Tops #1

When a body turns up in a city sewer, a sharp-eyed cop notices something suspicious about a well-dressed bystander—a man named Baines who claims to be in the jewelry business. As the investigation unfolds, the officer discovers an ingenious scheme operating right beneath the city streets, one that's been turning lost valuables into unexpected profit. What started as a simple enterprise in a manhole has finally caught up with its operator, thanks to one crucial piece of evidence the sewers couldn't keep hidden.

A passionate call to action addressing America's tragic toll of child casualties from automobile accidents, "There Must Be a Better Way" presents a series of practical—and surprisingly inventive—safety innovations designed to protect schoolchildren from traffic dangers. From instant skid-control systems borrowed from aircraft carriers to speed-diminishing road features and separated pedestrian pathways, the story challenges engineers and communities to apply their ingenuity to stem this preventable tide of death and injury. Claude Moore and illustrator Anthony Depreta lay out a blueprint for change that, while perhaps revolutionary, proves no more far-fetched than the automobile itself once seemed.

Are We All "Craze" Crazy? Fads and fashions have always swept through society, from the smallest whim to the biggest trend—and this lighthearted romp through history by E. M. Ashe proves that today's crazes are nothing new or strange. Tracing everything from colonial "bundling" to beauty contests to the latest yo-yo and miniature golf crazes, this tongue-in-cheek story shows how each generation swears their fads are unique, even as they repeat the patterns of their parents and grandparents. A funny reminder that if you've raised an eyebrow at Junior's latest hobby, you probably drove your own folks just as crazy.

A restless American visionary pursued fortunes and causes across three continents—from building warehouses in Melbourne to launching railways in Liverpool, from championing the Union Pacific to running his own political campaign. This pictorial biography, adapted from Willis Thornton's book, traces how George Francis Train lived nine separate and distinct lives, each one bold, each one unregretful, whether he was making money with ease, drawing crowds as a speaker, or tilting at the political establishment. A man completely unto himself, Train crashed through the 19th century leaving his mark on commerce, innovation, and the very idea of what one person's ambition could achieve.

A Broadway box-office man and his troublemaking son navigate life on Times Square in this tale adapted from Billy Rose's collection. When the father approaches Rose seeking a job for his wayward boy, he sets off a chain of events that spans years and reveals an unexpected truth about desire and regret. Sometimes a man's greatest gift to his son is one he never lived to see him use.