Danish poet and novelist Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is best known for the dozens of fairy tales he wrote, including "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen." Andersen's sense of fantasy, power of description, and acute sensitivity are strikingly evident in his autobiography. Andersen masterfully depicts the extreme poverty of his provincial childhood and the international celebrity of his later years, and also provides insights into the sources of many of his most famous tales.

Beloved by generations of children and adults around the world for tales such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes," Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) revolutionized children's literature. Although others before him had collected and retold folk stories and fairy tales, Andersen was the first to create the stories himself, instilling a previously stilted genre with new humor, wisdom, and pathos. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other original sources (many never before translated from the Danish), Wullschlager shows in this compelling, extensively researched biography how Andersen's writings—darker and more diverse than previously recognized—reflected the complexities of his life, a far cry from the "happily ever after" of a fairy tale. As we follow in his footsteps from Golden Age Copenhagen to the princely courts of Germany and the villas of southern Italy, Andersen becomes a figure every bit as fascinating as a character from one of his stories—a gawky, self-pitying, and desperate man, but also one of the most gifted storytellers the world has ever known.

ÊMy life is a lovely story, happy and full of incident. If, when I was a boy, and went forth into the world poor and friendless, a good fairy had met me and said, "Choose now thy own course through life, and the object for which thou wilt strive, and then, according to the development of thy mind, and as reason requires, I will guide and defend thee to its attainment," my fate could not, even then, have been directed more happily, more prudently, or better. The history of my life will say to the world what it says to meÑThere is a loving God, who directs all things for the best. My native land, Denmark, is a poetical land, full of popular traditions, old songs, and an eventful history, which has become bound up with that of Sweden and Norway. The Danish islands are possessed of beautiful beech woods, and corn and clover fields: they resemble gardens on a great scale. Upon one of these green islands, Funen, stands Odense, the place of my birth. Odense is called after the pagan god Odin, who, as tradition states, lived here: this place is the capital of the province, and lies twenty-two Danish miles from Copenhagen. In the year 1805 there lived here, in a small mean room, a young married couple, who were extremely attached to each other; he was a shoemaker, scarcely twenty-two years old, a man of a richly gifted and truly poetical mind. His wife, a few years older than himself, was ignorant of life and of the world, but possessed a heart full of love. The young man had himself made his shoemaking bench, and the bedstead with which he began housekeeping; this bedstead he had made out of the wooden frame which had borne only a short time before the coffin of the deceased Count Trampe, as he lay in state, and the remnants of the black cloth on the wood work kept the fact still in remembrance. Instead of a noble corpse, surrounded by crape and wax-lights, here lay, on the second of April, 1805, a living and weeping child,Ñthat was myself, Hans Christian Andersen. During the first day of my existence my father is said to have sate by the bed and read aloud in Holberg, but I cried all the time. "Wilt thou go to sleep, or listen quietly?" it is reported that my father asked in joke; but I still cried on; and even in the church, when I was taken to be baptized, I cried so loudly that the preacher, who was a passionate man, said, "The young one screams like a cat!" which words my mother never forgot. A poor emigrant, Gomar, who stood as godfather, consoled her in the mean time by saying that the louder I cried as a child, all the more beautifully should I sing when I grew older.

A humorous tale where a bold and spunky girl ends up the one saving "Prince Charming" You know all those stories that claim fairies cry sparkle tears and elves travel by rainbow? They're lies. All lies. I've spent my life as an official adventurer. I travel across enchanted kingdoms saving magical creatures and fighting horrible beasts that most of you think are only myths and legends. I've never had a social life. My friends have all forgotten me. And let's not even talk about trying to do my homework. So—I'm done!! I'm tired and I want to go back to being a normal girl. But then along comes "Prince Charming" asking for help, and, well, what's a tired girl like me supposed to do? "Jenny is an adventurer I'd definitely want in my corner if my life ever took a wrong turn from Happily Ever After."—Hélène Boudreau, author of Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings "Readers will laugh their way through the ups and downs of Jenny's many (mis)adventures."—Jennifer A. Nielsen, author of Elliot and the Goblin War

“If you like, I’ll tell you the story of a boy who learned to fly.” Through an enchanted conversation with a young girl in a horse-drawn coach, Hans Christian Andersen shares his life’s struggles, dreams, and triumphs—whose threads can be found woven into his greatest stories. He tells her about the “fairy tale of his life” and how the son of a shoemaker became a celebrated writer. Heinz Janisch paints a sensitive portrait of Andersen and his literary work. Maja Kastelic has developed a well-suited illustration concept for this story that combines sumptuous art of a picture book with elements of a graphic novel. Thus, for the first time, H. C. Andersen’s life and work become a fascinating collage in picture book form. A moving, inventive story about the life of Hans Christian Andersen.

