Books published by Random House Children's Books

Meet middle schooler Jake McQuade. Jake became the smartest kid in the universe when he accidentally ate a jarful of ingestible knowledge jelly beans. But what happens when those jelly beans fall into the wrong hands?! Readers who enjoy the action of the Last Kids on Earth books will love this fast-paced, spy-packed series that's a "rollicking good time" (New York Times) by the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library!Jake McQuade's the smartest kid in the universe—or at least he was. But just as his training with the secret agency known as the Consortium is about to start, Jake's jelly beans go missing! And to make matters worse, they (and Jake's genius!) might be wearing off right when he needs his smarts most!Jake needs to solve this mystery fast. Who stole the jelly beans and why? Can Jake figure out what's going on, recover the missing jelly beans, and stop a high-tech heist before it's too late?!From top-secret hideouts to New York City penthouse apartments to the Statue of Liberty in the middle of the night, get ready to go on a whirlwind, wild-ride adventure filled with supervillains and spies, puzzles and pirates, codes and drones, and much, much more—and don't miss the first two books in the series—Smartest Kid in the Universe and Genius Camp!

"Jaxon and his friends are back in the magical real, Palmera, trying to convince Guardian Sis that magical creatures should exist in both world, but things might be even more complicated than Jax and his friends realize"--

On Mar Leâon de la Rosa's sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship. When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible -- Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there's no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate -- and the captain's son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption -- or it could mean certain death.

A boy and his family must decide whether to remain in Cuba under a repressive government or risk everything for the chance of a new beginning. "Heartbreaking yet hopeful" —Alan Gratz, bestselling author of RefugeeThere are two versions of Héctor: the public and the private. It’s the only way to survive in communist Cuba—especially when your father was exiled to the U.S. and labeled an enemy of the people. Héctor must always be seen as a fierce supporter of the regime, even if that means loudly rejecting the father he still loves.But in the summer of 1980, those two versions are hard to keep separate. No longer able to suppress a public uprising, the Cuban government says it will open the port of Mariel to all who wish to leave the country—if they can find a boat. But choosing to leave comes with a price. Those who want to flee are denounced as traitors by family and friends. There are violent acts of repudiation, and no one knows if they will truly be allowed to leave the country or not.So when Héctor’s mother announces that she wants the family to risk everything to go to the United States, he is torn. He misses his father, but Cuba is the only home he has ever known. All his dreams and plans require him to stay. Can he leave everything behind for an unknown future?In a summer of heat and upheaval, danger and deadly consequences, Héctor’s two worlds are on a collision course. Will the impact destroy him and everything he loves?

"From the New York Times best-selling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, a novel about a young woman whose gift of second sight complicates her coming of age in late 19th century Scotland Growing up in the care of her grandparents on Belhaven farm, Lizzie Craig discovers at a young age that she can see into the future. Her gift of sight is selective-she doesn't, for instance, see that she has an older sister who will come to join the family on her beloved farm. But she does see "pictures" that foretell various incidents and accidents and begins to realize a painful truth: she may glimpse the future, but she can seldom change it. Nor can Lizzie change the feelings that come when a young man named Louis, visiting Belhaven for the harvest, begins to court her. Why have the adults around her not revealed that the touch of a hand can change everything? After following Louis to Glasgow, though, she learns the limits of his devotion, and when faced with a seemingly impossible choice, she makes what turns out to be a terrible mistake. But while Lizzie can't change the past, her second sight may allow her a second chance. Luminous and transporting, The Road from Belhaven once again displays "the marvelous control of a writer who conjures equally well the tangible, sensory world . . . and the mysteries, stranger and wilder, that flicker at the border of that world." (The Boston Globe)"--

"After bottoming out, being institutionalized, and getting sober all by the tender age of fifteen, Moshe Kasher found himself asking: OK, so what else is out there? Over the ensuing decades, he found his way to the answer: a lot. From his current vantage point as a successful stand-up comic, Kasher looks back on his years careening from subculture to subculture, and he immerses readers in the hilariously strange nuances of each of the scenes he's found himself in. Immediately after getting sober, Kasher began serving as the self-appointed sheriff of his Young People's AA group. He then went on to start his own club-promoting business from scratch in the heart of the 90s California rave scene, and later became a security guard at Burning Man. Once, he caught a man who worked as a coyote at the US border sneaking punk kids into the festival as a side hustle. A child of deaf adults, he's also served as a sign language interpreter, and once helped an angry client cuss out a police officer. Later in life, Kasher went on to reconnect with his Jewish heritage after the death of his father, and now has a booming career as a stand-up comic"--

