Teenreads.com Updates

January 2010

2010-01-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of January.

Reviews and Excerpts
WITCH & WIZARD by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet (Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller)
The government has seized control of every aspect of society, and kids are disappearing. For 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside down when they are torn from their parents one night and slammed into a secret prison for no reason they can comprehend. They soon discover they have incredible powers they had never dreamed of. Can this newly minted witch and wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents --- and maybe the world? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from WITCH & WIZARD.

TANGLED by Carolyn Mackler (Fiction)
Jena, Dakota, Skye and Owen are all at Paradise --- the resort in the Caribbean, that is --- for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from TANGLED.

VERY LEFREAK by Rachel Cohn (Fiction)
Veronica “Very” LeFreak is just like any other college freshman. Except she goes to an Ivy League school and her GPA is dropping because she would rather major in party planning than anything on Columbia’s academic roster. She is also obsessed with her iPod, iPhone, computer, video games, and just about anything else that needs a battery or a plug to run. She’s in for an intervention --- big time. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez and excerpted.
- Click here to watch a trailer for VERY LEFREAK.

INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher (Fantasy)
Incarceron is a self-sustaining prison with a mind of its own. One prisoner, 17-year-old Finn, doesn’t believe he belongs. As Finn navigates the dangerous world of Incarceron, he finds help in the most unsuspecting person --- the daughter of the Warden. Escape seems impossible, however, because Incarceron is always watching! Reviewed by Benjamin Boche and excerpted.
- Click here to watch a trailer for INCARCERON.

DAWN by Kevin Brooks (Fiction)
Since her father’s disappearance, Dawn Bundy has been forced to suppress painful memories and take care of her alcoholic mother. But these memories are brought to the forefront after unexpected visits from the two most popular girls in school. This time there is no hiding in the dark cave in Dawn’s head. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

CLAIM TO FAME by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Fiction)
In her numerous books for young people, Margaret Peterson Haddix has excelled in creating vivid characters enmeshed in unusual --- and often surprising --- situations. With CLAIM TO FAME, Haddix continues to surprise. The first hundred pages alone ask readers to shift directions a half-dozen times --- shifts that they will be more than happy to make as they try to figure out the mystery behind the protagonist’s odd behavior and bizarre thoughts. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WANDERLUST: A Beautiful Americans Novel, by Lucy Silag (Fiction)
This sequel to BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS picks up right where the first one left off, with the beautiful PJ running away from her host family, while her friends at the Lycée are left with no clue as to where she is --- and Alex, Jay, Zack and Olivia each have their own problems to deal with. WANDERLUST follows the crew across France as they look everywhere for their missing friend. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.

THE MARK by Jen Nadol (Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance)
All her life, Cassie has occasionally caught sight of a person with a strange glow surrounding him or her. And finally, at 16, she figures out what the Mark means --- that individual is going to die that day. But why does she have this “gift”? Is she able to warn that person and safe a life? Should she even try? This moral dilemma begins to haunt Cassie, causing her to search deep into her own life. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers (Fiction)
Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High...until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina has been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.

Graphic Novels and Manga
CALAMITY JACK written by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale (Graphic Novel)
Jack is back in this sequel to RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE --- but when Jack and Rapunzel head to the big city to find Jack's momma, they discover that Jack left behind a world of trouble when he ran away from home. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

13th BOY, Volume 2 written and illustrated by SangEun Lee
Hee-So and her boyfriend break up, but she can’t admit that another boy she knows would be better for her. There’s also a talking cactus, so this isn’t your typical teen drama. Reviewed by Danica Davidson.

BEAST MASTER, Volume 1 written and illustrated by Kyousuke Motomi
Yuiko Kubozuka's new classmate may be a bit of an animal, but that doesn't stop her from becoming fast friends with the mysterious, wild-eyed Leo Aoi. Reviewed by Casey Brienza.

BLACK BIRD, Volume 2 written and illustrated by Kanoko Sakurakoji
Kyo has vowed to make Misao his bride. Her feelings on the matter don't merit consideration...but could she be developing feelings for him nevertheless? Reviewed by Casey Brienza.

MARIA HOLIC, Volume 2 written and illustrated by Minari Endou
Kanako’s dream of finding love at an all-girl’s Catholic school isn’t going to be as easy as she thought. Having faced bullying and practically being held hostage by her cross-dressing, male roommate Mariya, she is finally starting to settle in. When the annual physicals come up, Kanako uncovers the real reason why Mariya is leading a secret double life at the school. Reviewed by Courtney Kraft.

Author Interviews
Carolyn Mackler
Carolyn Mackler's fifth and most recent novel, TANGLED, follows four teens whose lives interconnect and are irrevocably changed when they meet on vacation at a Caribbean resort. In this interview with Teenreads.com founder Carol Fitzgerald, Mackler explains the challenges of writing in this format and discusses the unlikely source of inspiration for the book's plot. She also names her favorite character, describes how she can so easily get inside the heads of young adults, and shares details on her next book in the works.

Sara Shepard
Teenreads.com's Donna Volkenannt recently spoke with author Sara Shepard about her latest book, HEARTLESS --- the seventh installment in her bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars. In this interview, Shepard brings us up to speed on where this new novel finds her four protagonists, and discusses the difficulties of planning out storylines, character arcs and plot twists over the course of several books. She also talks about her family's positive influence on her work, names a few of her favorite literary characters and shares details about a new series she's writing called The Lying Game.

Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson has followed up her 2008 novel SUITE SCARLETT with its newly released sequel, SCARLETT FEVER. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sally M. Tibbetts, Johnson explains how her personal experience working with actors in New York inspired protagonist Scarlett Martin's latest adventures. She also discusses some of the timely themes about fame explored in the story and how she turned to writing after working in theater for several years.

Special Features
SCARLETT FEVER by Maureen Johnson (Fiction)
Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.

She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea --- a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant. Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SCARLETT FEVER.
- Click here to read Maureen Johnson’s bio.

WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell (Fiction)
When Evie’s father returned home after World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe’s company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the family secrets that surround him…until he mysteriously disappears. Now Evie must find out what happened…and how far she’ll go to protect her family.

WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, the 2008 winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, gives us a girl’s-eye view of a dark family history.
- Click here to read an excerpt from WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED.
- Click here to read Judy Blundell’s bio.

Contests
Win a Signed Copy of ALL UNQUIET THINGS by Anna Jarzab
To celebrate the release of ALL UNQUIET THINGS by Anna Jarzab, a psychologically probing debut novel that is both suspenseful and disquieting, Teenreads.com is giving away 10 signed copies of the book. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, March 18th at noon EST.

Who is Brighton Day School’s mascot?
You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

ALL UNQUIET THINGS by Anna Jarzab (Fiction)
Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it --- especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.
- Click here to watch a trailer for ALL UNQUIET THINGS.
- Click here to read Anna Jarzab’s Teenreads.com blog post, “Ten Random Things About Me.”

Win a Copy of THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
Jandy Nelson's remarkable debut novel, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, is as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, and is a must-read for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti and Francesca Lia Block. To celebrate the book’s March 9th release, Teenreads.com is giving away 15 copies. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, March 18th at noon EST.

What character from WUTHERING HEIGHTS does Lennie think Joe looks like?
You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson (Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life --- and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Win a Copy of THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer R. Hubbard
ROMEO AND JULIET meets THE OUTSIDERS in this story of a clandestine romance that turns tragic. Colt and Julia share a taboo love that is cut short, leaving one behind trying desperately to forget everything about this forbidden relationship.

Teenreads.com is giving away 15 copies of THE SECRET YEAR, Jennifer R. Hubbard’s debut novel. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Tuesday, February 16th at noon EST.

What is the name of Colt's first real girlfriend?
You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer R. Hubbard (Fiction)
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one --- not even Julia’s boyfriend --- knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #7: HEARTLESS by Sara Shepard (Fiction)
In picturesque Rosewood, Pennsylvania, neighbors gossip over picket fences, and gleaming SUVs sit in every crushed-granite driveway. But recently, friendly smiles have been replaced with suspicious glares and accusatory whispers. Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily insist they’re telling the truth, but all of Rosewood thinks they’re simply out for attention --- and nobody likes a girl who cries wolf. So when the big bad killer comes after the girls, will anyone believe them…or will they be the next to disappear?

To celebrate the release of HEARTLESS, the newest addition to Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series, Teenreads.com is giving away 10 copies of the book. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Tuesday, February 16th at noon EST.

Who was the "original A"?
You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.
- Click here to read Sara Shepard’s bio.

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg (Fiction)
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. Penny thinks she might be crazy for swearing off boys --- but soon a few other girls are inspired, and a movement is born. Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the Sgt. Pepper’s band) and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways --- which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

To celebrate Penny's Lonely Hearts Club movement, Teenreads.com is giving away 15 copies of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, Elizabeth Eulberg’s debut novel. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Tuesday, February 16th at noon EST.

Who is always at the top of Tracy's date list?
You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.
- Click here to read Elizabeth Eulberg’s bio.

Books into Movies Roundup
2010 is already shaping up to be a fantastic year for literary-based blockbusters, and February’s Books into Movies roundup features two can’t-miss films that promise just a taste of what we can expect in the months ahead.

Dear John, starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, hits theaters February 5th. Based on a novel by the king of tear-jerking romantic dramas, Nicholas Sparks, it chronicles the six-year romance developed through letters written between a college student and a soldier stationed in the Middle East. And if weepy romances aren’t your thing, February 12th marks the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, adapted from the first installment of the bestselling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Directed by Chris Columbus, who brought us the first two Harry Potter movies, this fantasy adventure follows a teen who discovers he’s the son of a Greek god and finds himself caught up in a war being fought among the other residents of Mount Olympus.

And a must to add to your DVD collection is Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, now in stores. This wacky teen comedy from across the pond brings the unforgettable Georgia Nicolson --- heroine of the bestselling series by Louise Rennison --- and all her zany boy-chasing adventures to life on the small screen.

Cool New Books
January’s roundup of Cool New Books includes VERY LEFREAK by Rachel Cohn, a funny yet touching story about a girl and the technology habit that threatens everything; CAPTIVATE, the sequel to Carrie Jones’s NEED, a gripping novel full of romance, suspense and a touch of the paranormal that had teens thinking about pixies in a whole new way; HEARTLESS, the seventh installment in Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series that finds Hanna, Aria, Emily and Spencer threatened by someone who would like nothing more than to silence them permanently; and CALAMITY JACK, a follow-up to Shannon and Dean Hale’s RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE, in which Jack (with the help of Rapunzel and her trusty braids) attempts to free his beloved city of Shyport from a crew of enormous Ant-People who have been terrorizing the townspeople.

New in Paperback
January’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes CHAINS, Laurie Halse Anderson's compelling examination of the very different implications of freedom and loyalty for slaves during the American Revolution; KILLER, the sixth installment in Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series that finds Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily stumbling over a deadly new secret after a shocking discovery at the end of WICKED; AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER, in which Jacqueline Woodson’s naïve but perceptive narrator yearns to understand the world and find her Big Purpose in life; PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, a thrilling tale of love, loyalty and illusion from the bestselling author of the Kiesha’ra series, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes; and the 2008 National Book Award winner WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, Judy Blundell's coming-of-age novel set against a backdrop of mystery, lies and shattering reality.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

December 2009

2009-12-23T18:14:00.002-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of December.

The titles below were discussed in the Teenreads.com newsletter opener, which can be read here:

THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold
TANGLED by Carolyn Mackler
ANOTHER FAUST by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins
THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg
HEARTLESS by Sara Shepard
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford

Reviews and Excerpts
RAVEN SUMMER by David Almond (Fiction)
David Almond has a reputation for crafting oddly beautiful, thought-provoking books that remain with readers long after the final pages have been turned. His newest work holds this same power. Full of images both alluring and deeply disturbing, RAVEN SUMMER is the kind of atmospheric novel that will haunt readers' thoughts. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from RAVEN SUMMER.

DEADLY LITTLE LIES: A Touch Novel, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Paranormal Romance)
In DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, Camelia Hammond fought first for her sanity and then for her life as an obsessive stalker hunted her down and attacked. Now, in DEADLY LITTLE LIES, it’s starting all over again --- and just when her ex-boyfriend, Ben, returns to the scene. To make life even more confusing, Camelia seems to be developing a psychometric power of her own. But are her powers strong enough to warn her of the impending dangers in time? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

SHADOWLAND: The Immortals, Book 3 by Alyson Noël (Paranormal Romance)
Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom’s life has changed forever in ways she never could’ve imagined. Thanks to her century’s-old soul mate, Damen, Ever is now immortal. But even being immortal has a few challenges, like when the evil Roman tricks Ever into giving Damen a medicine that results in Ever’s DNA being toxic to Damen. How can two soul mates endure living forever when they are forbidden to touch? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

LILY DALE: DISCOVERING by Wendy Corsi Staub (Paranormal Suspense)
After finally learning who was behind her mother’s death, Calla still doesn’t understand why it happened. Someone out there seems to share the powerful psychic abilities that allow Calla to see not only into the past, but to the Other Side. Will Calla’s journey lead to the closure she's been searching for, or will it force her to accept yet another loss and forever wonder what might have been? Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.
-Click here to read Wendy Corsi Staub's Teenreads.com blog post, “Wendy Corsi Staub On Writing For Teens, Then and Now.”

