Happy Labor Day! We hope you all are enjoying your three day weekend. Were you able to squeeze in any extra reading time?

We have SIX giveaways for you this week! Plus our regular round-up of all the new YA releases coming up this week.

Enjoy and happy reading!

All best,

Martina, Alyssa, Katharyn, Jan, Lisa, and Clara

YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK

The Dolls
by Kiki Sullivan
Signed Hardcover Giveaway
Balzer + Bray; Original edition
Released 9/2/2014

Eveny Cheval just moved back to Louisiana after spending her childhood in New York with her aunt Bea. Eveny hasn’t seen her hometown since her mother’s suicide fourteen years ago, and her memories couldn’t have prepared her for what she encounters. Because pristine, perfectly manicured Carrefour has a dark side full of intrigue, betrayal, and lies—and Eveny quickly finds herself at the center of it all.

Enter Peregrine Marceau, Chloe St. Pierre, and their group of rich, sexy friends known as the Dolls. From sipping champagne at lunch to hooking up with the hottest boys, Peregrine and Chloe have everything—including an explanation for what’s going on in Carrefour. And Eveny doesn’t trust them one bit.

But after murder strikes and Eveny discovers that everything she believes about herself, her family, and her life is a lie, she must turn to the Dolls for answers. Something’s wrong in paradise, and it’s up to Eveny, Chloe, and Peregrine to save Carrefour and make it right.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Dolls?

I first began writing THE DOLLS in early 2012, and of course I’m working on the sequel now, so basically, I’ve been living with Eveny (my main character) and her sister queens Peregrine and Chloe for quite a while. In fact, I’ve been so busy over the last month or so with the revision of the sequel that my real-life friends would probably tell you I’ve been a better friend to Eveny, Peregrine and Chloe than I’ve been to them!

As a writer, it can be tough to choose a favorite thing about your book, because over the course of writing and editing it, you fall in love (and sometimes in hate!) with so many elements. And now that I’ve written the second book, one of the things I love most is how the main characters are growing and becoming more comfortable in their own skin. Isn’t that a part of growing up for all of us (even those of us who don’t have magical powers)?

If I had to choose a few things I especially love about the first book in the series, I’d probably say:
1. Carrefour, the magical, mysterious walled town where most of the book takes place: It was fun to lay the town out and create its rules!
2. Peregrine’s wardrobe: Part of being a Doll is dressing the part. Let’s just say that I would expect to find Peregrine wearing the shoes on the cover (which I’ll get to in a moment) as well as lots of other items I could never dream of affording. She, Chloe and their mothers are basically lifted from the pages of the latest issue of Vogue. I love clothes and shoes, and although I realize this is a little weird, I’m super-jealous of my characters because they get to wear the things I’m lusting after!
3. Eveny: I love a good fish-out-of-water story, and that’s exactly how THE DOLLS begins. Eveny returns to the town she left when she was just three, and immediately, she realizes she’s completely out of step with all of the weirdness taking place there. Over the course of the book, she begins to understand what’s happening – and what her role in everything is – and I truly loved following her through this journey. She has a wonderful heart and the best of intentions.
4. Caleb: Is it weird that I have a crush on a fictional character I created? Don’t tell my husband (who is very crush-worthy too). Honestly, I wish I’d had more time in THE DOLLS to introduce you to Caleb, because seriously, I loooooove him. Some of his character development was cut out in the editing process, which makes me think I need to write a novella or short story focusing on him at some point. Or maybe that’s just my crush speaking. I was so inspired by Caleb, in fact, that I even co-wrote a song from his perspective. You can hear the first 90 seconds by going to KikiSullivan.com. The song automatically plays on everything but mobile devices.

Oh, and finally, I’m absolutely in love with the cover. From the font to the amazing, gorgeous shoes, I adore every inch of it. I even found shoes that essentially match! (See photo.)