"Jenn M. Jackson has been known to bring deep historical acuity to some of the most controversial topics in America today. Now, in their first book, Jackson applies their critical analysis to the questions that have long energized their work: Why has Black women's freedom fighting been so overlooked throughout history, and what has our society lost in the meantime? A love letter to those who have been minimized and forgotten, this collection repositions Black women's intellectual and political work at the center of today's liberation movements. Across thirteen original essays that explore the legacy and work of Black women writers and leaders--from Harriet Jacobs and Ida B. Wells to the Combahee River Collective and Audre Lorde--Jackson sets the record straight about Black women's longtime movement organizing, theorizing, and coalition building in the name of racial, gender, and sexual justice in the United States and abroad. These essays show, in both critical and deeply personal terms, how Black women have been at the center of modern liberation movements, despite the erasure and misrecognition of their efforts. Jackson illustrates how Black women have frequently done the work of liberation at great risk to their lives and livelihoods"--

The Terribles might be monsters, but they're also kids just like you! Well, sort of. This hilarious peek into the world of vampires, mummies, swamp-things, and bigfoots is perfect for fans of the Hotel Transylvania movies.Vampires, mummies, and gelatinous balls of goo (oh my!). That's right, monsters are real and they've settled down on the quiet island of Creep's Cove. It's a pretty typical place: houses, stores, portals to various nightmarish parallel dimensions. And a school for the kiddos. Meet Vlad, the fame-thirsty vampire,Allie, a stuffed animal-dissecting alien,Lizzie, a short-tempered kaiju, and many others! Told in alternating chapters, comics, poems, charts, and activities each focused on different classic spooky characters this book is the introduction to monsters you humans have been waiting for. Want to be more like a monster? Check out the activities in this book that will help make life just a little more terrible!

Captures a parent's desire to be ever-present in his/her child's life, offering reassurance of his/her love.

"Why do we think, feel, and act the way we do? A professor and expert consultant on psychological health ponders these questions and more in this thought-provoking, illustrated guide. Psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate majors. It provides an orienting point for many professional careers, including international relations, public health, social work, clinical counseling, brain research, organizational behavior, business, and advertising. This book not only provides an introduction to this vast field but also tells you how to survive and thrive in the psychology curriculum"--

"Shark and Bot have proven that together, best friends can handle anything. They made peace on the playground! They braved sleepaway camp! But nothing prepared this duo for what they find in the hallways of school: They're sweet... Sometimes sticky... And the sugar level is no joke.... ...Zombie donuts?!!!"--

"The saga of the German-Jewish immigrants--with now familiar names like Goldman and Sachs, Kuhn and Loeb, Lehman and Seligman--who built the modern American finance system and shaped the world economy .. Joseph Seligman arrived in the United States in 1837, with the equivalent of $100 sewn into the lining of his pants. Then came Henry and Emanuel Lehman, who would open a general store in Montgomery, Alabama. Not far behind was Marcus Goldman, among the 'Forty-Eighters' fleeing a Germany that had relegated Jews to an underclass. These industrious immigrants would soon go from peddling trinkets and buying up shopkeepers' IOUs to forming the largest investment banks in the world, underwriting businesses like Sears, General Motors, and Macy's that have long defined the face of a nation. In Money Kings, Daniel Schulman follows these dynasties through their earliest gambits; their major business deals and ascent to the deeply antisemitic upper class of the Gilded Age; the complexities of the Civil War, World War I, and the Zionist movement that tested their fractured identities; and their enduring effect on the many non-German Jewish immigrants who came spilling off steamships in New York Harbor in the early 1900s, including Schulman's grandparents. With the dynamic banker and philanthropist Jacob Schiff leading the way, The Money Kings is an engrossing tale about materialism and moralism, family successions and alliances, and the immigrants who dreamed America into being"--

This Little Golden Book about Ronald Reagan--the 40th president of the United States who loved horses and jellybeans--is an inspiring read-aloud for young girls and boys.

This Little Golden Book about The Bee Gees--the harmonizing brothers with hit songs including "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever"--is an inspiring read-aloud for young children, as well as their parents and grandparents who are fans of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb."--Amazon.

"Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about one of the greatest bands of all time The Beatles! Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers as well as fans of all ages!"--

When an extraordinary flying theme park arrives above Atlanta, one boy must stop a sinister force from stealing the park's tech and taking over the world. An electrifying illustrated series with the Afrofuturism of Black Panther that took the world by storm. Perfect for fans of Spider-Man: Miles Morales."Hold on tight, Futureland will be the ride of your life . . . and maybe the last!" —Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling authorWelcome to the most spectacular theme park in the world.Everyone wants a ticket to Futureland, where you can literally live out your wildest dreams. Want to step inside your favorite video game? Go pro in a sports arena? Perform at a real live concert? Grab your ticket and come right in.Yet with all its attractions, Futureland has always just been home to Cam Walker, the son of the park’s famous creators. And when Futureland arrives at its latest stop, Atlanta, Cam is thrilled for what promises to be the biggest opening ever. . . .But things aren't quite right with the Atlanta opening. Park attractions are glitching. Kids go missing. And when his parents are blamed, Cam must find the missing kids and whoever’s trying to take down his family . . . before it’s too late.

"How do we understand ourselves when the story about who we are supposed to be is stronger than our sense of self? What do we stand to gain-and lose-by taking control of our narrative? These questions propel Prachi Gupta's heartfelt memoir, and can feel particularly fraught for many immigrants and their children who live under immense pressure to belong in America. Family defined the cultural identity of Prachi and her brother, Yush, connecting them to a larger Indian American community amid white suburbia. But their belonging was predicated on a powerful myth: that Asian Americans, and Indian Americans in particular, have perfected the alchemy of middle-class life, raising tight-knit, high-achieving families that are immune to hardship. Molding oneself to fit this image often comes at a steep, but hidden, cost. Gupta articulates the dissonance, shame, and isolation of being upheld as an American success story while privately navigating traumas invisible to the outside world. Gupta addresses her mother throughout the book, weaving a deeply vulnerable personal narrative with history, postcolonial theory, and research on mental health to show how she slowly made sense of her reality and freed herself from the pervasive, reductive myth that had once defined her. But tragically, the act that liberated Gupta was also the act that distanced her from those she loved most. By charting her family's slow unraveling and her determination to break the cycle, Gupta shows how traditional notions of success keep us disconnected from ourselves and one another-and passionately argues why we must orient ourselves toward compassion over belonging"--

Ayude a su pequeño a soñar en grande con una biografía Little Golden Book sobre la actriz, cantante y bailarina Rita Moreno, ganadora del EGOT. ¡Las biografías de Little Golden Book representan la introducción perfecta a los libros no-ficción para lectores jóvenes, ¡así como entusiastas de todas las edades!Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about EGOT-winning actor, singer, and dancer, Rita Moreno. Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for preschoolers!Este pequeño Little Golden Book sobre Rita Moreno, estrella puertorriqueña de West Side Story y primera latina en ganar un Oscar, es una historia inspiradora para niños pequeños, así como para sus padres y abuelos que la admiran.Otras biografías Little Golden Book en español:Mi Little Golden Book sobre Frida KahloMi Little Golden Book sobre Sonia SotomayorThis Little Golden Book about Rita Moreno—Puerto Rican-born star of West Side Story and the first Latina to win an Oscar—is an inspiring read-aloud for young children, as well as their parents and grandparents who are fans.Look for these other Spanish language Little Golden Book biographies:Mi Little Golden Book sobre Frida KahloMi Little Golden Book sobre Sonia SotomayorLook for more Little Golden Book biographies: • Betty White • Carol Burnett • Lucille Ball • Harry Belafonte • Julie Andrews • Dwayne Johnson

A Little Golden Book edition of the story of Hanukkah--a great holiday read-aloud for the whole family!It's Hanukkah time! Preschoolers will learn all about how people celebrate Hanukkah--from eating latkes, spinning dreidels, and lighting the menorah. And they'll also learn why they celebrate--from the destruction of the Temple, the bravery of the Maccabees, and the miracle of that little bit of oil that lasted for eight nights. Filled with colorful illustrations and simple, yet informative text, this Little Golden Book is perfect for reading again and again. Share it with your family this Hanukkah!

Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biographyabout EGOT-winning actor, singer, and dancer, Rita Moreno. Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for young readers—as well as fans of all ages!This Little Golden Book about Rita Moreno—Puerto Rican-born star of West Side Story and the first Latina to win an Oscar—is an inspiring read-aloud for young children, as well as their parents and grandparents who are fans.Look for more Little Golden Book biographies: • Betty White • Carol Burnett • Lucille Ball • Harry Belafonte • Julie Andrews • Dwayne Johnson

Truck-loving preschoolers will love reading about Hopper the Garbage Truck and her very important job in this fun picture book!I bang and I clang! I creak and I squeak! I rumble and bump as I drive up your street.Young boys and girls will love hearing all about how garbage trucks keep our neighborhoods clean in this awesome tale narrated by the garbage truck herself! This Little Golden Book is written by the author of the bestsellers I'm a Truck and I'm a Monster Truck and has adorable full-color artwork by the illustrator of I'm a T. Rex.