You just tried out for the school play. Who wants the lead part more than anyone? YOU! Imagine sailing the high seas without a care in the world. Storming castles for gold and jewels. Wearing a horned helmet. But be careful what you wish for. That might not be the way it was for an explorer on a Viking ship Each book in this series covers what life would be like in each of the featured historical settings. For example, in Your Life as a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail, the reader follows the story of Abigail Cross who is headed West with her husband and three children. Abigail learns about the hardships and pleasures of the Oregon Trial, while a "director" shows up to give the reader factual background. Characters of different ages and genders play the starring roles so books will appeal to all readers. There is also a nice balance between storytelling and fact. The accompanying pictures are whimsical and add some visual detail. Recommended. --"Library Media Connection" Thomas Kingsley Troupe is the author of a big ol' pile of books for kids. He's written about everything from ghosts to Bigfoot to 3rd grade werewolves. He even wrote a book about dirt. When he's not writing or reading, he investigates the strange and spooky as part of the Twin Cities Paranormal Society. Thomas lives in Woodbury, Minnesota with his two sons. Jeffrey Ebbeler has been creating art for children for almost a decade. He loves the creative potential of storybook art. He has given many lectures and demonstrations in grade-schools, colleges, and museums about the process of bringing words to life through pictures. He has worked on a variety of projects including illustrations for magazines, CD covers, and book covers as well as paper engineering for pop-up books, creating large scale murals for schools and churches, and sculpting puppets and preforming for several marionette theaters. He and his wife Eileen both attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati. They currently live in Cincinnati with their twin daughters Olivia and Isabel. Jeffrey signed with artist agent Portfolio Solutions LLC. This has been a successful partnership and has allowed Jeffrey to leave his long held position as an art director for the children's book department at Publication's International ltd. to work as a freelance illustrator full time.