New Releases by Rita Williams-Garcia

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award! 7 starred reviews! "Monumental." —Booklist (starred review) * "A marathon masterpiece."—Kirkus (starred review) * "Necessary."—SLJ (starred review) * "Shocking and dramatic."—Shelf Awareness (starred review) * "Mesmerizing, confounding and vividly rendered."—Book Page (starred review) * "Williams-Garcia’s storytelling is magnificent; her voice honest and authentic."—Horn Book (starred review) This astonishing novel from three-time National Book Award finalist Rita Williams-Garcia about the interwoven lives of those bound to a plantation in antebellum America is an epic masterwork—empathetic, brutal, and entirely human—and essential reading for both teens and adults grappling with the long history of American racism. 1860, Louisiana. After serving as mistress of Le Petit Cottage for more than six decades, Madame Sylvie Guilbert has decided, in spite of her family’s objections, to sit for a portrait. While Madame plots her last hurrah, stories that span generations—from the big house to out in the fields—of routine horrors, secrets buried as deep as the family fortune, and the tangled bonds of descendants and enslaved, come to light to reveal a true portrait of the Guilberts. Rita Williams-Garcia is one of the preeminent authors of our time. She has been honored with the Children''s Literature Lecture Award from the American Library Association.

A collection of short stories explore what it is like to be young and black, centering on the experiences of black teenagers and emphasizing that one person's experiences, reality, and personal identity are different than someone else's.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in they make the world a better place. Published in partnership with [We Need Diverse Books](https://www.diversebooks.org/), this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.

All three books in the Coretta Scott King Award-winning series by New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia are now available in one ebook collection! Each humorous, unforgettable story follows the Gaither sisters as they grow up during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent American history, the 1960s. Read the adventures of eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible. This collection includes One Crazy Summer, a Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award finalist, and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award; P.S. Be Eleven; and Gone Crazy in Alabama, all of which will make the perfect addition to a young reader’s growing library. “A beloved middle grade series.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking.” —Horn Book (starred review) “The Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Three sisters. One unforgettable summer. A nation on the brink of change. Middle Grade Historical Fiction: Experience the 1960s through the eyes of the unforgettable Gaither sisters as they travel from Brooklyn to Oakland to rural Alabama. The Civil Rights Movement for Kids: When the sisters are sent to a summer camp run by the Black Panther Party, they learn about revolution, community, and the fight for justice. Unforgettable Family Bonds: Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern must reconnect with their estranged mother, a poet who sends them on an adventure they never expected. A Powerful Coming-of-Age Story: Perfect for young readers'' growing libraries, this beloved and humorous series explores what it means to find your own voice and strength.

From beloved Newbery Honor winner and three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia comes a powerful and heartfelt novel about loss, family, and love that will appeal to fans of Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander. Clayton feels most alive when he’s with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and the band of Bluesmen—he can’t wait to join them, just as soon as he has a blues song of his own. But then the unthinkable happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies, and Clayton’s mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues. And Clayton knows that’s no way to live. Armed with his grandfather’s brown porkpie hat and his harmonica, he runs away from home in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. But on the journey that takes him through the New York City subways and to Washington Square Park, Clayton learns some things that surprise him. National Book Award Finalist * Kirkus Best Books of 2017 * Horn Book Best Books of 2017 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017 * School Library Journal Best Books of 2017 * NAACP Image Awards Youth/Teens Winner * Chicago Public Library Best Books * Boston Globe Best Books of 2017 "This slim novel strikes a strong chord."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This complex tale of family and forgiveness has heart.” —School Library Journal (starred review) "Strong characterizations and vivid musical scenes add layers to this warm family story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “An appealing, realistic story with frequent elegant turns of phrase." —The Horn Book (starred review) "Garcia-Williams skillfully finds melody in words.” —Booklist (starred review)

Be afraid, be very afraid of Terrifying Tales, the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading. Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off. Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Terrifying Tales is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is).

