Laura S Star

Laura and Sophie are best friends. They are even growing their own friendship tree! But one day, Laura's brother, Tommy, accidentally breaks the sapling. What will Sophie say? Will their friendship be ruined? Maybe Laura's special friend, the star, can help her out once more.

When her family's Christmas trip has to be cancelled, Laura finds a way to create a special kind of magic for the holiday, with the help of her own special star.

'A writer of real gravitas and potency.' Ali Smith 'An extraordinary journey ... Engrossing, original and eloquent.' Helen Dunmore 'Elegiac and beautifully observed.' Observer 'Vivid and captivating.' Stylist I didn’t realise my mother was a person until I was thirteen years old and she pulled me out of bed, put me in the back of her car, and we left home and my dad with no explanations. I thought that Ma was all that she was and all that she had ever wanted to be. I was wrong... As Ma and Alex make their way from Virginia to California, each new state prompts stories and secrets of a life before Alex. Together they put to rest unsettled scores, heal old wounds, and search out lost friends. But Alex can't forget the life they've left behind.

Laura has just three weeks to go before her Jewish becoming of age ceremony, called a Bat Mitzvah, when she is assigned a special project. She is to read the diary of Sara Gittler, a young girl her own age who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Sara never had the chance to celebrate her coming of age, so Laura is to learn about Sara's life and then share her Bat Mitzvah with her "twin" by speaking of her at the ceremony. Reluctant to undertake the project at first, Laura quickly becomes caught up by Sara's struggle to survive. Sara's diary unfolds with the details of her daily life in the Ghetto, a world full of fear, confusion, tragedy and above all, courage. From Sara's brave story in the past, Laura learns how to find the courage to confront the possibility of a friend's current involvement in the desecration of a Jewish cemetery.

If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...

From viral Instagram sensation, lifestyle photographer, and mommy blogger Laura Izumikawa comes Naptime with Joey, a ridiculously delightful photo book of her now internet-famous daughter dressed up in various pop culture costumes—a perfect gift for new parents everywhere. Lights, Camera…Nap! Joey Marie wears many hats (or, rather, wigs): she’s dressed up as Inigo Montoya, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Pikachu, Anna Wintour, Moana, and Barb from Stranger Things. She’s taken trips to Hawaii, baked croissants, and blasted off to the moon as an astronaut (at least, in her dreams). She’s held occupations such as pizza chef, aerobics instructor, and handy-dandy-fixer-upper (figuratively, of course). She’s inspired a parenting blog, been the face of her mom Laura Izumikawa’s Instagram account—and for the first time, she’s taken the leap from the ranks of internet-baby-snoredom to the pages of a book. Naptime with Joey is chockablock full of over a hundred deliciously adorable photos of Joey dressed up as various pop culture characters, movie stars, musicians, vacationers, and holiday-goers, making this the most fun, festive, and downright delightful gift under the sun!

One afternoon Laura and Tommy see Santa out of their window. They race after him but see two more Santas down at the shops! Tommy is convinced that there is no real Santa. Can Laura and her star show him that Santa is real?

Laura and her little brother Tommy make a kite to take to the park on a windy day, but it doesn't fly very well. Over and over, the kite drifts back down to the ground and the bullies at the park tease them. Tommy is disappointed. Laura secretly calls upon her "special friend" a glittering star, who sprinkles magical stardust on the kite that will make it fly as high as the stars! Now the bullies at the park won't tease Tommy anymore. Klaus Baumgart gives us another charming story of magic and love featuring the big-hearted Laura and her best friend, a special, glittering star.