By: Maryann Yin,
on 1/15/2016
The cover has been unveiled for Gayle Forman’s debut adult book, Leave Me. According to Algonquin Books’ announcement, the story stars a go-getter woman who finds herself in search of her estranged birth mother after a heart attack.
We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think? Entertainment Weekly reports that the publisher has scheduled the release date for Sept. 6.
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By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 6/23/2015
Algonquin Books, a Division of Workman Publishing, has acquired the North American rights to publish bestselling author Gayle Forman’s first novel for adults.
The publisher snapped up the title at auction. Amy Gash, senior editor at Algonquin, negotiated the deal with Forman’s agent, Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. The book is tentatively titled Bypass and is slated for publication in Fall 2016.
“After a decade of mining the young-adult experience, I was ready to turn my attention to marriage and motherhood. It felt like the time to write a novel starring people my own age,” Forman explained in a statement. “I have been reading Algonquin books for years, so it’s a bit surreal to now find myself in the prestigious company of authors like Robert Goolrick, Sara Gruen, Tayari Jones and more. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be publishing my debut adult novel with Algonquin.”
The novel is the portrait of a go-getter woman who finds herself in search of her estranged birth mother after a heart attack.
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By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 6/9/2015
Sometimes creative ideas cross and birth at the same time. Stories are all ultimately echoes of each other. I've lost sales in the past, because another writer, at the same publishing house, with the same editor, had the same idea at the same moment. Yes, each story is told differently. Yes, each will present in a different light, theme, motive, and truth. But sometimes, wires cross, and the spark hits two people at the exact same moment. 
By: Maryann Yin,
on 4/17/2015
Authors Gayle Forman and Jay Asher, will appear at “We Are Here: A Benefit to Raise Hope and Awareness for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion.” The two young adult novelists have both written books that deal with the subject of suicide.
A Great Good Place for Books, a California-based independent bookstore, and the Montclair Presbyterian Church will team up to host this event. Attendees will enjoy music, discussions, and a signing session. For those who can’t make it in-person, the event will be livestreamed.
The organizers hope to raise $5,000 which will be given to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Should that goal be met, Forman pledges to personally match every dollar. Follow this link to learn more details about this event.
Add a CommentWith so many strong novels on this list, everything remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list—including The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, a classic must-read for all Greek mythology fans.
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By: Beth Kephart ,
on 3/27/2015
By: Maryann Yin,
on 3/23/2015
Author Libba Bray has announced the title for her next book, Lair of Dreams. According to Bray’s blog post, this sequel to The Diviners has “been moved on the schedule so many times we have lost faith in the old gods of the book pub-scheduling universe.” Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has set the release date for August 25th.
When Bray isn’t using her voice for writing, she puts it to work by singing and standing up for her beliefs. She recently stood with three fellow authors (Gayle Forman, E. Lockhart, and Shannon Hale) to protest against the act of assigning genders to books. Over the weekend, Bray gave a moving speech about this issue at the 2015 NYC Teen Author Festival.
Here’s an excerpt: “Does sexism exist in YA? Abso-fucking-lutely. Everyday we see ourselves reflected back to us in ways that are reductive and foreign. And it’s tough when we are continually dismissed and told that our experiences aren’t real. It makes us doubt our reality; to the point where we have to keep turning to each other and saying, ‘Wait, is this true? Are these my hands? Are these hands worthy?'”
Add a CommentWith so many strong novels on this list, everything remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list—including The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, a classic must-read for all Greek mythology fans.
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 3/2/2015
I'm just saying. @gayleforman @libbabray @HousingWorksBks pic.twitter.com/Har5rG2w4i
— E. Lockhart (@elockhart) February 28, 2015
Gayle Forman, E. Lockhart, and Libba Bray appeared together at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe last week. The trio of young adult authors were celebrating the release of Forman’s new book, I Was Here. When they first presented themselves to the audience, the three women were wearing fake mustaches.
Forman explained that they were protesting against the act of driving young boys away from titles that are considered to be “girl books.” The group strongly agrees with the sentiments that fellow novelist Shannon Hale expresses in a recent blog post. Hale felt compelled to discuss this because of her recent experience during a school visit where only female students were given permission to meet her. Below, we’ve collected several of the writers’ tweets with their opinions on this subject in a Storify post.
Here’s an excerpt from Hale’s blog post: “Let’s be clear: I do not talk about ‘girl’ stuff. I do not talk about body parts. I do not do a ‘Your Menstrual Cycle and You!’ presentation. I talk about books and writing, reading, rejections and moving through them, how to come up with story ideas. But because I’m a woman, because some of my books have pictures of girls on the cover, because some of my books have ‘princess’ in the title, I’m stamped as ‘for girls only.’ However, the male writers who have boys on their covers speak to the entire school.”
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 2/25/2015
New Line Cinema has picked up the film rights for Gayle Forman’s newest title, I Was Here. Penguin Young Readers Group published the young adult novel earlier this year.
In 2014, the studio released an adaptation based on Forman’s popular book, If I Stay; Forman served an executive producer for that movie. She plans take on that position again for the new film project.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story follows “Cody, an 18-year-old whose best friend Meg takes her own life. Looking for answers, Cody begins a brave and dangerous journey that takes her from her dead-end Washington town to Meg’s college dorm, to the clubs of Seattle, to the deserts of Nevada, and to the darkest parts of her own psyche.”
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 2/24/2015
Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.
To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.
