New Releases by Christine Dzidrums

Cinderella. Evita. Millie. Glinda. Elle.Fifteen-year-old Lyric Teague sings like an angel and has already played all the great musical theater roles-in the privacy of her bedroom. Haunted by her mother''s death, she is too timid and insecure to chase her dreams or form any friendships.After Alto High School announces a fall production of Les Misérables, the shy teenager finally steps into the spotlight and auditions for the role of the neglected, impoverished Eponine. After all, she''s perfect for the part, having felt unwanted and unseen her whole life.When others hear Lyric''s lovely voice, their reactions confuse her. Les Misérables'' director sees her as a pretty ingenue. Her longtime crush, Nick Bowman, starts flirting with her, and the enigmatic Cai Shipley delights in pushing her buttons. She must also contend with castmates who resent a newbie like her for landing a lead role.Lyric is suddenly receiving a lot of attention for a girl who''s always felt invisible. With opening night approaching, she wonders how anyone can see her as the beautiful, desirable Cosette when she feels like the plain, unwanted Eponine.But I''m Eponine marks the first book in the Altoverse series.

Emmy Ashford, the “New Girl” from Iowa, thinks she will never make a friend in California - until she meets Allie Cassidy, Evergreen’s other “New Girl.” The pair quickly become best friends and begin exchanging notes during class. Over the course of one semester, the girls share everything with each other from silly jokes to their most-guarded secrets. All the while, Allie and Emmy encourage one another to become the best versions of themselves.

Against unbelievable odds, Sloane Stephens rebounded from a serious injury to win the 2017 US Open. Her astounding comeback stunned and captivated the sports world. Now young readers can learn all about the newest superstar of tennis. Filled with exciting photographs, Sloane Stephens: A Children’s Biography is a must read for sports fans. Follow the popular athlete’s rise to the top echelon of tennis from her introduction to the sport as a young girl to her first Grand Slam victory.

Elise must learn to shelve her dissapointment and help her teammates in an unexpected way. Filled with adorable illustrations and armed with straightforward storytelling, Winning Gold stresses the importance of being a team player. Anyone who has ever duelt with a competitive injury will relate to Elise’s initial disappointment and acceptance of her new role on the team.

Meet four-and-a-half-year-old Timmy Martin. He’s the biggest baseball fan in the world. Imagine Timmy’s excitement when he gets invited to his cousin’s birthday party. Only it’s not just any old birthday party... It’s a baseball birthday party! Timmy and the Baseball Birthday Party is the first book in a series of stories featuring the world’s most curious little boy!

Always impatient, Ashley shares her big problem with readers. The three-year-old dreams of becoming a ballerina, but her parents won’t let her take lessons until she improves her patience. Except, how can the youngster exercise patience when she wants to be a ballerina NOW? An interactive book, Ashley: The Patient Ballerina invites young readers to become an active participant in the young girl’s story. Book one in the series encourages children to sing, answer questions, and form dreams of their own.

Get ready to chase your dreams after reading this thrilling children’s biography on Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. A terrific source for a book report, Lin-Manuel Miranda: Lights Up tells the inspiring life story of the role model’s transformation from a young boy with Broadway dreams to one of today''s most respected artists.

At age seventeen, Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut captured hearts everywhere at the 1972 Olympics. From Moonbeam-winning author Christine Dzidrums, Olga Korbut: Gymnastics Trailblazer describes the gymnast’s trek from her cartwheeling as a young girl to capturing four Olympic gold medals in gymnastics. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations and thrilling photographs, the children’s biography narrates Olga’s early life, her inspiring athletic journey, and her enormous impact on the sport of gymnastics.

Musical theater fans first fell for Sutton Foster in her triumphant turn as the title character in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Since then the heralded triple threat performer has charmed Broadway audiences in a wide variety of memorable roles, playing a writer, a princess, a movie star, a nightclub singer and a Transylvania farm girl. Now the two-time Tony Award winner is conquering television as the lead in the critically acclaimed series Bunheads. A children''s biography, Sutton Foster: Broadway Sweetheart, TV Bunhead details the role model''s rise from a tiny ballerina to the toast of Broadway and Hollywood.