MALICE written by Chris Wooding and illustrated by Dan Chernett (Thriller/Graphic Novel)
The comic book world of Malice is accompanied by a mysterious legend: gather the right things and say the right phrase, and Tall Jake will whisk you away into its deadly pages. Friends Seth and Kady had no idea this legend was real --- until they find themselves trapped inside! Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

MILLION-DOLLAR THROW by Mike Lupica (Fiction)
Nate Brodie wins the chance to throw a pass through a target at a New England Patriots game for one million dollars. Nate, who’s the biggest Tom Brady fan, should be excited. But things have been tough lately. His dad is now unemployed and his family is losing their home. It’s no secret that the money would go a long way. So all Nate feels is pressure --- and just when he needs it most, his golden arm begins to fail him. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

HAZEL by Julie Hearn (Historical Fiction)
In 1913 London, 13-year-old Hazel's future is all mapped out for her --- until her life takes a sudden detour and she is banished to a Caribbean island with an unexpected companion. In her exotic new home, she uncovers family secrets and mysteries with the power to rock her world. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

THE DEMON KING: A Seven Realms Novel, by Cinda Williams Chima (Fantasy)
Crafted by the author of The Heir series, THE DEMON KING introduces the Seven Realms, a land scarred by untamed magic. In this first installment of an exciting new trilogy, the lives of an ex-streetlord and a princess-heir converge with a thrilling outcome and the promise of an epic conflict for the future of the series. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

EXPOSURE by Mal Peet (Fiction)
In EXPOSURE, his third novel to feature sports journalist Paul Faustino, award-winning author Mal Peet injects a little Shakespearian tragedy into a soccer drama about loyalty, betrayal and the wide-reaching effects of celebrity culture. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

BAD APPLE by Laura Ruby (Fiction)
High school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy --- except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods. But then rumors start flying and Tola is suddenly the center of a scandal. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Fantasy)
This lively and impressive fantasy immerses readers in the historic southern town of Gatlin, where small minds rule and originality slowly suffocates. The arrival of gothic beauty Lena Duchannes piques the interest of Ethan Wate while simultaneously enraging the entire non-magical community. As Gatlin's belles and beaus prepare for their witch hunt, Ethan and Lena discover each other and learn some startling truths behind Lena's powers and her unique and disturbing family heritage. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL by Michelle D. Kwasney (Fiction)
As the lives of three girls from three different decades converge, they discover that they are connected in ways they never could’ve imagined. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful past, and faith that there is a happier future. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

Graphic Novel Reviews
THE STORM IN THE BARN written and illustrated by Matt Phelan
Eleven-year-old Jack Clark’s life is as bleak as the dust fields that used to be his family's farm. But when a mysterious figure appears in an abandoned barn, Jack finds an adventure he may not be prepared for. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

FINAL CRISIS: Legion of 3 Worlds, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by George Pérez and Scott Koblish
Superman, Superboy, Green Lantern, and the combined might of three Legions of Super-Heroes all combine to take on the Time Trapper and his minions in the Legion of Super-Villains. But it’s the fixing of two decades of continuity that this book really takes on. Reviewed by John Hogan.

WAR MACHINE: IRON HEART written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Leonardo Manco
What would happen if Iron Man had the moral compass of the Punisher? The result would be James Rhodes, a literal one-man army who believes that the best course of action is to take the fight to the enemy. In this tale, Rhodey, aka War Machine, has to do everything he can to set right what he sees as wrong. But as the fighting intensifies, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go before completely losing himself. Reviewed by Stephen Giordano.

Manga Reviews
KYO KARA MAOH, Volumes 1-4 written by Tomo Takabayashi and illustrated by Temari Matsumoto
Yuri Shibuya can’t catch a break. Then one day he discovers he’s the king of demons! This average teenager turns out to be a monarch with supernatural powers. Reviewed by Danica Davidson.

GOGO MONSTER written and illustrated by Taiyo Matsumoto
Yuki Tachibana is an outcast at Asahi Elementary School who only talks to the other children to warn them about the “others,” beings kept in check only by the power of Super Star, the boss of the other side. When Makoto, a new boy, befriends Yuki, he finds himself wondering how much of Yuki’s tales are true and if the “others” really exist. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

Author Interviews
Natalie Standiford
In this interview with Teenreads.com’s Terry Miller Shannon, Natalie Standiford --- author of The Dating Game series, as well as the newly released HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT --- explains what prompted her to write a story about the complicated friendship between two isolated teens and discusses how her own upbringing in Baltimore inspired its setting. She also describes her reaction to seeing a copy of the finished book for the first time, names a few of her writing influences --- which range from children's author Beverly Cleary to filmmaker Wes Anderson --- and shares details about her next book, CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, due out next fall.

Features
Reading Group Guides
The first two novels in the Hunger Games trilogy have been met with critical and commercial success, both charting at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list while also landing on annual "best of" lists. Now, for the first time, discussion guides are ready for these futuristic novels where gladiator-esque showdowns pit friends and rivals alike against one another.

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
In this gripping young adult novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present, the nation of Panem consists of a shining Capital surrounded by twelve outlying Districts, in the ruins of the area once known as North America. Sixteen-year-old Katniss and her friend Gale forage for food in the woods surrounding their impoverished District, in this stratified society where the Capital controls all resources. The main support for both their families, Katniss and Gale are apprehensive of the approaching annual Reaping, when two “tributes” between the ages of 12 and 18 will be chosen by lottery from each of the 12 districts to compete in The Hunger Games, a survival contest on live TV in which teenagers fight to the death and there can be only one victor.

CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
In the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES, the President announces plans for the Quarter Quell, the 75th anniversary Games. Every 25 years the Capitol devises a new twist for the reaping, and this year they announce that the tributes will be chosen from among the victors of previous Games, ensuring friends and foes will once again face each other with grim consequences likely. All the while, a rebellion brews to end the tyranny.

Contest
Win an iPod Touch --- and Download the New CATHY’S BOOK iPhone and iPod Touch Application
To celebrate the release of the new CATHY'S BOOK iPhone and iPod Touch application, Teenreads.com is giving readers the chance to win an iPod Touch. To enter, fill out this form by Wednesday, January 13th at 11:59PM EST.

If you already have an iPhone or iTouch, you must check out this application. For only $0.99, you get to experience CATHY'S BOOK in a totally new way. There are all sorts of interactive features, secret excerpts and other surprises. With this new app, Teenreads.com is hooked on CATHY'S BOOK all over again!

CATHY'S BOOK: If Found Call (650) 266-8233, Part One
CATHY’S BOOK, the first interactive teen novel, is back and completely re-imagined for the iPhone and iPod Touch!

Things aren't so peachy in Cathy Vickers's life since she and her boyfriend Victor broke up. Her father dies unexpectedly, she's failing in school, and all this drama is pushing her best friend Emma to the limit. But when Cathy decides to investigate Victor's reasons for ending their relationship, things suddenly go from bad to very, very, bad as her findings produce more questions than answers. Is Victor really what he seems? Will Cathy's curiosity put everyone she knows in danger?

Through Cathy's unique and irresistible voice we enter a strange and fascinating world where things often aren't as they appear. Part romance, part thriller, part mystery, you'll experience the story by calling phone numbers, searching websites, examining evidence, discovering secrets, and exploring locations hidden in the pages of Cathy's private sketchbook.
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to learn more about the application.

Win a Copy of THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer R. Hubbard
ROMEO AND JULIET meets THE OUTSIDERS in this story of a clandestine romance that turns tragic. Colt and Julia share a taboo love that is cut short, leaving one behind trying desperately to forget everything about this forbidden relationship.

Teenreads.com is giving away 15 copies of THE SECRET YEAR, Jennifer R. Hubbard’s debut novel. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Wednesday, February 10th at 11:59PM EST.

What is the name of Colt's first real girlfriend?

You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer R. Hubbard (Fiction)
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one --- not even Julia’s boyfriend --- knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

Series Books
The Cathy's Book Trilogy
The Cathy Vickers Trilogy is an interactive journey in which teens follow the adventures of Cathy, a young artist trying to find her way as deep-rooted secrets begin to unravel and her life grows increasingly complicated. Through it all, Cathy’s unique and irresistible voice --- and lots of proof in the form of letters, photographs, datebook entries, phone numbers and websites --- leads readers into a strange and fascinating world where things often aren’t how they appear. Discover why teens all over the globe love Cathy and her friends, and help them figure out how and why their lives are connected. Call Cathy at (650) 266-8233 now and get started.

Feature and Contest
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #7: HEARTLESS by Sara Shepard (Fiction)
In picturesque Rosewood, Pennsylvania, neighbors gossip over picket fences, and gleaming SUVs sit in every crushed-granite driveway. But recently, friendly smiles have been replaced with suspicious glares and accusatory whispers. Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily insist they’re telling the truth, but all of Rosewood thinks they’re simply out for attention --- and nobody likes a girl who cries wolf. So when the big bad killer comes after the girls, will anyone believe them…or will they be the next to disappear?

To celebrate the release of HEARTLESS, the newest addition to Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series, Teenreads.com is giving away 10 copies of the book. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Wednesday, February 10th at 11:59PM EST.

Who was the "original A"?

You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read Sara Shepard’s bio.

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg (Fiction)
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. Penny thinks she might be crazy for swearing off boys --- but soon a few other girls are inspired, and a movement is born. Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the Sgt. Pepper’s band) and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways --- which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

To celebrate Penny's Lonely Hearts Club movement, Teenreads.com is giving away 15 copies of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, Elizabeth Eulberg’s debut novel. For your chance to be one of the lucky winners, fill out this form and answer the following question by Wednesday, February 10th at 11:59PM.

Who is always at the top of Tracy's date list?

You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read Elizabeth Eulberg’s bio.

Special Features
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford (Fiction)
Icelandic hairdressers are the happiest people in the world. Bea is not an Icelandic hairdresser. Neither is Jonah. But together, they might find something approaching happiness.

New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. You know the type: very cheery, very friendly, very average. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost boy, a quiet observer who hasn’t made a new friend since third grade. He’s not a big fan of people in general…but he’s willing to make an exception for her. Maybe.

Bea and Jonah are not going to have a friendship like other people have a friendship, where it’s all based on gossip and parties and what everybody else thinks. Instead, their friendship comes from truth-bound conversations, shared secrets, daring stunts, and late-night calls to the same old-timer radio show. They help each other and hurt each other, push away and hold close. It’s not romance, exactly --- but it’s definitely love. And it means more to them than either one can ever really know…

For anyone who’s ever entered the wonderful, treacherous, consuming, meaningful world of a true friendship, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT will strike a deep and lasting chord.
- Click here to read an excerpt from HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT.
- Click here to read Natalie Standiford’s bio.

Teenreads.com Reviewers Pick Their Favorite Books of the Year
Recently we asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of some of their favorite books from 2009. Though it was difficult to narrow down, each reviewer chose up to 10 books that he or she enjoyed the most this year. Take a look and see if any of their selections match yours --- and which titles you may want to consider reading in the future. Please note that due to personal and professional commitments, some reviewers were not able to participate in this feature.

Author Interviews of 2009
As 2009 comes to a close, we invite you to take a look at the author interviews that were featured throughout the year on Teenreads.com. This is a great way to catch up on the discussions you may have missed --- and to re-read what some of your favorite authors had to say about their books.

Books into Movies
We don’t have any big blockbusters or warm and fuzzy holiday films to share with you this month, but December’s Books into Movies feature is still ending 2009 with a bang, as we spotlight a highly anticipated and star-studded adaptation of one of our favorite crossovers. The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson (who brought us The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), tells the heartbreaking story of a young girl who can’t seem to find peace in the afterlife until she --- as well as her family and friends --- can come to terms with her tragic death.

WHAT TO GIVE, WHAT TO GET
Sometimes deciding what to get is as hard as deciding what to give. So we've created a special What to Give, What to Get Guide --- a list of books just for teens that will give you tons of gift-giving ideas (and maybe a few to put on YOUR list). Happy Holidays!

Grab Bag of Books Giveaway
Every month in our Grab Bag of Books contest, five readers are awarded a Teenreads.com signature tote bag filled with some of the hottest books --- and may even include a sneak peek at titles that haven’t been released yet!

This contest period’s winners will each receive a copy of ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen, ANOTHER FAUST by Daniel and Dina Nayeri, FIRE by Kristin Cashore and IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin. All you have to do to enter is fill out the this form by Tuesday, January 19th.

Cool New Books
November and December’s roundup of Cool New Books includes RAVEN SUMMER, a captivating novel from Printz Award winner David Almond, in which the discovery of an abandoned baby ultimately leads to a boy’s fateful encounter with two foster care children; DEADLY LITTLE LIES, the second installment in Laurie Faria Stolarz’s thrilling and chilling paranormal Touch series; DAWN, Kevin Brooks’s provocative dissection of family, friendship and faith; CLAIM TO FAME, Margaret Peterson Haddix’s novel about a young TV star with a strange power whose kidnapping forces her to confront everything she’s hiding from; and TANGLED by Carolyn Mackler, a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.

New In Paperback
November and December’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes FOREVER PRINCESS, the 10th and final installment in Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, which finds Mia in her last year of high school and with plenty of nerve-racking decisions still to make; HOW THEY MET, AND OTHER STORIES, David Levithan’s collection of stories about love that crosses the borders and boundaries of the human heart; DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, a story of paranormal romance from Laurie Faria Stolarz that revolves around a fairly ordinary 16-year-old protagonist whose life is turned upside down when a mysterious new guy starts junior year at her high school; and DREAM GIRL, Lauren Mechling’s novel about a girl whose world becomes a whole lot clearer --- and dangerous --- after receiving a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain from her grandmother.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

November 2009

2009-11-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of November.

Reviews and Excerpts
SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel, by Anna Godbersen (Historical Romance)
In this dramatic conclusion to Anna Godbersen’s bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away, or will they shine ever brighter? Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood.
- Click here to browse inside SPLENDOR.

FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Fiction)
In this conclusion to the Dairy Queen trilogy, D.J. Schwenk returns to her small-town high school --- only to find herself the focus of far too much attention. From an old friend now hot for romance, to college recruiters and rabid local hoops fans, to Brian Nelson, how will shy, quiet D.J. handle things now that she’s front and center? Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt of FRONT AND CENTER.

