Albert and Lucinda from the beloved The Enchanted Dolls' House have pled their troth (Victorian for "got engaged!"). It is a happy time for everyone in the Enchanted Dolls' House. All the dollsfrom the servant dolls to the toy dolls, even the resident dog and cat dollsenthusiastically join together to celebrate a joyous wedding with all the fashionable and tasteful accoutrement of the Edwardian, Regency and Victorian eras available to them. Four masterfully conceived and constructed pop-up buldings amaze with historical accuracy and bustle with activity: Shop for wedding finery in an Edwardian department store. See the toiletries, accessories, hair styles, and beautiful wedding clothes from which the dolls choose. Attend a wedding breakfast, complete with musicians, favors, and a glorious cake garnished with marzipan pearls, pendants and bows. Peek through windows and doors of a Victorian Manor Dolls' House and a Regency Dolls' House to see the dolls observe their elegant way of life. And finally, attend a breathtakingly beautiful wedding in a Victorian Chapel. Overflowing with doll lore and loving rendered details of wedding gifts, food, and flowers, readers of all ages will attend the wedding of their dreams!
More than mere playthings, Enchanted Dolls are elegantly sculpted and articulated works of art. Strikingly nude, engraved or adorned in opulent sculptural costumes of precious metals, gemstones and rare found objects, each doll intricately conveys an aspect of our humanity. As Marina says 'the reason I love making dolls is because it it's a multidisciplinary art form. To create a doll I get to do it all: sculpture, industrial design, painting, engraving, mold-making, drawing, metalwork, fashion and jewellery design. I want it all!'
What do Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Braff, and Mandy Moore have in common? Before they were stars, they were campers at Stagedoor Manor, the premier summer theater camp for children and teenagers. Founded in 1975, Stagedoor continues to attract scores of young performers eager to find kindred spirits, to sing out loud, to become working actors—or maybe even stars. Every summer for the past thirty-five years, a new crop of campers has come to the Catskills for an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. (The camp produces thirteen full-scale productions during each of its three sessions.) These kids come from varying backgrounds—the offspring of Hollywood players from Nora Ephron to Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship. Some campers have agents, others are seeking representation. When Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ and self-proclaimed theater fanatic, learned about this place, he fled Manhattan for an escape to upstate New York. At Stagedoor, he tracked a trio of especially talented and determined teen actors through their final session at camp. Enter Rachael Singer, Brian Muller, and Harry Katzman, three high school seniors closing out their sometimes sheltered Stagedoor experiences and graduating into the real world of industry competition and rejection. These veteran campers—still battling childhood insecurities, but simultaneously searching for that professional gig that will catapult them to fame—pour their souls into what might be their last amateur shows. Their riveting stories are told in Theater Geek, an eye-opening, laugh-out-loud chronicle full of drama and heart, but also about the business of training kids to be professional thespians and, in some cases, child stars. (The camp has long acted as a farm system for Broadway and Hollywood, attracting visits from studio executives and casting directors.) Via original interviews with former and current campers and staff—including Mandy Moore, Zach Braff, and Jon Cryer—Rapkin also recounts Stagedoor Manor’s colorful, star-studded history: What was Natalie Portman’s breakout role as a camper? What big-time Hollywood director, then barely a teenager, dated a much older Stagedoor staff member? Why did Courtney Love (at Stagedoor visiting her daughter) get into an argument with a hot dog vendor who had set up shop at the camp? Theater Geek leads readers through the triumphs and tragedies of the three senior campers’ final summer in an absorbing, thought-provoking narrative that reveals the dynamic and inspiring human beings who populate this world. It also explores what the proliferation of theater camps says about our celebrity-obsessed youth and our most basic but vital need to fit in. Through the rivalry, heartbreak, and joy of one summer at Stagedoor Manor, Rapkin offers theater geeks of all ages a dishy, illuminating romp through the lives of serious child actors. Rich, insightful, and thoroughly entertaining, Theater Geek pulls back the curtain on an elite and intriguing world to reveal what’s really at its core: children who simply love to perform.
A Doll's House by Henrick Ibsen tells the story of Nora, a woman who is treated like a doll in her own home. Set in Victorian Norway, Nora eventually flees her marriage and children in an attempt to discover herself despite being confined by patriarchal society. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes
Inspired by the much-loved classic Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, Into the Spotlight is a magical new story from bestselling author and acclaimed performer Carrie Hope Fletcher. Brilliant Aunt Maude visits seasides the world over and has become quite the pebble collector. Pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours and even one that looked a bit like Elvis Presley if you squinted a bit. Her favourite pebbles, however, are Marigold, Mabel and Morris. One by one, and by strange and unusual ways, each child arrives at the stage door of Brilliant Aunt Maude's theatre in the heart of London, home to an extraordinary cast of performers. There's Dante the miraculous magician, Petunia the storyteller and seventy-year-old contortionists - the Fortune Sisters! But ticket sales are dwindling and the curtains might have to close - for the final time. Until one day, as the Pebbles are exploring the many nooks and crannies of the theatre, they stumble upon something they were never meant to find . . . something that just might save the theatre after all . . .
Jack and Annie journey back in time in the Magic Tree House to medieval England, where they encounter a remarkable castle that comes complete with a fierce dragon, terrifying dungeon, and secret passageway. Simultaneous.
For the child who loves dolls, for the adult who cherishes dolls, the most sumptious celebration ever in an exquisite, multidimensional presentation, featuring pop-up period dollhouses, secret letters, hidden pictures and more. Meet Albert and Lucinda, Kristen, Oscar, Hattie and more, enchanted dolls who inhabit a magical series of homes, from a Tudor mansion to a twentieth century villa, finding adventure and secrets to discover, dances to attend, and parties to give in each era. Can it be a surprise that over the many centuries a gentle romance has blossomed between Albert and Lucinda? Pages are crammed with doll lore and historical detail. Lovingly rendered, highly detailed drawings of dolls, their clothing and furnishings, accessories and accoutrements grace each page and spread. Each of the four dimensional dollhouses just begs for readers to peek through windows anddoors or lift away the walls to find hidden details and characters. Tactile treats are everywhere: journals to open, letters to pull out and read, jewelry boxes to explore, fabric to touch.and much, much more. A Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection as well as crossover selection of several BMOC adult clubs.
