John F. Wukovits

Traces the history of soccer, from its beginnings, to its first stars and championship games, to the notable players of today.

Surveys the history of auto racing, from the early beginnings to its status as America's most popular spectator sport.

Discusses the life, career, and influence of the popular horror writer Stephen King.

Discusses the personal life and basketball career of the guard for the Los Angeles Lakers who became the youngest player in the NBA in 1996.

Examines the life and career of General Colin L. Powell, the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Text and pictures describe the events, fashions, inventions, and personalities of the 1920s.

A biography of George Clooney and his career as an actor, written for young adults.

"From an expert in the Pacific theater of World War II comes the tragic story of the pilots who fought the last fight of the war during the first hour of peace. When Billy Hobbs and his fellow Hellcat aviators from Air Group 88 lifted off from the venerable Navy carrier USS Yorktown early on the morning of August 15, 1945, they had no idea they were about to carry out the final air mission of World War II. Two hours later, Yorktown received word from Admiral Nimitz that the war had ended and that all offensive operations should cease. As they were turning back, twenty Japanese planes suddenly dove from the sky above them and began a ferocious attack. Four American pilots never returned--men who had lifted off from the carrier in wartime but were shot down during peacetime. Drawing on participant letters, diaries, and interviews, newspaper and radio accounts, and previously untapped archival records, historian and prolific author of acclaimed Pacific theater books, including Tin Can Titans and Hell from the Heavens, John Wukovits tells the story of Air Group 88's pilots and crew through their eyes. Dogfight over Tokyo is written in the same riveting, edge-of-your-seat style that has made Wukovits's previous books so successful. This is a stirring, one-of-a-kind tale of naval encounters and the last dogfight of the war--a story that is both inspirational and tragic."--Jacket flap.

Fulfills the standards: "Culture," "Individuals, Groups, and Institutions," "Power, Authority, and Governance," and "Science, Technology, and Society" from the National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards for High School.Fulfills the standards: "Chronological Thinking," "Historical Comprehension," "Historical Analysis and Interpretation," and "Historical Research Capabilities" from the National History Education Standards for American History, Grades 5-12.

The destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724), second in World War Two to bear that name, was attacked by twenty-two kamikaze pilots and survived severe damage in April 1945 during the invasion of Okinawa.

Profiles Wyatt Earp, a peace officer in the "Wild West" who is remembered for his part in a gunfight at the O.K. Corral, where a dozen men fought, several died, and only Wyatt was not shot.

Discusses aspects of the life in the Negro baseball leagues, including recruitment, training, obstacles, opportunities, as well as the values of their day.

The story of the Battle of Samar and the sacrifice of the USS Samuel B. Roberts documents how the destroyer and its small unit confronted formidable Japanese forces to secure the region for MacArthur's transports inside Leyte Gulf, in an account that also describes the harrowing three days endured in the sea by the ship's survivors.

Presents a biography of the star of the television show "Home Improvement," focusing on how he turned his life around after serving a prison sentence for selling illegal drugs.

Describes the background in which Anne Frank's life and diary were set as she hid in an attic in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years.