Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers – serie

Two starred reviews! In her “brilliant” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) first book for young readers, New York Times bestselling author and New York magazine writer-at-large Rebecca Traister draws material from her award-winning books and articles to show girls their anger has the power to be a force of change, just like for many trailblazers before them.From an early age, young girls are taught anger isn’t an emotion they should express. They’re told—either implicitly or explicitly—to spend their lives keeping their fury locked inside for the benefit of others. But partly, Traister argues, that’s because the anger of women and girls has been a crucial catalyst for change, putting in motion some of the most defining social and political movements in our nation’s history. And it’s that anger that will blaze the path forward for the future. Traister chronicles a concise history from the colonial era to the Women’s March of 2016 demonstrating how women’s rage has forged coalitions and created political change through movements for women’s and civil rights and more, and how the past decade has created an inflection point for women and girls who have yet to experience rights equal to men’s in the United States.

Michael Jordan’s mother and sister team up for this heartwarming and inspirational picture book about faith and hope and how any family working together can help a child make his or her dreams come true. Featuring illustrations by Kadir Nelson, winner of the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement!Michael Jordan. The mere mention of the name conjures up visions of basketball played at its absolute best. But as a child, Michael almost gave up on his hoop dreams, all because he feared he’d never grow tall enough to play the game that would one day make him famous. That’s when his mother and father stepped in and shared the invaluable lesson of what really goes into the making of a champion—patience, determination, and hard work.

From moments fussy to fond, Academy Award–winning filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, present a behind-the-scenes look at the chills, spills, and unequivocal thrills of bringing up baby! Featuring illustrations by Kadir Nelson, winner of the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement!Go back to bed,baby, please, baby, please.Not on your HEADbaby baby baby, please! Vivid illustrations from celebrated artist Kadir Nelson evoke toddlerhood from sandbox to high chair to crib, and families everywhere will delight in sharing these exuberant moments again and again.

Everybody at the station! It’s time for winter hibernation! The sweet rhyming text of this book will calm even the most rambunctious kids and have them dreaming about what it’s like to hibernate. Young readers will be soothed and delighted as this story introduces them to different types of hibernating animals. The creatures on the train are preparing to snuggle into sleep, although with a passenger list that includes chipmunks, bears, snakes, hedgehogs, groundhogs, frogs, turtles, mice, bats, and more, there’s a lot of noise! Will the hibernating critters ever get to sleep? Take a trip to Hibernation Station to find out!

High-fashion model Cheryl Diamond recounts the challenges and achievements of her career in the cutthroat fashion industry in this gripping memoir.Every year, hundreds of the most beautiful people in the world come to New York to become models. At age fourteen, Cheryl Diamond was one of them. Living on her own in a run-down apartment, Cheryl spent her days on go-sees, runways, and shoots—surviving hand-to-mouth while taking in everything she could about the tough and sleazy modeling industry. She watched other girls make mistakes and swore she wouldn’t be a victim…until a career-altering event changed her life and nearly ruined her shot at her dream. This is the riveting, true account of Cheryl’s triumphant rise, disastrous fall, and phoenix-like comeback in one of the hottest and most demanding industries in the world.

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbours, hoping to do their yard work. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman. The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. Wordless, timeless, and classic, The Girl and the Bicycle carries a message of selflessness and sweet surprises and makes an ideal gift for graduations and other special occasions.

Four stepsiblings from two opposite sides of the world are sharing a summer together in one strange city: Los Angeles. NYC fashionista girl Annabel is determined to hate LA, where her dad and his family have relocated. But just when Annabel thinks her summer is beyond ruined, she gets a surprise from Down Under . . . and let's just say he's a good kisser. Lucy misses her home country, Australia, but thinks LA isn't so bad after all. If she could only get her stepsister Annabel on board to loving LA too -- and get that weird Wheaties boy to stop staring at her! Wheaties, boy-genius, doesn't mind where he's spending the summer, so long as lovable Lucy is nearby. He's trying not to worry about how his dad and stepmother's marriage problems will affect his living situation. And he'd really like to know the secret of that Ben dude's swoony appeal to the girls. Ben, the Aussie athlete god, would rather be spending his school break playing footy with his mates back in Melbourne. He'd also really rather not have his dad's loud girlfriend sharing their American vacation. And he'd definitely like to know how he got interested in the pretty Annabel girl all over again. Told from the alternating points of view of Annabel, Lucy, Wheaties, and Ben, Two Steps Forward is funny and genuine -- and shows how love can create all kinds of families.