THE VAN ALEN LEGACY: A Blue Bloods Novel, by Melissa de la Cruz (Fantasy/Horror)
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Reviewed by Amy Alessio.
- Click here to read Melissa de la Cruz’s Teenreads.com blog post, “A Writer is A Reader, Also, Decisiveness.”
- Click here to read an interview with Melissa de la Cruz on the Teenreads.com Blog.

DARK CALLING: The Demonata, Book 9 by Darren Shan (Horror/Supernatural)
The Disciples are being manipulated by beings older than time. Only Kernel Fleck knows that something is wrong. But he is in the grip of a creature who cares nothing for the fate of humanity. Voices are calling to him from the darkness, and he's powerless to resist. Kernel has already been to hell and back. Now he's about to go further... Reviewed by Sally Tibbetts.

GOTH GIRL RISING by Barry Lyga (Fiction)
After six months in a mental hospital, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is ready to make up with Fanboy, the only person who has ever appreciated her for who she really is. But then she sees him. And the anger and memories come rushing back. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

THE GATES by John Connolly (Fantasy/Thriller)
Bursting with imagination, THE GATES is about the pull between good and evil, physics and fantasy. It’s about a quirky and eccentric boy who’s impossible not to love, and the unlikely cast of characters who give him the strength to stand up to a demonic power. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ICE by Sarah Beth Durst (Fantasy)
Based on a Scandinavian fairy tale, the whimsical story ICE recalls a legend of the Polar Bear King and his arranged marriage to a beautiful human girl. In a bargain to free her captive mother, Cassandra Dasent willingly enters the magical realm of the munaqsri with the creature who would take her as a bride. The promise of uniting with her love will send the maiden on a long journey to a realm beyond the ends of the Earth. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

SOLACE OF THE ROAD by Siobhan Dowd (Fiction)
Fifteen-year-old Holly Hogan bides her time in yet another foster home before running away again. With her silvery-blonde wig, she is transformed into the fierce and fearless Solace, bound for the green hills of Ireland to find her Mam. In what will regrettably be Siobhan Dowd’s last book, her superb story forces you to relive the dreams and horrors of the girl’s life. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

DESTINY’S PATH: Warrior Princess, Book Two by Frewin Jones (Historical Fantasy)
After an epic battle that left her home in flames and her father dead, Branwen knows that now is the time to follow her Warrior Princess destiny. But she soon finds that those she trusts most are capable of the greatest betrayal. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE BOOK OF SAMUEL by Erik Raschke (Fiction)
Twelve-year-old Samuel Gerard is aptly named after his Bible counterpart. Despite his father abandoning him and a host of school problems, Samuel feels called to save the world, starting with those around him. Will he succeed at bringing peace, or lose out on the joys of childhood? Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.
- Click here to read Erik Raschke’s Teenreads.com blog post, “Clothe the Naked.”

THE CIRCLE OF GOLD: The Book of Time III, by Guillaume Prevost (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
In the final installment of The Book of Time trilogy, 14-year-old Samuel Faulkner once again travels through time to exotic and frightening places. During this quest, he risks his health and his life to rescue his love interest, Alicia, bring his father out of a coma and try to reverse his mother’s death. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

WHEN THE SNOW FELL by Henning Mankell (Fiction)
In this companion novel to A BRIDGE TO THE STARS and SHADOWS IN THE TWILIGHT, readers follow Joel Gustafson’s journey as he realizes along the way that it will require determination, strength and valor to truly become a man. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise Haines (Fiction)
Lyn has grown up in the gladiator spotlight, a modern-day sport as big and popular as football. She has had seven gladiator fathers, six of whom were killed in an arena all in the name of entertainment. When the seventh dies, one of the Gladiator Sports Association rules requires Lyn to marry the victor. But Lyn proposes an alternate solution --- she will meet her father’s murderer in the arena and fight to the death. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

JUMPING OFF SWINGS by Jo Knowles (Fiction)
In Jo Knowles’s well-received first novel, LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL, she examined how patterns of abuse and dysfunction formed in childhood can have unforeseen implications years down the road. In her second work of fiction, JUMPING OFF SWINGS, Knowles also explores the surprisingly wide-reaching influence of a single event. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read Jo Knowles’ Teenreads.com blog post, “Did It Happen to You?”

SINGING FOR MRS. PETTIGREW: Stories and Essays from a Writing Life , by Michael Morpurgo (Short Stories/Essays)
This collection of short stories, essays and commentaries was written by Michael Morpurgo, the Children’s Laureate of Britain from 2003 to 2005. Morpurgo gives some background about his early life, and explains how a love of words and a very active imagination combined with life experience and education to make him the highly respected writer/storyteller he has become today. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

Author Interviews
Frank Beddor
Frank Beddor's latest book, MAD WITH WONDER, is the second installment in his graphic novel companion series to The Looking Glass Wars trilogy, a prose re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Benjamin Boche, Beddor discusses how a London exhibit on playing cards prompted his search for the "true" story behind this classic tale, and explains why he chose to tell the story of the Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan in this visual format. He also describes his experiences working with a co-writer and an illustrator, muses on the enduring appeal of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and shares details about what's in store for his main characters in Volume Three of the Hatter M series, THE NATURE OF WONDER.

Holiday Basket of Cheer Contest
Celebrate the season with Teenreads.com's Fourth Annual Holiday Basket of Cheer feature and contest! From November 13th through December 10th, you can enter to win a "Basket of Holiday Reading and Fun."

Five winners each will receive a festive basket that includes 10 of the holiday's hottest books --- THE AMANDA PROJECT: BOOK 1: INVISIBLE I by Melissa Kantor, DEADLY LITTLE LIES by Laurie Faria Stolarz, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford, IT’S ALL GOOD: A So For Real Novel by Nikki Carter, A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD by Lisa Ann Sandell, NEED by Carrie Jones, SECRET SOCIETY by Tom Dolby, SPLENDOR: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE AWAKENING by L.J. Smith, and VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani.

Along with the books, winners will find their basket stocked with tons of seasonal goodies --- a kit to make a mini gingerbread village, Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate mix, peppermint bark candy, a snowflake patterned fleece blanket, red woolen gloves, a snowman ceramic coffee mug, plush warm socks, snowflake tissues, and gourmet hand-cut vanilla marshmallows.

What to Give, What to Get
Sometimes deciding what to get is as hard as deciding what to give. So we've created a special What to Give, What to Get Guide --- a list of books just for teens that will give you tons of gift-giving ideas (and maybe a few to put on YOUR list). Happy Holidays!

Special Features
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford (Fiction)
Icelandic hairdressers are the happiest people in the world. Bea is not an Icelandic hairdresser. Neither is Jonah. But together, they might find something approaching happiness.

New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. You know the type: very cheery, very friendly, very average. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost boy, a quiet observer who hasn’t made a new friend since third grade. He’s not a big fan of people in general…but he’s willing to make an exception for her. Maybe.

Bea and Jonah are not going to have a friendship like other people have a friendship, where it’s all based on gossip and parties and what everybody else thinks. Instead, their friendship comes from truth-bound conversations, shared secrets, daring stunts, and late-night calls to the same old-timer radio show. They help each other and hurt each other, push away and hold close. It’s not romance, exactly --- but it’s definitely love. And it means more to them than either one can ever really know…

For anyone who’s ever entered the wonderful, treacherous, consuming, meaningful world of a true friendship, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT will strike a deep and lasting chord.
- Click here to read an excerpt from HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT
- Click here to read Natalie Standiford’s bio.

BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS written by Laurie Faria Stolarz and artwork by Janina Görrissen (Graphic Novel)
The Blue is for Nightmares series that put a spell on more than half a million readers continues --- in graphic novel format! Prophetic nightmares. Near-brushes with death. Killers pursuing her and her friends. Stacey Brown knows that being a hereditary witch isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

All she really wants to do is work things out with Jacob and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. But before Stacey and Jacob can have a future, they must face their pasts. BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS reveals the never-before-seen backstory --- and what lies ahead --- for the young, spellcasting lovers.

BLACK continues the harrowing adventures of Stacey and Jacob in the wake of Jacob's brush with death. Ever since he lost his memory, Jacob hasn't been able to remember Stacey --- his own soul mate. He leaves Massachusetts, returning to his childhood home in Colorado, hoping to jog his memory. What he remembers is Kira, his ex-girlfriend. As Jacob works to piece together his past, will there be room for Stacey in his future?
- Click here to read more about BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS.
- Click here to browse inside BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS.
- Click here to read our interview with Laurie Faria Stolarz.
- Click here to read Laurie Faria Stolarz’s bio.

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book Two: Kith written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh (Graphic Novel)
Rue Silver's life is not what it appears to be. Her mother is a faerie, and has been taken back to the faerie realm. As Rue goes to bring her back, she must travel deep into an inhuman world. At the same time, the faerie realm is venturing into our world too, and taking its toll on those Rue loves. When her grandfather's plans threaten Rue's city, she realizes that she's the only one who can stop him. But is Rue a human or a faerie? Where does she fit? How does she know the difference between love and enchantment?
- Click here to look inside KITH.
- Click here to read our interview with Holly Black.
- Click here to read Holly Black’s bio.

THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER by David Whitley (Fantasy/Thriller)
In the tower of Count Stelli in the ancient city-state of Agora, two children meet, apparently by chance. Mark has escaped the plague ravaging the city’s slums, and Lily is the servant who takes care of him. At first, their only goal is survival: in Agora everything can be bought and sold, debt is death, and Mark and Lily must barter their labor for their lives. When Lily escapes the tower for the city outside, Mark stays on as a servant to the count. Though Mark and Lily choose two very different paths, their lives remain strangely intertwined by the long-held secret prophecy of the Midnight Charter. What is the charter? Who knows of its power, and why are Mark and Lily destined to uncover its meaning?

As the mystery of the charter unfolds, Mark and Lily face dangerous enemies and shifting loyalties --- and a choice that could shape the future for all of Agora.
- Click here to read more about THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER.
- Click here to read our interview with David Whitley.
- Click here to read David Whitley’s bio.

Books into Movies
This month’s Books into Movies Feature includes:
New Moon
Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Cool New Books
November and December’s roundup of Cool New Books includes RAVEN SUMMER, a captivating novel from Printz Award winner David Almond, in which the discovery of an abandoned baby ultimately leads to a boy’s fateful encounter with two foster care children; DEADLY LITTLE LIES, the second installment in Laurie Faria Stolarz’s thrilling and chilling paranormal Touch series; DAWN, Kevin Brooks’s provocative dissection of family, friendship and faith; CLAIM TO FAME, Margaret Peterson Haddix’s novel about a young TV star with a strange power whose kidnapping forces her to confront everything she’s hiding from; and TANGLED by Carolyn Mackler, a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.

New in Paperback
November and December’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes FOREVER PRINCESS, the 10th and final installment in Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series, which finds Mia in her last year of high school and with plenty of nerve-racking decisions still to make; HOW THEY MET, AND OTHER STORIES, David Levithan’s collection of stories about love that crosses the borders and boundaries of the human heart; DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, a story of paranormal romance from Laurie Faria Stolarz that revolves around a fairly ordinary 16-year-old protagonist whose life is turned upside down when a mysterious new guy starts junior year at her high school; and DREAM GIRL, Lauren Mechling’s novel about a girl whose world becomes a whole lot clearer --- and dangerous --- after receiving a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain from her grandmother.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

October 2009

2009-10-30T21:15:00.002-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of October.

Reviews and Excerpts
FIRE by Kristin Cashore (Fantasy)
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from FIRE.
- Click here to see the book trailer and casting widget for FIRE.

LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld (Alternate Historical Fiction)
With World War I brewing, Prince Aleksandar of Austria is on the run with the hope of finding peace from the enemies who want him dead. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp has managed to enlist in the British Air Service, even though girls are strictly forbidden. Will these sworn adversaries unite when both their livelihoods are threatened? Reviewed by Benjamin Boche and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from LEVIATHAN.

ARCHENEMY: The Looking Glass Wars, Book 3 by Frank Beddor (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
Imagination has been lost in Wonderland. Queen Alyss and her evil aunt, Redd Heart, are wondering aimlessly while King Arch of Borderland has taken control of the powerful Heart Crystal. Alyss’s only hope to regain the power of imagination is to work with the last person she expected --- Redd. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED by Nancy Farmer (Fantasy)
Jack, an apprentice bard, and his friend Thorgil, a shield maiden, have survived many adventures together. They have traveled the Hollow Road deep underground. They have visited Jotunheim, land of the trolls. They have even seen Yggdrasil, the world tree. The ringing of a magic bell sets their third adventure into motion. Visiting the realm of the fin folk and quelling unrestful spirits are just a few of the stops in Nancy Farmer’s final volume of her Sea of Trolls trilogy. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood.

SKELETON CREEK #2: GHOST IN THE MACHINE by Patrick Carman (Mystery/Suspense)
Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek --- and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secrets buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

HOW TO STEAL A CAR by Pete Hautman (Fiction)
Some teenagers have healthy outlets for stress. These include sports, music and sleeping. Other teenagers take the rebellious route. They drink, sleep around, or are prone to violence. For 15-year-old Kelleigh Monahan it is stealing cars --- and she can’t stop at just one. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

PURPLE HEART by Patricia McCormick (Fiction)
Matt Duffy is a private in the U.S. Army, serving in the Iraq War. After an attack by Iraqi insurgents, Matt wakes up in a green-zone hospital bed and is told that he was "on the business end of an RPG" (rocket-propelled grenade.) He has sustained a traumatic brain injury and is awarded the Purple Heart for service to his country. Still trying to piece together what happened to his squad, Matt faces a criminal inquiry relating to civilian casualties in the attack. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

LEIGH ANN’S CIVIL WAR by Ann Rinaldi (Historical Fiction)
Ann Rinaldi is one of the most popular historical fiction writers for young people today. One of her favorite topics, the American Civil War, comes alive again in this novel told through the point of view of 11-year-old Leigh Ann Conners, a half-Cherokee girl living in Georgia. The story revolves around Leigh Ann’s tumultuous family life, the difficulties of growing up in a fractured nation, and the effects that war had not only on the country, but on the individual person as well. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

CHANGE-UP: Mystery at the World Series, by John Feinstein (Fiction)
An underdog team stuns the baseball world by winning the National League Championship Series. An obscure minor leaguer is called up late to pitch in the “Bigs.” In John Feinstein’s latest sports mystery, teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson uncover a secret that could affect the outcome of the World Series. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr (Fiction)
To everyone else, Samara’s life and family may seem perfect, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Her pastor father is too busy helping the congregation to have time for Sam, her seemingly perfect mom is battling an alcohol addiction, and she is struggling with her faith. To complicate life even more, a girl in the church is abducted, setting the town in an uproar. Sam desperately grasps for someone or something to hold on to while her world spins out of control. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.
- Click here to read Sara Zarr’s blog post, "Being Funny, Writing Serious."

