Lorraine Jean Hopping • Hopping Fun Creations

Chief Joseph: The Voice for Peace
Throughout his life, Chief Joseph of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce struggled to keep his people's land in northeastern Oregon and to solve conflicts with white settlers. His skillful efforts failed due to the rash actions of a handful of vengeful warriors. Their murder of 18 settlers led to the War of 1877 and the greatest military retreat in American history. To avoid further bloodshed, 700 Nez Perce men, women, and children—many of them elderly and wounded—traveled 1,500 miles across several states, pursued by five units of U.S. soldiers.

Chief Joseph is best known for uttering the famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."

You can read his tragic story in my upcoming children's biography (Sterling, 2009): Chief Joseph: The Voice for Peace.

Letter Perfect English
I've been teaching English to individuals and groups of immigrants for a decade and developed Letter Perfect English as a fast and fun way to learn and practice vocabulary words. This simple but flexible teaching tool has grown into much, much more. You can now play 100 games and activities with Letter Perfect English, for beginners to advanced learners, to teach vocabulary, speaking, listening, and grammar.

Bone Detective:
The Story of Forensic Anthropologist Diane France
Forensic anthropologist Diane France is a scientist who's leading a life of crime. That is, she's a bone detective who solves murder mysteries by finding and identifying human skeletons. In her Colorado lab and traveling around the world, she has also "met" the bones of famous people in history, from Russian royalty to American outlaws and Civil War soldiers. Click on the title for more details.

Space Rocks:
The Story of Planetary Geologist Adriana Ocampo
Adriana Ocampo is a planetary geologist who has worked for NASA, the U.S. space agency, since she was a teenager. Her story begins in South America, where she grew up, but a passion for rocks and craters has led her all around the world. She explores Earth's past on foot, by leading field expeditions to seek out rocks that were blasted, melted, vaporized, and otherwise tortured by the explosive crash of an asteroid or comet. Meanwhile, she investigates the fascinating features of Mars, Jupiter, and other planets through the electronic eyes of NASA's robotic spacecraft.

Crime Science

Crime Scene Investigation is the true story of the science, technology, and thinking skills behind collecting evidence at a crime scene. The book features interviews with crime scene investigators and real crime cases, including an art theft report that young sleuths can read for clues to "who dunnit."

Autopsies/The Body as Evidence explores how medical examiners treat corpses like a crime scene--searching every bit, inside and out, for evidence of how and when the person died. The last chapter features excerpts from an actual autopsy report and challenges readers to apply what they've learned to uncover a "smoking gun" clue to a murder.

Review by Booklist:
Young CSI fans will be engrossed by this title in the Crime Scene Science series. The well-balanced mix of case studies, scientific explanations, and descriptions of fieldwork offers a dynamic, behind-the-scenes look at crime-scene investigations. Hopping doesn't sensationalize; she focuses on facts: "a rotting corpse releases about 400 chemicals into the air." Even so, the graphic details and color photos may disturb some young people. A resource section of books and Web sites encourages further exploration.

Sports Hall of Fame
I wrote Sports Hall of Fame with my husband, Chris Egan, a sports editor at the Ann Arbor News. The book features the spectacular Williams sisters of tennis—Venus and Serena—along with figure skating star Michelle Kwan, football quarterback Peyton Manning, basketball standout Grant Hill, and baseball cut-up Ken Griffey, Jr.

Today's Weather Is . . . A Book of Experiments
Short features about wind power, making water from fog, city heat islands, and other topics motivate young children to explore weather with related hands-on activities.

Wild Weather!
Wild Earth!

Wild Weather titles
Tornadoes!
Hurricanes! (available in Spanish)
Lightning! (available in Spanish)
Floods!
Blizzards!

Wild Earth titles
Avalanche!
Earthquake!
Volcano!

These true tales of natural disasters, including the adventures of scientists who study them and the personal experiences of survivors, will engage young readers (ages 6 to 8). Where and when do natural disasters strike? Why and how do these dangerous events happen? How can you stay safe?

Some titles are currently available in used editions only.

Ideas on Trial Biographies
Sally Ride: Space Pioneer
Jacques Cousteau: Saving Our Seas

Two fiction books dramatize outstanding lives from childhood to greatness. A middle school teacher from Livonia, Michigan, says: "One of my students discovered Space Pioneer and loved it. It's now on my 'great reads' list--books that every student will enjoy." Ages 9 to 12.

Language Arts Games
Noun Hounds and Other Grammar Games
Turn a dull subject into learning games that kids actually ask to play. For grades 3–6. This was my bestselling language arts book. It is currently available only in used editions.

Best-Ever Vocabulary Games
Games and reproducibles motivate kids to expand their vocabulary the smart way—with word roots, patterns, and a meaningful context. For grades 4-8.

First Dictionary Activity Book
Children's Dictionary Activity Book
Two activity books, one for primary grades (1–3) and one for upper elementary (4–6), teach users of the Scholastic Children's Dictionaries basic reference skills.

Yes You Can! Teach Shakespeare (out of print)
PUBLISHERS: Contact me if you're interested in middle school activities, simulations, and hands-on projects for almost any Shakespeare play. This creative material would make a dynamite kid's book!

25 Math Board Games!
My top seller includes complete, highly motivating games for kids who like—and don't like—math. Grades 3-6.

PUBLISHERS: 101 Brain–Boosting Math Puzzlers and Ready, Set, Roll! Math Dice Games have recently gone out of print after years of successful sales to teachers. I can turn both titles into excellent children's books. Contact me for samples!

Creative Approaches to Social Studies
Great American History Games
A variety of motivating games cover important history topics. Grades 5 to 8.

15 Primary Source Activities: American History
Plays, readings, reenactments, simulations, and other activities based on primary source text and photos. Grades 5 to 8.

PUBLISHERS: Polar Geography and Inventors and Inventions (starred reviews!) sold well to elementary and middle school teachers but have recently gone out of print. Contact me if you're in the market for well-written, high-interest children's books on these topics. Both books are jam-packed with creative activities and fascinating facts.

Mars 2020
This fun family board game received rave reviews from customers at Amazon.com, a positive review at boardgamegeek.com, and numerous awards in the toy industry.