Maggie's mouth dropped open. "I don't believe it. You got discovered?" "Well," Annabel said, "maybe not exactly discovered. But maybe very close to being almost discovered." When aspiring actress Annabel sees the movie company vans roll into her neighborhood, she is determined that this will be her big break. With her friend Maggie by her side, Annabel schmoozes her way onto the set and lands a role as an extra! She stays up all night watching scary movies and screaming at the top of her lungs to practice for her part. However, when the day of shooting arrives, everything goes wrong and Annabel's five seconds of stardom turn into a disaster. But her career's not over yet. Annabel doesn't know it but the director has some tricks up his sleeve...Annabel's mishaps will have readers laughing out loud in this follow-up to Annabel the Actress starring in Gorilla My Dreams.

Delilah and Gavin's new love is threatened by a force uncomfortably close to home in this haunting novel from New York Timesbestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard. His shirt is black, jeans are black, and shaggy black hair falls into his eyes. And when Gavin looks up at Delilah, the dark eyes shadowed with bluish circles seem to flicker to life. He lives in that house, the one at the edge of town. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets. Delilah and Gavin can't resist each other. But staying together will exact a price beyond their imagining.

A boy's small paper boat-and his large imagination-fill the pages of this wordless picture book, a modern-day classic from the creator of Pardon Me! that includes endpaper instructions for building a boat of your own. A little boy takes a boat made of newspaper out for a rainy-day adventure. The boy and his boat dance in the downpour and play in the puddles, but when the boy sends his boat floating down a gutter stream, it quickly gets away from him. So of course the little boy goes on the hunt for his beloved boat-and when the rain lets up, he finds himself on a new adventure altogether. This seemingly simply story from Daniel Miyares is enriched with incredible depth and texture that transcend words.

Katie Rain Hill realised very young that a serious mistake had been made; she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. Suffocating under her peers’ bullying and the mounting pressure to be “normal,” Katie tried to take her life at the age of eight years old. After several other failed attempts, she finally understood that “Katie”—the girl trapped within her—was determined to live.In this first-person account, Katie reflects on her pain-filled childhood and the events leading up to the life-changing decision to undergo gender reassignment as a teenager. She reveals the unique challenges she faced while unlearning how to be a boy and shares what it was like to navigate the dating world—and experience heartbreak for the first time—in a body that matched her gender identity.Told in an unwaveringly honest voice, Rethinking Normal is a coming-of-age story about transcending physical appearances and redefining the parameters of “normalcy” to embody one’s true self.

From award-winning author Susan Hood and illustrator Sally Wern Comport comes the extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash.Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.

Jordan Romero climbed Mount Everest at age thirteen—and he didn’t stop there. In this inspiring young adult memoir that includes color photos, he tells how he achieved such great heights.On May 22, 2010, at the age of thirteen, American teenager Jordan Romero became the youngest person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. At fifteen, he became the youngest person to reach the summits of the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents. In this energizing memoir for young adults, Jordan, recounts his experience, which started as a spark of an idea at the age of nine and, many years of training and hard work later, turned into a dream come true.“The emotional pitch of the story remains high as Romero contends with extreme weather, frustration, exhaustion, and homesickness to reach, with almost palpable exhilaration, each peak” (Publishers Weekly).

