biographical fiction

Born in Mississippi, the oldest in a large family, Ida B. Wells becomes the head of her family after the death of her parents and begins working as a schoolteacher in Memphis, Tennessee. She soon joins the Memphis Lyceum literary salon and is appointed editor of its literary journal. As a young woman, Ida also longs for love, but she struggles to find her place in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind. Despite these challenges, she boldly pursues her passions, ultimately becoming a pioneer in the field of investigative journalism and a fearless advocate for racial and gender equality in a rapidly changing post-Civil War South.

Eleven-year-old Ellis discovers family secrets, makes new friends, and adjusts to his parents' recent divorce during a hijinks-filled summer helping his father open the world's first chocolate chip cookie store in 1976 Hollywood.

"Before they became the world-famous Kids of Widney High, they first had to survive junior high! This rock band, composed entirely of members with developmental disabilities, loves to put on a show, but boy can they get into fights, trouble, and sticky situations. Join their friend and honorary assistant manager Robbie as he introduces the band members and shows us how they're just like everyone else. From cafeteria food fights to relationship woes, Robbie finds himself immersed in an incredible adventure to get everyone on board for the big concert while better understanding his new friends with special abilities"--Back cover.

As a child in Beijing in the 1970s, Lai lives with her family in a lively, working-class neighborhood near the heart of the city. Thoughtful yet unassuming, she spends her days with her friends beyond the attention of her parents: Her father is a reclusive figure who lingers in the background, while her mother, an aging beauty and fervent patriot, is quick-tempered and preoccupied with neighborhood gossip. Only Lai's grandmother, a formidable and colorful maverick, seems to really see Lai and believe that she can blossom beyond their circumstances. But Lai is quickly awakened to the harsh realities of the Chinese state. A childish prank results in a terrifying altercation with police that haunts her for years; she also learns that her father, like many others, was broken during the Cultural Revolution. As she enters adolescence, Lai meets a mysterious and wise bookseller who introduces her to great works--Hemingway, Camus, and Orwell, among others--that open her heart to the emotional power of literature and her mind to thrillingly different perspectives. Along the way, she experiences the ebbs and flows of friendship, the agony of grief, and the first steps and missteps in love. A gifted student, Lai wins a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University where she soon falls in with a theatrical band of individualists and misfits dedicated to becoming their authentic selves, despite the Communist Party's insistence on conformity-and a new world opens before her. When student resistance hardens under the increasingly restrictive policies of the state, the group gets swept up in the fervor, determined to be heard, joining the masses of demonstrators and dreamers who display remarkable courage and loyalty in the face of danger. As 1989 unfolds, the spirit of change is in the air.

"When Carlos was nineteen, his mother decided to leave her life in El Salvador. Refusing to let her go without him, Carlos joined the journey north. Together they experienced the risks countless people faces as they migrate"--Provided by publisher.

"Daughter of an ousted king, descendant of ancient druids, Gruoch has grown up believing that she will be crowned queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin, a prophecy seemingly fulfilled by her betrothal to Duncan, the heir-elect. Leaving behind her home, her family, and her close friend MacBethad, she travels to the royal seat at Scone to embrace her new position. But Duncan's court is rife with sly words and unfriendly faces, and as her coronation approaches, a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee the capital. Alone and at the mercy of an old enemy, Gruoch must make a fateful choice: live a long, quiet life in the shadows or seize vengeance and a path back to the throne"--Provided by publisher.

"Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a 'gift.' To the queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria's magnanimity. Sarah's . . . intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps [her] navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges. But embedded in Sarah's past is her destiny. Haunted by visions of destruction and decapitations, she desperately seeks a place, a home she will never run from, never fear, a refuge from nightmares and memories of death"--Provided by publisher.

After learning that he is going deaf, Beethoven is determined to write a great symphony using the heroic deeds of Napoleon as his initial inspiration.

Inspired by a card her father brings home from England, nineteen-year-old Esther Howland pioneers a new way of expressing love in America by creating and selling Valentine's Day cards and establishes a new holiday tradition.

A pair of star-crossed lovers in 18th century Massachusetts cling to their relationship despite their social order, sending Sam to seek his fortunes as a pirate to earn enough money to return and marry his beloved Maria.