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I am a huge Rainbow Rowell fan, in fact
ELEANOR & PARK remains in my top 10 favorites of all time. I'd heard a lot about FANGIRL and it did not disappoint.
At the time I listened to the FANGIRL audiobook,
CARRY ON was still months away from release, but I quickly realized it would be about the wildly popular book within the book—the one the main character Cath, well,
fangirls over. So that was in the back of my mind the whole way through. By the end, I couldn't wait for a deeper look into the Simon/Baz story.
FANGIRL is the story of Cath, a Nebraska teenager heading off to college with her twin, Wren. Both girls are huge fans of the SIMON SNOW book series, a Harry Potter-meets-Twilight literary phenom that was instrumental in getting the girls through some tough childhood years. They'd dressed up in costume for premiere parties, hung out in online forums with other fans, and knew every plot thread backwards and forwards.
Although now Wren has sort of outgrown SIMON SNOW, it's still a big part of Cath's life. An aspiring writer herself, she authors SIMON SNOW fan fiction and posts it online. Her following is so big, Cath has become a celebrity herself within the fandom. But now she's at college, out of her comfort zone with a roommate that (for the first time in her life) is not her twin sister, and a new circle of friends.
FANGIRL gives us snippets of the SIMON SNOW series (the actual published one Cath emulates) as well as Cath's take on how the series will end in the upcoming final book (yet to be published). All this is woven with Cath's own story of finding herself, growing up, moving on and, just maybe, falling in love for the first time.
Carry On - The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you'd expect from a Rainbow Rowell story - but far, far more monsters.After writing FANGIRL, author Rainbow Rowell wanted to explore the ending of Simon Snow's story herself, and how she would wrap up the series—writing not as Cath or fictional author Gemma T. Leslie. The result is CARRY ON which takes place in Leslie's world. It's Simon and his vampire roommate Baz's last year at Watford School of Magic. Simon just might be the Chosen One, prophesied to be the most powerful Mage ever, and destined to save the world from the evil that is the Insidious Humdrum—which just happens to look exactly like a young Simon.
If so, Simon is the worst Chosen One ever. He can't control his magic even after years of studying the magical arts. The magical world is moving toward a civil war and Simon seems caught in the middle. Not sure about anything in his life, including the headmaster who Simon worships, the only thing Simon knows for certain is that this is his last year at a school that means everything to him. And something very strange is going on between him and his arch enemy/roommate Baz.
They've spent all these years at odds, with Baz trying to kill him most of the time, but when a visit from beyond the grave sets them on a quest together, the boys have to confront their true feelings.
Part love story, part ghost story, part mystery, all epic, CARRY ON is ideal for the reader who grew up on Harry Potter, graduated to Twilight, and is now a fan of THE MAGICIANS (Lev Grossman). You don't have to have read FANGIRL to enjoy CARRY ON, but for me, it was the deep dive into the magical world I'd wanted. Highly recommended.
The award-winning book ELENA'S SERENADE by Campbell Geeslin (illustrated by Ana Juan) is a fascinating picture book about a girl glassblower in Mexico. In the more than ten years since it was published (Atheneum Books for Young Readers), it has captivated readers with its story of empowerment and magic, and its rich and glorious illustrations. Now, one of its biggest fans is trying to get it made into an animated feature film.
Sarah Wayne Callies (best known as Lori on THE WALKING DEAD) is working with FullDawa Films through a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production:
The Kickstarter campaign for “Elena’s Serenade: The Pilot“ went live on Wednesday, January 13th, to promote and support Sarah Wayne Callies’ latest creative endeavor, a screenplay adapted from Campbell Geeslin’s children’s picture book “Elena’s Serenade“. First published in 2004, it received the Parents' Choice Award the same year and was commended for the Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Campbell Geeslin fully backs Sarah’s wish to make his book into an animation film.
If successful, the Kickstarter funds will help to finance a pilot, which will consist of 3 to 5 minutes of the final film. This excerpt will be used as a funding tool, which can be presented to film boards and private financiers in order to get the rest of the animated feature film made. FullDawa has already obtained complete support from the CNC, the French National Film Board, which has committed to financing a part of the pilot’s budget.
FullDawa Films EP David Atrakchi introduced the script to French animation director Guillaume Ivernel, best known for his animated film “Dragon Hunters” released in 2008. He immediately took to the story, inspired by its poetry and Mexican backdrop, and set out to create Elena’s universe and characters alongside illustrator Valérie Hadida. In addition to Ivernel, esteemed comic book author Tony Sandoval has joined the team, along with animation powerhouse Toutenkartoon, reputed stereographer Joséphine Dérobe and Les Androids Associés, who will be handling all pre-visualization techniques. Celestial musicians Mirabai Ceiba are the project’s latest addition and have recently agreed to score the film.
The film depicts the story of Elena, a young girl who dreams of becoming a glassblower just like her father. But he wants a different life for his daughter and will not teach her his art. When tragedy strikes her family, Elena must learn to make glass in order to save them. So she sets off on her own across the Mexican desert to go to Monterrey and learn from the great glassblowers. The journey is full of new creatures and people, some who will guide the girl on her way, and some who want to steal her art and her spirit. If she can make it back home, she will not only have grown as an artist, but as a daughter, a friend, and a young woman.
