Fifteen-year-old Felise, an apprentice scribe in medieval France, is in a desperate situation. She yearns to find a way to become a writer and book shop owner, but in order to achieve her dreams she must first escape from her cruel guardian, who is plotting an arranged marriage for her. The Hundred Years' War rages all around her. She fears that France will soon be held captive, just as she is-- but when Joan of Arc blazes into history and Felise's...

"Two novellas by Nobel laureate Peter Handke"--

"2019, The Year of Return. It has been exactly 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghana for America. Ghana has now opened its doors to Black diasporans, encouraging them to return and get to know the land of their ancestors. Elton, Vincent, and Scott arrive from America to visit preserved sites from the transatlantic slave route, and to explore the country's underground queer scene. Their activities are narrated by their two combative guides:...

One of Richard Wagner's most enduring works, this bold operatic tale of a medieval knight's struggle for freedom against the gods was given a striking production by the Metropolitan Opera.

"Hilma, an American painter of fifty-eight, goes to the beautiful island of Samos to escape a family tragedy by swimming and hiking and trying to forget. But on one of these swims, she finds a small Syrian girl floating unconscious in a life jacket. Hilma saves her but quickly becomes obsessed with the idea of adopting the girl, whose mother and father, she assumes, have drowned, as so many refugees do. The child's mother, Farah, did not drown, however,...

"In the Lower Saxony region of northwestern Germany sits the city of Osnabrück. This is where, in 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was signed, bringing the Thirty Years' War and one of the most calamitous periods of European history to an end. But the city was later to witness another calamity. Today, as one walks through Old Synagogue Street in a rich neighborhood of Osnabrück, one might miss noticing a pile of pale stones held together by chicken...

"In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person's greatest sorrow. But as with all things that offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning. Every wish demands a price. Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that...

"Heartwarming tales of friendship between a long-haired guinea pig and a naked mole rat in the spirit of Frog and Toad. In the second book in this charming series of graphic novels, three more delightful stories explore themes of friendship, grief, and belonging. These three stories dig deep, showing Otis and Peanut dealing with the death of Pearl, Peanut's sister and Otis's friend. Addressing death in a book for such young kids can seem daunting,...

The tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality...

A classic tale is reborn through the inspired imagination of cinematic dream-weaver Guillermo del Toro, directing alongside Mark Gustafson. Realized through boundary-pushing, breathtakingly intricate stop-motion animation, this dark rendering of the fable of the puppet boy and his maker, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, daringly transfers the story to Fascist Italy, where the irrepressible Pinocchio gradually learns what it means...