All Books
Synopsis: In its 12th volume, the New Playwrights just keep getting better. Lawrence Harbison handpicked the finest plays by new American Playwrights from the 2008-2009 theatrical season. A satisfying collection of comedies and dramas awaits you.
AMERICAN HWANGAP by Lloyd Suh. It's dear old Dad's 60th birthday. Although he deserted his family years ago, they are holding a traditional Korean 60th birthday celebration (a hwangap) anyway. He comes back to the U.S. for his hwangap, and what ensues is funny and often quite poignant. Produced in NYC by Ma-Yi Theatre Co. and The Play Company.
"Suh strikes just the right balance between humor and deeply felt emotion." Theatremania.
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER by Rajiv Joseph. A comedy from NYC's Second Stage. A high school teacher and Origami enthusiast is a big fan of the work of an origami artist. He asks her to tutor a gifted young student of his, who might just be the Tiger Woods of Origami.
BEACHWOOD DRIVE by Steven Leigh Morris. This compelling drama from NYC's Abingdon Theatre Co. centers on a Ukrainian woman working as a prostitute in Los Angeles and a LAPD detective determined to bust the gangsters with whom she is involved.
"A police case study that is a truly chilling cautionary tale." - Backstage
CROOKED by Catherine Trieschmann. Laney, a teenaged girl with a crooked spine, has moved to a new town with her mother. There, she meets another girl named Maribel, who changes her life.
"The themes -- mother-daughter tensions, adolescence itself and religion as a refuge -- emerge naturally from the fluent, often funny and sometimes fearlessly cruel dialogue." NY Times. Produced in NYC by The Women's Project.
END DAYS by Deborah Zoe Laufer. The Steins are one strange American Family. Dad, Arthur, a World Trade Center survivor, suffers from terminal depression. Their daughter, Rachel, is an alienated goth chick, and Mom, Sylvia, thinks the Rapture is imminent. Neighbor Nelson, who dresses in Elvis' white jumpsuit, is an incorrigible optimist who loves Rachel and physics, and slowly but surely he straightens out the Stein family. Oh, and two of the characters, are none other than Jesus Christ and Stephen Hawking.
"Enormously funny, warm and uplifting." Curtain Up. Original produced by Florida Stage. Premiered in NYC at Ensemble Studio Theatre.
FARRAGUT NORTH by Beau Willimon. This compelling drama is about skullduggery on the campaign trail.
"Beau Willimon's juicy and timely drama is a potent reminder that, like Hollywood, politics is a high-stakes game where one wrong liaison can finish you off. It's a place where friendships and loyalties are only as deep as the next cocktail or quick jump in the sack." NY Daily News. Produced in NYC by Atlantic Theatre Co.
JESUS HATES ME by Wayne Lemon. This hilarious comedy premiered at the Denver Center and has gone on to several other productions around the country. Set in W. Texas, it takes place at a run-down mini-golf track with a religious theme. It's called "Blood of the Lamb" and its trademark is a crucified Christ.
"It disarms the audience with pointed one-liners and thoughtful existential observations. The audience laughs and hoots." Variety
AMERICAN HWANGAP by Lloyd Suh. It's dear old Dad's 60th birthday. Although he deserted his family years ago, they are holding a traditional Korean 60th birthday celebration (a hwangap) anyway. He comes back to the U.S. for his hwangap, and what ensues is funny and often quite poignant. Produced in NYC by Ma-Yi Theatre Co. and The Play Company.
"Suh strikes just the right balance between humor and deeply felt emotion." Theatremania.
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER by Rajiv Joseph. A comedy from NYC's Second Stage. A high school teacher and Origami enthusiast is a big fan of the work of an origami artist. He asks her to tutor a gifted young student of his, who might just be the Tiger Woods of Origami.
BEACHWOOD DRIVE by Steven Leigh Morris. This compelling drama from NYC's Abingdon Theatre Co. centers on a Ukrainian woman working as a prostitute in Los Angeles and a LAPD detective determined to bust the gangsters with whom she is involved.
"A police case study that is a truly chilling cautionary tale." - Backstage
CROOKED by Catherine Trieschmann. Laney, a teenaged girl with a crooked spine, has moved to a new town with her mother. There, she meets another girl named Maribel, who changes her life.
