Best Children's Performing Arts Biographies

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From YouTube sensations Dan Howell (danisnotonfire) and Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) comes a laugh-out-loud look into the world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the Internet. Now they invite you on a behind-the-scenes journey, filled with absolutely essential advice, tons of humor, lots of awkwardness, and TMI honesty that they will probably regret. Here's just a small sample of the fun surprises readers can look forward to: • The inside story of that time they met One Direction. Their quirky comedy videos about their lives and observations on the world have earned them a following of over 11 million subscribers across their channels and a show on BBC Radio 1.

Zendaya, star of the hit Disney Channel series Shake It Up, shares her wit and wisdom on everything from fashion to friendships to following your dreams! Zendaya spent three years dancing with Future Shock Oakland, a hip hop dance troupe, and two years dancing hula with AHA, The Academy of Hawaiian Arts.

For every young brown, yellow, and purple dancer, she is an inspiration!” —Misty Copeland, world-renowned ballet dancer Michaela DePrince was known as girl Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a “devil child” for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela shares her dramatic journey from an orphan in West Africa to becoming one of ballet’s most exciting rising stars. Her supportive family did everything they could to help her attain her goal, but the girl still encountered challenges, including prejudice from those who believed African American dancers to be less suited for the craft ("'Black girls just shouldn't be dancing ballet. An uplifting story about overcoming the odds.—Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL "There is plenty of ballet detail for dance lovers to revel in, and the authors achieve a believable, distinctive teenage voice with a nice touch of lyrical description."

Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Whitney Stewart lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Roberta Edwards lives in New York, New York.

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From YouTube sensations Dan Howell (danisnotonfire) and Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) comes a laugh-out-loud look into the world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the Internet. Now they invite you on a behind-the-scenes journey, filled with absolutely essential advice, tons of humor, lots of awkwardness, and TMI honesty that they will probably regret. Here's just a small sample of the fun surprises readers can look forward to: • The inside story of that time they met One Direction. Their quirky comedy videos about their lives and observations on the world have earned them a following of over 11 million subscribers across their channels and a show on BBC Radio 1.

Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast and Dancing with the Stars champion Laurie Hernandez shares her story in her own words in this debut book for fans of all ages—with never-before-seen photos! Laurie Hernandez is an American gymnast, an Olympic gold medalist, and a beloved cast member on Dancing with the Stars .

In her quiet watchmaking shop, she and her family risk their lives to hide Jews, and others hunted by the Nazis, in a secret room, a "hiding place" that they built in the old building. In her quiet watchmaking shop, she and her family risk their lives to hide Jews, and others hunted by the Nazis, in a secret room, a "hiding place" that they built in the old building. Her family owned a watch repair shop, which housed the "hiding place" where many Jewish people and Resistance workers hid for their lives. Elizabeth and John Sherrill have co-authored numerous bestsellers--classics such as The Hiding Place , The Cross and the Switchblade , and God's Smuggler-- and have traveled the world researching and writing articles and books.

Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did. Her strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today. "Although her efforts to attend school, and the subsequent attack she endured, make for a powerful story, Yousafzai writes just as vividly about her daily life as a child in Pakistan.... Yousafzai's fresh, straightforward voice creates an easily read narrative that will introduce a slew of younger readers to both her story and her mission. [Yousafzai's] strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today....― SLJ.

Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did. Her strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today. "Although her efforts to attend school, and the subsequent attack she endured, make for a powerful story, Yousafzai writes just as vividly about her daily life as a child in Pakistan.... Yousafzai's fresh, straightforward voice creates an easily read narrative that will introduce a slew of younger readers to both her story and her mission. [Yousafzai's] strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today....― SLJ.

“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief ,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” ( VOYA ). Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2013: For readers ages 11 and up, Leon Leyson’s remarkable memoir, The Boy on the Wooden Box , is the moving account of a happy childhood shattered by the Holocaust. As the youngest member of Schindler’s list, Leyson offers a unique perspective on the man who became his lifelong hero and his first-hand account of day-to-day existence in the factory--which did not alleviate the fear or deprivation--and his personal interaction with Schindler is powerful and special.