It’s also important to note that THE DOLLS developed in a really interesting way. Nick Harris from The Story Foundation, a books-to-film company, was very involved in the genesis of the idea, and now he’s working with some heavy hitters to hopefully make it into a television show. So I look forward to seeing what they’re able to do with it. I would love to see Eveny, Peregrine, Chloe, Caleb, Drew and the whole gang on the small screen!

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The Winter People
by Rebekah L Purdy
Signed Hardcover Giveaway
Entangled: Teen
Released 9/2/2014

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.? ?

Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Winter People?

My favorite thing about The Winter People is the magical backdrop as well as the fact that my main character is far from normal. She has a debilitating fear of snow/winter. So much so that she can’t always function the way a normal person would. I like that she’s imperfect and has to work through facing winter every time it rolls around. Because of this quirk, she doesn’t have a lot of friends (due to mini-freak outs etc) so she’s got only a few people she trusts, most of which are family and her BFF (the only ones to survive her winter related freak outs).
Toss into the mix the strange beings and creatures in the woods that only she can see, she believes she’s crazy—especially when she hears voices that no one else can. Some of them kind, some more sinister.

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Always a Catch
by Peter Richmond
Hardcover Giveaway
Philomel
Released 9/4/2014

A ripped-from-the-headlines story about teens and steroids.

From a New York Times bestselling sports writer comes the story of one boy's quest to stay true to himself without letting down his team. Jack and his father have never seen eye to eye…until Jack’s dad gives him the chance to transfer to Oakhurst his junior year. His dad sees it as a way for Jack to get into a good college; Jack sees it as refuge from his dad.

Oakhurst is more than an escape—it's a chance for Jack to do something new, to try out for the football team. Once Jack makes the team, he’s thrust into a foreign world—one of intense hazing, vitamin supplements, monkey hormones and steroids. Jack has to decide how far he's willing to go to fit in—and how much he's willing to compromise himself to be the man his team wants him to be.

Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green.

Praise for ALWAYS A CATCH:

"Richmond has written an above-average story that will appeal to fans of the genre and authors, such as Mike Lupica and Tim Green."--School Library Journal

"A dynamic but thoughtful novel of self-discovery."--Kirkus Reviews

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Always a Catch?

My favorite thing about Always a Catch? That I seem to have captured what it is to be a 16-year-old boy who is "coming of age" -- and being pulled in lots of directions with some accuracy -- judging from various responses, including a freshman college class in my YA Lit course. I knew from the start that I could have chosen a more plot-driven tale (and I'm pretty proud of the plot, which took more twists and turns over the last few years than a kite in a tornado). But I decided to take on a story where I was inside the head of an "average" adolescent: not a star, not a loser; just an average guy. And re-reading, I think that I managed to pull it off. I think I conjured up what it is to be in the midst of the turmoil of teenland...and grow up by making the right choices.

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Don't Touch
by Rachel M. Wilson
Hardcover Giveaway
HarperTeen
Released 9/2/2014

Step on a crack, break your mother's back,
Touch another person's skin, and Dad's gone for good . . .

Caddie has a history of magical thinking—of playing games in her head to cope with her surroundings—but it's never been this bad before.

When her parents split up, Don't touch becomes Caddie's mantra. Maybe if she keeps from touching another person's skin, Dad will come home. She knows it doesn't make sense, but her games have never been logical. Soon, despite Alabama's humidity, she's covering every inch of her skin and wearing evening gloves to school.

And that's where things get tricky. Even though Caddie's the new girl, it's hard to pass off her compulsions as artistic quirks. Friends notice things. Her drama class is all about interacting with her scene partners, especially Peter, who's auditioning for the role of Hamlet. Caddie desperately wants to play Ophelia, but if she does, she'll have to touch Peter . . . and kiss him. Part of Caddie would love nothing more than to kiss Peter—but the other part isn't sure she's brave enough to let herself fall.

