“A large, lavishly inventive novel . . . an American descendant of The Arabian Nights . . . erudite and artful entertainment.”—The New York Times Book ReviewAt a Manhattan planetarium in 1965, ten-year-old Enzo is whisked away from his young adoptive aunt, Mala. His abductor turns out to be a blood relative: his great-uncle Junius Samax, a wealthy former gambler who lives in a converted Las Vegas hotel surrounded by a priceless art collection and a host of...

As part of the unique, science Know-It-Alls! Series that features stunning covers and engaging text, this book puts the spotlight on Bugs! Did you know that insects have a special body? All insects have a hard shell on the outside called an exoskeleton. Awesome life-like illustrations and informative stat boxes, filled with interesting facts, make this 24-page book fun and exciting for young science enthusiasts age 4 and up! Titles in the Know-It-Alls! Series include: Butterflies, Crocodil...

Ever wondered how snakes can swallow and digest an entire animal whole, bones and all? Or which snakes squeeze the life out of their victims? Explore this exciting book for answers to questions you'll be glad we asked - plus dozens of amazing facts and lots of colorful, action-packed illustrations.

The acclaimed author of Veronica and A Trip to the Stars returns with a dazzling new novel based on one of the great legends of musical history.New Orleans, 1900.The virtuoso cornet player Charles “Buddy” Bolden invents jazz, but after a life consumed by tragedy, the groundbreaking sound of his horn vanishes with him. Rumors persist, though, that Bolden recorded a phonograph cylinder, and over the course of a century it evolves into the elusive holy grail of jazz....

On a snowy night in February, at the improbable point in Lower Manhattan where Waverly Place intersects Waverly Place, a photographer named Leo meets Veronica for the first time. Starkly beautiful, mysterious, aloof, she leads him into a world where illusion blends seamlessly with reality—a luminously transformed city where powerful underground streams crisscross beneath the streets, a city of dragonpoints and Tibetan mysticism where real time is magically altered. Ten years have passed si...

Do you know how kittens' tails help them jump and climb? Or what makes kittens specially equipped for the dark? Or why kittens play so much? Explore this delightful book for answers to questions you'll be glad we asked--plus fun facts and sweet illustrations.

Ever wondered why some lizards’ tails break off—and what happens afterward? Or what lizard is big enough to swallow a goat? Or what lizard can squirt blood from its eyes? Explore this exciting audiobook for answers to questions you'll be glad we asked—plus “Did You Know?” and fun facts.

This richly-detailed historical novel from master storyteller Nicholas Christopher features an unforgettable hero: Nicolo Zen is all alone in 1700s Venice, save for his clarinet, which a mysterious magician had magicked, allowing its first player to perform expertly. Soon Nicolo is a famous virtuoso, wealthy beyond his dreams. But he can't stop wondering if he earned the success or if it's due to the magician's spell. So he has the spell removed to test his own talents and capabilities. An...

Oh, no! Woody has been kidnapped by a toy collector! Buzz races to the rescue, but Woody’s not surehe wants to leave. Should he stay and enjoy a life of fame, or return to Andy, the boy who really loveshim? The blockbuster film Toy Story 2 is retold in this full-color, 24-page storybook.

From “a writer of remarkable gifts,” “Borges with emotional weight, comes a tale that is at once a fantastical historical mystery, a haunting love story, and a glimpse into the uncanny—the quest for a long-lost book detailing the animals left off Noah’s Ark.Xeno Atlas grows up in the Bronx, his Sicilian grandmother’s strange stories of animal spirits his only escape from the legacy of his mother’s early death and his stern father’s long absences as a common seaman. Shunted off to a...

In this shimmering work of fiction, Nicholas Christopher follows the remarkable life of Franklin Flyer–a restless young inventor named after the train on which he was born–through the tumultuous years of the Great Depression, into the Second World War.Raised by his suffragette aunt, at various times a vagabond and tycoon, Franklin travels across the U.S.A and around the globe, seeking adventure and enlightenment, charting his fate by pursuing the unexpected.

Film noir is more than a cinematic genre. It is an essential aspect of American culture. Along with the cowboy of the Wild West, the denizen of the film noir city is at the very center of our mythological iconography. Described as the style of an anxious victor, film noir began during the post-war period, a strange time of hope and optimism mixed with fear and even paranoia. The shadow of this rich and powerful cinematic style can now be seen in virtually every artistic medium. The spectac...