Kathy MacMillan

In a sweeping fantasy that award-winning author Franny Billingsley called "fascinating and unique," debut author Kathy MacMillan weaves palace intrigue and epic world building to craft a tale for fans of Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner. Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely protected, and only the King, Prince, Tutor, and Tutor-in-training are allowed to learn its very highest form. So when she is plucked from her menial labor and selected to replace the last Tutor-in-training, who was executed, Raisa knows that betraying any hint of her past could mean death. Keeping her secret guarded is hard enough, but the romance that's been blossoming between her and Prince Mati isn't helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance—an underground rebel army—to help liberate the city's slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding a war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries—one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

Sword and Verse

"Rich in politics, intrigue, and betrayal, Dagger and Coin is a complex feminist fantasy featuring a tough and prickly ex-princess that I couldn't help but adore."—Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl from Everywhere The sequel to Sword and Verse follows a familiar face—Soraya—as she attempts to rebuild a nation after the downfall of the monarchy. Readers who love Rae Carson and Kristen Cashore won’t be able to put this fantasy down. Soraya Gamo was meant to be queen of Qilara, until an Arnath slave rebellion upended the social order and destroyed the capital city. Now, improbably, she sits on the new ruling council beside Mati, Raisa, and Jonis from Book 1, and must work with her former enemies. She finally holds the political power she always wanted—but over a nation in ruins. As she helps to rebuild Qilara, she can, at last, use what everyone once told her to hide: her brain. But not everyone is ready to accept that the Arnathim are no longer enslaved to the Qilarites. So when a slave ship arrives in the city, full of Arnathim captured before Qilara fell, the civil unrest that has been bubbling since the rebellion erupts. Forced to confront her own prejudices, Soraya struggles to gain the trust of the Arnath people she once disregarded and establish peace in what has become chaos. With the threat of attacks high, Gelti, a former guard captain, trains Soraya in self-defense. As the two grow close, tension within the city ramps up, with danger, betrayal, and deception meeting Soraya everywhere she turns. Friends become foes, adversaries become companions, and the clashing of classes threatens to unravel all the good Soraya has been trying to do. Can Soraya, raised to be a submissive Qilarite lady, learn to be a true leader? Or will the sins of her past forever haunt the footsteps of her future?

Dagger and Coin

Feuer und Feder

In The Runaway Shirt, a mother and child transform the chore of laundry into a afternoon of laughter and imagination.

The Runaway Shirt

In a sweeping fantasy that award-winning author Franny Billingsley calls "fascinating and unique," debut author Kathy MacMillan weaves palace intrigue and epic world-building to craft a tale for fans of Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner. Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely protected, and only the King, Prince, Tutor, and Tutor-in-training are allowed to learn its very highest form. So when she is plucked from her menial labor and selected to replace the last Tutor-in-training who was executed, Raisa knows that betraying any hint of her past could mean death. Keeping her secret guarded is hard enough, but the romance that's been blossoming between her and Prince Mati isn't helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance—an underground rebel army—to help liberate the city's slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding a war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries—one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

One of Book Riot's 6 Best Baby Sign Language Books for Parents "Best Board Book" winner in Bookstagang's Best of 2020 Picture Book Awards

Nita's Day

When the world tells you to stay quiet, do you listen, or do you speak up? In She Spoke Too: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World, with the touch of a button readers can hear Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones), Gerda Weissmann Klein, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Judy Heumann, LaDonna Harris, Antonia Hernández, Dr. Mae Jemison, Jacinda Ardern, Zuzana Čaputová, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kamala Harris, Maria Ressa, Shamsia Hassani, and Greta Thunberg. Through succinct profiles, stunning portraits by illustrator Becky Thorns, and the original voices of these international women, She Spoke Too will inspire readers of all ages to share their own truths and change the world.

She Spoke Too

Appropriate for adults who are completely new to signing, this authoritative guide on sign language helps them engage with children up to age five, regardless of their hearing ability. Each of the eight chapters contain a variety of activities, such as games, finger plays, songs, and crafts, which help children develop language learning, improve communication and self-expression, and raise their self-esteem. All vocabulary comes from American Sign Language (ASL), a language with formalized grammatical conventions that stimulates language centers of the brain. Illustrations of the relevant signs are prominently featured throughout the book, and the activities have all been tested in the author's own "Little Hands Signing" classes since 2006. The practical guidance is perfect for adults new to signing as well as those familiar with ASL and wanting ideas to enhance learning and communication with their babies.

Children and Adults Signing Together

Little Hands and Big Hands

Encourages the creation of storytelling prop boxes, explaining a way to gather songs, books, flannel boards, toys, and finger plays together in a single location to be used by multiple librarians.

A Box Full of Tales

Manuela Bernardi

When the world tells you to stay quiet, do you listen, or do you speak up? In She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World, with the touch of a button readers can hear Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Dolores Huerta, Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Jane Goodall, Shirley Chisholm, Susan Shown Harjo, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Leymah Gbowee, Dr. Temple Grandin, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Tammy Duckworth, Dr. Joanne Liu, Abby Wambach, and Malala Yousafzai. Through succinct profiles, stunning portraits by illustrator Kathrin Honesta, and the original voices of these women, She Spoke will inspire readers of all ages to share their own truths and change the world.

14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World

She Spoke

This guide demonstrates everything from how to set up programming involving sign language for all ages, to dealing with and paying interpreters, and from publicizing programs to the public and within the deaf community, to evaluating and improving the library's sign language collection. Kathy MacMillan's impressive understanding and knowledge of the deaf community and the importance of sign language—as well as her exceptional handling of the numerous erroneous myths about deafness and sign language that are, unfortunately, still often current—make this handbook indispensable for all library personnel looking to reach out to the deaf community.

Kathy MacMillan

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