From rising star Rachel M. Wilson comes a powerful, moving debut novel of the friendship and love that are there for us, if only we'll let them in.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Don't Touch?

The friendships. Mandy and Peter and their entire group of friends were so much fun to write, and I have such a feeling of kinship with all of them. They aren’t based on individual people I’ve known, but as a group, they have the spirit of the circles of friends I’ve been blessed to belong to over the years. When I was writing the group scenes, they all kept asserting themselves, saying funny things, and I felt less like a writer and more like a spy scribbling everything down. As a teen, I always connected with individuals more easily than with groups—I can divide my young life into sections by who my “person” was at any given time. But over time, I found my tribe—tribes, really. Theater always helps to create a sense of community, so that’s been the source of many of my most amazing friend groups—but I’ve also lived in a co-op, traveled with friends, and enjoyed to the summer-camp-feeling community at Vermont College of Fine Arts. For Caddie at the beginning of the book, truly belonging to a tribe like Mandy and Peter’s seems impossible, so for me that journey toward belonging is at the heart of the book.


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The Jewel
by Amy Ewing
Hardcover Giveaway
HarperTeen
Released 9/2/2014

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Jewel?

Wow, what a tough question! I really love that THE JEWEL features a female dominated society. That was one of the most fun things to explore. The concept of women buying other women is just so intriguing. The ability to bear children is one of the fundamental differences between women and men. And I wanted to explore the concept of women controlling other women in that area because it just seems so wrong—shouldn’t we be kinder to our own gender? Shouldn’t we understand each other, be compassionate?

I wrote a female dominated society to show the dark sides of humanity too, the dangers of power and fear and oppression. These qualities are not gender specific. Choice is such an important theme in THE JEWEL because I think the idea that someone could legislate what I can and cannot do with my body has always been a fear. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where I know I would have been supported in any decision I made regarding my body—even such trivial things as piercings or tattoos. But that isn’t the case for many women and it sickens me to see the government and society revert back to archaic views on women’s issues. Terms like “legitimate rape” and mandatory ultrasounds before getting an abortion are society’s way of saying, “We know better than you.” Everyone should have the freedom to choose, especially when it comes to their own bodies.

But on a completely frivolous side note, I love the glamour and luxury of THE JEWEL. I had so much fun researching palaces and ball gowns, and creating sumptuous menus. What can I say, I’m a sucker for lavish party scenes!


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The Social Media Experiment
by Cole Gibsen
Hardcover Giveaway
Entangled: Teen
Released 9/24/2014

On the surface, seventeen-year-old Reagan Fray appears to have everything. She's popular, Ivy League–bound, and her parents are rich enough to buy her whatever she wants. Behind the scenes, Reagan is a girl with an anxiety disorder struggling to hold the fraying threads of her life together. It takes work to stay on top, and when that fails, Reagan's learned from her politician mother that a little social espionage never hurts. That is, until the day Reagan finds all of her texts and private messages printed out and taped to every locker in her high school.

Finding herself ostracized from her friends and on the receiving end of the bullying she used to dish out, Reagan won't settle into her new role as social pariah without a fight. Determined to get back in with her friends and reclaim her social status before her mother finds out and sends her to boarding school, Reagan has no choice but to team up with outcast Nolan Letner.

But the closer Reagan gets to Nolan, the more she realizes all of her actions have consequences, and her future might be the biggest casualty of all.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Social Media Experiment?

Honestly, that's a really hard question for me to answer. In order to write
TSME I had to delve into my own past with anxiety and bullying. As a result
of having painful memories resurface, my anxiety levels increased resulting
in panic attacks and a trip to the emergency room. I've never had a book put
me in the hospital, but again, I've never had to dig so deep inside myself
before. I guess my favorite thing about this book was coming to terms with
my own demons while laying them out on the page.


