Caseen Gaines

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Illinois

The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical That Changed the World

The triumphant story of how an all-Black Broadway cast and crew changed musical theatre--and the world--forever.

"This musical introduced Black excellence to the Great White Way. Broadway was forever changed and we, who stand on the shoulders of our brilliant ancestors, are charged with the very often elusive task of carrying that torch into our present."--Billy Porter, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor

"The 1920s were the years of Manhattan's Black Renaissance. It began with Shuffle Along." --Langston Hughes

If Hamilton, Rent, or West Side Story captured your heart, you'll love this in-depth look into the rise of the 1921 Broadway hit, Shuffle Along, the first all-Black musical to succeed on Broadway. No one was sure if America was ready for a show featuring nuanced, thoughtful portrayals of Black characters--and the potential fallout was terrifying. But from the first jazzy, syncopated beats of composers Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, New York audiences fell head over heels.

When Broadway Was Black is the story of how Sissle and Blake, along with comedians Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, overcame poverty, racism, and violence to harness the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and produce a runaway Broadway hit that launched the careers of many of the twentieth century's most beloved Black performers. Born in the shadow of slavery and establishing their careers at a time of increasing demands for racial justice and representation for people of color, they broke down innumerable barriers between Black and white communities at a crucial point in our history.

Author and pop culture expert Caseen Gaines leads readers through the glitz and glamour of New York City during the Roaring Twenties to reveal the revolutionary impact one show had on generations of Americans, and how its legacy continues to resonate today.

Praise for When Broadway Was Black:

"A major contribution to culture."--Brian Jay Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Jim Henson: The Biography

"With meticulous research and smooth storytelling, Caseen Gaines significantly deepens our understanding of one of the key cultural events that launched the Harlem Renaissance."--A Lelia Bundles, New York Times bestselling author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker

"Absorbing..."--The Wall Street Journal

Previously published as Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way

When Broadway Was Black

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George R. R. Martin

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One

The kingdom of the royal Stark family faces its ultimate challenge in the onset of a generation-long winter, the poisonous plots of the rival Lannisters, the emergence of the Neverborn demons, and the arrival of barbarian hordes

A Game of Thrones

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A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Two

A Clash of Kings

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Bruce Craven

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

A Game of Thrones and Leadership

A guide to leading without losing your head, inspired by the bestselling books and smash television series Game of Thrones. "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." —Cersei Lannister One of the great joys of Game of Thrones is strategizing what bold moves you'd make in this bloody, volatile world—from the comfort of your living room. And one of the great terrors of being a leader is knowing your real world can be just as brutal—and offices bring no comfort. Every day you're presented with opportunities and challenges, and must decide which roads to follow, which risks to confront, when to deny an opportunity and when to pursue the call to adventure. And you won't know whether you'll profit or fail while you're in the thick of it. In Win or Die: Leadership Secrets from Game of Thrones, Bruce Craven brilliantly analyzes the journeys of the best and worst leaders in Westeros, so that leaders can create their own narratives of success. Craven considers beloved characters such as Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister as they make terrible decisions and fatal mistakes, but also achieve incredible victories and surprising successes, learning and growing along their (often bloody) ways. Readers will learn how to face conflict and build resilience, develop contextual and emotional intelligence, develop their vision, and more. This entertaining and accessible guide will show readers how to turn danger into opportunity, even when dragons threaten.

Win or Die

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Salma Khadra  Jayyusi

An Anthology

It is only in fairly recent times that Arab writers have turned their hands to the theater. This collection of nineteen short plays is evidence of the remarkable strides made as numerous playwrights have come to grips with the problems and potential involved with this genre. The essence of the collection is its sheer variety. The subject matter ranges from the horrors of a political prison camp to the comic tribulations of furtive lovers trapped in a minefield, from historical fable to the world of official bureaucracy, while dramatic treatments range from the conventional to the highly experimental, some using surreal techniques--now disturbing, now hilariously amusing. Many of the plays use humor or pungent satire to address distinctively Arab issues and problems, whether these have their source outside or inside the Arab world itself. The collection gives a valuable insight into a fast-changing and increasingly distinctive area of modern Arabic literature. Featured authors and plays: Yusuf al-'Ani -- Where the Power Lies Fateh Azzam and others -- Ansar Samia Qazmouz Bakri -- The Alley Mahmoud Diyab -- Men Have Heads Ahmad Ibrahim al-Fagih -- The Singing of the Stars Alfred Farag -- The Person Tawfiq al-Hakim -- Boss Kanduz's Apartment Building Tawfiq al-Hakim -- War and Peace Jamal Abu Hamdan -- Actress J's Burial Night Walid Ikhlasi -- Pleasure Club 21 Riad Ismat -- Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister? Raymond Jbarra -- The Traveler Sultan Ben Muhammad al-Qasimi -- The Return of Hulegu 'Ali Salim -- The Coffee Bar Mamduh Udwan -- The Mask Mamduh Udwan -- Reflections of a Garbage Collector Sa'd al-Din Wahba -- The Height of Wisdom Sa'dallah Wannus -- The Glass Café Sa'dallah Wannus -- The King's Elephant

