From acclaimed author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino comes an exhilarating adventure—set in a richly imagined alternate future—celebrating autonomy, community, and the power of reading, perfect for fans of The Rock From the Sky. Bix lives with her family in a city where people rarely talk or play together, and no longer read books. Instead, they stare at small portable screens, monitored by giant eyeballs. The Eyes are here to help! With everything. But Bix would like to do things for herself. Running from an Eye, she discovers another world: the City Under the City. There, she befriends a rat who leads her to a library and its treasure trove of books and knowledge. As she explores the abandoned city, she’s thrilled to learn about the people who lived there, with no Eyes. But she misses her family, and decides to head home, where, just maybe, she can help defeat the intrusive Eyes—and show her people how to think for themselves and enjoy each other’s company. Told through Dan Yaccarino’s stunning graphic style, this page-turning picture book/early reader crossover will spark a new appreciation of reading, books, independence, friendship, and family.

A sweeping history of Los Angeles told through the lens of the many marginalized groups—from hobos to taggers—that have used the city’s walls as a channel for communication Graffiti written in storm drain tunnels, on neighborhood walls, and under bridges tells an underground and, until now, untold history of Los Angeles. Drawing on extensive research within the city’s urban landscape, Susan A. Phillips traces the hidden language of marginalized groups over the past century—from the early twentieth-century markings of hobos, soldiers, and Japanese internees to the later inscriptions of surfers, cholos, and punks. Whether describing daredevil kids, bored workers, or clandestine lovers, Phillips profiles the experiences of people who remain underrepresented in conventional histories, revealing the powerful role of graffiti as a venue for cultural expression. Graffiti aficionados might be surprised to learn that the earliest documented graffiti bubble letters appear not in 1970s New York but in 1920s Los Angeles. Or that the negative letterforms first carved at the turn of the century are still spray painted on walls today. With discussions of characters like Leon Ray Livingston (a.k.a. “A-No. 1”), credited with consolidating the entire system of hobo communication in the 1910s, and Kathy Zuckerman, better known as the surf icon “Gidget,” this lavishly illustrated book tells stories of small moments that collectively build into broad statements about power, memory, landscape, and history itself.

Jeremy Dodge knew the Earth would face starvation if it were not for the new science of "aquaculture". With the world's population numbering many billions, only the extra food being cultivated on the bottom of the sea could feed everyone. But, like the rest of the surface-dwellers, Jeremy did not know what a vicious monopoly underwater cultivation had become. That is, until the dreadful moment when he himself was kidnapped and dragged beneath the depths. And there he was to learn that just making his own escape would not be enough - he would have to save mankind from the tyranny of a new race of water-breathing human monsters!

When Isabel breached an invisible barrier her world completely changed.

In this eye-opening cultural history, Brian Tochterman examines competing narratives that shaped post–World War II New York City. As a sense of crisis rose in American cities during the 1960s and 1970s, a period defined by suburban growth and deindustrialization, no city was viewed as in its death throes more than New York. Feeding this narrative of the dying city was a wide range of representations in film, literature, and the popular press--representations that ironically would not have been produced if not for a city full of productive possibilities as well as challenges. Tochterman reveals how elite culture producers, planners and theorists, and elected officials drew on and perpetuated the fear of death to press for a new urban vision. It was this narrative of New York as the dying city, Tochterman argues, that contributed to a burgeoning and broad anti-urban political culture hostile to state intervention on behalf of cities and citizens. Ultimately, the author shows that New York's decline--and the decline of American cities in general--was in part a self-fulfilling prophecy bolstered by urban fear and the new political culture nourished by it.

Shows in rhymed verse how the subway engineer draws the city together, transporting all kinds of people where they want to go.

"If Harry Potter lived in New York City, he'd have a mad crush on fourteen-year-old Kiki Strike." -Vanity Fair There's a secret part of New York City that no one knows about. It's protected by a mysterious group of girls known as the Irregulars, led by the alluring Kiki Strike. Inside the Shadow City introduces us to Ananka Fishbein, a regular girl whose life becomes anything but after venturing underground to join Kiki Strike and her friends, the Irregulars.

It can be a little scary to be small in a big city, but this child has some good advice for a very special friend in need. Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal It can be a little scary to be small in a big city, but it helps to know you're not alone. When you're small in the city, people don't see you, and loud sounds can scare you, and knowing what to do is sometimes hard. But this little kid knows what it's like, and knows the neighborhood. And a little friendly advice can go a long way. Alleys can be good shortcuts, but some are too dark. Or, there are lots of good hiding places in the city, like under a mulberry bush or up a walnut tree. And, if the city gets to be too much, you're always welcome home, where it's safe and quiet. In the first book that he has both written and illustrated, award-winning artist Sydney Smith spins a quiet, contemplative tale about seeing a big world through little eyes. He is the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children's books. Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award An ALA Notable Children's Book A New York Times Best Children's Book A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year An NPR Best Kids Book of the Year A Capitol Choices Noteworthy Title A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Best Picture Book of the Year Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, the Horn Book, Shelf Awareness, and many more! A Booklist Editors' Choice A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book Winner of the German Youth Literature Prize