When a disagreement over a community garden sends Amaya, Jeffrey, and Scout back to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, they discover how an empire fed hundreds of thousands of people by building floating farms on a lake. As they help construct a chinampa and learn the secrets of sustainable agriculture, the team uncovers a timeless lesson: the strongest communities thrive when people work together—and when they give back to the land as much as they take from it.
When a magical compass reveals that the maps of the world are wrong, Amaya and her friends join a daring voyage across uncharted oceans during the Age of Exploration. As they help chart new routes and uncover hidden truths, they learn that every great discovery begins with the courage to explore beyond what is known.
In "Passport to Power," a high-stakes time-traveling adventure, three students—Jeffery, Scout, and Amaya—find themselves trapped in a time vortex. Guided by Ms. Meridian, they must navigate through history’s most powerful civilizations to earn "visas" for their Time Traveler’s Passports—or risk being lost in the timeline forever.
Step into history and uncover how the founders of the United States established three equal branches of government to balance power and protect democracy.
In this time-traveling adventure, discover how groundbreaking inventions like the telescope, the printing press, and the steam engine transformed the way we live, see, and experience the world.
In this fast-paced historical adventure, Amaya, Jeffrey, and Scout learn about local government by experiencing the aftermath of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Frustrated by endless debates while planning a campfire, the group is transported to disaster-stricken Galveston, where slow decision-making in the traditional Mayor-Council system delays relief efforts. Inspired by the need for quick action, city leaders create the “Commission Plan,” dividing responsibilities among a small group of officials who both make and carry out decisions. As the kids watch the city rebuild—including the construction of the massive Galveston Seawall—they discover how government structure can shape a community’s survival, efficiency, and fairness. Back at camp, they apply the same lesson to finally organize their own successful S’mores night.
In The Great Canal Gamble, Amaya, Jeffrey, and Scout struggle to fund a community garden after camp headquarters refuses to pay for it. Their problem transports them to 1819 New York, where construction of the Erie Canal has stalled because the federal government won’t fund the project and workers have gone on strike over unpaid wages. Guided by Governor DeWitt Clinton, the kids learn how states can raise money through bonds and tolls to finance major public works projects. As they watch the canal transform New York into an economic powerhouse, they discover the power of local leadership, creative budgeting, and investing in the future. Inspired by history, the friends return home ready to save their garden with their own “Berry Bonds” and community support.
This comic, “The Great River Tug-of-War,” turns a simple, relatable fight over camp snacks into an exciting way to explore big civic ideas like federalism, competing factions, and the dramatic real-life story behind the 1922 Colorado River Compact, making complex history feel fun, vivid, and easy to understand.
Journey into California’s Central Valley, where water tells the story of life, growth, and survival. Through an engaging narrative, this book reveals how geography, climate, and human ingenuity come together to shape the land and the communities that depend on it. Follow the path of water as it travels from mountain snowmelt through vast aqueducts, transforming dry, dormant land into thriving farms and towns. Along the way, readers discover how carefully designed infrastructure connects distant regions, delivering vital resources to places where they are needed most—even reversing nature’s course to sustain life
Follow Amaya, Scout, and Jeffery as they chase a magical paintbrush weaving its way through Chicago—revealing a deeper truth: the city is alive with motion, energy, and connection. Guided by the brush, they discover Chicago not as a static place, but as a dynamic network shaped by flowing waterways, rumbling railroads, and bustling streets above and below. Through vivid layers of art and mapping, the city unfolds as a vibrant mosaic—where elevated trains, hidden routes, and intersecting paths pulse with life.
Travel through time with Scout into previous economic conditions. Explore the rise in technology and the transition into the gig economy. Discover the interdependence workers must have with AI technologies to compete in the workforce.
When a hurricane threatens the South Carolina coast, a group of curious kids and their trusty brush are swept into the heart of an Emergency Command Center. With the supercomputer down and the storm closing in, it's up to them to turn chaos into clarity. Using real-world tools—buoy data, Doppler radar, and topographic maps—they learn to track the storm's path and visualize risk with the help of the Spaghetti Model, a tangle of forecast lines that reveals both uncertainty and hope. As they race to warn the towns in the hurricane's path, the kids discover that geography is more than maps and models—it's about creative problem-solving, teamwork, and seeing connections where others see confusion. With every string and every map, they transform a knotted mess into a life-saving plan, proving that anyone can turn data into action.