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YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS LAST WEEK: WINNERS

Beauty of the Broken
by Tawni Waters
Hardcover
Simon Pulse
Released 9/30/2014

Winner - Kathy Lynn

In this lyrical, heartwrenching story about a forbidden first love, a teen seeks the courage to care for another girl despite her small town’s bigotry and her father’s violent threats.

Growing up in conservative small-town New Mexico, fifteen-year-old Mara was never given the choice to be different. Her parents—an abusive, close-minded father and a detached alcoholic mother—raised Mara to be like all the other girls in Barnaby: God-fearing, churchgoing, and straight. Mara wants nothing to do with any of it. She feels most at home with her best friend and older brother, Iggy, but Iggy hasn’t been the same since their father beat him and put him in the hospital with a concussion.

As Mara’s mother feeds her denial with bourbon and Iggy struggles with his own demons, Mara finds an escape with her classmate Xylia. A San Francisco transplant, Xylia is everything Mara dreams of being: free-spirited, open, wild. The closer Mara and Xylia become, the more Mara feels for her—even though their growing relationship is very much forbidden in Barnaby. Just as Mara begins to live a life she’s only imagined, the girls’ secret is threatened with exposure and Mara’s world is thrown into chaos.

Mara knows she can't live without Xylia, but can she live with an entire town who believes she is an abomination worse than the gravest sin?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Beauty of the Broken?

I’m deeply in love with the characters, at least the good ones. I resent the bad ones in a wholehearted, obsessive sort of way that may be unhealthy. I hope the characters are as rich and alive for readers as they are for me.

Mara is one of those characters that felt like she “came” to me, rather than like I invented her. I sat down to write one day and did this thing I often do as an exercise, which is to say, “Anyone who wants to talk to me, start talking,” and then write the first words that come into my head. Whether this is an exercise in spirituality, insanity, or the power of suggestion is anyone’s guess. All I know is that it works for me. Words always leap into my head when I prompt myself like this.

That day, I heard, “Momma and Willy Macyntire made Iggy in a barn.” I wrote it down, and more words came. Within a couple of hours, I had this beautiful, broken character and twenty pages that would eventually become the outline for Beauty of the Broken. With this novel, I’ve always felt like the characters were writing the novel, and I was transcribing their story for them. I was as surprised by the events of the book as any reader. I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Early readers of Beauty of the Broken have been furious with me about the death of one of the characters. “You traumatized me,” they say, and I can only say that I traumatized myself too. Every time I read that book, I die a little.

I don’t know. Maybe I just refuse to take responsibility for my actions. I feel this perhaps alarming lack of culpability for the way the book turned out. I think I’ll get a T-shirt that says, “Don’t blame me. I just wrote it.”


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Can't Look Away
by Donna Cooner
Hardcover
Point
Released 8/26/2014

Winner - Michelle Taylor

Donna Cooner establishes herself as our own Jodi Picoult in this timely tale of sisters, loss, and redemption.

Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey's sister is killed in an accident -- maybe because of Torrey and her videos -- Torrey's perfect world implodes.

Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn't know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey's internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there's Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Can't Look Away?

My favorite part in writing CAN’T LOOK AWAY was exploring the interaction between memory and grief. When I started writing this book, my mother had just passed away after a long illness. I missed her so much. Every day was filled with memory triggers embedded in smells and sounds. It was intensely bittersweet. On one hand, I was so grateful for the wonderful memories of such a funny, loving woman. At the same time, I was also painfully realizing the huge loss of her in my life. Creating the sisters in CAN’T LOOK AWAY was a way to express that grieving process and to share hope with those who have experienced loss.
I also had a great deal of fun immersing myself in the world of teen beauty vloggers. I watched tons of make-up tutorials and even tried some of them out. Unfortunately, I’m still working on my “Smokey Eye Look.” Mine sort of looks like a “Black Smudged Eye Look.” Even though my makeup skills did not improve, I did gain a huge respect for these talented teens. They put themselves on the internet every day to deliver creative content to thousands of viewers and to hear the constant comments. From my small glimpse into internet buzz, that takes a lot of courage.