"The themes -- mother-daughter tensions, adolescence itself and religion as a refuge -- emerge naturally from the fluent, often funny and sometimes fearlessly cruel dialogue." NY Times. Produced in NYC by The Women's Project.
END DAYS by Deborah Zoe Laufer. The Steins are one strange American Family. Dad, Arthur, a World Trade Center survivor, suffers from terminal depression. Their daughter, Rachel, is an alienated goth chick, and Mom, Sylvia, thinks the Rapture is imminent. Neighbor Nelson, who dresses in Elvis' white jumpsuit, is an incorrigible optimist who loves Rachel and physics, and slowly but surely he straightens out the Stein family. Oh, and two of the characters, are none other than Jesus Christ and Stephen Hawking.
"Enormously funny, warm and uplifting." Curtain Up. Original produced by Florida Stage. Premiered in NYC at Ensemble Studio Theatre.
FARRAGUT NORTH by Beau Willimon. This compelling drama is about skullduggery on the campaign trail.
"Beau Willimon's juicy and timely drama is a potent reminder that, like Hollywood, politics is a high-stakes game where one wrong liaison can finish you off. It's a place where friendships and loyalties are only as deep as the next cocktail or quick jump in the sack." NY Daily News. Produced in NYC by Atlantic Theatre Co.
JESUS HATES ME by Wayne Lemon. This hilarious comedy premiered at the Denver Center and has gone on to several other productions around the country. Set in W. Texas, it takes place at a run-down mini-golf track with a religious theme. It's called "Blood of the Lamb" and its trademark is a crucified Christ.
"It disarms the audience with pointed one-liners and thoughtful existential observations. The audience laughs and hoots." Variety
Publication Date: 12/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: This year Smith and Kraus has decided to combine its annual best monologues and best scenes anthologies. The scenes included in this book are either for two women or for one man and one woman. The latter are scenes in which the female role is predominant.
Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues and scenes from plays that were produced and/or published in the 2008-2009 theatrical season. Most are for younger performers (teens through thirties), but there are also some excellent pieces for women in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Some are comic (laughs), some are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting.
Several of the monologues are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you, such as Don Nigro, Sam Bobrick, Adam Rapp, Bill Cain, Jose Rivera, Stephen Belber, Keith Reddin, Naomi Iizuka, Michael Weller, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Richard Vetere, and Nicky Silver; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Steven Leigh Morris, Saviana Stanescu, Liz Flahive, Stephanie Allison Walker, Cheri Magid, Jennifer Maisel, Andrew Grosso, David Caudle, Nina Raine, John Kolvenbach, Sylvia Reed, and Lucy Thurber.
The scenes are by master playwrights, such as Rivera, Gina Gionfriddo, Jeffrey Hatcher, A. R. Gurney, and Aguirre-Sacasa, and by exciting new playwrights, such as Vincent Delaney, Stanescu, Lydia Stryk, Grosso, and Larry Kunofsky.
Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues and scenes from plays that were produced and/or published in the 2008-2009 theatrical season. Most are for younger performers (teens through thirties), but there are also some excellent pieces for women in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Some are comic (laughs), some are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting.
Several of the monologues are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you, such as Don Nigro, Sam Bobrick, Adam Rapp, Bill Cain, Jose Rivera, Stephen Belber, Keith Reddin, Naomi Iizuka, Michael Weller, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Richard Vetere, and Nicky Silver; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Steven Leigh Morris, Saviana Stanescu, Liz Flahive, Stephanie Allison Walker, Cheri Magid, Jennifer Maisel, Andrew Grosso, David Caudle, Nina Raine, John Kolvenbach, Sylvia Reed, and Lucy Thurber.
The scenes are by master playwrights, such as Rivera, Gina Gionfriddo, Jeffrey Hatcher, A. R. Gurney, and Aguirre-Sacasa, and by exciting new playwrights, such as Vincent Delaney, Stanescu, Lydia Stryk, Grosso, and Larry Kunofsky.
Publication Date: 12/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: This year Smith and Kraus has decided to combine its annual best monologues and best scenes anthologies. The scenes included in this book are either for two men or for one man and one woman. The latter are scenes in which the male role is predominant.
Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues and scenes from plays that were produced and/or published in the 2008-2009 theatrical season. Most are for younger performers (teens through thirties), but there are also some excellent pieces for men in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Some are comic (laughs), some are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting.
Several of the monologues are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you, such as Don Nigro, A. R. Gurney, Sam Bobrick, Terrence McNally, Adam Rapp, Steven Dietz, Itamar Moses, Stephen Belber, Keith Reddin, Naomi Iizuka, Michael Weller, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Richard Vetere, Bruce Graham, Jacquelyn Reingold, Sam Shepard, and Nicky Silver; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Octavio Solis, Lydia Stryk, Michael Vukadinovich, Liz Flahive, John Kolvenbach, Sylvia Reed, Barton Bishop, Padraic Lillis, Michael Golamco, and Lucy Thurber.
The scenes are by master playwrights, such as Itamar Moses, Noah Haidle, Aguirre-Sacasa, and Silver, and by exciting new writers, such as Saviana Stanescu, E. M. Lewis, Jonathan Rand, Kolvenbach, Golamco, Larry Kunofsky, and Susan Bernfield.
Here you will find a rich and varied selection of monologues and scenes from plays that were produced and/or published in the 2008-2009 theatrical season. Most are for younger performers (teens through thirties), but there are also some excellent pieces for men in their forties and fifties, and even a few for older performers. Some are comic (laughs), some are dramatic (generally, no laughs). Some are rather short, some are rather long. All represent the best in contemporary playwriting.
Several of the monologues are by playwrights whose work may be familiar to you, such as Don Nigro, A. R. Gurney, Sam Bobrick, Terrence McNally, Adam Rapp, Steven Dietz, Itamar Moses, Stephen Belber, Keith Reddin, Naomi Iizuka, Michael Weller, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Richard Vetere, Bruce Graham, Jacquelyn Reingold, Sam Shepard, and Nicky Silver; others are by exciting up-and-comers like Octavio Solis, Lydia Stryk, Michael Vukadinovich, Liz Flahive, John Kolvenbach, Sylvia Reed, Barton Bishop, Padraic Lillis, Michael Golamco, and Lucy Thurber.
The scenes are by master playwrights, such as Itamar Moses, Noah Haidle, Aguirre-Sacasa, and Silver, and by exciting new writers, such as Saviana Stanescu, E. M. Lewis, Jonathan Rand, Kolvenbach, Golamco, Larry Kunofsky, and Susan Bernfield.
Publication Date: 12/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Their new island holds a great secret. Josh and Anna have always dreamed of escaping their humdrum life by traveling to a tropical paradise. When a credit card company grants their wish in a contest, the two can't contain their excitement, inviting their friends to join them in creating a resort on their fantastic prize--a small, uninhabited, undeveloped island in the Pacific. But what's in store isn't what they expected. When they arrive on the island, everything seems perfect. They find the perfect spot for housing, a hot spring in a cave that will make a fabulous sauna, and a glorious beach. Soon they're on their way to achieving their dream and living out their retirement in paradise. As they develop the island, though, strange and bewildering incidents begin to occur, causing Josh and Anna to finally question their luck. What's the real story behind the island gift? The new inhabitants find themselves frightened yet excited at the mystery of the unexplainable events unfolding around them. Can they discover the unbelievable secret and solve the mystery to maintain their getaway? Come on an intriguing, exhilarating, suspenseful adventure to Paradise Island in J. L. Manning's newest book.
Publication Date: 12/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Zach Johnson, the world's last freelance detective, has been man-napped by the beautiful sapphire-haired Amazon Kiana. She's brought him to her home island of Lantis-where the women dominate men with their words-to discover who killed her mother, the Queen. But to save the day this time, Zach and his holographic A.I. sidekick HARV have to tangle with not just one gorgeous superwoman, but four. Each of Kiana's three sisters could have the motive and the means to pull off the crime-and now that you mention it, Kiana could too...
Publication Date: 12/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: BACTERIA TO SCHOOL
Tadayasu is a new, fresh-faced university student hiding a bizarre secret: He can see germs with the naked eye. Between the machinations of an eccentric professor determined to unlock the power of the microbial world and the doomed agricultural experiments of his fellow students, will Tadayasu ever find the cool college atmosphere he so desires?