A group of young artists struggles to create a sand mandala that truly represents the Sahara. With the help of a magical paintbrush, they journey into the Sahara itself, where they encounter shifting dunes, rocky plateaus, dry valleys, and life-giving oases. As they explore, they learn why the desert is so dry and how oases form, revealing a landscape far richer and more complex than they first imagined. Guided by these discoveries, the artists return to their work with new insight, creating a sand mandala that captures the true diversity and balance of the Sahara’s ecosystems.
Step into a world where stories are painted, not just told. In Living Ink: The Map of Mana, Scout journeys to Aotearoa, where Māori traditions come alive through art, dance, and ancestral wisdom. Guided by a mystical brush, Scout discovers that identity isn’t just inherited—it’s a living map shaped by people, places, and stories. As ancient patterns, carvings, and tattoos reveal histories of migration and belonging, Scout helps restore the heart of a sacred meeting house—and begins to understand their own place in the world.
In The Fall of the Roman Empire, Amaya and Jeffrey’s attempt to build a cardboard city mirrors the rise and collapse of ancient Rome. As their project grows unstable, they learn how overexpansion, poor leadership, and weak foundations can bring even the greatest empires down. Blending history with relatable challenges, this story shows why every strong community—and every great idea—needs a solid base.
In Dictator For a Day, a group of students is thrust into Ancient Rome during a crisis, where one student is given absolute power to defend the city. Inspired by the Roman hero Cincinnatus, they learn that true leadership requires trust, self-restraint, and teamwork—not unchecked authority. Blending adventure, humor, and history, this story explores the responsibilities of power and citizenship.
In The Hero’s Journey, Amaya, Jeffrey, and Scout are transported from their struggling community garden into the world of Homer’s Odyssey. Facing sea monsters, ancient challenges, and lessons from Greek culture, they learn that teamwork, listening, and perseverance are the keys to true leadership.
When Amaya's powerful Archive-Bot accidentally begins erasing one of history's most important chapters, she and her friends are swept back to the turbulent world of the Reformation. Racing across 16th-century Europe, they encounter Martin Luther, John Calvin, Henry VIII, and other figures whose ideas transformed religion, politics, and society forever. As glitches threaten to erase key events and voices from the timeline, the team must restore history by preserving both the old traditions and the new ideas that challenged them. Filled with time-travel adventure, humor, and historical discovery, this exciting journey reveals that history is more than facts and dates—it's the story of people, perspectives, and the power of change.
Scout, Jeffrey, and Amaya are pulled into medieval Europe during the feudal period, where conflicting local laws and divided power trap travelers in chaos. As they navigate shifting systems of authority and witness the rise of centralized kingdoms and the Renaissance, they learn how unity, shared rules, and new ideas transform society.
The Search for the Reel Sovereignty follows Jeffrey and his friends as they travel through different governments in history to recover lost video archives. Along the way, they learn how leadership and sovereignty vary across societies and why shared responsibility matters.
In a vibrant blend of history and metaphor, The Bridge to Change follows a group of young students as they tackle an engineering challenge—building a tension bridge—while discovering the powerful story of the women's suffrage movement. When their science project falters, Amaya and her friends are transported to the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., where they meet trailblazers like Alice Paul, Mary Church Terrell, and Ida B. Wells. Through teamwork, resilience, and civic persistence, the students learn that progress is rarely perfect, but every setback can become a step forward. This inspiring tale weaves together lessons of social activism, the importance of standing up for equality, and the enduring strength found in working together to bridge divides—both literal and figurative.
Step into the chaos and creativity of history with The Self-Determination Station! When a meticulous archivist's perfect filing system is thrown into disarray by the aftermath of World War I, he and his companions are swept into a whirlwind journey through the dissolution of empires. As Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire break apart, new nations struggle to define themselves, borders are redrawn, and the principle of self-determination is put to the test. Through lively dialogue and real historical dilemmas—like a train carrying life-saving medicine stuck at a disputed border—this engaging exploration reveals how the world’s map was forever changed, and how the only constant in history is change itself. Perfect for readers curious about the human stories behind shifting boundaries and the birth of new nations.
The Compass of the Caliphate is a vibrant journey through history, culture, geography, and economics, told through the eyes of young adventurers Jeffrey and Scout. When a kitchen debate over tradition and innovation spirals into a whirlwind adventure, the duo finds themselves in the heart of the Abbasid Golden Age. Guided by a magical compass, they must recover four lost gears—each representing a key discipline: Geography, Civics, History, and Economics. Along the way, they navigate desert caravans, ancient trade routes, and bustling markets, learning how cultures blend, traditions evolve, and choices shape destinies. Blending humor, historical insight, and hands-on problem-solving, this story shows that the past is not just to be preserved, but to be reimagined for the future. Perfect for readers who love adventure, discovery, and the timeless quest to understand how the world works.