Author Interviews
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Laurie Faria Stolarz is the acclaimed author of such young adult books as BLEED, PROJECT 17 and the Touch series. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Usha Reynolds, Stolarz explains what inspired her to create her latest work, BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS, as a graphic novel companion to her Blue is for Nightmares series, and discusses how she was able to transition easily between the two formats. She also describes how her upbringing in Salem, MA influenced her writing and research on the paranormal subjects in her work, and reveals how she stays current on what's important to her teen audiences.

Holly Black
Holly Black's latest book, KITH, is the second installment in The Good Neighbors trilogy --- a graphic novel collaboration with artist Ted Naifeh about a young girl who finds herself caught in a battle between the good and evil forces of the faerie realm. In this interview with Teenreads.com's John Hogan, Black brings us up to speed with protagonist Rue Silver since the end of the series' first book, KIN, and elaborates on the complex relationship Rue has with her mother. She also explains how she became interested in comics, discusses the origins of her fascination with ghosts and faeries, and shares details about what's in store for her characters in the next and final chapter of the series.

Laini Taylor
Teenreads.com's Usha Reynolds recently spoke with author and artist Laini Taylor, whose latest release, LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES, is an illustrated collection of three fantasy short stories about love and romance, each of which share a common theme --- a transformative and sometimes dangerous first kiss. In this interview, Taylor explains the book's origins as an online writing exercise and discusses the stories' various sources of inspiration, such as mythology, world religions and 19th-century poetry. She also recalls the experience of collaborating with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, sheds light on the stories' recurring themes, and lists some of her old and new favorite books and authors.

David Whitley
David Whitley's debut novel, THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER, is the first book in a trilogy that follows two orphaned servant children attempting to survive in a city where their fate is dictated by their worth. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sarah Rachel Egelman, Whitley elaborates on this complex fictional city --- from its lack of religion to its 18th-century influences --- and discusses the inspiration behind its unusual and rather dangerous economic system. He also describes the significance of his main characters' names, lists some of his favorite dystopian novels, and shares details about what readers can look forward to in the second installment of the series.

David Small
Having made a name for himself writing and illustrating children's books for nearly three decades, award-winning author David Small recently turned his attention to more serious and personal matters, penning a memoir in graphic novel form that chronicles his childhood in an abusive and emotionally absent household. In this interview with John Hogan, the Editorial Director for GraphicNovelReporter.com, Small talks about what prompted this departure from his usual fare, and recalls both the traumatic and thrilling experiences of reliving such a painful period in his life. He also explains what he has since learned about his family that perhaps provides some insight into their behavior, and shares how his upbringing helped shape him into the artist he is today.

Special Features
BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS written by Laurie Faria Stolarz and artwork by Janina Görrissen (Graphic Novel)
The Blue is for Nightmares series that put a spell on more than half a million readers continues --- in graphic novel format! Prophetic nightmares. Near-brushes with death. Killers pursuing her and her friends. Stacey Brown knows that being a hereditary witch isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

All she really wants to do is work things out with Jacob and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. But before Stacey and Jacob can have a future, they must face their pasts. BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS reveals the never-before-seen backstory --- and what lies ahead --- for the young, spellcasting lovers.

BLACK continues the harrowing adventures of Stacey and Jacob in the wake of Jacob's brush with death. Ever since he lost his memory, Jacob hasn't been able to remember Stacey --- his own soul mate. He leaves Massachusetts, returning to his childhood home in Colorado, hoping to jog his memory. What he remembers is Kira, his ex-girlfriend. As Jacob works to piece together his past, will there be room for Stacey in his future?
- Click here to read more about BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS.
- Click here to browse inside BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS.
- Click here to read Laurie Faria Stolarz’s bio.

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book Two: Kith written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh (Graphic Novel)
Rue Silver's life is not what it appears to be. Her mother is a faerie, and has been taken back to the faerie realm. As Rue goes to bring her back, she must travel deep into an inhuman world. At the same time, the faerie realm is venturing into our world too, and taking its toll on those Rue loves. When her grandfather's plans threaten Rue's city, she realizes that she's the only one who can stop him. But is Rue a human or a faerie? Where does she fit? How does she know the difference between love and enchantment?

- Click here to look inside KITH.
- Click here to read Holly Black’s bio.

THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER by David Whitley (Fantasy/Thriller)
In the tower of Count Stelli in the ancient city-state of Agora, two children meet, apparently by chance. Mark has escaped the plague ravaging the city’s slums, and Lily is the servant who takes care of him. At first, their only goal is survival: in Agora everything can be bought and sold, debt is death, and Mark and Lily must barter their labor for their lives. When Lily escapes the tower for the city outside, Mark stays on as a servant to the count. Though Mark and Lily choose two very different paths, their lives remain strangely intertwined by the long-held secret prophecy of the Midnight Charter. What is the charter? Who knows of its power, and why are Mark and Lily destined to uncover its meaning?

As the mystery of the charter unfolds, Mark and Lily face dangerous enemies and shifting loyalties --- and a choice that could shape the future for all of Agora.
- Click here to read more about THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER.
- Click here to read David Whitley’s bio.

Contests
Win a Copy of THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT AND OTHER TALES FROM THE CIRQUE DU FREAK by Darren Shan
To celebrate the release of the major motion picture Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Teenreads.com is giving 50 readers the chance to win a special edition movie poster and a copy of THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT AND OTHER TALES FROM THE CIRQUE DU FREAK by Darren Shan. This new movie edition paperback features the first three books of the series --- A LIVING NIGHTMARE, THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT and TUNNELS OF BLOOD --- bound up in one volume.

To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, November 19th at 11:59PM.

Who are Darren's three best friends?

You can find the answer by reading an excerpt from CIRQUE DU FREAK: A LIVING NIGHTMARE here.
- Click here to read more about THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT AND OTHER TALES FROM THE CIRQUE DU FREAK.
- Visit the official movie site, http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/.

Win a Copy of THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by other boys of various ages --- trapped within a maze.

To celebrate the October 6th release of THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner, Teenreads.com is giving 30 readers the chance to win a copy of this highly anticipated first installment in a planned trilogy. To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Monday, November 16th at 11:59PM.

What does the boy call Thomas once he is lifted out of the box and into the Glade?

You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.
- Click here to read Chapters 1-9 online!

Books into Movies
This Month’s Books into Movies Feature includes:
The Vampire’s Assistant
Where the Wild Things Are
Whip It
Twilight
A Christmas Carol

Cool New Books
October’s roundup of Cool New Books includes THE MAZE RUNNER, a post-apocalyptic thriller by James Dashner in which a 16-year-old wakes up and finds himself surrounded by other boys of various ages --- trapped within a maze; FIRE, a companion to Kristin Cashore’s acclaimed fantasy novel GRACELING; LEVIATHAN, a departure from Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series that he describes as “a steampunk-zombie-airship adventure” set during World War I; and THE VAN ALEN LEGACY, the fourth installment in Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods vampire series.

We also spotlight a number of popular series that are coming to an end in October. Among these concluding titles are SPLENDOR (The Luxe by Anna Godbersen), ARE THESE MY BASOOMAS I SEE BEFORE ME? (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison), ARCHENEMY (The Looking Glass Wars trilogy by Frank Beddor) and FRONT AND CENTER (the Dairy Queen trilogy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock).

New in Paperback
October’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES, the sequel to the National Book Award winner THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, in which M. T. Anderson recounts Octavian's experiences as the Revolutionary War explodes around him; RUNEMARKS, a fresh, funny and wonderfully irreverent new take on the old Norse tales, marking the fantasy debut of bestselling author Joanne Harris; KIN, the first book in Holly Black’s graphic novel series, The Good Neighbors; PLAY ME, a story of love, loss and redemption from GOOD GIRLS author Laura Ruby; and LET IT SNOW, a trio of interconnecting holiday-themed romance stories written by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

September 2009

2009-09-30T15:30:00.003-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of September.

Reviews and Excerpts
GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray (Fiction)
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school --- and life in general --- with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he is sick and is going to die. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure --- if he’s willing to go in search of it. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from GOING BOVINE.
- Click here to read Libba Bray’s blog post, “Why I Love Disney World.”

VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani (Fiction
Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. There's no way she's going to survive the year. Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be. Reviewed by Lourdes Orive and excerpted.
- Click here to browse inside VIOLA IN REEL LIFE.

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST by Rick Yancey (Gothic Horror)
An apprentice to a monstrumologist, or monster hunter, should be familiar with the strange and unexplainable. Twelve-year-old orphan Will Henry is no exception. When monsters that feed through mouths of sharp teeth located in their bellies start terrorizing a local town, Will Henry’s apprentice skills are put to the test. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST.

LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW by David Levithan (Fiction)
The lives of three teens are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt fom LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW.
- Click here to read a Q&A with David Levithan on the Teenreads.com Blog.

TRICKS by Ellen Hopkins (Fiction)
Ellen Hopkins’s sixth novel in verse is a blistering account of five very different young people’s descent into the desperate, dangerous world of teenage prostitution. These moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story --- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down and growing up. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

FOREST BORN: The Books of Bayern, Book 4 by Shannon Hale (Fantasy)
The Books of Bayern series continues in this latest installment with Razo’s younger sister, Forest-born Rin, traveling to the city and meeting up with Isi, Enna and Dasha. A mysterious threat sends the four women on a journey full of self-discovery and the usual mix of humor and suspense. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.
- Click here to read Shannon Hale's blog post, "Shannon Hale on the Give-and-Take of Storytelling."
LIAR by Justine Larbalestier (Psychological Thriller)
Micah is a compulsive liar, but she’s making a concerted effort to tell the truth to you, the reader, after her boyfriend Zach is found murdered. But is she telling the truth? This novel shies away from nothing and plays with your mind the whole way through. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.

NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner (Fantasy)
Zack Thomson has spent almost his whole life in a mental ward that looks after his special condition. When a crazed old man breaks in and tells Zack to run, Zack is forced on a journey that has him confronting the truth --- vampires exist and he is one of them. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.
- Click here to read Max Turner’s blog post, “Max Turner on Writing the ‘Perfect Bad Guy.’”

RAGE: A Love Story, by Julie Anne Peters (Fiction)
Johanna dreams of finding love like her sister and her husband, or her friend Novak with her guy of the week. Unfortunately, she thinks that the girl she fantasizes about doesn’t know she’s alive. But then Reeve does notice her and things go really wrong. Author Julie Anne Peters garnered a National Book Award nomination for LUNA, her novel about a transgender character, and she tackles another tough subject here: dating abuse. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

THE GEORGES AND THE JEWELS by Jane Smiley (Fiction)
In the 1960s, seventh grader Abby Lovitt lives on a small California horse ranch with her strict but kind parents. Normally, Abby loves helping to train the horses and rarely does she encounter a problem that she can’t handle --- until she meets Ornery George. The two of them just can’t seem to speak the same language. But then an unusual man drops by and shows Abby another way to communicate with the horses. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink (Fantasy)
When Lia Milthorpe’s father dies, she thinks she’ll at least have her brother, Henry, and her twin sister, Alice, to share in her mourning. But when the siblings become parentless, Lia learns of an ancient prophecy that pits her and her twin against each other. As Lia struggles to battle ancient dark forces, she must also grapple with her position in the prophecy and decide whether she has free will in it all. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.
- Click here to read Michelle Zink’s blog post, “Outlines, Magic and Not Knowing.”

THE DEMON’S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan (Urban Fantasy)
Sarah Rees Brennan’s debut novel introduces readers to a world of magicians and demons, possession and obsession --- and two memorable brothers who inhabit it. THE DEMON’S LEXICON will keep its audience guessing through a series of increasingly shocking revelations, including one that is a complete game-changer. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

Graphic Novels and Manga
BLOODY KISS, Volume 1 written and illustrated by Kazuko Furumiya
When Kiyo inherits a rundown mansion from her grandmother, she doesn’t realize there are already boarders --- two handsome vampires who quickly decide that Kiyo should become a vampire’s bride. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

CANON, Volumes 3 and 4 written and illustrated by Chika Shiomi
Canon finds the vampire who killed her friends and turned her into a vampire herself. But what used to be obvious is now confusing, and not everyone is telling her the truth. She starts to realize that what she believed was true is actually a lie. Reviewed by Danica Davidson.

THE TAROT CAFE, Volumes 1-3 written and illustrated by Sang-Sun Park
Pamela, who was born in Scotland hundreds of years ago, helps people --- and mythical creatures --- by giving them tarot readings. The artwork in The Tarot Café series is amazing. Reviewed by Danica Davidson.

SARASAH, Volume 1 written and illustrated by Ryu Ryang
Ji-Hae has no luck getting love in modern-day Korea. Then a goddess sends her back in time more than a thousand years for another shot at romance. Hopefully things will work out better this time! Reviewed by Danica Davidson.