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Feral
by Holly Schindler
Hardcover
HarperTeen
Released 8/26/2014

Winner - Stephanie Fredrick

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Feral?

That it’s a bit unusual, in terms of genre. It’s a classic psychological thriller, which we don’t see all that often anymore, especially at the box office. Like all psychological thrillers, FERAL incorporates elements of other genres: mystery, horror, even paranormal, but the emphasis is on the “psychological” rather than thriller / action. The novel features a Hitchcockian pace and focus on character development (here, we’re exploring the inner workings of the main character, Claire Cain). Essentially, every aspect of FERAL is used to explore Claire’s inner workings—that includes the wintry Ozarks setting. The water metaphor is employed frequently in psychological thrillers to represent the subconscious, and here is incorporated in the form of a brutal ice storm (that represents Claire’s “frozen” inner state). The attempt to untangle what is real from what is unreal (also a frequently-used aspect of the psychological thriller) also begins to highlight the extent to which Claire was hurt in that Chicago alley. Even the explanation of the odd occurrences in the town of Peculiar offers an exploration into and portrait of Claire’s psyche. Ultimately, FERAL is a book about the frightening aspect of dealing with the aftermath of a violent act.

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Six Feet Over It
by Jennifer Longo
Hardcover
Random House Books for Young Readers
Released 8/26/2014

Winner - Nora Geer

Home is where the bodies are buried.

Darkly humorous and heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Jennifer Longo’s YA debut about a girl stuck living in a cemetery will change the way you look at life, death, and love.

Leigh sells graves for her family-owned cemetery because her father is too lazy to look farther than the dinner table when searching for employees. Working the literal graveyard shift, she meets two kinds of customers:

Pre-Need: They know what’s up. They bought their graves a long time ago, before they needed them.

At Need: They are in shock, mourning a loved one’s unexpected death. Leigh avoids sponging their agony by focusing on things like guessing the headstone choice (mostly granite).

Sarcastic and smart, Leigh should be able to stand up to her family and quit. But her world’s been turned upside down by the sudden loss of her best friend and the appearance of Dario, the slightly-too-old-for-her grave digger. Surrounded by death, can Leigh move on, if moving on means it’s time to get a life?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Six Feet Over It?

The dialogue. Dialogue is my very favorite part of writing prose. I love listening to people talk in public, word choice and speech patterns and how groups of people tend to subconsciously mirror one another's speaking habits. My education background is in playwriting and acting, which are essentially both studies in dialogue, in listening and responding. As I worked on the book I would write a conversation and sit there alone laughing or feeling lonely or loved depending on the words the characters were saying to one another. The dialogue in SFOI is the part of the writing I'm most proud of, I think.

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MORE YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

Girl Defective
by Simmone Howell
Hardcover
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Released 9/2/2014

In the tradition of High Fidelity and Empire Records, this is the literary soundtrack to Skylark Martin’s strange, mysterious, and extraordinary summer.

This is the story of a wild girl and a ghost girl; a boy who knew nothing and a boy who thought he knew everything.

It’s a story about Skylark Martin, who lives with her father and brother in a vintage record shop and is trying to find her place in the world. It’s about ten-year-old Super Agent Gully and his case of a lifetime. And about beautiful, reckless, sharp-as-knives Nancy. It’s about tragi-hot Luke, and just-plain-tragic Mia Casey. It’s about the dark underbelly of a curious neighborhood. It’s about summer, and weirdness, and mystery, and music.

And it’s about life and death and grief and romance. All the good stuff.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Girl Defective?

My favourite thing in Girl Defective is the character of Gully. He very nearly took over the book. Gully considers himself a detective and writes memos detailing his investigations of neighborhood crimes (sometimes real, sometimes perceived). Gully is inspired by my young son who is a collector and a documenter and always tells the truth. He also makes me laugh every day.


