New Releases by Crystal Hubbard

How did a six-year-old Black girl become the courageous face of the 1960 civil rights movement? Learn all about the inspiring true story of the civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. Even though the US Supreme Court ruled segregated schools illegal in 1954, it wasn’t until 1960 that school integration began in Louisiana. Many racist communities—especially in the Southern part of the country—held fast to their dream of remaining segregated in all facets of society. Six-year-old Ruby Bridges was about to become one of the first Black children to attend an all-white elementary school following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Her white peers boycotted school, and people protested outside the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, yelling at Ruby as she walked into school. But Ruby wasn’t afraid. She courageously held her head high, ready to open doors not only for herself, but for Black students across the country. By the time Ruby Bridges graduated high school, all public schools in the US were integrated. Thanks to Ruby’s bravery, education in the United States was forever changed for the better. Today, Ruby is a civil rights activist who inspires children to become the change they want to see in the world.

How did a young dancer from California become one of the most famous ballerinas in history? Learn all about Misty Copeland''s remarkable journey from choreographing dance routines for her favorite pop songs to dancing as the Firebird. When Misty Copeland began dancing ballet at the age of thirteen, she was told that she was too old. Most kids who wanted to be serious ballerinas had begun at age four or five. She was also told she didn''t have the right body for the sport: She was too athletic, not long and lean enough. And, as a biracial child, she was often the only Black person in the studio. Luckily for the world of ballet, Misty wasn''t easy to discourage. Soon, she landed the part of Clara in a production of one of the most famous ballets in the world, The Nutcracker. Within a few years, she was being invited to summer programs with the most elite ballet institutions in the country. She had her sights set on her dream: the American Ballet Theatre. Since her first performance, Misty Copeland has portrayed some of the best-known characters in ballet, from Juliet in Romeo and Juliet to Odette in Swan Lake. She has danced iconic performances that brought new fans to her art, like she did as the Firebird. She has trailblazed, becoming the first Black woman to be a principal dancer at ABT. She''s even done things no one expected, like appearing in Prince''s music videos! By the time she retired from performing in 2025, Misty had become a mother, an advocate for dancers of all body types, and a ballerina like no other.

Read all about about the first Black woman to be elected to Congress in this empowering addition to the Who Was? series. Shirley Chisholm showed interest in politics early on, majoring in sociology at Brooklyn College in New York City. During this time she was awarded for her debate skills, became a champion for inclusion in the Harriet Tubman society, and graduated cum laude. She dedicated much of her career to fighting for the rights of Black people and women, eventually becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968. Remarkably, Shirley represented New York''s 12th district, including the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, from 1969 to 1983. She fought for the rights of the people, becoming a founding member for the National Women’s Political Caucus and advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment. Learn all about Shirley’s life, from her early activism to her presidential candidacy and her lasting political legacy, in this illustrated biography.

How did a young girl born in South London grow up to be a Tony and Grammy Award–winning star? Find out in this Who HQ Now biography about Cynthia Erivo and her exciting career from The Color Purple on Broadway to starring as Elphaba in the Wicked movie! Cynthia Erivo fell in love with performing when she was only five years old and sang "Silent Night" as a solo in a school Christmas play. When she grew up, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before beginning her career as a professional actress and singer. Cynthia made her Broadway debut in 2015 as Celie Harris in The Color Purple. This performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2017, she won her first Grammy Award for the cast album of The Color Purple. Cynthia went on to play Harriet Tubman in the blockbuster film Harriet in 2019. This movie earned Cynthia her first Academy Award nomination as a lead actress. In 2024, Cythia will star as Elphaba in the blockbuster movie muscial Wicked.

Learn about the incredible legacy of civil rights legend and Georgia congressman John Lewis in this inspiring addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling series. Starting in the 1960s, John Lewis began his activism alongside civil rights legend and good friend Martin Luther King Jr. He participated in many now-historic events, including the 1963 March of Washington, the Freedom Rides, and the Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. John continued his impactful career when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. He went on to serve seventeen terms until his death in 2020. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, John Lewis is considered an American hero and an icon of the civil rights movement. Learn about his life of "good trouble" in this book for young readers.

How did a young boy from Ohio go on to become one of the greatest basketball players of all time? Read about the incredible life and career of LeBron James in this addition to the #1 New York Times best-selling Who Was? series. Today, LeBron James is an international superstar who has won four NBA Championships, earned two Olympic gold medals, written books, and starred in blockbuster movies. He has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has gained fans across the country as he led each of those three teams to victory. Many basketball lovers consider LeBron James to be one of the greatest players of all time. But how did LeBron come to be "King James?" Find out all about LeBron''s childhood, how he started playing basketball at the age of nine, and went on to rule the court in this new book for young readers! Look for more Who HQ titles: Who Is Michael Jordan? Who Was Kobe Bryant? Who Is Shaquille O''Neal? What Are the Summer Olympics?

In this collection of chilling tales, survivor''s guilt drives a young woman to take a life, an unusual woman serves a just dessert to a serial rapist intent on making her his next victim, and an old-timer recalls the night he and two friends took lethal action to save the life of the child he loves.