Fantasia Barrino, star of the 2023 film The Color Purple, tells the story of her astonishing rise from hopeless high school dropout to American Idol superstar in the inspirational New York Times bestseller Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In one moment, with one tearful performance of "Summertime," the nineteen-year-old Fantasia captured the hearts—and the votes—of millions of American Idol fans. Her powerful voice and independent style made her an overnight national sensation. But life wasn't always sensational for Fantasia. At the age of seventeen, despite the promise of her extraordinary voice, Fantasia was in danger of becoming just another sad statistic: an uneducated, unmarried teenage mother living in the projects. But Fantasia had been raised by two strong, influential women: Both her grandmother and mother are preachers, and she was raised with an unshakable faith. In Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia speaks—with a spirit as strong as her voice—about what it takes to believe in the power of one's self. She turns all that she's learned into uplifting life lessons, including: • Recognize your gift • You made your bed, now lie in it • Give props where props are due • Like mother, like daughter • It ain't about the bling Fantasia keeps it real with her sassy, self-confident style and down-to-earth advice, making us laugh and cry with her. Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is more than just a celebrity success story. It's a book of revelations that will inspire everyone to reach for their greatest potential.

I know what you're thinking: "Can she talk to animals?" Yes, those chatty woodland creatures won't shut up. It's not as cute as you'd think. What's an Adventurer, You Ask? An underappreciated girl like me who travels around to magical Kingdoms saving creatures you don't even know exist. And trust me, they need a lot of help. My new missions is in the Land of Tales (the crazy place all fairy tales come from) to face off with an evil witch and complete Three Impossible Tasks. Easy, right? Being an adventurer is no fairy tale, but this is one mission I can't fail. —Jenny the Adventurer Praise for My Very UnFairy Tale Life: "A light comic romp...Charming."—Kirkus "A speedy and amusing ride...will keep readers entertained."—Publishers Weekly "A magical world that's totally relatable. You'll find yourself wishing you were alongside Jenny fighting against unicorns (who aren't as peaceful as you think) and traveling to fantastical realms."—GirlsLife.com

Written by entrepreneurial phenomenon Emily Williams, I Heart My Life is a guidebook for women to change their money mindset, get clarity on what they want and start living the life of their dreams. I Heart My Life is a guide for living life in a different way to everyone else--going for your desires and no longer letting doubt, shame, insecurity or other people's judgment stop you from moving forward with that "something big" you know you're meant for. It brings together mindset, money beliefs, success principles, vulnerability, and real-life stories of women who have made their career and life dreams come true. Emily Williams once couldn't even get a job at Starbucks. Yet she went on to move to a new country, clear $30k in credit card debt and build a seven-figure coaching business from scratch. Having worked for years with thousands of women around the world to release what holds them back from the success they want, Emily is now sharing all her most powerful tools to help women radically transform their lives. In this book, you'll discover how to: cultivate a success mindset and trust the intelligence within your heart become clear about what you really want--then, go after it embrace gratitude as a driver for your ambition and success get big results and handle things when they don't go as planned be consistent, persistent and confident on the path towards your dreams Whether you're dreaming of starting your own business, getting ahead in your career, or just experience more joy, adventure and fulfilment in your life, I Heart My Life will catapult you toward your greatest desires.

The 2005 bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth is an opportunity to re-evaluate the achievement of one of the great figures of the fairy tale and storytelling tradition, a beloved writer famous for The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and The Red Shoes and many other now classic tales. Jack Zipes broadens our understanding of Andersen by exploring the relation of the Danish writer's work to the development of literature and of the fairy tale in particular. Based on thirty-five years of researching and writing on Andersen, this new book is a welcome reconsideration of Andersen's place and of his reception in English-speaking countries and on film.

Kirby Nickel loves basketball. The only problem is he can't play basketball. But when an opportunity to meet NBA star Brett McGrew comes up, Kirby knows he has to take a chance and try out for the basketball team. Getting on the team turns out to be easy—the rest of the boys are as supremely untalented as Kirby—but winning in order to be eligible to meet McGrew is a whole different problem. Different and embarrassing. The coach's radical new plan for success involves the boys playing in their underwear. But if this crazy idea works, Kirby will get to meet his hero—who he secretly also hopes is his long-lost father.