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The Summoning
by Hillary Monahan
Hardcover
Disney-Hyperion
Released 9/2/2014

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her.

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them--Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna--must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go.

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY." A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror.

Once is not enough, though--at least not for Jess. Mary is called again. And again. But when their summoning circle is broken, Bloody Mary slips through the glass with a taste for revenge on her lips. As the girls struggle to escape Mary's wrath, loyalties are questioned, friendships are torn apart, and lives are forever altered.

A haunting trail of clues leads Shauna on a desperate search to uncover the legacy of Mary Worth. What she finds will change everything, but will it be enough to stop Mary--and Jess--before it's too late?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Summoning?

The memories that inspired me to write it, probably. My town had a local spin on Bloody Mary. The Howard School (picture attached) burned down in 1949. While there were no casualties, the kids rewrote history to say a girl named Mary Jane died in the blaze, accidentally locked in an upstairs bathroom. To summon her spirit, you went into a darkened bathroom and said, "I believe in you Mary Jane and your golden blood." She's supposedly appear in the glass and maybe scratch your face. We all tried it and all swore we saw something flickering in the glass. Because, you know, kids.
Funny aside--I went on a camping trip with the Girl Scouts later that year. Someone went to all the cabins and wrote MARY JANE in soap on the screen windows. That was it—full-on panic. Some kids were so scared that Mary Jane was going to come out of the woods to get them, they asked to go home. It didn't help that one of the camp counsellors told us that four matching anything meant Mary Jane was near, so anytime we saw four vaguely-similar things clustered together, we grew convinced we were going to die. It took the camp's OWNER coming out to tell us that Mary Jane was only a story to calm us down.
I think I was twelve or thirteen when that happened? And my biggest takeaway from the whole experience was exactly how contagious fear could be.


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MORE YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK

100 Sideways Miles
by Andrew Smith
Hardcover
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released 9/2/2014

Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny.

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A New Darkness
by Joseph Delaney
Hardcover
Greenwillow Books
Released 9/2/2014

A chilling new trilogy from the author of the internationally bestselling The Last Apprentice series! Tom Ward is an apprentice no longer—now he is a fully fledged spook battling boggarts, witches, and other creatures of the dark. This three-book arc will introduce brand-new readers to Joseph Delaney’s haunting world, and delight longtime fans.

Tom Ward is the spook, the one person who can defend the county from ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and other bloodthirsty creatures of the dark. But he’s only seventeen, and his apprenticeship was cut short when his master died in battle. No one trusts Tom’s skill, not till he’s proven himself. And a fifteen-year-old girl named Jenny knows more about the three mysterious deaths in the county than Tom does. She is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and she wants to be Tom’s first apprentice—even though a female spook is unheard of. Together, Tom and Jenny will uncover the grave danger heading straight toward the county, and they’ll team up with a witch assassin to confront it.

A New Darkness begins a three-book series that will introduce new readers to Joseph Delaney’s deliciously scary imagination and delight his longtime fans. A New Darkness is perfect for every reader who loves thrills, chills, action, and adventure-no prior knowledge of the Last Apprentice series necessary!

The Last Apprentice series, the first internationally bestselling series about Tom Ward, is soon to be a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin.

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Anatomy of a Misfit
by Andrea Portes
Hardcover
HarperTeen
Released 9/2/2014

This emotional, hilarious, devastating, and ultimately triumphant YA debut, based on actual events, recounts one girl’s rejection of her high school’s hierarchy—and her discovery of her true self in the face of tragedy.

Fall’s buzzed-about, in-house favorite. Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who?

Anatomy of a Misfit is Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Anika’s hilariously deadpan delivery will appeal to readers for its honesty and depth. The so-sad-it’s-funny high school setting will pull readers in, but when the story’s dark foreboding gradually takes over, the devastating penultimate tragedy hits like a punch to the gut. Readers will ride the highs and lows alongside funny, flawed Anika—from laughter to tears, and everything in between.