Two famed authors, Martin Amis and Jeffrey Eugenides, will headline an evening of “Selected Shorts” readings. Hear them on Wednesday, February 25th at Symphony Space starting 7:30 p.m. (New York, NY)
Chef Angelo Sosa and radio personality Angie Martinez will sit for a discussion about their new cookbook. See them on Thursday, February 26th at Barnes & Noble (Tribeca) starting 6 p.m. (New York, NY)
Three young adult writers, Gayle Forman, E. Lockhart, and Libba Bray, will come together for a launch party. Join in on Friday, February 27th at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe starting 7 p.m. (New York, NY)
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 2/6/2015
We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending February 01, 2015–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.
(Debuted at #6 in Children’s Interest) I Was Here by Gayle Forman: “When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her.” (January 2015)
(Debuted at #7 in Hardcover Nonfiction) Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder: “The Pa of Pioneer Girl is still a selfless provider, Ma is a skilled homemaker, Mary a prim playmate, and Laura a good-hearted tomboy. Their stories may have been tidied up on the path between nonfiction and fiction, but their characters remain reassuringly intact.” (December 2014)
(Debuted at #8 in Hardcover Fiction) Private Vegas by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro: “Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds–especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind. It’s the perfect location for Lester Olsen’s lucrative business. He gets to treat gorgeous, young women to five-star restaurants, splashy shows, and limo rides–and then he teaches them how to kill.” (January 2015)
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I’m not really a contemporary person, but I am very much a Gayle Forman person. With that said, I’m not sure anyone could be more disappointed than I am that I did not love this book. Forman’s prose and storytelling talent have shown me the heights of what contemporary can achieve in her previous duologies. I do think, honestly, that she is near peerless within her genre. So what left me so cold about her most recent release? A thing with me is that books take on their own “color” and mood. The experience of reading this book felt just like being under a constant cover of gray skies. There was so little in the way of hope or optimism. Which is fine, I suppose. But even if you’re going to stick readers with difficult emotions there should at least be some sort of catharsis. Unfortunately, even that fell through.... Read more »
The post I Was Here: Review appeared first on The Midnight Garden.
Add a CommentWith so many strong novels on this list, all but one young adult novel, John Green's Paper Towns, remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list.
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 1/26/2015
Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.
To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.
Three young adult authors, Gayle Forman, Libba Bray, and E. Lockhart, will appear together at Barnes & Noble (Tribeca). Meet them on Tuesday, January 27th starting at 6 p.m. (New York, NY)
The next session of the “How I Learned” storytelling session will take place at Union Hall. Join in on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:30 p.m. (Brooklyn, NY)
Writer Marissa Meyer will celebrate the latest book from The Lunar Chronicles series, Fairest: Levana’s Story. Check it out on Thursday, January 29th at the 92Y starting 7 p.m. (New York, NY)
Add a CommentWith so many strong novels on this list, all but one young adult novel—Gayle Forman's Where She Went—remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list.
Add a CommentWith so many strong novels on this list, everything remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list—including The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy—a classic must-read for all Greek mythology fans.
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 11/28/2014
Universal Pictures has optioned two of Gayle Forman’s young adult novels, Just One Day and Just One Year.
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the creators of The Gossip Girl TV show, will serve as producers for this project. Penguin Young Readers Group released the first book in January 2013 and the second book followed in October 2013.
Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: “Just One Day and Just One Year follows the story of a young couple who meet and share one incredible day (and night) together only to be separated, spending the next year looking for each other and finding themselves along the journey…The books have been described as being in the tone of Before Sunrise and 500 Days of Summer.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a CommentThe heart of Young Adult Fiction descended into picturesque Charleston, SC on November 7, 2014 as 60 Young Adult authors, including 37 New York Times bestsellers, joined together for the 4th Annual Charleston Young Adult Book Festival (“YALLFest”).
Add a CommentThis month, everything remains the same on our hand-picked list from the Best Selling Young Adult list—including The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy.
Add a CommentThis month, The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy—a classic must-read for all Greek mythology fans.
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The Lil’ Diva wanted to read this one so badly, the librarian sped up getting their copy into the system so that she could borrow it. Have any of you read it?
Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.
I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.
Stay, he says.
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?
Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it’s the only one that matters.
If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (April 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 014241543X
ISBN-13: 978-0142415436
For interesting facts about the author, visit her website at http://gayleforman.com/
By: Beth Kephart ,
on 9/4/2014
Young-adult fiction: what a peculiar product it is, sold and consumed as avidly as the misery memoir and the self-help book, and borrowing sneakily from both. One can see the gap in the market. What are literate kids meant to do with themselves, or with their itchy brains, as they wander the no man's land between Narnia and Philip Roth? The ideal protagonist of the genre is at once victimized and possessed of decisive power—someone like Mia, the heroine of Gayle Forman's "If I Stay," which has clung grimly to the Times best-seller list, on and off, for twenty weeks. And the ideal subject is death, or, as we should probably call it, the big sleepover.Oh, the blogs/articles/talks that will erupt from this. Oh. Or? Perhaps we who write young adult fiction that is not part misery memoir and not self-help book, not, indeed, any single one thing, grow weary of the castigating, the easy sarcasm, the sneak and overt attacks?
If you're looking for a novel that will linger with you for days, The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. Our hand selected titles from the nationwide best selling young adult books, as listed by The New York Times, features titles by super-talents John Green, Ransom Riggs, and Markus Zusak.
Add a CommentThe latest book from non-fiction queen Candace Fleming is The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book.
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I read it and loved it. Cried a little too. Loved the second book too but not quite as much. Can’t remember the title.
I read it and loved it and cried a lot. Silly me, I picked it up shortly after losing my mom, my oldest had gone away to college (we are a very close family) AND we travel through that pass all the time. Yep, I was a mess!!! My youngest and I just saw the movie. Even she cried (hadn’t read the book.) I started choking up during the opening credits. Too much emotion attached to the story. They did a great job with the movie adaptation, though.