The Coretta Scott King Award–winning Gone Crazy in Alabama by Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South for the summer of a lifetime. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother Big Ma and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles’s half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven’t spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that’s been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible. Powerful and humorous, this companion to the award-winning One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven will be enjoyed by fans of the first two books, as well as by readers meeting these memorable sisters for the first time. Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis''s The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in this book. Rita Williams-Garcia''s books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds''s and Ibram X. Kendi''s books. Each humorous, unforgettable story in this trilogy follows the sisters as they grow up during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent American history, the 1960s. Read the adventures of eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible. “The Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Coretta Scott King Award winner * ALA Notable Book * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year * ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice * Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * Washington Post Best Books of the Year * The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book * Three starred reviews * CCBC Choice * New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing * Amazon Best Book of the Year

Tap dancing on sidewalks, especially in the city''s French Quarter, is a New Orleans tradition as familiar to some as Jazz, Creole and Cajun food and Mardi Gras. For generations, Black youngsters have danced for tourists on the streets of New Orleans some because they enjoy it, but many others to earn money for their families. Instead of dancing in store bought tap shoes, young boys and girls stamp and grind bottle caps into the soles of their sneakers until the bottle caps stay firmly in place at the toe. And they don''t miss a beat! Clickity-clack, Clack......tipity-tap, tap tap......tipity-tap, tap In Bottle Cap Boys Dancing on Royal Street, award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia introduces two bottle cap dancers, brothers Randy and Rudy. Through rich and upbeat rhyme, Williams-Garcia gives voice to the dancing and the youngsters who keep this unique New Orleans tradition alive. Damian Ward''s exuberant illustrations are perfect complements to Williams Garcia s perfectly pitched poetry.

The Gaither sisters are back in Brooklyn, where changes large and small come to their household as they grow up during the turbulent 1960s.

Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

Avoiding her mother’s efforts to braid and bead her hair, a young girl imagines herself running away to a jungle. Racing through her house to avoid having her hair braided, a young girl relies on her imagination to help her escape the threat of being tamed as she becomes a Wild Waiyuuzee. The Wild Waiyuuzee wants anything but to be caught and tamed! If Shemama splashes her with water, rubs nut-nut oil on her head, and combs her with a piney pig’s tail, she simply won’t be a Wild Waiyuuzee anymore. “William-Garvia adds lots of good sound effects, splashed across the pages in electric color by Reed.” – Kirkus Reviews

INTERACTIVE MEDIA DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT WITH ADOBE CS6 is a must-have learning resource for today''s generation of digital content creators! Its hands-on approach to interactive media design, development, and process implementation puts you in charge of an actual interactive media project from start to finish, following a one-person workflow to create rich digital content with the latest principles and processes. Chapter readings support your effort with coverage on text, visuals, animation, audio, and video. Expanded learning opportunities throughout the book include ''How We Did It'' examples, ''It''s Your Turn'' exercises, and ''More to Explore'' feature sections. If you are familiar with Adobe content creation tools and programs (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Flash, Audition, and Premiere) and want to master the complete interactive project, INTERACTIVE MEDIA DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT WITH ADOBE CS6 is the right book for you. The Data Files used to complete the projects found in the book are now available online. For access information please refer to the directions available in the preface of the book.

From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia, Every Time a Rainbow Dies is a moving, lyrical, and diverse love story—perfect for fans of One Crazy Summer who are ready for an older voice. Ever since he found her battered and raped in the alley near his home, Thulani hasn''t been able to think about anything but Ysa. This is the first time since his mother died that he''s given a thought to anything but the rock doves he keeps on the roof of his house in Brooklyn. Now that he has seen Ysa, Thulani finally has a reason to come down from the roof. But it''s not so easy for him—especially when it seems that Ysa doesn''t want him in her world at all.

When Gayle gets into trouble with her boyfriend, her mother sends the street-smart 14-year-old?and her baby, Jose?down to Georgia, to live with Uncle Luther and his family. There?s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one around except kneesock-wearing, Jesus-praising cousin Cookie. Then Gayle meets Great, the family matriarch?and her stories of the past begin to change how Gayle sees her future.?Williams-Garcia has surpassed herself.?She has set these fictional characters? firmly in the real world while still allowing them to rise from the pages and into readers? hearts and imaginations.? ?The Horn Book, starred review

Black honors student Denzel Watson spends his last summer before college selling candy door-to-door in New York, competing on many levels with the charismatic Mello, and discovering how to motivate and apply himself.

Growing up in a city neighborhood, fifteen-year-old Joyce, unsure of herself and not quite comfortable with her maturing body, tries to find a place to belong and a way to express herself through dance.

The Gaither sisters are back in Brooklyn, where changes large and small come to their household as they grow up during the turbulent 1960s.