New Releases by Laban Carrick Hill

This is the story of DJ Kool Herc and how he invented a new kind of music that would change the world.

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

Frida Kahlo''s work comes to life—literally—in this magical realist novel, the latest addition to Watson-Guptill''s acclaimed Art Encounters series. The story alternates between Kahlo''s home in Mexico City, Casa Azul, and the journey of a teenage girl and her young brother, lost in the city. At the mystical Casa Azul, everything with a face talks—including Kahlo''s pet monkey, her cat, portraits on the wall. Over the course of the book, the cover painting, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, transforms from a nightmarish vision of death into a life-affirming masterpiece. This dramatic story offers a vivid reimagining of the life and work of a woman as well known for her amazing life as for her amazing art. • Laban Hill is a National Book Award Finalist and recipient of the Parents Choice Gold Award • Frida Kahlo is one of the most popular artists among young people today-her art and her blazingly flamboyant style make her eternally up-to-date • Ties in to school curriculum in art and social studies

Laban Hill, author of the acclaimed Harlem Stomp, is back with an in-depth exploration of America in the 1960''s and the young people who built a new world around them and changed our society significantly. Like Harlem Stomp, America Dreaming is an educational and visual look into a time of energy and influence. Covering subjects such as the civil rights movement, hippie culture, black nationalism, and the feminist movement, Hill paints a sprawling picture of life in the ''60''s and shows how teenagers were on the forefront of the societal changes that occurred during this grand decade.

When it was released in 2004, Harlem Stomp! was the first trade book to bring the Harlem Renaissance alive for young adults! Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated, the book is a veritable time capsule packed with poetry, prose, photographs, full-color paintings, and reproductions of historical documents. Now, after more than three years in hardcover, three starred reviews and a National Book Award nomination, Harlem Stomp! is being released in paperback.

Scarred by his battlefield experiences in Napoleon''s army, Jean, a young soldier, finds salvation in his pursuit of art in the studio of the most renowned painter of late eighteenth-early nineteenth-century France, Jacques-Louis David. Includes a brief b

With its hilarious portrayal of a dysfunctional American family, Jonathan Franzen''s The Corrections--a bestseller and a National Book Award winner--took the literary scene by storm. What is Franzen''s take on life in the United States today? What are the "corrections" Franzen refers to in the title? Why did Franzen balk at being picked for Oprah''s Book Club™? Answers to all these questions and more are found in the pages of this insightful guide.

A fun way to learn how to be a super spy. This handbook has all the facts and tricks you need to know. From special operations and secret covers to codes and ciphers, soon you''ll be the hush-hush, top secret agent in town. Just remember to practice activities with willing friends and family members.

The reader makes choices that control the outcome of a visit from pen pal Billy, who is not the way he seemed in his letters.

When strange things start happening at the Winter X Games, the crew thinks it is a snow mountain biker known for his practical jokes, but Kevin, Nat, Wall, and Jamil investigate to prove otherwise

The nightmares begin when you stay in the horror hospital, what can you do if you and a weird mumbling guy at the same room? And the TV doesn''t work? And the food is gross?

A new toy store has set up shop in your town, just in time for Christmas. Cool, huh? You ought to be able to score some great presents. Except that you have a funny feeling about this place.For starters, the store appears almost overnight. The staff is helpful, but a little weird. They look and dress like...well, like elves--and it creeps you out. And the toys the shop sells don''t seem safe. You have a sneaking suspicion these toymakers are up to no good. Will Christmas be calm and bright...or will your stocking be stuffed with fright?

You''re spending the summer vacation at your uncle''s ranch in Utah. Going on cattle roundups and breaking young mustangs is exciting work. And when you have some time off, you can go to the annual rodeo, where, if you dare, you can prove your riding skills on the back of a huge, steam-snorting bull!

The reader''s decisions control the course of an adventure involving an ancient mask from the Amazon rain forest that can change people into flies.

The reader''s decisions control the course of a story in which a kid at a new school discovers that all the other students are ghouls.

Working on a surprise Christmas present for Gaby, Hector and Alex discover that someone has been breaking into Phil Reiner''s workshop, and they wonder if it could be the same thief who has been stealing food from the Fernandez family store.