"I was born into a mentally ill family. My sister was the officially crazy one, but really we were all nuts." So begins My Sister from the Black Lagoon, Laurie Fox's incandescent novel of growing up absurd. Lorna Person's tale is wrested from the shadows cast by her sister, Lonnie, whose rages command the full attention of her parents. Their San Fernando Valley household is off-key and out of kilter, a place where Lonnie sees evil in the morning toast and runs into the Burbank hills to join the animals that seem more like her kin. Lorna, on the other hand, is an acutely sensitive girl who can't relate to Barbie. "Could Barbie feel sorrow? Could Barbie understand what it's like to be plump, lonely, Jewish?" My Sister from the Black Lagoon is a wisecracked bell jar, a heartbreaking study of sane and crazy. Laurie Fox's delightful voice is knowing yet wide-eyed, lyrical, and witty.

In a novel, based on the author's wild and woolly years with her charismatic mentally ill sister, the heroine has no choice but to sacrifice her own life for her sister's well-being.

It's another scary day at the Black Lagoon. . . . Join Hubie once again as he faces his comically horrific fears during his first trip to the school library. Mrs. Beamster may be the school librarian, but to the kids at school, she's the "Laminator." If she catches you whispering, you're laminated! How will Hubie ever survive his first library trip?

This acclaimed biography shines a light on a trailblazing woman who created a classic movie monster—and the author’s quest to rescue her from obscurity. As a teenager, Mallory O’Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick. But while Patrick should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre, there was little information available about her. As O’Meara discovered, Patrick’s contribution had been claimed by a jealous male colleague and her career had been cut short. No one even knew if she was still alive. As a young woman working in the horror film industry, O’Meara set out to right the wrong, and in the process discovered the full, fascinating story of an ambitious, artistic woman ahead of her time. Patrick’s contribution to special effects proved to be just the latest chapter in a remarkable, unconventional life, from her youth growing up in the shadow of Hearst Castle, to her career as one of Disney’s first female animators. And at last, O’Meara discovered what really had happened to Patrick after The Creature’s success, and where she went. A true-life detective story and a celebration of a forgotten feminist trailblazer, Mallory O’Meara’s The Lady from the Black Lagoon establishes Patrick in her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed since. A Hugo and Locus Award Finalist A Thrillist Best Book of the Year One of Booklist’s 10 Best Art Books of the Year

“Meeting Cilla felt like making a new best friend.” —Grace Lin, bestselling author of Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Priscilla "Cilla" Lee-Jenkins is on a tight deadline. Her baby sister is about to be born, and Cilla needs to become a bestselling author before her family forgets all about her. So she writes about what she knows best—herself! Stories from her bestselling memoir, Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire, include: - How she dealt with being bald until she was five - How she overcame her struggles with reading - How family traditions with her Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins and her Chinese grandparents, Nai Nai and Ye Ye, are so different Debut author Susan Tan has written a novel bursting with love and humor, as told through a bright, irresistible biracial protagonist who will win your heart and make you laugh. A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017 2017 Asian Pacific American Library Association Honor Book

This book, by Beauchamp, Chung, Mogilner and Svetlana Zakinova examines how authors have used characters with disabilities to elicit emotional reactions in readers; additionally, how writers use disabilities to present individuals as "the other" rather than simply as people. Finally, the book discusses how literature has changed, or is changing, with regards to its presentation of those with a disability.

THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT… Still reeling from learning her late sister had borne a child, lawyer Meg Jonas prepared to confront her niece's father with a custody suit. But Adam Callahan had a bombshell, too—news even more shocking than Meg's own inexplicable attraction to the dashing doctor she'd meant to despise…. Adam had no intention of losing his beloved daughter to anyone—or anything. Desperate to save little Amy, he turned to the one woman who could help. Adam realized it might be dangerous to let Meg into his and Amy's lives—yet it was far more dangerous not to….