Author Interviews
Michelle Moran
Michelle Moran is the bestselling author of three works of historical fiction --- NEFERTITI, THE HERETIC'S QUEEN and the newly released CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER --- each of which is centered on legendary princesses of ancient Egypt. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Melanie Smith, Moran recalls the college experience that sparked her interest in this particular time and setting, and recounts the moments of inspiration that prompted her to write each of her books. She also provides some background information on her characters, shares what she hopes readers will take away from her work, and reveals which historical era she will focus on in her next novel.

Kazu Kibuishi
Comic book artist Kazu Kibuishi is the founder and editor of the comic anthology Flight, as well as the creator of Amulet, a young adult graphic novel series about two children who must rescue their mother, taken captive by a dangerous creature inhabiting a sinister underground world found below the basement of the great-grandfather's home. In this interview with Teenreads.com's John Hogan, Kibuishi provides insight into the process of creating the series and credits the legendary film The Empire Strikes Back as a source of inspiration for its newly released second installment, THE STONEKEEPER'S CURSE. He also discusses his background in animation, recalls some of the first comics he enjoyed as a child, and shares details about projects currently in the works.

Author Talk
Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins's latest book, CATCHING FIRE, revisits the dystopian world of Panem and its victorious tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, first introduced in the 2008 bestseller THE HUNGER GAMES. In this updated interview, Collins discusses the various sources --- ranging from Greek mythology to reality television --- that inspired the plot of this futuristic sci-fi trilogy and explains how her father's stories from her childhood helped her with elements of the novel's plot, themes and characters. She also gives readers insight into how she has mapped out plot and character developments for each book, shares what she found most surprising about the feedback she received from fans, and imagines what her own special skill would be if she was ever required to participate in the Games.

Special Features
CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.
- Click here to read an excerpt from CATCHING FIRE.
- Click here to read Suzanne Collins’s bio.

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran (Historical Fiction)
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two --- the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander --- survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER, a fascinating portrait of imperial Rome and of the people and events of this glorious and most tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadows of the past, Selene, a young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.
- Click here to read an excerpt from CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER.
- Click here to read Michelle Moran’s bio.
- Click here to read Michell Moran's blog post, "Why Cleopatra's Daughter?"

LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES written by Laini Taylor and illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo (Supernatural Romance/Short Stories)
Three tales of supernatural love that all hinge on a life-changing kiss.

Everyone dreams of getting the kiss of a lifetime --- but what if that kiss carried some unexpected consequences? A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging --- literally belonging --- to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to child-bearing age.

From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.
- Click here to read an excerpt from LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES.
- Click here to read Laini Taylor’s bio.

Contests
THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner (Science Fiction)
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade --- a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up --- the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read Chapters 1-9 online!

Feature and Contest
GREEN: The Circle, Book Zero: The Beginning and the End, by Ted Dekker (Fantasy/Suspense)
At Last…The Circle Reborn

The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. GREEN is a story of love, betrayal and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

But even more, GREEN brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to BLACK and sequel to WHITE, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers…and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced BLACK, RED and WHITE.
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read Ted Dekker’s bio.

AMULET, BOOK TWO: THE STONEKEEPER’S CURSE written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi (Graphic Novel)
Emily and Navin’s mother is in grave danger, and there’s only one place to find help: Kanalis, the bustling, beautiful city of waterfalls. Leon Redbeard, a mysterious fox, joins Emily, Navin and Miskit on their journey, as they are pursued by the Elf King’s son, Trellis, and his dangerous guard. In order to save them all, Emily has to unleash the power of the amulet --- but can she do so without destroying herself?
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read Kazu Kibuishi’s bio.

Cool New Books Roundup
September’s roundup of Cool New Books includes CATCHING FIRE, the powerful second installment in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games Trilogy, which continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen; GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray, in which a 16-year-old who just wants to get through high school finds out he’s dying of mad cow disease; THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, a gothic tour de force from critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?; FOREST BORN, the fourth title in Shannon Hale’s The Books of Bayern series, an emotionally wrenching journey of self-discovery set in the magical and alluring world first encountered in THE GOOSE GIRL; and VIOLA IN REEL LIFE, Adriana Trigiani’s novel about a group of boarding school friends navigating the ups and downs of living together, falling in love, and following their dreams.

New in Paperback
September’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes ENVY, the third installment in the Luxe series, Anna Godbersen’s thrilling saga of romance, scandal and intrigue in the Gilded Age; PAPER TOWNS, which marks the highly anticipated return of Printz Medalist John Green in an irresistible plot combining a friendship tale, a road trip and a mystery; Shannon Hale’s BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS, a unique retelling of a little-known Grimm’s fairy tale filled with adventure, romance, drama and disguise; CONNECTING, a continuation of Wendy Corsi Staub’s paranormal suspense series, in which Calla finally uncovers the mystery behind her mother’s death; and LIVING DEAD GIRL, Elizabeth Scott's deeply disturbing and heart-wrenching novel about a girl who suffers indescribable physical and mental abuse at the hands of her abductor.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

August 2009

2009-08-31T12:36:00.009-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of August.

Also mentioned in the Teenreads.com Newsletter Opener, which can be read here:

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins
PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS by Michelle Zink
TEMPO CHANGE by Barbara Hall
LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW by David Levithan

Reviews and Excerpts
ALPHAS by Lisi Harrison (Fiction)
Lisi Harrison, bestselling author of the Clique novels, presents a new series about fierce competition. Alpha Academy is an ultra-exclusive boarding school designed to prepare the next generation of world-class females. Everything is put on hold as the desire to be the best sometimes means crushing those beneath you. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

DANIEL X: WATCH THE SKIES by James Patterson and Ned Rust (Science Fiction)
All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems. A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos --- and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home. Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt of DANIEL X: WATCH THE SKIES.

GIRL STAYS IN THE PICTURE: A Girl Novel, by Melissa de la Cruz (Fiction)
Melissa de la Cruz begins another hot new series with GIRL STAYS IN THE PICTURE, the story of three teens in the South of France who work in the movie industry. Devon, Livia and Casey struggle to find their footing and a way to stand up for themselves among several phony people trying to bring them down. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

INTERTWINED by Gena Showalter (Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance)
One gifted teen unknowingly attracts humans and creatures with supernatural abilities. Aden Stone has four souls within his body, each with a unique talent. Julian can raise the dead, Elijah can tell the future, Eve can travel through time, and Caleb can possess other bodies. Elijah has predicted Aden's death in one possible future, but within that future also lies a chance to set the souls free. Reviewed by Melanie Smith and excerpted.

CHELSEY written by Chelsey Shannon, edited by Deborah Reber (Memoir)
Chelsey was dealt the unthinkable. When Her Only Surviving Parent, her beloved father, was violently murdered days before her 14th birthday, Chelsey's life was forever changed. As she was forced to come to terms with a new home life, a new school, a new identity as an orphan, Chelsey struggled to make sense of her personal tragedy. Yet she found a way to flourish despite all the odds. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

EMILY written by Emily Smucker, edited by Deborah Reber (Memoir)
Plagued with some sort of cold or fever or bizarre aches and pains for much of her life, Emily thought the dizziness and stomach aches at the start of her senior year were just another bout of "Emily flu." But when they didn't go away, she knew something was seriously wrong. Eventually diagnosed with the rare and incurable West Nile virus, Emily watched her senior year and the future she had planned for go up in smoke. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

MARNI written by Marni Bates, edited by Deborah Reber (Memoir)
Unable to deal with the mounting stress at home, in school and with friends, Marni's compulsion to pluck out her eyebrows, eyelashes --- even the hair from the top of her head --- helped her to quiet her mind and escape the pressures of the world around her. Marni first began pulling the summer just before entering high school, and she was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, by the time she discovered that her habit was an actual disorder, it was way too late. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

ANDROMEDA KLEIN by Frank Portman (Fiction)
In this highly original tale, Andromeda Klein's best friend, "Twice Holy Soror" Daisy Wasserstrom, has died; Andromeda's crush has abandoned her; and the Friends of the Library are unwittingly unraveling her spiritual quest. Yet Andromeda's life rolls on, aided by her tarot readings, mysterious dreams, quirky "friends" and the belief that Daisy is trying to contact her. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

GEEKTASTIC: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Fiction/Short Stories)
Don’t be put off by the title, as GEEKTASTIC is full of stories by many prominent and acclaimed authors of young adult literature. Whether you’re a die-hard geek or a regular everyday geek, there is something for everyone in this collection. It’s time to embrace your inner geek. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

IF THE WITNESS LIED by Caroline B. Cooney (Thriller)
Teenagers Madison, Jack, Smithy and Tris Fountain were subject to the whims of the media after the deaths of their parents made national headlines. Was baby Tris really responsible for such tragic events? Could the only witness have lied? Television cameras are clamoring to capture what happens next. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

TOMBSTONE TEA by Joanne Dahme (Horror/Suspense)
Jessie is new to Philadelphia and desperately lonely. So when a few girls who are part of the “in-crowd” offer up a dare in order to join their group, Jessie jumps at the chance. All she has to do is survive a night alone in a cemetery. But it turns out she’s not alone --- and she’ll be lucky to escape with her life. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

JAKE RANSOM AND THE SKULL KING’S SHADOW by James Rollins (Fiction/Action & Adventure)
When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from which they never returned leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance --- if Jake and Kady can survive long enough to solve the mystery. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE LOST SUMMER by Kathryn Williams (Fiction)
Helena Waite has been attending the same summer camp for years and loving every minute of it. But this year, Helena returns to Southpoint not as a camper, but as a counselor. Unfortunately, best friend Katie Bell, who missed the age requirement by only a few months, must remain a camper for another year. But that shouldn’t matter, right? Surely, camp will be as amazing as ever. However, little do they know, this summer will change their lives forever. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE ORANGE HOUSES by Paul Griffin (Fiction)
Not many books will tell you the end of the story on the first page. The prelude to this astounding novel tells of the end --- the hanging of Jimmi Sixes, a war veteran from a row of orange houses in New York. After Jimmi received a mandatory discharge from service and returned home, he was hung on the streets of his own neighborhood by a mob. The focus of this rare book is the few spirited inhabitants of the orange houses who endure a darker side of life than most. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

SECRETS OF TRUTH & BEAUTY by Megan Frazer (Fiction)
When a disastrously misinterpreted English project lands Dara Cohen in the counselor's office --- and her parents pull her out of school to save face --- she opts to visit her estranged sister at the Jezebel Goat Farm in Hollis, Massachussetts. Life on the farm becomes a cooperative experience for Dara that encourages true bonds of family and discovery of her own self worth. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

Author Interview
Avi
In this interview with Teenreads.com's Norah Piehl, award-winning children's and young adult author Avi discusses why he chose to revisit characters from his 1999 novel, MIDNIGHT MAGIC, in his 70th published work, MURDER AT MIDNIGHT, and his reasoning behind the book's recurring elements and unique format. He also elaborates on some of its characters --- most notably a magician who doesn't believe in magic --- explains how his interest in history influences his story ideas, and shares details about the projects he's currently working on.

Special Features
MURDER AT MIDNIGHT by Avi (Mystery)
A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy. Mangus the Magician has been marked as an easy scapegoat for the traitor lurking within the king’s court. Against all odds, his faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio, sets out to solve the mystery and prove his master’s innocence before the stroke of midnight…in order to save him from certain death!

Intricate plotting, surprise twists, a marvelous literary duo, and an artful blend of medieval history with magic and intrigue make for another gripping and suspenseful page-turner that stands alone or sets the stage for more captivating adventure in MIDNIGHT MAGIC!
- Click here to read an excerpt from MURDER AT MIDNIGHT
- Click here to read Avi’s bio.

DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA: HANNAH by Kathryn Lasky (Fantasy)
Hannah Albury is not like other girls in the turn-of-the-century Boston orphanage where she grew up. Instead of seasickness, she gets land-sickness. Billowing waves exhilarate her, but flat plains away from the ocean leave her dried out, parched and ill. She leaves a ring of salt in the tub when she bathes, and sometimes she sees a faint tracing of scales on her delicate feet. It’s freakish, horrifying…and deeply thrilling.

As Hannah becomes a young woman, she can sense that a powerful change is coming. A choice lies ahead, and Hannah must discover if she is a creature of the land --- or of the sea.
- Click here to read an excerpt from DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA: HANNAH
- Click here to read Kathryn Lasky’s bio.

IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin (Romantic Suspense/Fantasy)
Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy Scarborough is 17 when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or fall into madness upon their child’s birth. Unless she can complete these tasks, Lucy will go mad, just like her mother and all the Scarborough women before her. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. As they struggle to make sense of the puzzle in the ballad and play by the dangerously important rules, time is slipping away and Lucy’s fate hangs in the balance. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

Teenreads.com ran a special contest for IMPOSSIBLE, where we gave away 20 copies of the paperback edition (which releases on August 11th) to readers who were interested in reading the book and commenting about it. Congratulations to all our winners! We will contact you shortly and ask you to respond with your thoughts about the book.
- Click here to see the winners of the IMPOSSIBLE giveaway.
- Click here to read an excerpt from IMPOSSIBLE.
- Click here to read Nancy Werlin’s bio.

SHELF DISCOVERY: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading, by Lizzie Skurnick (Memoir)
Remember that book you read at that time in your life when everything seemed to be going crazy --- the one book that brought the world into focus and helped soothe your raging teenage angst?