The story is “so full of inspiration for my daughter’s creative spirit and her courage as a girl. I loved it, and I read it to her almost every day for months.” says Sarah. “And then one day, I saw it as a movie in my head. It’s never happened to me that way before, but I just closed my eyes and saw the whole thing – new characters, new parts of the journey. The essence of this wonderful girl Elena I had been seeing every day on her amazing journey; this girl who made me giggle and weep and cheer for her – I wanted to introduce her to a wider audience. “
Rewards for Kickstarter donations range from the official download of the pilot and limited edition prints, to an exclusive art book created by Guillaume Ivernel and a signed copy of Sarah’s original script for the pilot. Prizes for top-tier donations include an original production visual signed by the entire team; and hand-drawn sketches of the cast of characters, by both Valérie Hadida and Tony Sandoval.
Sixteen-year-old Travis Coates had cancer. He was going to die. And then this super experimental medical treatment presented itself. Would he be willing to have his head cut off and frozen for a few years, because there just might be a procedure in the future that could reattach his head to a healthy donor body? Sure, why not?
The potential of a life, even if it's a life long after everyone he knows is gone, is a risk Travis is willing to take. And it works. He wakes up with a brand new, super fantastic, healthy body. Except it isn't 100 years later. It's only five.
Which is great because he still has his parents and his friends ... well, sort of. Everyone is five years older than him, of course. He has to go back to high school and they've already graduated. And that includes Travis's girlfriend, who has grieved him and moved on.
NOGGIN is a coming of age story unlike any other as Travis must restart his old life in a new body, adjust to his celebrity status (he's one of only a few people who have survived the re-attachment surgery), convince his girlfriend they are still meant to be together (even though she's engaged to someone else), and figure out why his best friend (who came out to him just before the beheading) apparently never told anyone else he was gay.
John Corey Whaley, author of the Printz Award/William C. Morris Award-winning WHEN THINGS COME BACK, tackles all these heavy issues with the sarcastic wit and humor of a sixteen year old boy, taking the reader on such an enjoyable ride that it's easy to suspend the disbelief of the original premise. Travis is just so darn likable you can't help but root for him, even though you know the things he wants aren't necessarily what's best for him.
Appropriate for grades 9 and up because of some language and, shall we say, typical teenage boy situations. NOGGIN will appeal to any high schoolers, but would be ideal for the reluctant male reader.
Go big or go home is the line that graces the cover of
DUMPLIN’ and let’s just say the latest YA from Julie Murphy takes that advice to heart.
Willowdean Dickson is fierce and fearless, or so she seems to those around her. She’s always been comfortable as plus sized (and never insecure around either her gorgeous BF or her mother, the former Miss Teen Blue Bonnet).
But when she falls for the hot new guy at work, and he seems to like her right back, she starts having doubts like never before. When things get complicated with him, and she can’t seem to get over the death of her beloved aunt (who passed due to complications from extreme weight), Willowdean needs something to refresh her swagger.
So why not enter the local beauty pageant? You know, the one her mother won when she was younger. The one that pretty much shuts down the entire county this time every year. The one traditionally filled with contestants who have a certain kind of “look.”
Traditionally, the pageant doesn’t include girls obsessed with Dolly Parton and red suckers. Or those NOT obsessed with their dress size. And that’s what makes it perfect.
Unwittingly inspiring a group of other girls to become contestants too, Willowdean decides to embrace her role as beauty queen because, dang it, she deserves to be in that pageant as much as anyone else. Sure, she and her friends aren’t “typical,” and the whole thing might raise some eyebrows, but it might just open some minds, as well.
Willowdean is a force of nature who proves to the reader (and herself) that everyone doesn’t (and shouldn’t) fit into someone else’s preconceived parameters. And, pardon the spoiler, but don’t read this if you want a “she lost 100 pounds and lived happily ever after” resolution. Because, thank God, this isn’t about that. DUMPLIN’ gets to the heart of the matter, and while Willowdean is certainly a sympathetic character, you never once feel sorry for her. She’s in control of her destiny, comfortable in her own skin, and will no doubt be an inspiration for many readers as well.
I fell in love with Julie Murphy’s writing with her debut SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY, and this second novel is just as good. Fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green will feel right at home between Murphy’s pages. With the movie rights already snatched up, I'm confident Julie Murphy will be a writer you’ll be hearing about a lot -- and I look forward to seeing where she takes us next.
In 2012, David Levithan gave us EVERY DAY, the story of A who wakes each day in a new body. A tries hard to keep from disturbing the lives he briefly inhabits, but when he meets Rhiannon—a kind, teenage girl caught in a not-so kind relationship—A can’t just let her go. Now readers can experience their extraordinary love story through Rhiannon’s eyes in ANOTHER DAY, what the author calls the first novel’s “twin.”
Revisiting the original story from Rhiannon’s perspective expands the tale, fills in the blanks on her encounters with A as well as the backstory of her relationship with nasty boyfriend Justin. Although we are removed from A (to be honest, I missed being in his head), we get to feel what it’s like for Rhiannon to struggle with the unusualness of A’s situation, as well as understand more deeply how and why she feels such a special connection.
The beauty of these twin books is that either can be read first, with the other becoming a return portal into the story. Even though you know where the path is headed the second time around, the detours provide enough new information and details to make it just as intriguing a read. Had I read EVERY DAY more recently, I may have felt differently, but returning to this story after some time away was like re-reading a favorite book—something I adore.
All that said, I would really really really (yes, really) like to see a true sequel that reveals what happens next. Given what other fans have posted online, I’m not the only one.
School Library Journal pegs it appropriate for grade 10 and up.
Forget for a second that this is a "hot topic" story. Given publishing's lead time, there's no way Scholastic could have predicted the surge in conversations regarding transsexuality two years ago, but here's the thing:
GEORGE by Alex Gino is not a "trans" book. Well, it is, in that it's about a trans child, but it's really about so much more than that. It's the story of a child trying to figure out who she is, just as all children do. This child just happens to be a boy who happens to identify as female.