From the author of Lucky Few comes a “refreshing” (Booklist, starred review) teen novel about Internet fame, peer pressure, and remembering not to step on the little people on your way to the top!After a shout-out from one of the internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka suddenly finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust in the limelight: She’s gone viral. Her show is a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the 40,000 new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr gifs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever. And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual. Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

Ten teens are left alone in the wilderness during a three-day survival test in this multi-authored novel led by award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson.At Zeppelin Bend, an outdoor-education program designed to teach troubled youth the value of hard work, cooperation, and compassion, ten teens are left alone in the wild. The teens are a diverse group who come from all walks of life, and were all sent to Zeppelin Bend as a last chance to get them to turn their lives around. They’ve just spent nearly two weeks hiking, working, learning to survive in the wilderness, and now their instructors have dropped them off eighteen miles from camp with no food, no water, and only their packs, and they’ll have to struggle to overcome their vast differences if they hope to survive. Inspired by The Canterbury Tales, the characters in Feral Youth, each complex and damaged in their own ways, are enticed to tell a story (or two) with the promise of a cash prize. The stories range from noir-inspired revenge tales to mythological stories of fierce heroines and angry gods. And while few of the stories are claimed to be based in truth, they ultimately reveal more about the teller than the truth ever could.

Determined to rescue his baby sister from the Fairies, John Nesbit travels into the world of the Strangers and discovers an unusual world of human-headed flying dogs and a hollow man. When John Nesbit discovers that his little sister has been stolen by a weird group of fairies and replaced with a changeling, he knows he must rescue her. Although his journey to the world of the Strangers will lead to confrontations with terrifying creatures, John is determined to return his sister home safely through his own determination and the helpful insight of a classmate. Simultaneously funny and startling, The Same Place but Different is a richly satisfying adventure that combines British mythology and oral traditions with contemporary characters and settings.

Four starred reviews!“A gentle delight, simultaneously honoring both the dog dePaola lost and the artist we lost in turn.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) This touching story about love, loss, and remembrance in the wake of losing a beloved pet is the final completed book written by beloved creator Tomie dePaola, with art by award-winning illustrator Barbara McClintock.Where are you, Brontë?The day you left me, I knew I would miss you.And I did. Every day, every night.But then, I knew you were right here, still with me, in my heart forever. Children’s book legend Tomie dePaola tells the emotional and deeply personal story about overcoming his grief after the loss of his beloved dog, Brönte.

In this wildly charming and fantastically imaginative story by the New York Times bestselling author of Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear, a young animal expert knows just what to do when she spots her teacher in the wild.Miranda is an animal expert. Or at least, she watches a lot of Nature Joe. Nature Joe is incredible. He rescues animals, returning them to their natural habitat. Mrs. Birdley is a teacher. The natural habitat of a teacher is a classroom. So when Mrs. Birdley escapes school and ends up wild, loose, and confused at the local grocery store, Miranda knows just what to do: she must use her brain, her guts, and her extensive knowledge of Nature Joe to rescue Mrs. Birdley—at any cost! This delightfully over-the-top picture book by newcomer Emma Reynolds explores the weirdness of seeing a teacher outside of school and will have young readers laughing out loud every time they read.

From the creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a story about a young girl determined to impress her older sister by building elaborate sandcastles, even if that means standing up to the ocean and its smash-happy waves!Jules is going to build the biggest, the fanciest, and the most excellent sandcastle. Her sister will be so impressed. But the ocean has other plans. Jules keeps building bigger, fancier, and more excellent castles, and waves keep smashing them. And when the ocean takes her bucket, that is the final straw. Jules is going to take a stand! From beloved storyteller Jessie Sima comes the tongue-in-cheek story of the sand, the sea, and sisterhood—told with her signature warmth, timeless humor, and delightfully playful illustrations.

From the bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a delightfully spooky story about an old house who wants to be a home…even if her new family isn’t what she expected.House has a problem. She’s a little spooky. She’s a little cobwebby. Oh, no! What if she’s haunted? She’s not sure, but…her hinges creak. Her pipes bang. And on windy days, the branches scritch-scratch at her windows. She tries to hold her breath and be as still as possible. If she’s on her best behavior, maybe a family will move in. How will House ever find a family that doesn’t mind being haunted?