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Feuds
by Avery Hastings
Hardcover
St. Martin's Griffin
Released 9/2/2014

In this breathless story of impossible love, perfection comes at a deadly cost.

For Davis Morrow, perfection is a daily reality. Like all Priors, Davis has spent her whole life primed to be smarter, stronger, and more graceful than the lowly Imperfects, or “Imps.” A fiercely ambitious ballerina, Davis is only a few weeks away from qualifying for the Olympiads and finally living up to her mother’s legacy when she meets Cole, a mysterious boy who leaves her with more questions each time he disappears.

Davis has no idea that Cole has his own agenda, or that he’s a rising star in the FEUDS, an underground fighting ring where Priors gamble on Imps. Cole has every reason to hate Davis—her father’s campaign hinges on the total segregation of the Imps and Priors—but despite his best efforts, Cole finds himself as drawn to Davis as she is to him.

Then Narxis, a deadly virus, takes its hold--and Davis’s friends start dying. When the Priors refuse to acknowledge the epidemic, Davis has no one to turn to but Cole. Falling in love was never part of their plan, but their love may be the only thing that can save her world...in Avery Hastings's Feuds.


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Heir of Fire
by Sarah J Maas
Hardcover
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Released 9/2/2014

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

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Hider, Seeker, Secret Keeper
by Elizabeth Kiem
Hardcover
Soho Teen
Released 9/2/2014

Lana travels to New York City, on tour dancing with the world famous Bolshoi Ballet in this thrilling follow up to Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy.

Lana Dukovskaya has spent her life in her mother, Marina’s, shadow, and nowhere more so than at Russia’s world-famous Bolshoi ballet, where Marina danced years ago. But when Daniela, Lana’s friend and chief rival, is brutally attacked on the eve of a New York tour, Lana is given her coveted solo—an unlikely stroke of luck that makes Lana the chief suspect in the attack.

Once in New York, Lana meets Georgi Levshik, a powerful Russian émigré who claims to know the truth about Marina's past. She’s torn between her distrust of Levshik's offered patronage and her need for answers. But when another young dancer is struck down on the day of her debut, Lana becomes the prime suspect in not one, but two attacks.

On the run and still in the dark, Lana puts her trust in Levshik's alluring young bodyguard, Roma. Together they must uncover the truth about a Bolshoi blood feud involving three generations of Dukovskaya dancers.

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Practice Makes Perfect
by Melanie Spring
Paperback
Poppy
Released 9/2/2014

Behind every squad, there's a story.
It's spring semester at Northside High and the girls of the JV cheer squad are trying out for next fall. The pressure is on as Chloe, Devin, Kate, and Emily practice Varsity-level stunts amidst the drama of best friends, boyfriends, and frenemies. When jealousy and competition threaten to tear these besties apart, can the girls band together to dominate at tryouts?

Book 3 in the Varsity series has more best-friend drama, boy trouble, and, of course, sideline spirit!

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Puppy Love
by A. Desitny and Catherine Hapka
Hardcover
Simon Pulse
Released 9/2/2014

First crush, first love, first kiss—in this addition to the sweet and clean Flirt series, Lauren gets a lesson in love when she takes her new puppy to training classes.

Fifteen-year-old Lauren has always loved dogs, but could never have one of her own until her highly allergic older sister went to college. Now she has her very own puppy, and she’s head over heels…until the cute little monster starts chewing everything in sight and barking loud enough to drive the whole family crazy!

So it’s off to puppy kindergarten they go. There, Lauren quickly falls for the dog trainer, a seventeen-year-old dog whisperer with a hot accent.

But is he really the one for her…or would she be better matched with Jamal, a fellow fumbling owner her own age with an unruly mutt?

Will Lauren graduate from puppy kindergarten with a just a well-trained pup? Or will she have a new boyfriend by her side?