While adults with years of programmed prejudice to combat may have a harder time wrapping their heads around this, children who are presented with the realities of George's situation will approach it much more matter-of-factly. To them, she has obstacles to overcome, as does the main character in any book they read. The author makes George's struggles accessible and real, as she goes from worry over keeping her secret to coming to terms with the truth, and revealing it to her friends and family.
George is a fourth grader born as a boy but sees herself as a girl. Finding empowerment through an unlikely source -- the class production of CHARLOTTE'S WEB -- George begins to connect with who she really is, and understand that being true to oneself is the most important thing.
In an
interview with NPR, author Alex Gino hope GEORGE will show trans kids they aren't alone. While a book so honest and real no doubt will transform the lives of kids in similar situations as George, publisher Scholastic believes the book is for everyone. I completely agree. Anyone can see themselves in George's story, in some way, shape or form -- whether you're the main character, the parent, sibling, teacher or best friend. All are people who should be allies, and can make or break the coming out experience.
But Gino does something amazing, making the trans part rather secondary although it is the main driver. It's told as a typical coming of age, middle grade book -- and after a few chapters, the reader becomes so comfortable with George's gender identification that it seems completely natural, as it should.
Ultimately, the world needs more mass market books with trans main characters, and I'd be willing to be that in the coming months and years more will arrive. IMO, any story that positively expands a child's life-view (whether they are trans or a future-ally) is worth reading and discussing. We are all human beings, and shouldn't have to hide who we truly are. GEORGE does a wonderful job of nailing this truth.
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| The sequel to THE DIVINERS. |
If you overhear the cool kids saying things like: "Applesauce!" and "don't worry, everything is Jake," and they start wearing "glad rags" to go out somewhere "swanky," you can blame Libba Bray. Because LAIR OF DREAMS so completely takes readers back to Prohibition Era New York City, the time period just might become the new rage.We find our old friend Evie O'Neill basking in the spotlight's glow as America's Sweetheart Seer and host of her own radio show. She and her pals Sam, Henry, Jericho, Theta, Memphis and Mabel thought the worst was behind them after the events of Knowles End. John Hobbes may be gone, but now it seems a strange sleeping sickness is creeping through the boroughs of the City. People fall asleep and cannot be woken, trapped in their dreams to burn up from the inside out. Men in black abound, there's some guy in a stovepipe hat making trouble and blame for the epidemic is pinned on the residents of Chinatown—where we meet a new Diviner (Ling Chan) who happens to be a dreamwalker like Henry DuBois.
Bray doesn't hesitate to show us the dark side of 1920's America giving us equal heaping doses of fame's glamour, progress' allure, governmental power, fear-born hate and prejudice, as well as an overflowing melting pot of cultural superstitions. As she expands each character's story, she weaves the mysteries of Uncle Will's museum and Sam's missing mother with Henry's secret not-so-forgotten love, and Memphis' hidden powers. Each Diviner plays an integral part, but Bray doesn't simply connect the dots between their tales. She carefully strings each pearl, reeling us closer with every one until we are as deep in it as Evie herself, and just as unable to escape. It's an epic task, juggling all the narratives and multiple mysteries, but Bray doesn't just succeed at it, she points to the upper deck and makes the grand slam look easy.
Lush with flappers and Follies, graveyards and speakeasies, hidden horrors in subway tunnels, and a sprawling cast of characters it'd be the berries to hang with, LAIR OF DREAMS is packed with moments so terrifying you seriously might not want to read it before bed — in fact, LAIR OF NIGHTMARES might have been a better title (not really).
But if you're looking for a spooky Halloween read, or want to take a walk in a dreamworld where anything could happen, LAIR OF DREAMS is the Cat's Pajamas. You know, if that cat had long, craggy teeth and blood-red eyes.
I don't often post about picture books, but I found CIRCUS TRAIN (2015, TWO LIONS) quite adorable. Yes, the author is a dear friend of mine, but that aside, CIRCUS TRAIN takes the reader someplace special simply by rolling into town.
Jennifer Cole Judd demonstrated her penchant for the ghoulishly creepy with
AN EYEBALL IN MY GARDEN: AND OTHER SPINE-TINGLING POEMS (co-edited with Laura Wynkoop) but here she gives us a nostalgic return to a simpler world.
Under the bold-striped big top, clowns cars, trapeze artists and cotton candy vendors spin an atmosphere that will capture the imagination of children (and their parents who look back fondly on such times). When roses rain down on the ringmaster, there's a distinctive note of melancholy as the train is packed back up to head to the next stop.
Matthews' bright and joyful illustrations perfectly complement Judd's rhymes, bridging the decades to make an old-school circus relevant to 21st century kids. Ideal for kids 2 - 6. Highly recommended.
If you're a long time Cool Kids Read reader you'll know I tend to get into patterns of reading: whether that's horror, post-apocalyptic, zombies... well right now it is apparently a line up of books designed to rip my heart right out of my body and stomp it into a mushy pulp.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson is so much this kind of book. I fell completely in love with the characters, obsessed over the story and hated to see it end.
Twins Jude and Noah grow up incredibly close, but something happened to drive them apart. Nelson doles out this backstory in tasty chunks, alternating between age 13 and 16, but this jumping around never feels jarring as Noah takes us through the pre-teen years and Jude the present.