“A riveting ride through the stars.” —Kirkus Reviews Black Mirror meets What If It’s Us in this gripping, romantic, and wildly surprising novel about two boys lost in space trying to find their way home—while falling in love—from the critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants.When Noa closes his eyes on Earth and wakes up on a spaceship called Qriosity just as it’s about to explode, he’s pretty sure things can’t get much weirder. Boy is he wrong. Trapped aboard Qriosity are also DJ and Jenny, neither of whom remember how they got onboard the ship. Together, the three face all the dangers of space, along with murder, aliens, a school dance, and one really, really bad day. But none of this can prepare Noa for the biggest challenge—falling in love. And as Noa’s feelings for DJ deepen, he has to contend not just with the challenges of the present, but also with his memories of the past. However, nothing is what it seems on Qriosity, and the truth will upend all of their lives forever. Love is complicated enough without also trying to stay alive.

From the creator of Fake Blood comes another exceptionally charming middle grade graphic novel about friendships both near and far, far away.Vega’s summer vacation is not going well. When her parents decide it’s time to pack up and leave her hometown of Portland, Oregon, behind for boring Seattle, Washington, Vega is more than upset—she’s downright miserable. Forced to leave her one and only best friend, Halley, behind, Vega is convinced she’ll never make another friend again. To help her settle into her new life in Seattle, her parents send Vega off to summer camp to make new friends. Except Vega is determined to get her old life back. But when her cellphone unexpectedly calls it quits and things at camp start getting stranger and stranger, Vega has no choice but to team up with her bunkmates to figure out what’s going on!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this “entertaining and nuanced” (Kirkus Reviews) romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ‘Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents. Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ‘Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him. When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community. But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ‘rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

For the first printing only! This paperback features sprayed stenciled edges while the special edition supply lasts.Two starred reviews!An instant New York Times bestseller! From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nail-biter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. “A powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times” (Kirkus Reviews).It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack. And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.

From spiritual activist, racial justice educator, and bestselling author Rachel Ricketts comes an inspiring picture book guiding children in heart-centered and mindfulness-based practices in the face of fear, anxiety, and racial injustice.Hold on to what matters; to joyand being free. When the world gets to be too much, we can always take a moment to look within ourselves for love, support, and healing. This lyrical mindfulness guide filled with an inspiring, positive self-esteem message helps young ones, especially Black and Brown children, feel big feelings and celebrate their whole being. Includes a special author’s note and guide for caregivers to help little ones get embodied when their feelings get too big to handle.

Jenny Han meets Silicon Valley in this drama-packed debut young adult novel about a Chinese American teen who navigates a high-stakes coding competition, sabotage, and first love when she’s invited to a summer hackathon at MIT.Sixteen-year-old Charise “Char” Tang is desperate to ditch her dead-end small town. So when she’s invited to a highly selective hackathon at MIT, she seizes the opportunity to jet across the country, spend the summer building an app, and maybe even snag the top prize—a golden ticket to a new life. When she arrives, she teams up with Khoi Astor, coding wunderkind and creator of last year’s biggest mobile game. Khoi, who has soft eyes and a gentle smile. Khoi, who can make anyone laugh. Khoi, who is easy to fall for…and already dating her camp roommate. If only Char could reprogram her heart to forget about him. As the competition heats up, so do things between Char and her teammate. But sabotage lurks around every corner, and she soon discovers that the glitzy tech world has a dark, dangerous underbelly.

In this heartwarming Passover story, a young Jewish child learns to work through grief with the help of family, memory, and tradition.It’s Passover time and everything seems the same, but there’s one major problem. Poppy is gone. And it’s just not Passover without Poppy. Mama says he’s still here, and Aunty says to keep looking, but where? This young child searches and searches but can’t find Poppy anywhere. All of Poppy’s favorite people are here though, and so are the special traditions he taught them. Suddenly she starts to realize that maybe, just maybe, Poppy is here, too…and always will be.

Our Favorite Day of the Year meets Alma and How She Got Her Name in this warm, lyrical picture book about a child who learns to celebrate her multicultural identity and finds pride in all the stories and worlds that live inside of her.When it’s Multicultural Day at school, a young girl wonders how best to tell the story of who she is. With marigolds, mangoes, and stories of India? Fairy tales, cuckoo clocks, and German tales? Or cheeseburgers, superheroes, and American traditions? When choosing only one doesn’t feel quite right, she realizes that stories from all three places make her who she is. With whole worlds inside her, she doesn’t have to choose just one—she can be all three.