Follow along with beautiful illustrations as you learn all about Selena’s early years from singing Blue Moon in her family’s living room to her rise to the top of the billboard charts and international stardom. With quotes from Selena herself as well as from people who knew her this book shows how anyone can achieve their dreams. This biography about the Selena Quintanilla’s life and career not only teaches children about the singer and her legacy but also educates readers on Tejano music and culture and the importance of believing in yourself to achieve your dreams.

Experience the joy, pain, beauty, and wonder in life through this collection of poetry by renowned performance poet Sophia Thakur. In four parts Thakur brilliantly describes the process of finding yourself, who you are, and who you want to be. This critically acclaimed book is perfect for devoted poetry fans, fans of coming of age stories, and reluctant readers.

Based on the popular Youtube channel of the same name; cake artist Yolanda Gamp instructs readers how to make fantastic, mind-boggling cakes. The book begins by covering the basics of how to mix, bake, level, and ice cakes and from there provides different recipes based on skill levels. All the recipes have a complete list of tools and ingredients, clear and concise directions, photos, and an estimation of the time it will take to complete each cake. This book gives you all the information you need to create incredible edible works of art.

In the far distant future humans and androids live together on the crowded streets of New Beijing. A plague has ravaged the earth and the Lunar people of space are watching the devastation and waiting to make their move. The fate of the Earth rests on one girl, Cinder, who feels both the hatred of her by her step-mother and sisters, and the prejudice she faces as an android in a human’s world. Can she find the strength to save herself and everyone else? The first book in The Lunar Chronicles is a retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella and will have readers on the edge of their seats. Perfect for fans of fairytales, strong female leads, and science-fiction adventure.

I love this 2020 picture book title. This beautifully illustrated book describes what children are. A child is a non-stop ball of energy. A child is a force of nature. A child is also a tight hug. Every child is worthy of success. Many of the pictures depict African American boys. Find a child you are proud of and read this book together. Share this book with a child who needs to hear that he or she is worthy to be loved. Read this book to yourself. Read it again and again.

This title available in print and as a ebook.

This new J fiction book features Maggie. Maggie is eleven years old and has one older brother and one younger brother. Maybe you know how Maggie feels. She just wants to be noticed, she just wants to be looked at with admiration for something she has accomplished. But Maggie knows in her society the eldest is always the one who gets noticed! What can she do, she wonders to get noticed. Maggie doesn't really want to break the rules but if she can become a hero in doing so maybe just maybe it will be okay.
Meanwhile, we meet Una, a wanderer whose father is sick and not getting better. How can she help her father but maintain their way of life?
I do not normally enjoy the fantasy genre but the author, Kirsty Applebaum drew me into the story early and I was hooked. I wanted to know if Maggie would feel appreciated even as a "middler" child. I wanted to know what happens to all the eldest children when they go off to camp. And what about Una and her father, would he get better? Would they stay wanderers forever? If your curiosity is piqued, maybe you’d like to check this book out from the Youth Services area of our Vigo County Public Library.

The library has one print copy of this title. You can listen to this title on Hoopla as an audiobook.

If you want to be inspired to start releasing creative work, this book is -- and isn’t -- for you. It’s inspiring, sure, but one of the key messages in the book is “Don’t wait for inspiration.” Instead, Godin says that you should develop a practice of creating, then trust that the practice is worth doing. Inspiration isn’t something to wait for. It’s the people who continue their practice without waiting for inspiration that ultimately are inspired. Famous authors, sculptors, architects, and other artists are often the ones who sit down and create. People who sit and try to figure out the perfect next move are just fooling themselves, hiding behind their fear of failure, and never get anything of consequence shipped.

“Show us your hour spent on the practice and we’ll show you your creative path. You already know what to do to be creative. And you already know how to do it. You’ve done it before, at least once. At least once you’ve said or done something insightful, generous, and original. At least once you’ve solved a problem or given someone a hand by shining a light. The practice simply asks you to do it more than once, to do it often enough that it becomes your practice.”

Early in the book, Godin describes art as being an “act of doing something that might not work, something generous, something that will make a difference. The emotional act of doing personal, self-directed work to make a change that we can be proud of.” For most of the remainder of the book, he walks through each bit of this definition, showing how each facet results in high quality creative work that is worth doing. When a thing is worth doing, he says, the outcome isn’t the important part. The practice is.

A reluctant king, a shut-in queen, a mad monk, and a rebellion on the rise. The fall of the Russian empire is famously shrouded in myth and mystery. How did Czar Nicholas manage to lose the trust and adoration of the Russian people? Was the monk Rasputin really a holy man or a con-artist trying to steal the crown? Did Princess Annastasia survive the massacre that killed the rest of the royal family? Through thorough research and thoughtful writing Candace Fleming answers all these questions and more. Using diary entries and letters from the last rulers of the Russian Empire the author brings to life the people behind the stories. Perfect for history buffs and fans of royal intrigue.