Meet Baseball''s Most Dominant Pitcher! Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Clayton Kershaw already had big-league dreams. From an early age, the talented phenom received much praise for his commanding pitching skills. By the time the hard-working athlete reached high school, the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers had already set their sights on signing him to a Major League Baseball contract! A children''s biography, Clayton Kershaw: Pitching Ace narrates the life story of one of baseball''s most celebrated players. Includes exciting photographs, career highlights and anecdotes from his charity work and personal life.

A book for young readers, Mary Lou Retton: America’s Sweetheart tells the inspirational life story of the most celebrated gymnast in United States history. Discover how a young girl from West Virginia achieved her dream of winning gymnastics’ all-around title at the 1984 Olympics. Includes beautiful illustrations, anecdotes from her personal life and career highlights.

“I play the ''What If?'' Game all the time.u0003It''s a cruel, vicious cycle.” Meet free spirit Kaylee McMathews, the most popular girl in school. But when the teenager suffers a devastating loss, her sunny personality turns dark as she struggles with debilitating panic attacks and unresolved anger. Can Kaylee repair her broken spirit or will she forever remain a changed person?

19-year-old Charity Graff engages in self-harm. More specifically she cuts herself to numb emotions. In a series of raw journal entries, the confused teenager writes to her estranged father, filling him in on what''s happened in her life since he left her nearly 18 years ago. Throughout the course of her letter writing, Charity chronicles her penchant for cutting, a serious struggle with depression and her inability to vocally express her feelings.

At just 14 years old, gymnast Gabby Douglas left behind her close-knit family in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to train under Liang Chow, famed coach of Olympic legend Shawn Johnson. The move to Iowa was not an easy decision for the focused teenager. For many months, she suffered serious bouts of homesickness. Still, the girl with the golden smile believed her sacrifice would someday lead her to Olympic gold. A children''s biography and Moonbeam Children''s Book Award Winner, Gabby Douglas: Golden Smile, Golden Triumph will grab readers as they experience the thrilling path the popular gymnast from the Fierce Five took on her way to becoming Olympic Champion and America''s Sweetheart.

Meet the five gymnasts who will represent the United States at the 2012 London Olympics. The Fab Five: Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas and the U.S. Women''s Gymnastics Team tells each team member''s life story as they rose from young gymnasts with big dreams to become international superstars of their sport. Discover the stories of Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Kyla Ross as they aim for gold in London!

Idina Menzel''s career has been “Defying Gravity” for years now! With starring roles in Wicked and Rent, the Tony-award winner has become one of theater''s most beloved stage performers. The powerful vocalist has also branched out successfully in other mediums! She has filmed a recurring role on television''s smash hit Glee and lent her amazing talents to the Disney films, Enchanted and Frozen. A children''s biography, Idina Menzel: Broadway Superstar narrates the actress'' rise to fame from a Long Island wedding singer to overnight success!

Puig-Mania has invaded Major League Baseball. In the summer of 2012, Yasiel Puig braved a dangerous mission to defect from Cuba for a better life in America. One year later his sizzling bat and amazing defensive skills helped reignite the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers. Soon Puig-Mania swept across the country! A children''s biography, 66: The Yasiel Puig Story will help young readers learn about the man behind the legend.

Can the little blue Creeper convince his parents that not all cats are bad? Will he realize that being blue is not the end of the world. Filled with delightful illustrations, The Creeper and the Cat will delight young Minecraft fans. The winning story also explains the timeless importance of not judging others based on their looks.

Elise is a talented gymnast who enters the U.S. Gymnastics Open with just one goal: gold. Accustomed to winning, the confident athlete believes that four clean performances are the only obstacles in the way of a victory. Yet, what happens when Elise delivers perfect routines but doesn’t win? Can the disappointed gymnast accept the silver medal when she dreamed only of gold? Filled with adorable illustrations and armed with straightforward storytelling, Winning Silver stresses the importance of good sportsmanship. Anyone who has ever felt gutted by a competitive result will relate to Elise’s initial disappointment over not getting the result she expected.

Meet Princess Dessabelle, a spoiled, lonely princess with a quick temper. When she meets a classmate, she orders him to be her friend and soon learns the true value of friendship.