Short Arabic Plays

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Stephenie Meyer

Oversized Hardcover (4 to 6 lbs)

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved? To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever? The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

Breaking Dawn

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Robert Louis Stevenson

Angus Fletcher

Treasure Island

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Thomas More

Paul Turner

In his most famous and controversial book, Utopia, Thomas More imagines a perfect island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and all property is communal. Through dialogue and correspondence between the protagonist Raphael Hythloday and his friends and contemporaries, More explores the theories behind war, political disagreements, social quarrels, and wealth distribution and imagines the day-to-day lives of those citizens enjoying freedom from fear, oppression, violence, and suffering. Originally written in Latin, this vision of an ideal world is also a scathing satire of Europe in the sixteenth century and has been hugely influential since publication, shaping utopian fiction even today. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Utopia

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Voltaire

Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distringuished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.

Candide

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Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince Here is the world’s most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor, The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince...a king...a president. When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. The prince he envisioned would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government and is the ultimate book on power politics. This Bantam Classic edition of The Prince includes selections from Machiavelli’s Discourses as well as an introduction and notes by the translator, Daniel Donno.

The Prince

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Upton Sinclair

Morris Dickstein

In this powerful book we enter the world of Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian immigrant who arrives in America fired with dreams of wealth, freedom, and opportunity. And we discover, with him, the astonishing truth about "packingtown," the busy, flourishing, filthy Chicago stockyards, where new world visions perish in a jungle of human suffering. Upton Sinclair, master of the "muckraking" novel, here explores the workingman's lot at the turn of the century: the backbreaking labor, the injustices of "wage-slavery," the bewildering chaos of urban life. The Jungle, a story so shocking that it launched a government investigation, recreates this startling chapter if our history in unflinching detail. Always a vigorous champion on political reform, Sinclair is also a gripping storyteller, and his 1906 novel stands as one of the most important -- and moving -- works in the literature of social change.

The Jungle

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Neil Gaiman

Author's Preferred Text

“Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose….If you have enjoyed John Crowley’s Little, Big or Stephen King’s The Stand or the urbane horror fiction of Jonathan Carroll…then American Gods arrives just in time.” —Washington Post “Dark fun, and nourishing to the soul.” —Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay It has been a decade since #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book) rocked the literary world with American Gods—his breathtaking tale of the war on Earth between old gods and new. For those who have yet to experience Gaiman’s bestselling tour de force—a novel USA Today called “a powerful, searing force that makes readers confront what is real and what is not”—and for those eager to enter this astonishing world again, comes the Author’s Preferred Text 10th Anniversary Edition. Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Bram Stoker Awards, with a special introduction by the author, this is American Gods as Neil Gaiman always meant it to be.

American Gods

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Robyn Schneider

Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye. Varsity tennis captain, Ezra Faulkner, was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe. As Kirkus Reviews said in a starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels." Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

The Beginning of Everything

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Jo Petty

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Apples of Gold

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Melissa de la Cruz

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by Silver Bloods in Rio de Janeiro, the Blue Bloods need Schuyler Van Alen on their side, even though they question her blood legacy. Reprint.

Revelations (a Blue Bloods Novel, Book 3)

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Laura Resau

With a dazzling and thoughtful voice, this critically acclaimed novel deals directly with the challenges and dangers of immigration, exploring the ties that bind us together in an age when issues threaten to divide us.

One night Sophie and her parents are called to a hospital where Pedro, a six-year-old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pedro comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee of the war in Bosnia.
 
Sophie loves Pedro--her Principito, or Little Prince. But after a year, Pedro's surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie, Dika, Dika's new boyfriend, and his son must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heartwrenching decision.