From Laura Lippman’s Foreword
“Some people are baffled by re-reading. What’s the point? There’s so much else to read. With these essays, Lizzie Skurnick has answered those questions. It’s as if a kindly psychiatrist suddenly appeared with a sheaf of missing brain scans. Do you giggle when someone tells you to ‘sit here for the present’? You are channeling Ramona Quimby, who turned those simple words into a daunting challenge. Does the mere mention of a mink-trimmed coat make you secretly swoon, even though you are rabidly anti-fur? You have ‘A Little Princess’ complex. Do you long to cover your enemies with leeches? You’re having a ‘Little House’ flashback…. So stretch out on Dr. Lizzie’s couch and find out why you think it would be kind of cozy to be locked up in an attic with your brother. Or learn to dissect the subtle class consciousness of Judy Blume’s New Jersey. Ponder the way that Lois Duncan’s characters come into unexpected powers, natural and supernatural alike, as they enter adolescence.”

And most of all, enjoy.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SHELF DISCOVERY.
- Click here to read Lizzie Skurnick’s bio.

Contests
SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater (Supernatural Romance)
For years Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf --- her wolf --- is a haunting presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human --- or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
- Click here to read all the contest details.

Cool New Books
August’s roundup of Cool New Books includes ALPHAS, a new spin-off of Lisi Harrison’s Clique series, set at the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school; TRICKS, a moving work of fiction from Ellen Hopkins about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down and growing up; LOVE IS A HIGHER LAW by David Levithan, in which the lives of three teens are altered forever on September 11, 2001; Maggie Stiefvater’s SHIVER, a supernatural romance about a young lady whose yellow-eyed wolf is a haunting presence she can’t seem to live without; AFTER by Amy Efaw, a fast-paced, gripping novel that tells the story of a responsible, hard-working and mature straight-A student who is accused of an unthinkable crime; and Louder Than Words, a powerfully penned series of true-life stories by teen girls.

New in Paperback
August’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, E. Lockhart’s story of a teenager who finds a way to infiltrate her school’s boy-only secret society and practically becomes a criminal mastermind by the age of 16; IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin, a riveting novel that combines suspense, fantasy and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale; THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES, the highly anticipated sequel to THE SEA OF TROLLS from National Book Award winner and Newbery Honor author Nancy Farmer; KINGDOM KEEPERS II: DISNEY AT DAWN, which marks the return of our heroes from Ridley Pearson’s DISNEY AFTER DARK as they embark on another adventure to save Walt Disney World; and THE CASTAWAYS, the conclusion to Iain Lawrence’s The Curse of the Jolly Stone Trilogy, in which Tom Tin and his four convict companions save two sailors stranded on an iceberg.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

July 2009

2009-07-27T18:05:00.017-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of July.

Also mentioned in the Teenreads.com Newsletter Opener, which can be read here:

SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson
IT IS WHAT IT IS by Nikki Carter
AFTER THE MOMENT by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Reviews and Excerpts
WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead (Fiction)
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda begins receiving mysterious notes --- notes that will change her life forever. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from WHEN YOU REACH ME.

L.A. CANDY by Lauren Conrad (Fiction)
BFFs Jane and Scarlett just moved to glamorous L.A. Pretty, good-girl Jane will intern for a top event planner, while gorgeous, smart Scarlett will attend U.S.C. But their plans take a wild turn when they’re recruited to star in a hit reality TV show. Now the girls have to cope with cameras, backstabbing co-stars and crazy new relationships. Will fame change them for better or worse? Reviewed by Meredyth Temple and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from L.A. CANDY.

BLUE MOON: The Immortals, Book 2 by Alyson Noël (Paranormal Romance)
Just as Ever Bloom is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading --- stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his life. Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon --- and Me, Ruby Oliver, by E. Lockhart (Fiction)
In E. Lockhart’s third novel starring Ruby Oliver (following THE BOYFRIEND LIST and THE BOY BOOK), the lovably neurotic high school junior organizes a bake sale, tries to negotiate rocky romantic terrain, and, as always, wants desperately to do the right thing. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

GORGEOUS by Rachel Vail (Fiction)
In a town where everyone is rich and beautiful, Allison Avery is starting to stand out. Unlike her gorgeous sisters, Allison is “interesting looking” --- according to her grandmother --- and now with her mom’s lucrative job on the line, it looks like her family’s privileged life is over too. It’s time for things to change, but how far is Allison willing to go? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

ANGRY MANAGEMENT by Chris Crutcher (Fiction)
Ever wonder what happened to Sarah Byrnes? What about some of the minor characters in WHALE TALK? The influential counselor Mr. Nak is back to lead a new Angry Management group as Chris Crutcher revisits some of his most infamous characters in three new novellas. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

VAMPIRE KISSES 6: ROYAL BLOOD by Ellen Schreiber (Paranormal Romance)
Summer break is over, and Raven is hardly eager to be returning to Dullsville High. Not only does school mean daily interaction with preppy pest Trevor Mitchell, but her sleep-filled days and romantic nights with her immortal boyfriend, Alexander, must come to an end. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

THE WATERS & THE WILD by Francesca Lia Block (Fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Bee has never felt like she’s belonged, and her isolation has led to loneliness and depression. One day her feelings are confirmed when she wakes up and finds an exact double of herself standing in her room. The stranger whispers “You are me” and then she disappears. But Bee knows she’ll be back. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

LOVE YOU HATE YOU MISS YOU by Elizabeth Scott (Fiction)
Seventy-five days after the tragic death of her best friend, Amy struggles to figure out how she can go on without Julia. She is also fresh out of Pinewood, a rehab center, where she spent some time following the car accident. Now sober, sad and friendless, Amy must figure out how to live her new life and deal with her overwhelming guilt. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

VACATIONS FROM HELL by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Mlynowski (Fantasy/Horror Anthology)
In this collection, five popular authors --- Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Mlynowski --- tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS by R. A. Nelson (Fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Little Texas is facing his biggest challenge as a young charismatic revival preacher --- evil itself. Will a mysterious ghost of a girl he failed to heal be able to help in his mission? Or will this experience reveal what Little Texas is most afraid of --- that he’s a fraud? Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

NO SUCH THING AS THE REAL WORLD by M. T. Anderson, K. L. Going, Beth Kephart, Chris Lynch, An Na and Jacqueline Woodson (Fiction/Short Stories)
What's the line that separates childhood from the "real world"? And what happens when the "real world" is nothing you imagined it would be? Six award-winning authors --- M. T. Anderson, K. L. Going, Beth Kephart, Chris Lynch, An Na and Jacqueline Woodson --- tackle the subject of the "real world" in this collection of pieces about graduation, suicide, pregnancy, death, pain, love and loss. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

PRISM by Faye Kellerman and Aliza Kellerman (Paranormal Suspense)
Purple-haired sophomore Kaida Hutchenson isn’t looking forward to a class trip to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. But after a fiery crash in the desert, Kaida is plunged into a world of darkness then light and wakes up in a parallel universe with a whole new set of problems. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

FOOTBALL CHAMP by Tim Green (Fiction)
When Troy White proved his remarkable "football genius" to the Atlanta Falcons, they brought him on board as a team consultant. Now, thanks to Troy's ability to predict winning plays, the Falcons are pulling in victories. Troy is thrilled to have NFL star linebacker Seth Halloway (who's dating Troy's mom) to coach his own Duluth Tigers team on their way to a state championship. But then Troy's perfect world comes crashing down. Reviewed by Joy Held.

SIDESHOW: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical, edited by Deborah Noyes (Fiction Anthology)
While the term “freak” is casually tossed off these days as a minor insult, in the not-so-recent past it had stronger connotations. In SIDESHOW, 10 writers and writer-illustrators explore the oddity and attraction of freaks. Edited by Deborah Noyes, the short stories and short comics in this collection are intriguing, mysterious, clever, sometimes funny and always thoughtful. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
- Click here to read Deborah Noyes's blog post, "Are You Odd? Step Up!"

TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND by John Barnes (Fiction)
Karl Shoemaker’s one goal for his senior year of high school is to be normal. He’s finding normalcy difficult, though, with an alcoholic mother and a spot in group therapy at school. Will he be able to survive the year --- or the first week --- when abnormal is the way of life? Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

Author Interview
Lizzie Skurnick
Author/poet/blogger Lizzie Skurnick's new book, SHELF DISCOVERY, is a collection of essays that sprung from a column she writes for the women's blog Jezebel, in which she revisits and deconstructs old favorite YA books from her childhood and adolescence. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sarah A. Wood, Skurnick discusses the origins of the column and explains why she chose the specific novels she included in the book. She also muses on the positive messages she hopes young girls can learn from both these older teen reads and current YA titles, shares her thoughts on how the act of reading in general can enrich people's lives, and offers advice for those aspiring toward careers in writing and publishing.

Special Features
SHELF DISCOVERY: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading, by Lizzie Skurnick (Memoir)
Remember that book you read at that time in your life when everything seemed to be going crazy --- the one book that brought the world into focus and helped soothe your raging teenage angst?

From Laura Lippman’s Foreword
“Some people are baffled by re-reading. What’s the point? There’s so much else to read. With these essays, Lizzie Skurnick has answered those questions. It’s as if a kindly psychiatrist suddenly appeared with a sheaf of missing brain scans. Do you giggle when someone tells you to ‘sit here for the present’? You are channeling Ramona Quimby, who turned those simple words into a daunting challenge. Does the mere mention of a mink-trimmed coat make you secretly swoon, even though you are rabidly anti-fur? You have ‘A Little Princess’ complex. Do you long to cover your enemies with leeches? You’re having a ‘Little House’ flashback…. So stretch out on Dr. Lizzie’s couch and find out why you think it would be kind of cozy to be locked up in an attic with your brother. Or learn to dissect the subtle class consciousness of Judy Blume’s New Jersey. Ponder the way that Lois Duncan’s characters come into unexpected powers, natural and supernatural alike, as they enter adolescence.”
And most of all, enjoy.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SHELF DISCOVERY.
- Click here to read Lizzie Skurnick’s bio.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler (Fiction)
A debut novel about friendship, first love and grief that will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen.

For 16-year-olds Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, their 20 day-long, minimally supervised California vacation will be the "Absolute Best Summer Ever." And according to Frankie, if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance that Anna will get her first real boyfriend.

Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie --- she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Written in lyrical, accessible prose, TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone and what it truly means to grieve, and perhaps most importantly, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
- Click here to read an excerpt from TWENTY BOY SUMMER
- Click here to read Sarah Ockler’s bio.

GONE by Michael Grant (Science Fiction)
Now Available in Paperback
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. And just as suddenly there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to figure out what’s happened. And no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents --- unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers --- that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you will disappear just like everyone else.

HUNGER: A Gone Novel, by Michael Grant (Science Fiction)
It's been three months since everyone under the age of 15 became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared.

Gone.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.

Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.
- Browse inside GONE and HUNGER.
- Click here to read Michael Grant’s bio.

IT’S A GREEN THING: Diary of a Teenage Girl: Maya, Book 2 by Melody Carlson (Fiction)
With her mother in jail for drug possession and her pop-star father away on his comeback tour, 16-year-old Maya Stark’s new life with her uncle Allen and cousin Kim is coming together. Summer vacation is just beginning and things are finally starting to look up. But that doesn’t mean life is about to get any easier. Maya is still devoted to living Green, and her uncle offers her a Green column in his newspaper. But can Maya balance her newfound faith with her save-the-planet convictions?
- Click here to read more about IT’S A GREEN THING.
- Click here to read an excerpt from IT’S A GREEN THING.
- Click here to read Melody Carlson’s bio.

Contests
IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin (Romantic Suspense/Fantasy)
Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy Scarborough is 17 when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or fall into madness upon their child’s birth. Unless she can complete these tasks, Lucy will go mad, just like her mother and all the Scarborough women before her. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. As they struggle to make sense of the puzzle in the ballad and play by the dangerously important rules, time is slipping away and Lucy’s fate hangs in the balance. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read an excerpt from IMPOSSIBLE.
- Click here to read Nancy Werlin’s bio.

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater (Supernatural Romance)
For years Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf --- her wolf --- is a haunting presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human --- or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
- Click here to read all the contest details.

SKELLIG: 10th-Anniversary Edition, by David Almond (Fiction)
Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage…. What is this thing beneath the spiders' webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never before seen? The only person Michael can confide in is his new friend, Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael's world changes forever.
- Click here to read all the contest details.

Series Books
The Théâtre Illuminata Trilogy
EYES LIKE STARS: The Théâtre Illuminata, Act I by Lisa Mantchev (Fiction)
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theatre. She's not an orphan, but she has no parents. She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own. Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book --- an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family --- and she is about to lose them, and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.

Cool New Books
July’s roundup of Cool New Books includes WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead, a thought-provoking and compelling novel in which four mysterious letters change a sixth-grader’s world forever; BLUE MOON, the highly anticipated sequel to Alyson Noël’s EVERMORE, which finds Ever Bloom eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal; BOYS R US, the 11th installment in Lisi Harrison’s Clique series that deals with the consequences of the Pretty Committee’s announcement deeming its boyfast null and void; THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS by E. Lockhart, a companion novel to THE BOYFRIEND LIST and THE BOY BOOK; R. A. Nelson’s DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS, a ghostly love story that centers on Ronald Earl, who at the age of 10 became the electrifying “boy wonder” preacher known as Little Texas; and SIDESHOW, a collection of 10 original tales edited by Deborah Noyes in which freaks, magicians, psychics and the passing strange take center stage.

New in Paperback
Internal and external struggle, and, eventually, peaceful resolution, are the key ingredients in the heady potion that is HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. The final installment in J. K. Rowling’s classic series is now available in paperback.

July’s roundup of New in Paperback titles also includes REVELATIONS, the third installment in Melissa de la Cruz’s spine-tingling series that finds the Blue Bloods dealing with darker forces as the danger of the Silver Bloods lurks; IVY by Julie Hearn, an engrossing odyssey into gritty 19th-century London that introduces the youngest in a family of thieves, con artists and roustabouts; THE RESTLESS DEAD, an anthology of creepy stories edited by Deborah Noyes guaranteed to make readers think twice about every bump in the night; and Marcus Sedgwick’s MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING, in which a woodcutter's son in 17th-century Europe must solve the riddle of his father's mysterious past to save a nearby village when the dead begin returning from the grave.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

June 2009

2009-06-30T17:56:00.001-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of June.