Each telling half the story is
part of the story, as the twins need to know what happened to the other in order to find themselves and each other again. As they explore their love for art, boys, Northern California, their parents, and their friends, the twins' stories intertwine in a poetic, lyrical way that hooks you — unwinding gently to the satisfying end. One of my favorite books of last year, hands down. It's real in is magical qualities and magical in how it approaches the real teen experience. A unique combination to be sure, but Nelson pulls it off in spades. A must-read for any reader, 14 and up.
I’ve spent a lot of time this week trying to sort out how I feel about this book but I can tell you one thing, there are lots of feels. LOTS of them. Lots of good, but also, lots of tough ones. It’s a perfect storm of feels all over the place.
Violet Markey and Theodore Finch are two quirky, likable characters who meet on the ledge of their school’s bell tower, both contemplating suicide. Maybe seriously, maybe not. But it soon becomes clear that Finch has a thing about death. He contemplates suicide quite a bit — at least the mechanics of it. The history of it. The statistics of it. It’s on his mind all the time.
Violet is dealing with the death of her sister. She feels responsible for the car accident that took her life, and even though Violet’s parents are much more in tune with helping her deal than Finch’s parents ever will be, they just can’t seem to get to the heart of healing. So when Finch ends up saving her from jumping (or did she save him?) a tenuous bond is formed between the semi-popular girl and the “freak.”
Paired for a school project, the two wander Indiana together, chronically interesting sights. Through the wandering, Violent emerges from her traumatized shell and, not surprisingly, she finds her feelings for Finch growing.
But his soul is as damaged as it is bright, and he struggles with depression so palpable that I honestly had trouble getting through some chapters without breaking down. His heart-breaking downward spiral plummets to a conclusion that, while anticipated, is still such a kick in the gut that it makes everything leading up to it seem like a paper cut.
In the end, though, this story isn’t about Finch but how Violet is changed by her time with him. The Author’s Note at the end is essential — and explains a lot. This is a personal thing for Jennifer Nivens and it shows. I can’t imagine the incredible difficulty of reliving such pain, but hopefully she found it cathartic.
On its way to becoming a
film(starring Elle Fanning as Violet), ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES packs an emotional wallop that will leave you reeling. Sure to be loved by fans of
13 REASONS WHY,
ELEANOR AND PARK, and I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN (look for my upcoming post on this one soon).
This may be my favorite middle grade book of the year. A SNICKER OF MAGIC (Scholastic, 2014) is the spindiddly story of Felicity Pickle who has moved to her mother's hometown of Midnight Gulch. Having spent most of her life following Momma's wandering heart all over the country, Felicity is ready to put down some roots and make some friends.
Her ability to see words everywhere — words that let her know what people are thinking and feeling — clues her in right away that Midnight Gulch is a special kind of town. Momma tells her it used to be magical. No wonder it's already feeling like home. Sadly, though, the magic disappeared long ago.
But Felicity soon discovers there may be just a snicker of magic left in Midnight Gulch. And sometimes, that's all you need to make wonderful things happen.
Colorful characters, tantalizing folklore, and splendiferous ice cream (that seems to be scoops of magic itself) are just some of the magical elements debut author Natalie Lloyd uses to weave this heart-warming tale of love, friendship and magic. Fans of SAVVY and BLISS will adore this book (for grades 4-7).
Laine learned a lot of things from her friend Leah over the years. Most of them bad. Now a horrible accident has left Leah dead and Laine wonders if maybe it's all her fault.
Laine couldn't understand why the popular girl ever wanted to be friends in the first place. Back in elementary school, Leah insisted they were BFF despite the manipulative and mean way she treated Laine. But when Leah convinces her to "practice" in the closet, things take a dark turn. Laine feels ashamed and confused about what's happening, but Leah acts like the whole thing is no big deal.
LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL (Candlewick, 2007) explores the years long relationship between Leah and Laine and the secrets that both bind them and threaten to destroy them. It's dark and disturbing, written with an authenticity that may make you wonder if the story is auto-biographical (it's not).
Abuse has a ripple effect, creating a chain of pain that seeps into every crevice of the victim's life and author Jo Knowles paints a disturbingly real picture of how certain events stay with us forever and can be integral in defining the kind of person we become.
Although the story begins in elementary school, the story is definitely for an older reader -- probably 9th grade and up. Highly recommended.
I don't often post about picture books, but this one just warmed my little nerdy heart so much I had no choice.
Attack! Boss! Cheat code! (A Gamer's Alphabet) -- published by POW -- is an A, B, C book of words any kid who can't stand to part with his Nintendo controller can appreciate.
I'm a Chris Barton fan (
Shark vs. Train is a big fave in our house). Joey Spiotto puts his game industry experience to good use capturing various video game styles in his illustrations. From Attack to Zerg, Barton and Spiotto have created a fun alphabet adventure that even impressed my resident tween gamer.
Pick one up for the little gamer in your house. It's the perfect book for when game time is done for the day.
T.A. Barron's new book, Atlantis Rising, is out in paperback tomorrow. You can get it now on Kindle or run by your favorite bookstore. To celebrate, here's a little Q&A with the author.
What fascinates you most about the legend of Atlantis?
No word evokes more of a feeling of tragedy than the word Atlantis. It stands for almost, what might have been. The tale of Atlantis is such a beautiful story, and for the 2000 years since Plato first wrote about it, people have wondered and dreamed about it. But one thing that has never changed is that the island of Atlantis was utterly destroyed. I started to wonder, though, about something else—how Atlantis began. How did a place that rose to such a level of near perfection get destroyed by the flaws and weaknesses of its people? Ultimately, how did that happen? This big unknown question is what got me to write Atlantis Rising. I wanted to add a new thread to the tapestry of myth about Atlantis—how it all began, the secrets of its origins.
