Heather C Hudak

Cuba, an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, is a top tourist destination due to its subtropical climate and beautiful coastline. Read all about the country's land and resources, its complicated political history, and the impact of colonization by Europeans, as well as daily life and culture today for people across Cuba. Free downloadable Teacher's Notes.

Misinformation and disinformation both describe misleading or false information--one is spread unintentionally and the other is shared on purpose. Censorship involves suppressing certain information. All three significantly impact how people interpret issues and events. This important title examines the different ways of, and reasons for, controlling information, and how to build information literacy. Free downloadable Teacher's Notes.

A virus is a type of germ so small that it can only be seen with a microscope. Viruses were discovered in the late 1880s. Discover more in What Is a Virus?, part of the Understanding Viruses series.

Mountains are alpine biomes, which are home to an intriguing number of plants and animals. Some mountain animals, such as the yak, have been adapted for agriculture by humans. This intriguing book soars to new heights with simple-to-understand maps and detailed facts about an often-overlooked biome.

In 2017, Puerto Rico was hit hard by Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island, buildings, and people, and knocked out power. Based on the experiences of many hurricane victims, this fictional story follows Antonio and his family who fled to a safer part of the island, then returning to their village where they struggle to rebuild with little help. Interspersed with facts and case studies about what causes hurricanes, this narrative tells a story...

People who feel unwell should try to avoid others. This helps stop the spread of the virus. The more contact people have with an infected person, the faster a virus spreads. Discover more in Staying Safe from Viruses, part of the Understanding Viruses series.

SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is an infectious disease that attacks a person's respiratory system. Find out more in SARS, one of the titles in the International Outbreaks series.

The 2019 college admissions scandal in the United States, where more and 50 people were involved in a $25 million dollar bribery scheme, brought the issue of equality and equity in education to public attention in a shocking way. But education equality is about more than college admissions. This thoughtful book examines the issue of public education, education equality, and the education system's role in helping students reach their full potential...

What makes a protest and why are protests important to democracies? This timely book examines the phenomena of protests historically and discusses the different ways people voice their opinion to effect change.

This informative title examines how transportation contributes to climate change, how improving transportation could help slow the crisis, and the current challenges scientists face. This book also includes a table of contents, an infographic, informative sidebars, a "That's Amazing" special feature, quiz questions, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. This Focus Readers title is at the Navigator level, aligned to reading levels of grades...