An IRA Award Winner
An Américas Award Honor Book
An ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Colorado Book Award Winner
A Cybil Award Finalist
A School Library Journal Best Book
An Oprah's Kids' Reading List Selection
A CCBC Choice List Selection
A Richie's Pick
 
★ "A captivating read."--School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "The vivid characters, the fine imagery, and the satisfying story arc make this a rewarding novel." -Booklist, Starred Review

★ "The prose captivates from the first chapter ... a vibrant, large-hearted story." -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review



Red Glass

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Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray

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Cammie McGovern

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them. Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized. When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

Say What You Will

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The Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin

Mindy Raf

For fans of Louise Rennison, Sarah Mlynowski, and Stephanie Perkins comes a laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

It's kind of crazy how you can pay so much attention to yourself and still not see a thing.

Izzy is a hypochondriac with enormous boobs that won't stop growing, a mother with a rare disease who's hiding something, a best friend who appears to have undergone a personality transplant, and a date with an out-of-her-league athlete who just spilled Gatorade all over her. Yes, Izzy Skymen has a hectic life. But what Izzy doesn't realize is that these are only minor symptoms of life's insanity. When she discovers that the people she trusts most are withholding from her the biggest secrets, things are about to get epic -- or is it epidemic?

The Symptoms of My Insanity

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Mitch Albom

A specially produced paperback edition -- with flaps -- of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller, that has sold more than six million copies in hardcover Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. His days are a dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret. Then, on his 83rd birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of them changed your path forever. One by one, Eddie's five people illuminate the unseen connections of his earthly life. As the story builds to its stunning conclusion, Eddie desperately seeks redemption in the still-unknown last act of his life: Was it a heroic success or a devastating failure The answer, which comes from the most unlikely of sources, is as inspirational as a glimpse of heaven itself. In The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom gives us an astoundingly original story that will change everything you've ever thought about the afterlife -- and the meaning of our lives here on earth. With a timeless tale, appealing to all, this is a book that readers of fine fiction, and those who loved Tuesdays with Morrie, will treasure.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

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Patrick Flores-Scott

Sam has the rules of slackerhood down: Don't be late to class. Don't ever look the teacher in the eye. Develop your blank stare. Since his mom left, he has become an expert in the art of slacking, especially since no one at his new school gets his intense passion for the music of the Pacific Northwest--Nirvana, Hole, Sleater-Kinney. Then his English teacher begins a slam poetry unit and Sam gets paired up with the daunting, scarred, clearly-a-gang-member Luis, who happens to sit next to himin every one of his classes. Slacking is no longer an option--Luis will destroy him. Told in Sam's raw voice and interspersed with vivid poems,Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott is a stunning debut novel about differences, friendship, loss, and the power of words.

Jumped In (*Last Chance*)

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Alan Grant

A new crimefighter, Batgirl, helps Batman and Robin try to stop villains Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, whose nefarious plans threaten to shred the fabric of life in Gotham City.

Batman and Robin

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Misty Bernall

The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Bernall of Littleton, Colorado was a typical teen having a typical day when two rampaging classmates put a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God. She said yes. With that simple word, the young woman's courage in the face of death was catapulted into the consciousness of an entire nation. But with all the talk about her final moments, a far more remarkable story has been left untold. Until now.

In She Said Yes, Cassie's mother breaks her silence to tell the story of a daughter who had, at one point, started down a troubled path similar to that of her killers -- and how as parents, she and her husband risked everything to save her, only to lose her again.

We expect our martyrs to be etched in stained glass, not carrying a backpack and worrying about their weight and their finals. Cassie's is a mystery story, the tale of a girl lost to bad friends and drugs and witchcraft and all the dark places of teenage rebellion.

She Said Yes

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Lama Lab

Browse by categories

Caseen Gaines

When Broadway Was Black

George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin

A Clash of Kings

Bruce Craven

Win or Die

Salma Khadra Jayyusi

Short Arabic Plays

Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn

Robert Louis Stevenson; Angus Fletcher

Treasure Island

Thomas More; Paul Turner

Utopia

Voltaire

Candide

Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince

Upton Sinclair; Morris Dickstein

The Jungle

Neil Gaiman

American Gods

Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything

Jo Petty

Apples of Gold

Melissa de la Cruz

Revelations (a Blue Bloods Novel, Book 3)

Laura Resau

Red Glass

Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray

Cammie McGovern

Say What You Will

Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin

Mindy Raf

The Symptoms of My Insanity

Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Patrick Flores-Scott

Jumped In (*Last Chance*)

Alan Grant

Batman and Robin

Misty Bernall

She Said Yes

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Jumped In (Last Chance)