Michele Norris

In 1877, Anna Sewell wrote a novel about human kindness and cruelty — all from the point of view of a horse. In the decades since, Black Beauty has been embraced by generations of children, and has helped change the way we treat and think about horses.

Former schoolteacher Rick Riordan delivers a lesson in ancient Egyptian history cleverly disguised as a hair-raising kids adventure. Carter and Sadie Kane have no idea they are descended from age-old sorcerers until their archaeologist father accidentally unleashes ancient gods into modern society.

Margi Preus' Heart of a Samurai tells the story of Manjiro, a fisherman's son who dreams of becoming a samurai. When his boat is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, he embarks on a series of adventures that turn his dreams into reality.

Afghanistan's election commission has cancelled plans for a presidential runoff vote, and declared Hamid Karzai the winner. The move followed a decision by Karzai's only remaining challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, to pull out of the race.

Supporters loyal to Iran's supreme leader took to the streets Tuesday at a massive rally organized by the clerical regime. Later, supporters of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi staged another protest against the election results. Meanwhile, the government said it would recount some disputed ballots, and foreign media were barred from covering rallies in Tehran.

Ahmed Gailani, the first Guantanamo detainee to stand trial in federal court, arrived in New York Tuesday to stand trial for the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. His case is part of a much broader national debate over how to handle the roughly 240 detainees being held at the camp.

The World Health Organization has raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4. President Obama has said the government is closely monitoring the new swine flu virus, and while it's cause for concern, it's not a cause for alarm.

The crew of a U.S.-flagged ship that was seized by pirates Wednesday off Somalia retook the vessel, but the ship's captain was still being held hostage. It was the first such hostage-taking incident involving Americans in more than 200 years.

President Obama made a surprise visit to Iraq Tuesday, telling U.S. Troops that it was time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country. Obama also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who later said he assured the president that progress on security will continue.

New York Gov. David Paterson said Friday at least 12 people were killed in an attack on an immigration-services center in Binghamton, N.Y. News reports say a gunman entered the building while firing, and took hostages.