A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed. author. of Another Brooklyn. , tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. A National Book Award Winner. A Newbery Honor Book. A Coretta Scott King Award Winner Praise for Jacqueline Woodson: Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . * “The writer’s passion for stories and storytelling permeates the memoir, explicitly addressed in her early attempts to write books and implicitly conveyed through her sharp images and poignant observations seen through the eyes of a child. Woodson’s ability to listen and glean meaning from what she hears lead to an astute understanding of her surroundings, friends, and family.” — Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW * “Mesmerizing journey through [Woodson’s] early years. This should be on every library shelf.” — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW. For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share.” — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW. * “[Woodson’s] memoir in verse is a marvel, as it turns deeply felt remembrances of Woodson’s preadolescent life into art. An extraordinary—indeed brilliant—portrait of a writer as a young girl.” — The Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW. It will make young readers consider where their own threads are taking them.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW. Jacqueline Woodson (www.jacquelinewoodson.com) is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming , which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor Award, the NAACP Image Award and the Sibert Honor Award. She is the author of more than two dozen award-winning books for young adults, middle graders and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her books include The Other Side , Each Kindness , the Caldecott Honor Book Coming on Home Soon ; the Newbery Honor winners Feathers , Show Way , and After Tupac and D Foster , and Miracle’s Boys which received the LA Times Book Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award and was adapted into a miniseries directed by Spike Lee. Jacqueline is also the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature, the winner of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the 2013 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and a 2016 National Book Award finalist for her adult novel Another Brooklyn .

How much do kids really know about Albert Einstein besides the funny hair and genius label? Grade 3-5-This biography describes Einstein's early struggle to harness and focus his extraordinary abilities; his relationships with his family and first wife; and, lending depth to the story, his most significant scientific discoveries.

“Much like The Boy In the Striped Pajamas or The Book Thief ,” this remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list, “brings to readers a story of bravery and the fight for a chance to live” ( VOYA ). Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2013: For readers ages 11 and up, Leon Leyson’s remarkable memoir, The Boy on the Wooden Box , is the moving account of a happy childhood shattered by the Holocaust. As the youngest member of Schindler’s list, Leyson offers a unique perspective on the man who became his lifelong hero and his first-hand account of day-to-day existence in the factory--which did not alleviate the fear or deprivation--and his personal interaction with Schindler is powerful and special.

"We can all be heroes" is the message entertainingly told in this picture-book biography series from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Brad Meltzer. --Angela Leeper Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, The Fifth Assassin, Heroes for My Son, and Heroes for My Daughter, and he is the host of the History Channel television show Brad Meltzer's Decoded. Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career as a letterer for Marvel, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated.

Of those who survived, only twelve were children. This is the true story of Syvia Perlmutter—a story of courage, heartbreak, and finally survival despite the terrible circumstances in which she grew up. Grade 5-9–In thoughtful, vividly descriptive, almost poetic prose, Roy retells the true story of her Aunt Syvia's experiences in the Lodz Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The slightly fictionalized story, re-created from her aunt's taped narrative, is related by Syvia herself as a series of titled vignettes that cover the period from fall, 1939, when she is four years old, until January 1945–each one recounting a particular detail-filled memory in the child's life (a happy-colored yellow star sewn on her favorite orange coat; a hole in the cemetery where she hides overnight with her Papa). This gripping and very readable narrative, filled with the astute observations of a young child, brings to life the Jewish ghetto experience in a unique and memorable way. She was afraid of it; when she was growing up, there was no Holocaust curriculum, no discussion-just those images of atrocity, piles of bones, and skeletal survivors being liberated. Syvia remembers daily life: yellow stars, illness, starvation, freezing cold, and brutal abuse, with puddles of red blood everywhere, and the terrifying arbitrariness of events ("like the story of a boy / who went out for bread / and was shot by a guard / who didn't like the way the boy / looked at him"). In 1944 the ghetto is emptied, except for a few Jews kept back to clean up, including Syvia's father, who keeps his family with him through courage, cunning, and luck.

That’s the inspiring message of this lively, collectible picture book biography series from New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer. K-Gr 2—Imagine, if you will, two famous Americans whose childhood selves were strong and portentous of their future adult lives but whose bodies stayed small and childlike as they achieved their incredible feats. Adults who read these books with children will have plenty to discuss regarding the hard work, persistence, and determination each person showed, as long as it's clear that the books themselves are fictionalized.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID Brad Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of adult thrillers (including The Inner Circle and its recent sequel, The Fifth Assassin ).