Books

You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike

$15.00

We asked these young authors at John Marshall High School to tell us about lessons they've learned—and they don't disappoint. They lead us through the moments that have shaped their lives—among them encounters with Def Leppard albums, wormy peaches, campus police, and Salvadoran gangs—and share with us the things they've learned about the kindness of strangers, resolve in the presence of naysayers, and the value of a dollar.

You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike also features a foreword by 826LA board member Salvador Plascencia.

Sheep Can't Fly

$15.00

Based thematically and formally on Joseph Campbell's monomyth (as detailed in his The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Sheep Can't Fly is 826LA's largest and most ambitious publication yet; it is comprised of essays exploring the nature of the hero, poems on the stages of the hero's quest, and short stories covering the entirety of the hero's journey. The book features writing on determination, triumph, and redemption; short stories about lovable ne'er-do-wells and a diminutive yet ambitious alien scientist; and a talking ferret and squirrel.

To read one of the stories in the book, click here.

dead end door re:vealed

$15.00

Hidden within the spare, off-white covers of this 'zine are secrets—the secrets of the student authors, the secrets of the characters they've invented, even secret text that slinks between the pages.

This 80-plus page, full-color 'zine was produced by the students of L.A. High School, in conjunction with 826LA and re:Active magazine, and with the help of a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Full of student writing and art, including transcendent and trasnfigured photography, tales of elementary-school terror and young adult soul-searching, and the opening chapter of a manga (Japanese-style graphic novel), dead end door re:vealed is sure to electrify and enlighten.

The Elotes Man Will Soon Be Gone

$15.00

The cart-pushing, corn-selling elotes man will soon be gone, warn the students of John Marshall High School. So, too, will they go; this stand-out generation of students will soon disappear into adulthood. This collection of their writing, The Elotes Man Will Soon Be Gone, captures and preserves their spirit for all to read.

This anthology of narratives, essays, and more tells you what life is like for these students. After reading musings on moving and the places we call home, confrontations with glass and dogs and death, an ode to Kurt Cobain, and a (literally) gut-wrenching fantasy, you'll be glad you caught The Elotes Man... before it's gone.

Walking Through Walls

$15.00

Walking Through Walls is comprised of narratives and poems by the students of the Los Angeles School of Global Studies. The book features (among other things) multiple trips to the emergency room, numbered verses reaching out to a bulimic friend, a rake named Country, and one hybrid love poem/ode to turtles.

Entering New Territory
Dreams for a New Los Angeles

$12.00

Published in 2006 with the help of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Entering New Territory contains a stunning collection of dreams for and about Los Angeles, written by students in the Humanitas Academy at Theodore Roosevelt High School. It is a genre-spanning assortment of prose and verse, fables and ghost stories, accounts of violence and personal triumph.

Rhythm of the Chain
Young Writers Explore Teamwork

$12.00

Rhythm of the Chain is the first anthology to come out of 826LA's Young Authors' Book Project, and is written by students at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School. It also features an introduction by Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson. The book contains reflections on unity within the African-American community, the mechanisms of gang violence, and the strength of friendship and family. There are also stories about playing basketball and about attending the funeral of an estranged parent, and a screenplay, fifty-five pages long.

Make It Punk

$5.00

Make It Punk is the story of rock 'n' roll as seen through the eyes of budding punk enthusiasts in Venice, California. Spray-painting bystanders, tattooing secrets, drinking blood, and writing about it in your journal: all the hallmarks of the anarchist lifestyle get their moment. Released on the 15-year anniversary of Dookie, this book is readable in the time it takes you to listen to a Ramones compilation—and as an added bonus you can read Nancy's track-by-track Ramones reviews at the same time (recently published on the 826 National website).

Tight Red Pants, Tight Red Shirt, and a Mohawk

$5.00

Tight Red Pants, Tight Red Shirt, and a Mohawk contains music-inspired pieces written by two dozen of the students who attend after-school tutoring at our Echo Park writing lab on weekday afternoons. Local elementary, middle, and high school students have contributed pieces ranging from original rap song lyrics, to musings on their favorite musicians (Michael Jackson, Selena, Justin Bieber, and Guns N' Roses, to name a few), to rhapsodies about the rock star lives they imagine for themselves.

The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get

$5.00

Named after a Morrissey song, The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get takes inspiration from music written by members of the Smiths from 1984 to 2009. Containing never-before-published work by students from John Adams Middle School, Grand View Elementary, Mark Twain Middle School, and others, 826LA's new book covers topics from the Smiths themselves to "my worst summer love story" to "listening to my mom's bedtime stories" to "a pony with a ponytail."

Essentially Odd

$12.00

Our 826 storefronts are exciting, whimsical, magical, and sometimes downright weird places where you can purchase anything from a new positronic brain for your favorite robot to a giant can of mammoth chunks for your next 450 B.C.-themed dinner party. Want some (decent) peg-leg oil for your next pirate adventure? How about a cryptozoologist’s career starter kit or a space vehicle hull repair patch? Each product has been thoughtfully created by designers across the country, and now, with Essentially Odd, you can get an inside look at featured products from each 826 chapter.

Essentially Odd features more than 150 pages of color photos of each 826 chapter’s storefronts and products, along with notes and commentary from the product designers. It is perfect for design enthusiasts, 826 fans, or those without enough cash to visit each 826 chapter in person.

Take Me Back

$24.99

Take Me Back is a chronological exploration of the people and events that have shaped societies through time. From Mesopotamia to Mao, the Incas to Iraq, the Spartans to the Space Shuttle, this history book covers it all. Discover the history of the world through the unlikeliest of channels: newscasts from 1492, the blog of Louis XVI's closest confidant, and more bold, zany, and irreverent sources. Learning history has never been so innovative or exciting. Find out where you fit into the story of the world!