes an unusual set of circumstances to save the town.

These classic stories of magic, imagination, and inspiration will capture children’s interest and spark their imagination story after story.“Jack and the Beanstalk” is read by John Ritter. “Puss in Boots” is read by Robby Benson. “A Day at Santa’s Workshop” is read by Betty White. “Elfis, the Elf Who Saved Christmas” is read by Brian Austin Green. And “The Elves and the Shoemaker” is read by Michael York.

As World War II rages across the world, Kannon’s life is torn apart at home. With baseball as his only outlet, he’s left to wonder whether his family will ever be reunited—and whether his world will ever be the same.Kannon has lived his whole life in Hawaii as part of a tight-knit Japanese community. He cherishes his family, his traditions, and most of all, baseball, which has always served as a bond between him and his father. But after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor,...

Happy 100th Birthday, Fenway Park!"Stats" Pagano may have been born with a heart defect, but he lives for three things: his family's hot dog stand right outside fabled Fenway Park, his beloved Red Sox, and any baseball statistic imaginable. When the family can no longer make ends meet with the hot dog stand, life becomes worrisome for Stats. Then the Sox go on a long losing streak and the team's ace pitcher--and Stats's idol--becomes convinced the famed Curse of th...

Tom Gallagher finds himself in a tight spot. The fate of Dillontown rests on the outcome of one baseball game, winner take all. And it's all because Tom had to open his big mouth. If only he could get Dante Del Gato-the greatest hitter to ever play the game-to coach the team. But crazy ol' Del Gato hasn't spoken to folks in years, not after walking away from the game in disgrace just before his team played in its first World Series. Maybe Tom has one more hope: Cruz de la Cruz, the mysteri...

Thirteen-year-old Tyler loves spending the summer in New York with his cousin. Each day, they play baseball in a Central Park league. Tyler is a sharp hitter, so he hopes to become an All-Star. But he has a temper that is quicker than his swing. If he can't control it, he will lose his place on the team. There's trouble off the diamond, too. An awful accident has turned Tyler's dad into a distracted stranger. People tell Tyler that time will heal his father's wounds, but what about the hur...

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults1999 IRA Children's Book AwardA BCCB Blue Ribbon BookWhen preacher's boy Luke Bledsoe steps on a baseball field, he discovers he has real pitching talent. For once, he can be proud of being left-handed. But Reverend Bledsoe believes that the left side is the side of Satan and the baseball field is the Devil's playground. Luke has spent his whole life trying to please his father. Will...

Children the world over have believed in the legend of Santa Claus forever—until told differently. Now, there is no reason to think otherwise! Robert Sullivan, a senior editor at Life magazine, has diligently compiled documentation to prove that Santa and flying reindeer are anything but myths and that Santa Claus does, in fact, make his trek around the globe each Christmas Eve. With the expertise of some of the world's most renowned Arctic experts, wildlife biologists, historians...