los angeles (calif.)

Eleven-year-old Rick Rusek, nearly homebound by motion sickness, wants to help his family's catering business by unsnarling Los Angeles traffic, but first he must help a Girl Scout troop with an art project.

A thief with long blond hair and a motorcycle points a gun at a Los Angeles security guard demanding money, and when a girl with long blond hair arrives at Kenny's motel on a motorcycle, he becomes suspicious. Includes activities designed to be completed before, during, and after reading.

A semi-autobiographical novel follows the experiences of a successful but lonely, slightly overweight movie star who seeks to escape depression through a new romance and an Oscar-worthy role, only to discover the universe's alternative plans.

"In the summer of 1965, Sophie's family becomes the first African Americans to move into their upper middle-class neighborhood in Los Angeles. When riots erupt in nearby Watts, she learns that life and her own place in it are a lot more complicated than they had seemed"-- Provided by publisher.

With the Rodney King riots closing in on high school senior Ashley and her family, the privileged bubble she has enjoyed, protecting her from the difficult realities most black people face, begins to crumble.

During the summer before seventh grade, Kaia, who enjoys living in Southern California, visiting the beach with her family, and creating movie make-up effects, makes a film with her friends to win a contest and hopefullly prevent her beloved great-grandtather from moving back to the Philippines.

"Derek Fallon finally found something to get excited about at school--an extracurricular class on making videos! Together with his friends Carly, Matt, and Umberto, Derek can't wait to create his own YouTube web series. But he soon realizes YouTube stardom is a lot of work. On top of that, it's time for his foster monkey Frank to go to monkey college so Derek must scramble to find a reason for Frank to stay with his family--if only a little while longer. Can Derek solve both problems at once? What if Frank became a part of Derek's YouTube videos?"--Amazon.com.

L.A. Crip gang member Kody Scott recounts his life from the time he joined at eleven years old to being in solitary confinement at San Quentin.

Suspects abound when William Desmond Taylor, a successful director, is found shot in his home during the early days of Hollywood.

The author recounts his growing up in poverty in Los Angeles, his encounters with racism in school and on the streets, and his struggle to overcome prejudice, drugs, and violence.