Why do you choose to write about origins of stories?
When you write about the origins of a great legend, you experience the best of two worlds. You get to tap into a wondrous emotional and mythical journey that people have celebrated and enjoyed for a long time—which is why stories persist, why people keep telling the tales about Merlin or Atlantis. At the same time though, you get the opportunity to be fresh and original. You can explore and go behind the myth to discover how and where it all began. It just might start with the most inconsequential event—a boy stealing a pie, a girl discovering something strange in the woods, or a young man washing ashore. In those small moments you may discover the beginning of an amazing adventure!
What research was involved in preparing for Atlantis Rising?
Before starting this project, I read everything I possibly could about Atlantis. As I got deeper into the research, I realized not only is there an immense story of high ideals and tragic consequences, human aspirations and failures, but a wonderful mystery of how it all began. That powered me even more to want to set forth the beginning, the origins of that magical place. In addition, I have often thought about Atlantis since visiting Greece 20 years ago—the place where the legend began. Often, I’ve recalled the sight of that landscape, the sound of waves on those islands, and the smell of the Mediterranean air. All that will, I hope, come through for anyone who reads the Atlantis trilogy.
In the last few scenes of Atlantis Rising, we see Atlantis become an island at last, while Promi returns to the spirit world. Where does the second book start?
The second book picks up immediately after Atlantis Rising finishes. But time works differently between Earth and the spirit realm. Quite a bit more could have happened up in the spirit realm than has happened on Atlantis. You see, during that brief interval—which feels just like a few days on Earth—many perils have risen. Some of them are dangers that come from old enemies—enemies who want to control all the magic and power of the Earth. And some of the perils come from romance…and we all know how tricky that can be.
In Atlantis Rising, Promi, the protagonist, risks his life for Smackberry pie. What dessert would you risk everything for?
Fresh Colorado snow covered in maple syrup.
As a follow up to the post below, I have a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl to giveaway (thanks to the wonderful folks at Wunderkind PR!)
All you have to do to enter to win, is leave a comment below telling us your favorite Wonka candy. Are you a traditional Wonka bar kid? Or do you go for Nerds and FunDip? Let us know. We'll select one commenter at random to win the newly released paperback edition celebrating the 50th Anniversary. Contest ends August 29th as we kick off Roald Dahl month in September. Good Luck!
Do you ever imagine what it would have been like to find a golden ticket hidden within the delicious wrappings of a Wonka bar? Now you have a chance to win an experience of a lifetime, too.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl's
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Penguin Young Readers have partnered with Dylan’s Candy Bar and
Matilda the Musical on Broadway to offer an incrEDIBLE candy-filled extravaganza of a prize!
Much like in Roald's original story, FIVE lucky winners will receive a Golden Ticket trip of a lifetime to New York City that includes:
A VIP experience at Dylan's Candy Bar
Tickets to Matilda the Musical
A year's supply of chocolate
A visit to the Empire State building
A library of Roald Dahl books
And More!
Find out all about the sweepstakes
here. There are lots of other great things going on to celebrate 50 years of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I'll be posting more about that later.
As Mr. Wonka said, don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wanted ... he lived happily ever after. Good luck!
We’re a month into summer and I’m assuming you’ve already blown through the TBR pile next to your bed … no? Well, just in case you have no idea which book to take with you on vacation, or out to your backyard, here are some fantastic YA debuts from authors who deserve more than a summer-reading romance.
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
Laurel’s dealing with a lot of stuff. Her parents divorced and she lost her beloved sister in a tragic accident. Then her mother decided to move to California, without Laurel and her dad. So changing to a new school for freshman year seemed like a good idea. Then an assignment in English class to write a letter to a dead person gives Laurel an outlet to work through some heavy emotions and even purge some secrets eating her up inside. Told through the letters themselves — written from Laurel to everyone from Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain to Janis Joplin, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger and River Phoenix — LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD is beautiful, tragic and moving … and impossible to put down. Dellaira knows just how to break your heart as she shows you how intense the connection between siblings can be.
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
In the future, where water is as precious as gold, the pond outside Lynn’s cabin makes her country homestead extremely valuable. Which means it’s not only cholera that’s a threat. After coyotes kill her iron-tough, shoot-first-ask-questions-later mother, Lynn is left to protect her pond at any cost. But when strangers creep closer, the only way to do that might mean learning to trust her neighbors, including the new arrivals by the creek. These city folk don’t know what they’re doing, so they need her as much as she just might need them – especially the intriguing Eli. Equal parts frontier survival story and dystopian adventure, NOT A DROP TO DRINK is thrilling and bittersweet, paving the way for its sequel: IN A HANDFUL OF DUST.
Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
Set in 1930s Germany, PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG is the story of Gretchen (Gretel) and her charismatic godfather, “uncle Dolf.” It’s no spoiler to tell you that uncle Dolf is actually Adolph Hitler, a man on his rise to power in the National Socialist Party. He is a hero in Gretchen’s eyes, after taking in Gretchen, her brother and mother after Gretchen’s father was killed during the attempted Munich coup. Her father sacrificed his life for this man, surely he must be the one to bring Germany back to its former glory! But after an intriguing young Jewish reporter tells Gretchen everything she believes about Hitler is false, she starts to see a different side to her beloved “uncle.” Investigating the real story of her father’s death leads her to question her loyalties and tests her heart. And it just might put her life in danger, as well. In the vein of CODE NAME VERITY, this immersive and terrifying historical thriller offers a unique perspective on a dark slice of history while capturing the naiveté and fear that allowed such evil to rise.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
by April Genevieve Tucholke
In this gothic horror story, Violet and her brother live in their artsy parents’ run-down seaside estate in Maine while Mom and Dad gallivant across Europe. As money runs thin, Violet rents out the guesthouse to the intriguing and gorgeous River, who is new to town. She’s drawn to him in a frightening and powerful way, and their relationship seems connected somehow to a series of strange events in the coastal town. Violet’s family has a past, and those secrets bubble to the surface intertwined with the mystery of River. Could he be the supernatural figure the children claim to have seen in the graveyard? And if so, does she care? As Violet puts it, “you stop fearing the Devil when you’re holding his hand.”
I literally just finished the audiobook version of MONUMENT 14 by Emmy Laybourne (Brilliance Audio, 2012) and I immediately went and spent my next credit on the second book, SKY ON FIRE. Yes, it is just that good.
Listening to this book (wonderfully read by Todd Haberkorn) has made my commute fly by this week and so I kept listening today through grocery shopping and chores and even on the treadmill. Yes, it is just that good.
This is 2024, a slightly more high-tech world that we live in now, but not by much. A massive earthquake spawns a tsunami and then freaky weather and more earthquakes across the United States. The Network is down, communication is cut off, and apparently the government has been cooking up some crazy chemical weapons at Norad. Because when the earth starts shaking, poison starts spewing into the sky.
Two school buses in the small town of Monument, Colorado (just down the road from Norad) are on their way to school when this all happens -- and a massive hail storm forces them to take refuge in a nearby super store. Only 12 kids survive the ordeal -- 6 high schoolers and 6 younger kids from kindergarteners to middle school age. Dean and his brother Alex are together, thankfully, but they have no idea what's happened to their parents. Nobody else does either. They are lucky to be stuck in the store because they can seal themselves off and they have all the supplies they need to wait out the disaster. They have to learn to live together, form a community, and keep each other alive until help comes. Trouble is, they have no idea when that will be. Or what the poison air has done to those outside their walls.
The MONUMENT 14 story is more about the characters and their relationships to each other than about what's happening in the rest of the world. Fair warning, it's a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER so be prepared to do what I did and immediately seek out book 2. Somehow, I have a feeling I'll be doing the same thing with book 3 when I reach the end of this one.
It's grisly and brutal at times, also there is some strong sexual themes, drinking and pill popping. It's definitely not for elementary kids (but neither is Hunger Games, IMO, so ...). With global warming and climate change in the news as it is these days, this kind of apocalyptic story might be disturbing to more sensitive kids. B&N says 13 and up, and I'd agree.
We made it – finally, that horrible winter is behind us. Although it did provide many an opportunity to cuddle up in a chair next to a fireplace with a good book, summer brings us vacations and vacations mean… more time to read! At least, they do in my book (see what I did there?).
So as I am WAY backlogged on my review list, I decided to catch up with a proposed summer reading list packed with some of my favorite reads of the spring. Aren’t I clever? Here goes:
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart
I actually read this on my own vacation. Suffice to say, I turned a few heads sobbing my eyes out poolside. WE WERE LIARS is the story of the Sinclair cousins and step-cousins who have spent every summer since they were 8 on the beaches of their family’s private east-coast island. Until one summer, something horrible happens. Something Cadence can’t remember. Going back to the island for the first time since whatever happened happened, Cadence tries to reconcile all the changes – from her aunts’ relationship with her mother, her own parents divorce, and the upheaval of the four Liars (Cadence, her two cousins Mirren and Johnny, and their friend Gat). Everyone seems determined to let Cadence find out for herself what her migraines won’t let her remember. But as her memories return, Cadence fears reality might be more terrifying than remaining in the dark.
Haunting is a word I’ve seen used often to describe this outstanding book – but it’s about so much more than Cadence finding her lost memories. It’s about love and prejudice, faith and strength, betrayal and living with choices, both good and bad.
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hayley Kinkaid’s father Andy is a veteran. They’ve spent most of her life on the road, as he drives his rig to pay the bills. She knows keeping on the move is a way for him to run from the demons of his military service in Iraq, but she never really understood what war did to him before. They’ve returned to his hometown to allow Hayley to attend her last year of high school. She wants a normal existence, and maybe even a boyfriend, but it seems being back at home isn’t helping her dad’s PTSD, in fact, it might be making it worse.
Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite authors. Her ability to tackle tough issues while telling an intriguing story never disappoints. IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY is no exception. Heart-wrenching, difficult to read at times, compelling and moving, it sucks you in and forces a confrontation with the hell that is war, how it changes people, and how it follows soldiers home.
My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal
Full disclosure – Ms. Neal is also represented by my literary agent, making us agent-sisters. (Yeah, Glicksterchicks!)
Regardless, I would recommend MY LAST KISS. I’m fascinated by stuck-between-life-and-death stories and Cassidy’s tale adds an interesting twist. Everyone thinks she committed suicide. Cassidy herself doesn’t even remember how she died. She does know that her “fall” from the covered bridge happened right after kissing a boy … but she’s not sure if that boy was her long-time boyfriend or someone else. Somehow, Cassidy has to find out what really happened in the days leading up to the night she died, even if it means discovering she betrayed the love of her life. Great debut from Bethany Neal. Certainly looking forward to more from her.
I recently discovered READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline (Crown, 2011) and it now sits atop my top 10 all-time-favorites list.
