Laurie Calkhoven is the author of many books, including George Washington: An American Life and Harriet Tubman: Leading the Way to Freedom. She lives in New York City. Visit her at LaurieCalkhoven.com.
Valerio Fabbretti is passionate about drawing, comic books, animation, and spaghetti westerns. He has illustrated children's books and comic books in the US and in Italy. Valerio was born in Rome, but studied illustration in San Francisco, where he is currently living and working.

Discover the thrilling side of the history of the space race in this fact-tastic, nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a series about the secrets of American History!
Did you know that you can't bring a sandwich on a spaceship? Or that a group of people who had lost their hearing played an important role in the race to send astronauts to the moon? Find out about those true stories and more in this book about the space race of the 1950s and 1960s.

Secrets of American History is an action-packed nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read series that lets beginning readers in on a little secret: history is full of surprises! Want to know what invisible ink has to do with the American Revolution? Or why shark repellant and inflatable army tanks were used in World War II? Find out in this fact-filled series of fascinating true tales, wild adventures, and spy missions, and discover the secret side of American history!