When sitcom star Logan Maddox enrolls at Prescott High School to live his senior year as a "normal" teenager, his presence sends the school into a frenzy -- with one exception. Introverted Emy Okiwe, a bookworm with a penchant for photography is unimpressed with the handsome young celebrity. Assigned to tutor him, Emy builds a friendship with Logan, drawing him into her quiet world of school and family, which becomes Logan''s refuge from constant media attention and his materialistic parents. When Hollywood comes knocking with a prized movie role and a million dollar payday, Logan is forced to make a decision: pursue his dream of furthering his acting career or abandon the happiness he''s found with Emy.

Prince Philippe eagerly embarks on a quest for adventure, yet he has one problem: he has no idea what to do or where to go. He encounters a peculiar stranger who sets him on the path to The Tower of Solitude, which has been the substance of rumour and legend for most of Philippe''s life. Philippe''s odyssey is rife with peril, the worst being the King of the Red Trolls, violent, bloodthirsty creatures situated between the prince and his goal. Philippe makes friends along the way in Artus, a magnificent stallion, and John, an irascible English goat. With courage, tenacity, and the power of friendship on his side, Prince Philippe experiences the adventure of a lifetime in The Tower of Solitude, the second fairy tale by bestselling and award-winning author Crystal Hubbard.

Cinder Wyatt wants only one thing—a chance to start over. A new life seems pos- sible when she moves across the country to the quiet town of Webster Groves, Missouri. Cinder finds an ally in Giancarlo Piassanti, an ex-Marine turned martial arts instructor whose private lessons teach Cinder more than simply how to defend herself. But just when Cinder thinks she no longer has to look over her shoulder, her past nightmare returns and threatens her new life. . .her very life.

A Hollywood heartthrob and a gutsy entertainment reporter engage in a high-stakes game of emotional chess as he strives to protect his secrets and she tries to boost her career. Original.

After a hot handyman becomes intrigued by an uptight romance novelist who doesn''t believe in love, he finds the tools to unlock her impenetrable heart. Original.

Arriving at Raines-Hartley Hospital to care for her ailing grandmother, Cady Winters meets her match in Dr. Keren Bailey who, building a life without friendship, family, or love, finds his carefully structured existence thrown into chaos by this strong-willed woman. Original.

A money-driven workaholic finds his life turned upside-down when he travels to Darwin Island and loses his heart to an island goddess. Original.

Born into an African American sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, Jimmy Winkfield grew up loving horses. The large, powerful animals inspired little Jimmy to think big. Looking beyond his family''s farm, he longed for a life riding on action-packed racetracks around the world. Like his hero, the great Isaac Murphy, Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield would stop at nothing to make it as a jockey. Though his path to success was wrought with obstacles both on the track and off, Wink faced each challenge with passion and a steadfast spirit. Along the way he carved out a lasting legacy as one of history''s finest horsemen and the last African American ever to win the Kentucky Derby. The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby brings to life a vivacious hero from a little-known chapter of American sports history. Readers are transported trackside to witness the heart-pounding story of a vibrant young man chasing down his dream.

Sportswriter Miranda Penney knows all about men with balls and big sticks, but she hits all the wrong notes when she finds herself reluctantly falling for rock star Lucas Fletcher. No stranger to the pitfalls of dating a celebrity, Miranda would rather shun true love than risk having her heart broken by the one man with whom she might find it. The daughter of an African-American baseball player who frequently cheated on her beautiful, accomplished Brazilian mother, Miranda also bears the wounds of having been cheated on by the ballplayer she herself dated. Although she can''t deny her attraction to Lucas, Miranda can''t force herself to accept the love the handsome Welshman wants to give her. Their careers keep them surrounded by gorgeous, wealthy men and women of every color and description, but for Lucas and Miranda, when it comes to love, race doesn''t matter. . .but fidelity and trust do,and those are the two things Lucas is determined to teach Miranda to believe in.

A meteoric rise to mediocrity in Hollywood not only forces Kyla Winters to return home to St. Louis, but it also shakes her confidence in all areas of her life -- particularly her desire to rekindle the torch she still carries for the man who proposed to her three years ago after a whirlwind six-week affair. Dr. Zweli Randall is more in love with Kyla now than he was when she shot down his proposal. When she unexpectedly moves back to St. Louis, he can see that she''s nursing a wound that won''t heal, one that makes it impossible for her to believe that he truly loves her. With an army of sisters and brothers-in-law taking sides and launching strategic assaults, Sunday dinner at the Winters house becomes the battleground on which Kyla and Zweli fight for mutual surrender. . . or mutual annihilation.

The "baby" of the Winters family, Chiara Winters is a top technical sales rep for United States IntelTech, Inc., one of the world''s elite software companies. The job sends Chiara all over the world—and into a world of trouble when she inherits a secret about her boss''s premier product that might have led to her partner''s death. In uncovering the truth and exposing her boss, Chiara finds a steadfast ally in John Mahoney, who is much more than a co-worker and friend. But Chiara and John have secrets of their own, which affect every decision they make as they pursue justice. As their peril grows, Chiara is forced to accept the fact that the family she''s fought so hard to distance herself from is her greatest defense against the threat posed by powerful forces determined to protect a valuable secret.