How did I not know about this book? Seriously.
I geeked out so hard listening to the audiobook (Wil Wheaton narrating, with a laugh-out-loud mention as well). Yes, it’s a gamer story and yes, it is PACKED with 80’s references, but you do not have to be a gamer or an 80’s-phyle to love it.
The layered, complex world building is nearly overwhelming at times, in a drinking-from-a-fire-hose-of-awesomeness kind of way. Setting up the story requires a lot of “telling” but Cline has a way of making the info dump totally entertaining.
In the year 2044, the world is pretty screwed up — wars, poverty, pollution, global warming, you name it, it’s happened. But thanks to the OASIS, people don’t have to notice or care. This massively multiplayer online virtual reality simulation has become intertwined with reality and the place most people choosing to do their "living."
Teenager Wade Watts is one of them. He goes to school on an OASIS world, hangs out in its chat rooms with friends he’s never met IRL (in real life), and hopes to collect enough credits to explore more of its worlds without the help of his wealthy friend, Aech (take a day trip to Middle Earth! Spend the night on Tatooine!) The OASIS presents the perfect escape from Wade's life in the Stacks, mobile homes piled on top of each other to form miles of vertical trailer parks.
But then the OASIS’s creator, James Halliday, passes away. He has left behind a video will revealing he spent his last days programming a game like no other -- and hiding the keys to his kingdom within the kingdom itself. He sends the world on a quest: the first person to find three keys hidden within the OASIS will inherit his company and control of the OASIS itself.
The puzzles are built around Halliday’s love of all things 1980’s and soon Wade’s obsession with Halliday's obsession pays off as he unravels the mystery of the first Easter egg's location, and completes its corresponding quest. At the top of the world-wide leaderboard, Wade realizes others are willing to kill him to keep him from winning — including corporations who want control of the OASIS. Who can he trust when everyone around him is virtual? And can he figure out the world’s greatest puzzle in time?
This is one of those books that will keep you up all hours because there just isn’t a good place to bookmark for the night. The Wiki says WB holds the movie rights, but no news about that. I'd imagine securing licensing would take a bit.
Absolutely a must-read if you consider yourself even the tiniest bit geeky.
Note the use of the word "dark" in the title of Robin Wassterman's latest THE WAKING DARK. It's there for a reason.
This is a dark book. It begins on what seems to be an ordinary day, when five people in a small Kansas town inexplicably commit murder -- and then kill themselves.
Only one suicide is unsuccessful. The five murders seem to have no connection to each other. There are no apparent motives. And the surviving murderer doesn't remember a thing. Something dark is stirring in this town.
No one can explain what happened on "the killing day" but it haunts the entire populace, in particular, the five teenagers most closely involved with those who died. As the town sinks deeper into whatever sickness has taken hold, another tragedy strikes. The government steps in, sealing off the town from the outside world. But are they there to help or the cause of the mass hysteria infecting nearly everyone?
Told through alternating perspectives from the five teenagers, THE WAKING DARK demonstrates Wasserman's sharp talent for storytelling. This cover could easily have had the name Stephen King on the cover -- Wasserman channels him so perfectly here, in both her character development and horrific, edge-of-your-seat suspense. The intensity doesn't ease, page after page, and I flew through the story so quickly, I found myself wishing I'd taken more time. Then again, it means I'll enjoy a second read even more.
You’re the richest girl in the galaxy. Like, the actualgalaxy. Your daddy has built an empire prepping planets that can only be reached by star ship and light speed for habitation. Travel between these worlds on space ships big enough to hold a city (think Wall-E) is commonplace. Think you might be JUST a tad spoiled?
Lilac LaRoux isn’t the typical rich girl everyone thinks she is, but this privileged heiress is about to find out just how easy she’s always had things.
In
THESE BROKEN STARS (Hyperion, hardback/Listening Library, audiobook, both 2013), co-authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner create a futuristic world that’s easy to picture. At first, they populate it with two-dimensional characters who would be right at home in 1985, 2014 or a thousand years in the future. Mean girls will be mean girls, after all. Then Lilac meets Tarver Merendsen, a war hero celebrity who approaches her in the Icarus’s dining room.
Lilac isn’t sure what to think about this guy who doesn’t seem to know who she is, but if her father gets wind of Tarver’s flirtations, Lilac knows exactly what it will mean for Tarver. She’s doing him a favor by refusing his advances. But when some kind of malfunction yanks the Icarus out of light speed too soon, she and Tarver are the only ones of the 50,000 aboard to survive the ensuing catastrophic disaster.
Both the Icarus and their escape pod crash-lands on the nearest planet — which seems to be completely uninhabited. (Or is it? Hmmmmm.)
Survival means working together. Putting aside their differences. And traveling across the expanse of planet in search of a way off. Not surprisingly, romance blossoms and soon, the two aren’t sure if they want to go home at all. Especially after they discover the secrets hidden away on this abandoned planet — secrets no one was ever supposed to find.
YA science fiction in the vein of THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, this first book in The Starbound Trilogy uses alternate first person POV, sprinkled with short inserts of Tarver’s post-story interrogation. The combination keeps the suspense taut. While the relationship tension gets annoying at times, and the ultimate acceptance of romance is obvious from the start, the story is intriguing and the twists are numerous.
Companion books are set to follow. The trilogy will definitely appeal to fans of Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer, and Jodi Meadows.