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Sealed with a Lie
by Kat Carlton
Hardcover
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released 9/2/2014

In this sequel to the romantic spy-thriller Two Lies and a Spy, Kari must race the clock on a mission to save her little brother.

Kari Andrews thought life was going to get easier. She was wrong. Following the events of Two Lies and a Spy, she and her brother, Charlie, are left to cope with the aftermath while also adapting to a new school—in another country. And then Charlie disappears.

With her brother’s life hanging in the balance, Kari, Evan, Rita, Kale, and some new friends from Generation Interpol (G.I.) are on a race around Europe at the bidding of a voice on a phone. The voice tells them that they need to jailbreak a thief—a flirtatious, hot thief—steal something from a high-security bio lab, and deliver the goods during what’s sure to be a double-cross exchange. Can they succeed before Charlie pays the ultimate price?

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Shattered
by Marianne Mancusi
Hardcover
Sourcebooks Fire
Released 9/2/2014


A girl at the end of the world.

Two brothers fighting for opposite sides.

And a dragon who can save them all...

Or set the world on fire.


Trinity's world changed forever the day she stole Emmy's egg. Now she's on the run with the last living dragon and twin brothers from a war-torn future. Connor may have betrayed his mission to kill Emmy, but he'll do whatever it takes to prevent the coming dragon apocalypse. Coddling a temperamental dragon on its way to being the size of a house is no way to keep them safe. But Caleb can't stand to see Emmy trapped and miserable.

When a video of Emmy flying over the skies of the Texas Hill Country goes viral, the government closes in--and the future they've risked everything for is about to go up in flames.

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Starry Night
by Isabel Gilllies
Hardcover
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Released 9/2/2014

Sometimes one night can change everything. On this particular night, Wren and her three best friends are attending a black-tie party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate the opening of a major exhibit curated by her father. An enormous wind blasts through the city, making everyone feel that something unexpected and perhaps wonderful will happen. And for Wren, that something wonderful is Nolan. With his root-beer-brown Michelangelo eyes, Nolan changes the way Wren’s heart beats. In Isabel Gillies's Starry Night, suddenly everything is different. Nothing makes sense except for this boy. What happens to your life when everything changes, even your heart? How much do you give up? How much do you keep?

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The Boy I Love
by Nina de Gramont
Hardcover
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Released 9/2/2014

When the boy you love asks you to keep his greatest secret, do you? A thought-provoking, achingly complex novel about prejudice and the many meanings of love from Nina de Gramont, author of Meet Me at the River, which Kirkus Reviews called a “must-read.”

Fifteen-year-old Wren has been content to stay in her best friend Allie’s shadow. It doesn’t bother her that Ally gets the cutest guys, the cutest clothes, and even a modeling gig—Wren is happy hanging with the horses on her family’s farm and avoiding the jealousy of other girls. But when Tim, the most intriguing guy in school, starts hanging out with Ally and Wren, jealousy is unavoidable, but not the kind Wren expects. Because even though Ally is wayyy into him and Wren hasn’t flirted, not one little bit, it becomes increasingly clear that Tim prefers Wren’s company above anyone else’s.

Tim’s unexpected devotion comes at the exact time Wren’s home life is about to be turned upside down. Her parents have just found out that the family horse farm is on land that was once a slave plantation and are struggling with whether to sell it. Wren aches at the thought of losing her horses and leaving town, but at least there is Tim...always a gentleman on their dates. Such a gentleman. Too much of a gentleman, even, and Wren begins to wish he’d be a wee bit less gentlemanly. And as Tim’s church becomes actively homophobic, his pressuring parents don’t understand why he won’t help “spread the word,” and he’s now a wreck. Then he tells Wren his biggest secret, and Wren must decide what she’ll really do for love.

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The Secret Sky
by Atia Abawi
Hardcover
Philomel
Released 9/2/2014

A novel of love during a time of war by NBC's Afghanistan correspondant
Set in present-day Afghanistan, this is

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