Tadayasu is a new, fresh-faced university student hiding a bizarre secret: He can see germs with the naked eye. Between the machinations of an eccentric professor determined to unlock the power of the microbial world and the doomed agricultural experiments of his fellow students, will Tadayasu ever find the cool college atmosphere he so desires?
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: SAVE ME
The world is a lonely place for Naoto and Naoya, brothers with amazing psychic powers that set them apart from humanity. Their parents cast them out–and had them imprisoned in an exploitative research center. But after they make a daring escape from the institution, Naoya has a psychic vision of an even greater threat: a deadly plague that threatens the entire world!
The world is a lonely place for Naoto and Naoya, brothers with amazing psychic powers that set them apart from humanity. Their parents cast them out–and had them imprisoned in an exploitative research center. But after they make a daring escape from the institution, Naoya has a psychic vision of an even greater threat: a deadly plague that threatens the entire world!
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: In the acclaimed Codex Alera novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the people of Alera use their unique bond with the elemental forces of nature for protection. But even nature may not be enough to stave off the coming storm…
Tavi of Calderon, now recognized as Princeps Gaius Octavian and heir to the crown, has achieved a fragile alliance with Alera’s oldest foes, the savage Canim. But when Tavi and his legions guide the Canim to their lands, his worst fears are realized. The dreaded Vord—the enemy of Aleran and Canim alike—have laid waste to the Canim homeland. And the Alerans find themselves trapped alongside their former enemies.
Meanwhile, war-torn Alera rebuilds while politicians and nobles vie for power. But from the south comes the news: the Vord have come to Alera. For a thousand years, Alera and her furies have withstood every enemy, and survived every foe. But the thousand years are over...
Tavi of Calderon, now recognized as Princeps Gaius Octavian and heir to the crown, has achieved a fragile alliance with Alera’s oldest foes, the savage Canim. But when Tavi and his legions guide the Canim to their lands, his worst fears are realized. The dreaded Vord—the enemy of Aleran and Canim alike—have laid waste to the Canim homeland. And the Alerans find themselves trapped alongside their former enemies.
Meanwhile, war-torn Alera rebuilds while politicians and nobles vie for power. But from the south comes the news: the Vord have come to Alera. For a thousand years, Alera and her furies have withstood every enemy, and survived every foe. But the thousand years are over...
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
Stuck. That's how 33-year-old aspiring singer Celeste Duncan feels, with her deadbeat boyfriend and static career. But then Celeste receives a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms which just might be the first real clue to the identity of the father she never knew. Impulsively, Celeste flies to Japan to search for a long-lost relative who could be able to explain. She stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems―a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars.
With little knowledge of Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for all variety of translation, travel and investigatory needs. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste's family, she discovers she's developing "more-than-sisterly" feelings for him. But with a nosy homestay mom scheming to reunite Takuya with his old girlfriend, and her search growing dimmer, Celeste begins to wonder whether she's made a terrible mistake by coming to Japan. Can Celeste find her true self in this strange land, and discover that love can transcend culture?
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The creator of Bring it On, Jessica Bendinger, brings her teen savvy writing to this paranormal romance, The Seven Rays.
You are more than you think you are.
THAT IS THE ANONYMOUS MESSAGE that Beth Michaels receives right before she starts seeing things. Not just a slept-through my-alarm-clock, late-for-homeroom, haven't had-my-caffeine-fix kind of seeing things. It all starts with some dots, annoying pink dots that pop up on and over her mom and her best friend's face. But then things get out of control and Beth is seeing people's pasts, their fears, their secrets, their desires. The images are coming at Beth in hi-def streaming video and she can't stop it. Everyone thinks she's crazy and she's pretty sure she agrees with them. But crazy doesn't explain the gold envelopes that have started arriving, containing seeing keys and mysterious tarot cards. To Beth, it all seems too weird to be true. You are more than you think you are? But here's the thing: What if she is?
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Atlanta: it's the promised city for the off-worlders, foreigners from the alternate dimensions of heaven-like Elysia and hell-like Charbydon. Some bring good works and miracles. And some bring unimaginable evil....
Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She's recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.'s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim -- but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?
Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She's recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.'s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim -- but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Synopsis: Yokai are Japanese spirits, and young Hamachi is fascinated by them. Now he continues his quest deep into the Yokai realm in the hopes of finding Madkap, the kappa (water spirit) he believes has killed his grandmother. Armed with nothing but a sacred rope and a lucky kappa’s foot, Hamachi has made two friends to help him on his journey: Lumi the talking lantern, and newly awakened, the umbrella that once belonged to his grandfather! (Don’t ask.)
Their first stop is the home of the legendary fox spirit the Ninetails, who promises to help in Hamachi’s quest if Hamachi can retrieve three lost items. But can Hamachi really find them, or does the Ninetails just want Hamachi to fail so he can keep the human boy as a pet?
Includes special extras after the story!
Their first stop is the home of the legendary fox spirit the Ninetails, who promises to help in Hamachi’s quest if Hamachi can retrieve three lost items. But can Hamachi really find them, or does the Ninetails just want Hamachi to fail so he can keep the human boy as a pet?
Includes special extras after the story!
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Synopsis:
Chamberlain Ski Resort and Spa
Welcome to the 10th Annual Snow Queen competition!
I can't believe I got roped into this.
Snow Princesses must attend all pageant rehearsals, with appropriate outfits.
Well, no matter what it takes, I'm going to wipe that smirk off Layla Chamberlain's face.
Our rehearsal space can be booked to practice your talent.
Um, does "looking dumb in a dress" count as a talent?
See Grayson Chamberlain, the assistant director, with any questions.
If you insist! First question: How can someone so sweet (and hot!) be a Chamberlain?
Good luck! One of you will soon be our new Snow Queen!
Oh joy.
Unless Grayson comes with the tiara . . .
Publication Date: 11/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Not all scientists live where they work, harvest their own subjects, or use information passed down from generation after generation of Inupiaq Eskimos to help learn about the bowhead whale. Arctic whale scientist Craig George is the son of children’s author Jean Craighead George, and out on the ice with the whales and the whalers in Barrow, Alaska is where this Arctic whale scientist works. He has studied them for nearly thirty years and the mysteries these creatures hold never fail to amaze him. Join Craig at the top of the world, where the days and nights are long, the people full of stories, and the bowhead whale is at the center of it all
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Nonfiction
Synopsis: Since Hallie's father died and left behind ten children, money at the Palmer household is tighter than ever. And just when Hallie thought she was graduating from college, it turns out she's four credits short. A professor needs one more student for a project that will take her around the world, only longtime boyfriend Craig has another proposition for Hallie.
Thus begins Hallie's great odyssey, for the first time she ventures outside the safety of Cosgrove County and the sixty-mile radius in which she's functioned for her entire life. But somehow, escaping home doesn't translate into leaving behind all of her problems, and, unfortunately, not all can be solved by putting her superior gambling skills to work.
Eventually, it's time to return home to all the good people who are great at driving each other crazy. Hallie must finally face the biggest decision of her life.
Humorous and heartfelt, Best Bet underscores the importance of friends, family, and a sense of belonging. The characters in this modest, but neighborly, small town prove that an ordinary existence made up of small but genuine moments can satisfy a soul that's hungry for life in all of its glories and disappointments.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Announcing the second book in a series about an RV living homeschooling family. Each month brings the Wright family to a new state with a new educational theme to explore and play with. They prove that learning can happen all the time, anywhere, and that being with family is fun! Meet Aidan Wright, age 7: Boisterous and joking all the time, this sporty boy knows how to have fun! Meet Nadia Wright, age 11: Curious and fiery, this intellectual girl can always find out answers to even the most difficult questions. Meet their parents, Harrison and Stephanie: Ready to take their kids on adventures of a lifetime. Meet Prince Pumpkin III, turtle extraordinaire: This 50 year old little guy is holding on tight, as the family RV and mysterious device take him on an adventure no turtle has ever gone on before. Explore a dinosaur dig with the Wrights as they roadschool in Utah. What will Aidan and Nadia discover about the mysterious device they found in Arizona? This series is Wright on Time.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure