Book excerpt: The popular Social Studies Connects series links history, geography, civics and economics to kids’ daily lives. Featuring stories with diverse characters who face situations young readers can relate to, these books support reading and social studies skills including researching, inferring, comparing, and communication. An activity to stimulate curiosity about the world is included in each book! Amy is dying to buy the latest, greatest video game, but with only fifty-two cents in her piggy bank, she's out of luck. Or is she? (Social Studies Topic: Economics/Bartering)