ambition

"Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she's dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is--monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn't catch her first"--Provided by publisher.

Mary J. Blige presents this empowering story in which young Mary, told there are many things she cannot do, isn't about to let anyone tell her she cannot sing.

Illustrations and rhyming text reclaim words often used to put down girls and women while introducing the letters of the alphabet.

"When Shira and Esther first meet, they can hardly believe their eyes. It's like looking in a mirror! But even though they may look identical, the two girls couldn't be more different. Shira dreams of singing and dancing onstage, but her father, a stern and pious rabbi, thinks Shira should be reading prayers, not plays. Esther dreams of studying Torah, but her mother, a glamorous stage performer, wishes Esther would spend more time rehearsing and less time sneaking off to read books. Oy vey! If only the two could switch places . . . Would Shira shine in a big-time televised talent show? Would Esther's bat mitzvah go off without a hitch? What's a little deception, when it means your dreams might finally be within reach? One thing is certain: Shira and Esther are going to need more than a little chutzpah to pull this off. But if they do, their double dream debut is sure to be the performance of a lifetime"--Provided by publisher.

"Poppy is a pig with big dreams, but other people keep telling her she can not dance like a ballerina. . . . When she happens upon a skating rink, she sets out to learn to skate--and at last her determination pays off"--Provided by publisher.

Margot, a seventeen-year-old aspiring chef, moves from France to New York to follow her dreams, but things become complicated when she meets Zach, a fellow chef, and is torn between chasing her dream or her dream boy.

"Louisa is a tiny parakeet with a huge dream: to be a Broadway star. But no matter what she does, everyone keeps telling her she's too small to make it big! When a chance at her big break comes, Louisa learns that no matter how small you are, with a little talent and a lot of hard work, you can do anything--even be on Broadway"--Provided by publisher.

"A modern love story about two childhood friends, Sam, raised by an actress mother in LA's Koreatown, and Sadie, from the wealthy Jewish enclave of Beverly Hills, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry"--.

After an injury forces fifteen-year-old gymnast Caroline to quit competing, her older brother's best friend Alex promises to help her find a new signature sport, and, in return, she offers to set him up on a date with her former teammate.

"After days of grueling training at Yamada's special voice acting retreat, Hime can finally bring forth her prince voice! Now she's ready to start her next job as a recurring character in an exciting new anime. But her first day on the set doesn't go as she'd hoped. Why do her costars and the producers seem to hate her when they just met her?!"--Back cover.