I have a problem with this book. It’s a good problem, at least, from the author’s point-of-view, because this problem had me thinking about his book for quite some time.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to post my thoughts about WINGER (Simon and Schuster for Young Readers, 2013) by Andrew Smith for a few weeks now. I don’t want to deal in spoilers, and to fully explain my problem with the book would involve a rather spoilery one.
So, I've decided to avoid as much as possible. Even though I'm aching to rant. But, this blog is about the joy I get from sharing books I’ve read (or listened to), ones I’ve connected with and think should be enjoyed by as many readers as possible. It’s the cyber equivalent of me gushing with a friend or co-worker (something I do quite frequently, just ask them). You might say I’m a book pusher, and I’ll gladly admit it.
So when I love a book all the way through the way I did WINGER and am then thrown a curveball at the end (which is as much as I’ll say about “my problem”), it sticks with me.
The AUDIBLE audiobook, brilliantly narrated by Mark Boyette, was my introduction to Andrew Smith, and a brief Twitter search reveals his books tend toward neck-wrenching twists so maybe this isn't so unusual. I'll be more prepared next time.
A few chapters in, I was hooked. WINGER is the nickname of Ryan Dean West, dubbed so by his friends at Pine Mountain private school. It has to do with the position he plays on the rugby team. Ryan Dean is one of those kids who skipped a couple of grades, so he’s 14 going on 15, but in his junior year of high school. Last year, this was a problem. This year, he's determined not to let his age be an issue.
His best friend Annie, an older girl he’s seriously nuts about, seems like she just might see him as more than a kid. He’s holding his own against the tough bullies he’s forced to room with in “O Hall”, where he ended up this year due to previous behavior problems. And his stardom on the rugby team has ratcheted up as well. We follow RDW through the autumn of his junior year, from his experiences with the O Hall crowd, his first experience getting drunk, choosing girls over his friends, all peppered with sarcasm and commentary from his one-track mind. Truth is, he's kind of a perv, and in his own words “a total loser,” something proclaims copiously.
The thing is, RDW is not a loser, not at all. You can’t help but love him. His story reminded me of a PG-13 rated DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, while sometimes edging into R territory. He seriously is obsessed with sex, rating the hotness of every female he encounters, from his classmates to his elderly dorm-master, using imaginatively hilarious measurements. But RDW also understands life and those around him living it, including one of his good friends who happens to be gay. He understands it a lot more than he allows himself to admit. Sure, he’s a trainwreck of self doubt and bravado, with hormone-fueled emotions pegging the needle at every turn, but he cares about people and hates injustice and disloyalty.
Even during his dream weekend trip home with Annie to visit her parents on Seattle’s Bainbridge Island — a gloriously depicted passage that made me want to move there like RIGHT NOW — finds Ryan Dean fumbling with his emotional stability and the confusions every teenage boys faces at some point.
So here’s my spoiler-ish warning. Don’t be thinking this is just a typical high school book about a horny boy just trying to find his way along the path to manhood. It is that, but in the end, Smith brings it all down to a gut-punch that while I suspected was coming, nevertheless knocked the wind out of me. Just like real life, I guess.
Despite my protests and despair at the ending, there is no doubt Andrew Smith is an author I want permanently on my TBR list – and since his latest GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE is now out, I’ll be heading over to my Kindle bookstore as soon as I hit publish on this post.
In a refreshing twist on the dystopian setting, Mari Mancusi (author of THE BLOOD COVEN series) gives us SCORCHED (SOURCEBOOKS, Sept 2013) -- a pre-apocalyptic story where time travelers from the future come back to the present to prevent the events destined to lead to Earth's draconian devastation.
Adult readers will pick up on Mancusi's nod to the Terminator series but younger readers may not be familiar, not that it matters because DRAGONS!
16 year old Trinity Foxx lost her mother two years ago, to mental illness and then suicide. Living with her eccentric grandfather, Trin's heard some strange things about all the treasures he collects. But when he claims he's found a dragon egg, she thinks he's finally lost it.
When Trinity senses a strange calling from the egg, and two strange but cute boys turn up on her doorstep -- twins, none the less -- things start spinning out of control. One twin wants to kill her, one wants to save her, and, oh yea, that dragon egg? Uh huh, it's real. Turns out Trinity is Fire Kissed and, once the dragon hatches, it will bond with her. The question is, will this be the beginning of the end for Earth or can Trinity change the future while saving her dragon in the process?
SCORCHED reads like a movie, with enough plot twists and romance to hook teen readers (hello? A love triangle with twin boys?) TBH, I did struggle a bit with the twins' names (Caleb and Connor), sometimes forgetting which was which as far as their loyalties -- both names beginning with a C may have been the problem, but it wasn't enough to spoil the read at all. The only other negative is that the next book in the series, SHATTERED, isn't out for 10 months (September, 2014).
The tale that began with Amanda and Leo repeating their 11th birthday until they got it right comes full circle as the two have to save their friend Grace by going back in time to make sure her past birthdays go a certain way. Yep, Angelina D’Angelo is working some strange magic once again and, as always, she’s not telling them the whole story. They’ll have to rely on their group of friends, including Tara and Rory (stars of books 2 and 3), to solve the mystery.
Mass knows just how to capture the tween reader’s attention with a fun and authentic voice. She does this whole fantasy/magical realism mash-up in such a natural way that you completely accept all the wacky things going on. But the real story of THE LAST PRESENT goes beyond magic and family curses to the strength of friendship – and ultimately, how it is what brings everything back around to normal again.
It’s a fitting ending to the series, wrapping things up like a neat little present to her readers, as the title suggests. We’re going to miss Willow Falls, and this last visit proves it’s a special little town indeed.
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