Reviews and Excerpts
ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen (Fiction)
When Auden accepts her new stepmother's invitation to visit, she amazes herself by accepting. Little does she know that this is the summer that will help her answer a few huge questions, such as "Can people really change?" and "Is there such a thing as a second chance?", as well as "Will I ever actually sleep at night?" In fact, Auden’s visit will transform her life. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon and excerpted.

THE SORCERESS: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 3 by Michael Scott (Fantasy)
Everyone believes it now. Josh and Sophie Newman are the twins of the prophecies. With Paris in ruins behind them, the Alchemyst Nicholas Flamel leads them to London, where he hopes to get them trained in Water Magic. While clear across the globe, the Sorceress Perenelle Flamel fights for her life against the best the Dark Elders can bring to destroy her. Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens and excerpted.

IF I STAY by Gayle Foreman (Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old Mia had everything to live for --- a loving family, a beloved boyfriend, and her brilliant cello playing (and, very possibly, an acceptance to Juilliard). But everything changes during a tragic car accident. Now Mia hovers near the hospital bed where her physical body lies in a coma, weighing her options. Should she die, or should she stay? Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

CHASING THE BEAR: A Young Spenser Novel, by Robert B. Parker (Fiction)
For almost 40 years, Robert B. Parker’s private investigator Spenser has been solving cases and selling millions of books worldwide. Now, for the first time, see how it all began as the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master sheds light on Spenser’s formative years spent with his father and two uncles out West. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

DESTROY ALL CARS by Blake Nelson (Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old James Hoff knows the only way to save the world is by destroying all cars. His ex-girlfriend, Sadie Kinnell, would rather use more peaceful tactics to save the environment. Told in essays and journal entries, James attempts to explain his disdain toward oil companies and his feelings toward Sadie. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

WOLF ISLAND: The Demonata, Book 8 by Darren Shan (Horror/Supernatural)
As the mysterious Shadow builds an army of demons in the eighth book of Darren Shan’s Demonata series, Grubbs Grady and his team search desperately for answers. But when they follow up a new lead, it takes them to an old, unexpected foe --- the Lambs. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

TOUCH by Francine Prose (Fiction)
Maisie Willard never thought it was strange that her three best friends were boys. Maisie, Kevin, Chris and Shakes were the four musketeers since preschool. Their friendship seemed unbreakable. So how can something that happened on the back of a school bus change everything? Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

BREATHLESS by Lurlene McDaniel (Fiction)
Travis Morrison is a high school champion diver complete with best friend, girlfriend, adoring little sister and a bright future. When his leg is amputated from bone cancer, each person takes a turn telling the story of what happens when people are faced with extreme circumstances and impossible decisions. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

THE REAL REAL by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (Fiction)
The senior class of Hampton High can't contain their excitement about their school being the new recruiting grounds for XTV, a major network that is filming a reality TV show starring a few lucky teens. Jesse O'Rourke is shocked to be chosen as a star and euphoric about getting the $40,000 college scholarship that comes with the deal. With her life turned upside down, Jesse will have to decide what the real is and the real real. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

THE SINGING: The Fourth Book of Pellinor, by Alison Croggon (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
In an increasingly battle-ravaged land, Maerad, Cadvan and Hem desperately search for one another as they make their separate journeys. The Black Army is advancing north, and even as Maerad faces a mighty confrontation with the Landrost to save Innail, all of the Seven Kingdoms are threatened with bitter and devastating defeat. Yet in Maerad and Hem lives the secret to the mysterious Singing, and legend holds that if they release the music of Elidhu together, they have the power to defeat the Nameless One. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

THE TWILIGHT PRISONER by Katherine Marsh (Fantasy)
Jack tries hard to fit in at his new school --- and tries even harder to win the affections of his classmate and friend, Cora. In an effort to impress her, Jack leads Cora to the entrance of the underworld and makes a terrible mistake. Soon they have crossed the threshold, and there may be no getting back. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han (Fiction)
In Jenny Han’s second novel, everything changes --- sometimes not for the better --- during Belly’s usually predictable summer vacation. Jealousy, sexuality and loyalties collide when family friends don’t seem quite so brotherly anymore. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

SPROUT by Dale Peck (Fiction)
Sprout Bradford has a secret. He’ll tell you he’s gay. He’ll tell you about his dad’s drinking and his mother’s death. The green fingerprints everywhere tell you when he last dyed his hair. But neither the reader nor Sprout are prepared for what happens when Sprout suddenly finds he has had a more profound effect on the lives around him than he ever thought possible. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin

PUNKZILLA by Adam Rapp (Fiction)
For a runaway boy who goes by the name "Punkzilla," kicking a meth habit and a life of petty crime in Portland, Oregon, is a prelude to a mission: reconnecting with his older brother, a gay man dying of cancer in Memphis. Against a backdrop of seedy motels, dicey bus stations and hitched rides, the desperate 14-year-old meets a colorful, sometimes dangerous cast of characters. And in letters to his sibling, he catalogs them all. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

A KISS IN TIME by Alex Flinn (Fiction)
A long time ago, in a European kingdom named Euphrasia, a witch places a curse on a princess, where by the young royal shall prick her finger on a spindle and sleep until a prince awakens her with a kiss. Three hundred years later in the present day, a teenager from America wanders into the kingdom and awakens the princess. But will two teens from such vastly different backgrounds be able to find their happily ever after? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

Author Interviews
Sarah Ockler
In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sarah A. Wood, Sarah Ockler discusses the true stories behind both the title and plot of her debut novel, TWENTY BOY SUMMER, and elaborates on some of its major themes, like friendship, honesty, peer pressure and keeping secrets. She also muses on why it's sometimes easier to trust strangers more than best friends, provides information on an organization near and dear to her heart, and shares details about her upcoming book, FIXING DELILAH HANNAFORD, which is due out next summer.

Michael Grant
Michael Grant's latest supernatural sci-fi project, the Gone series, introduces a new world in which everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared, and children and teens must learn to survive and fend for themselves amidst near chaos. In this interview with Teenreads.com’s Chris Shanley-Dillman, Grant talks about why he chose that particular age as the bridge between childhood and adulthood, and gives readers a sneak peak into the world of the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) by explaining his motivation for creating talking animals and characters with superhuman qualities. He also discusses his need to balance the books' entertainment with a sense of realism, provides "advice" to those looking to change themselves for the better, and hints at what is to come in the third installment of the series due out next year.

Melody Carlson
Melody Carlson is an award-winning Christian author who has penned almost 200 books for both adults and young readers, such as the True Colors and The Carter House Girls series. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Michele Howe, Carlson talks about her most recent book, IT'S A GREEN THING --- the second installment in the Diary of a Teenage Girl: Maya series --- and sheds light on some of the main characters’ thoughts and actions, such as her struggle with faith and her concern for the environment. She also explains why readers are attracted to this confessional format, elaborates on the hopeful message found at the end of the novel, and shares what she has in store for her characters next.

Lisa Mantchev
Lisa Mantchev's debut, EYES LIKE STARS, is the first installment in a new YA fantasy series, The Théâtre Illuminata Trilogy. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Alexis Burling, Mantchev discusses what inspired her to stage much of the book's plot in the form of a play and elaborates on the messages she hoped to relay from the characters and dialogue. She also imagines the perfect musical score to accompany the novel's prominent scenes, reveals some of her dream roles, and talks a bit about what readers can look forward to in Acts II and III of the series.

Special Features
TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler (Fiction)
A debut novel about friendship, first love and grief that will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen.

For 16-year-olds Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, their 20 day-long, minimally supervised California vacation will be the "Absolute Best Summer Ever." And according to Frankie, if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance that Anna will get her first real boyfriend.

Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie --- she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Written in lyrical, accessible prose, TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone and what it truly means to grieve, and perhaps most importantly, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
- Click here to read an excerpt from TWENTY BOY SUMMER
- Click here to read Sarah Ockler’s bio.

GONE by Michael Grant (Science Fiction)
Now Available in Paperback
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. And just as suddenly there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to figure out what’s happened. And no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents --- unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers --- that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you will disappear just like everyone else.

HUNGER: A Gone Novel, by Michael Grant (Science Fiction)
It's been three months since everyone under the age of 15 became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared.

Gone.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.

Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.
- Browse inside GONE and HUNGER.
- Click here to read Michael Grant’s bio.

IT’S A GREEN THING: Diary of a Teenage Girl: Maya, Book 2 by Melody Carlson (Fiction)
With her mother in jail for drug possession and her pop-star father away on his comeback tour, 16-year-old Maya Stark’s new life with her uncle Allen and cousin Kim is coming together. Summer vacation is just beginning and things are finally starting to look up. But that doesn’t mean life is about to get any easier. Maya is still devoted to living Green, and her uncle offers her a Green column in his newspaper. But can Maya balance her newfound faith with her save-the-planet convictions?
- Click here to read more about IT’S A GREEN THING.
- Click here to read an excerpt from IT’S A GREEN THING.
- Click here to read Melody Carlson’s bio.

Contest
Win a Copy of SKELLIG: 10th-Anniversary Edition by David Almond
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of SKELLIG, a poignant and magical tale of love, life and death, Teenreads.com is giving away 3 copies of the special anniversary edition, which features a new cover and includes an exclusive new story about Mina. The book has won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and is an amazing addition to any reader's library. To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Wednesday, August 19th at 11:59PM. You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.

Series Books
The Théâtre Illuminata Trilogy
EYES LIKE STARS: The Théâtre Illuminata, Act I by Lisa Mantchev (Fiction)
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theatre. She's not an orphan, but she has no parents. She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own. Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book --- an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family --- and she is about to lose them, and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.

Books into Movies
Our latest Books into Movies feature spotlights two highly anticipated films based on Teenreads.com faves. Already in theaters is My Sister's Keeper, starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin. Based on Jodi Picoult's emotional roller coaster of a novel, this guaranteed tear-jerker follows an 11-year-old girl as she seeks emancipation from her parents, who have been using her to keep her older, cancer-stricken sister alive. And in case you hadn't already marked your calendars and begun your countdown, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits the big screen on July 15th. The sixth installment of the epic good-vs.-evil saga promises plenty of magic, mystery, heart-pounding adventure and hair-raising suspense, not to mention some long-sought answers to dark secrets, raging teenage hormones and a jaw-dropping, gasp-worthy ending.

Cool New Books
June’s roundup of Cool New Books includes ALONG FOR THE RIDE, in which Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect; TWENTY BOY SUMMER, a compelling debut novel from Sarah Ockler about friendship, first love and letting go; KILLER, the sixth installment in Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series that finds Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily stumbling over a deadly new secret after a shocking discovery at the end of WICKED; JUST ANOTHER HERO, the stunning conclusion to Sharon M. Draper’s two-time Coretta Scott King Honor-winning trilogy (following THE BATTLE OF JERICHO and NOVEMBER BLUES); and PRISM by the mother-daughter writing team of Faye and Aliza Kellerman, a paranormal suspense novel in which three teens become trapped in a parallel universe where “survival of the fittest” takes on a deadly meaning.

New in Paperback
June’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes BLACK RABBIT SUMMER by Kevin Brooks, a compelling mystery and a profound exploration of the many subtle influences that can change --- and end --- relationships; WICKED, Sara Shepard’s fifth Pretty Little Liars book that finds the secrets only getting darker and the scandals juicier; BELIEVING, the thrilling second installment in Wendy Corsi Staub’s paranormal suspense series set in the mysterious town of Lily Dale; THE BOXER AND THE SPY, Robert B. Parker’s thought-provoking novel about a teen boy who investigates the apparent suicide of a high school student; and THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY by Aimee Friedman, a humorous yet heartrending story of two sisters and the year they learn about life, love and 4H skills.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

May 2009

2009-05-29T13:49:00.010-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of May.

Reviews and Excerpts
BEING NIKKI: An Airhead Novel, by Meg Cabot (Fiction)
Emerson Watts was pretty sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a straight A student whose brain had been transplanted into the body of a teenage supermodel. But she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's mysteriously gone missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano and excerpted.

THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams (Fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has 20 brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her 60-year-old uncle --- who already has six wives --- Kyra has to make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

FRAGILE ETERNITY by Melissa Marr (Fantasy/Romance)
In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

KING OF THE SCREWUPS by K. L. Going (Fiction)
Liam is the kid everyone loves. He might not get the best grades or always do the right things, but there’s something about his personality that make people want to be with him. Everyone, that is, except his father. When Liam is shipped off to upstate New York to live with his glam rocker uncle, Liam finally has a chance to change and prove to his father that he’s not just Mr. Popular. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

REALITY CHECK by Peter Abrahams (Mystery)
Master suspense novelist and Edgar Award-nominated author Peter Abrahams introduces a new character --- and a compelling mystery --- in REALITY CHECK, a fast-paced story about a young man who must learn to trust himself when he can’t trust anyone around him. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

MY VICKSBURG by Ann Rinaldi (Historical Fiction)
During the Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which lasts for 47 days, the Union Army with General Ulysses S. Grant lays siege to the town, while residents live in caves. Award-winning author Ann Rinaldi brings readers right into the Civil War with her well-crafted historical setting and offers flawed but lovable characters. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

AFTER THE MOMENT by Garret Freymann-Weyr (Fiction)
Garret Freymann-Weyr’s teenagers seem serious beyond their years, deeply invested not only in their own lives but also in the often complicated lives of their adult family members. AFTER THE MOMENT is no exception, and its male protagonist further cements Freymann-Weyr’s reputation as a risk-taking author unafraid of tackling topics, and taking perspectives, unusual in young adult literature. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCE CHARMING by Deb Caletti (Fiction)
In a family of women who have loved and lost, Quinn struggles with conflicting feelings about her charismatic but fickle father. When she and her little sister team up with their stranger/half-sister to undertake a quest of karmic healing, she discovers truths about all kinds of love that are sure to resonate with readers. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

SURFACE TENSION: A Novel in Four Summers, by Brent Runyon (Fiction)
Four summers at the family’s lake cabin illustrate a young boy’s reluctant journey from innocence to experience in Brent Runyon’s SURFACE TENSION, an evocative portrait of the stages of adolescence set against a memorable backdrop. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

LOOK BOTH WAYS: A Midnight Twins Novel, by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Mystery)
Meredith and Mallory Brynn’s latest visions show a mysterious white mountain lion prowling the locker room at school. The 13-year-old identical twins fear the visions have something to do with the varsity cheerleading tryouts that are approaching. Someone is in danger, but who? And what can the girls do to help? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE UNINVITED by Tim Wynne-Jones (Mystery/Suspense)
A broken-down cottage in Ontario is the summer vacation destination for Mimi Shapiro, an NYU student who sets out on a much-needed retreat after fleeing from a sordid affair with her college professor. But someone named Jackson Page is already living there and isn't expecting her. Jackson mistakes her for a mysterious intruder who has been breaking into the cottage to leave disturbing reminders that an uninvited visitor is watching. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

THE PLAGUE by Joanne Dahme (Historical Fiction)
In a land overshadowed by death, 15-year-old Nell’s uncanny resemblance to Princess Joan brings her to act as her double. But when the plague catches up to the royal entourage, thwarting the King’s plan for the princess to marry the Prince of Castile and seal an alliance between their kingdoms, Nell’s life could change forever. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

A CERTAIN STRAIN OF PECULIAR by Gigi Amateau (Fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Mary Harold Woods suffers from panic attacks, and when the kids at school zero in on her with cruel insults, it certainly doesn’t help. She decides she can’t take it anymore and begs her mom to move in with her grandmother in Alabama. When her mom says no, she takes matters into her own hands and drives the 600 miles herself. Will Mary find a way to fit in on Wren Mountain? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

SOUL ENCHILADA by David Macinnis Gill (Fantasy)
Eunice “Bug” Smoot has worked hard for everything she has in life. When a suspicious repo man shows up for her 1958 Cadillac Biarritz, Bug refuses to hand it over. It isn’t until he demands her soul that Bug realizes that much more is at stake --- her immortality. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

THE SILVER DOOR: Moon & Sun, Book Two by Holly Lisle (Fantasy)
Towering high above the valley is the Spire, a magnificent and forbidding mountain whose peak is higher than the clouds. It is the last place Genna, chosen as the Sunrider, expects to find herself after being carried away in the mouth of the world's last dragon. What Genna and her friend Catri find when the dragon leaves them there is a magnificent city built of ancient human magic. But the Spire has ideas of its own, and they are not ones that make Genna feel safe. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

Author Interviews
Cathy Brigg
Artist Cathy Brigg is probably best known for her literary "alter-ego" Cathy Vickers, the protagonist of the hugely successful CATHY'S BOOK and CATHY'S KEY, along with the newly released CATHY'S RING. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sally M. Tibbetts, Brigg likens her role as illustrator to that of an actor's, and sheds light on how she and fellow collaborators Jordan Weisman and Sean Stewart work together to create "Cathy's Universe." She also explains why they chose to incorporate modern, everyday technology into their unique method of storytelling, discusses how the books' interactive components have evolved with each installment, and shares details about her artistic background and interests.

Lauren Myracle
Lauren Myracle --- author of more than 15 bestselling and critically acclaimed titles, including ELEVEN, TWELVE and THIRTEEN --- recently published her latest novel, PEACE, LOVE, AND BABY DUCKS. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Norah Piehl, Myracle discusses some of the real-life experiences from her teen years that inspired many elements of this latest book, and explores the similarities in personality between herself and her main character, Carly. She also creates a playlist of her favorite '60s music to correspond with the story, talks a bit about collaborating with fellow YA authors E. Lockhart and Sarah Mlynowski for last year's HOW TO BE BAD, and shares her excitement over being able to interact with her readers through the blog on her website.

Susane Colasanti
Former high school science teacher Susane Colasanti is the author of YA romances WHEN IT HAPPENS and TAKE ME THERE. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Kristi Olson, Colasanti explains the significance of her latest book's title, WAITING FOR YOU, and shares real-life experiences in the classroom that inspired some of her books' characters and scenes. She also discusses how she incorporates her taste in music and movies into her writing, muses on the pros and cons of referencing pop culture in novels, and talks about upcoming projects, including her next book, SOMETHING LIKE FATE.

Sheba Karim
Sheba Karim's debut novel, SKUNK GIRL, follows a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl and her struggles to live a "normal" teenage life while attempting to reconcile two very different cultures. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Alexis Burling, Karim sheds light on some of these differences, and challenges Pakistani women face in both their home countries and in the U.S. She also compares writing novels with short stories, explains why she chose to give up her law career to become an author, and shares details about the book she's currently working on.

Special Features
PEACE, LOVE, AND BABY DUCKS by Lauren Myracle (Fiction)
Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, 15-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy --- and authenticity --- of her sister, Anna. But when 14-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat.
- Click here to read Lauren Myracle’s bio.

WAITING FOR YOU by Susane Colasanti (Romance)
At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road --- including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek --- test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is --- or does she?
- Click here to read Susane Colasanti’s bio.

SKUNK GIRL by Sheba Karim (Fiction)
If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system --- the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children --- her scoring might go something like this:

+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back.

In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family and love, and learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures --- even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SKUNK GIRL.
- Click here to read Sheba Karim’s bio.

NECROPOLIS: Book Four of The Gatekeepers, by Anthony Horowitz (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
As the fourth novel in the spellbinding Gatekeepers series begins, the world is under the greatest threat it’s ever known. The evil corporation Nightrise has amassed an immense amount of power…and the devastating force of the Old Ones is about to be unleashed around the globe. To stop this from happening, Matt and three of the Gatekeepers head to Hong Kong --- not just the modern city of skyscrapers and wealth, but the secretive underworld beneath. In Hong Kong they will meet the final Gatekeeper, a girl named Scarlet, whose fate is inextricably joined to their own.
- Click here for all the contest details.
- Click here to read an excerpt from NECROPOLIS.
- Click here to read Anthony Horowitz’s bio.

THE LAST THING I REMEMBER: The Homelanders, Book One by Andrew Klavan (Thriller)
Charlie West just woke up in someone else's nightmare.

He's strapped to a chair. He's covered in blood and bruises. He hurts all over. And a strange voice outside the door just ordered his death.

The last thing he can remember, he was a normal high-school kid doing normal things --- working on his homework, practicing karate, daydreaming of becoming an air force pilot, writing a pretty girl's number on his hand. How long ago was that? Where is he now? Who is he really?

And more to the point…how is he going to get out of this room alive?
- Click here to read all the contest details.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE LAST THING I REMEMBER.
- Click here to read Andrew Klavan’s bio.

Contest
STRANGE ANGELS by Lili St. Crow (Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy)
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead --- but still walking --- and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever --- or whoever --- is hunting her?
- Click here to read all the contest details.

Beach Bag of Books Contest
Can't wait to grab a beach towel and head to the shore with some of the hottest books of the summer? Well, Teenreads.com is going to help five lucky readers on the way to their vacation destinations with our Third Annual Beach Bag of Books Contest.

From May 22nd through June 25th, you can enter to win a "Teenreads.com Beach Bag of Books." Five winners each will receive a beach bag that includes 12 books --- THE ALCHEMYST: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 3 by Michael Scott; THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan; GHOST HUNTRESS, BOOK 1: THE AWAKENING by Marley Gibson; L.A. CANDY by Lauren Conrad; NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley; PARTIES & POTIONS by Sarah Mlynowski; THE REAL REAL by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus; SLEPT AWAY by Julie Kraut; SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson; SWIM THE FLY by Don Calame; VACATIONS FROM HELL by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Mlynowski; and WINGS by Aprilynne Pike.

Along with the books, winners will find their lime green hobo-style beach bag stocked with tons of great summer goodies: an oversized green and orange beach towel, a pair of psychedelic paisley flip-flops, Banana Boat Sport sunblock, H2O+ Mineral Spa Shower Gel, a variety of colored elastic hairbands, an inflatable tube, fish and shell towel clips, three packs of Tic Tacs in assorted flavors, a box of Dots candies, Crystal Light Iced Tea Mix, and a terrific cap we found that turns any can into a bottle to prevent sand and bees from finding their way into your drink.
- Click here for all the contest details.

Cool New Books Roundup
May’s roundup of Cool New Books includes CATHY’S RING, the final adventure-packed story in the Cathy trilogy; BEING NIKKI, Meg Cabot’s second Airhead novel starring a former tomboy who now has the body of a teen supermodel thanks to a brain transplant; TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, the third installment in Cecily von Ziegesar's follow-up series to Gossip Girl featuring the Carlyle triplets of Nantucket; PEACE, LOVE, AND BABY DUCKS, in which Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other; THE SORCERESS, book three in Michael Scott’s bestselling series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel; and THE CHOSEN ONE, a searing, provocative novel by Carol Lynch Williams, who takes readers inside the head --- and heart --- of a young girl living in a polygamous society.

New in Paperback Roundup
May’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes LOCK AND KEY, in which Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again; JINX, a chilling novel of paranormal romantic suspense penned by Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot; STOP IN THE NAME OF PANTS!, the ninth installment in Louise Rennison's hilariously entertaining Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series; HERO, a moving and funny novel from Perry Moore (the executive producer of the Chronicles of Narnia films) about a high school basketball star who keeps two major secrets from his father; and BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham, a thought-provoking book about a 16-year-old girl with a terminal case of leukemia who compiles a "To Do Before I Die" list.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

April 2009

2009-04-30T20:39:00.001-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of April.

Also mentioned in the Teenreads.com Newsletter Opener, which can be read here:

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: A Del Rio Bay Novel by Paula Chase

Reviews and Excerpts
BLOODHOUND: A TORTALL LEGEND: Beka Cooper, Book Two by Tamora Pierce (Fantasy)
Tamora Pierce novels have the reputation of grabbing readers by the gullet and speedily whisking them deep into the belly of the story right off the bat. There is usually no lack of entertainment or intrigue in a work by Pierce, and her new title, BLOODHOUND, lives up to expectations. Fans will be thrilled with Beka Cooper’s maturity, the respect she now has among the Guards where she works as a “Dog” (policewoman), and the interesting adventure she engages in as she wades waist-high (literally) into the center of a crime syndicate, trying to uncover the source of counterfeit monies infesting the Lower City. Reviewed by Joy Held and excerpted.

THIRTEENTH CHILD by Patricia C. Wrede (Fantasy)
Eff is the twin of a magical and powerful double-seven son, which makes her an unlucky and cursed thirteenth child. After her family moves to the wild frontier, Eff struggles with starting a new life and avoiding the catastrophe that potentially awaits her and those she cares about the most. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP by Catherine Jinks (Mystery)
Catherine Jinks offers up the anecdote to other vampire novels with THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP, a laugh-out-loud noir comedy that skewers the conventions of popular vampire romances while satirizing contemporary support-group culture. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL by Nora Raleigh Baskin (Fiction)
Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF CHARLEY DARWIN by Carolyn Meyer (Historical Fiction)
Young Charley Darwin hated school --- he much preferred to be outside studying birds' eggs, feathers and insects. And so, at the age of 21, he boarded a ship called HMS Beagle and spent five thrilling but dangerous years sailing around the world, studying plant and animal life that was beyond anything he could have imagined. Historical novelist Carolyn Meyer tells the story of his unconventional adventures. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD by Lisa Ann Sandell (Fiction)
Cora is an artist, and she especially needs to use art as an escape after her brother dies in a car crash. Her parents are distant, and her best friend no longer understands how to talk to her. While Cora struggles through her first year in high school, she finds a friend and an art form in a surprising place. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.

SWIM THE FLY by Don Calame (Fiction)
Best friends Matt Gratton, Coop and Sean always set a goal for themselves each summer. This year Coop has come up with the best one so far: to see a “real, live naked girl” for the first time. Matt doesn’t think they will find a way to achieve it, but the trio creates several elaborate plans to make their dream come true. Most of them fail, but one “fool proof” idea actually succeeds. Sort of. Reviewed by Christine Irvin.

SOPHOMORE SWITCH by Abby McDonald (Fiction)
When UC Santa Barbara student Tasha's extremely scantily-clad body is filmed in a scandalous hot tub scene (and then plastered all over the tabloids and entertainment news shows), she trades places for a semester with Oxford University student Emily Lewis. Both girls are quite out of their element as they forge new identities for themselves. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

WILLOW by Julia Hoban (Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old Willow Randall is the new girl in school. She is living with her older brother because she is now an orphan. Her parents are both dead, and she blames herself for their demise. It was a horrible accident, but that doesn’t ease the pain of their loss or her guilt. The only thing that does is “the cutting.” Reviewed by Christine Irvin.

BASEBALL GREAT by Tim Green (Fiction)
Josh’s dad signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine's youth championship team, the Titans. As he gets in deeper with the team, there are questions he needs to ask. As Josh and his new friend Jaden investigate their suspicions, they find themselves in a dangerous struggle with a desperate man who doesn't want them to expose the nasty secrets they uncover. Reviewed by Joy Held.

THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT by Julie Berry (Fantasy/Romance)
Fifteen-year-old Lucinda Chapdelaine’s life has been filled with disappointment, depression and despair. Ever since her parents died in a carriage accident, she has had to stay with her uncle and his cruel wife, toiling away the hours in their goldsmith shop. But everything changes the day the woman rumored to be a witch walks into the shop. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

ALIS by Naomi Rich (Fiction)
In this novel set sometime in the distant past, Alis, just 14 years old, has just been informed that she will marry her religious community's 40-year-old preacher. Alis is determined she will not, but her escape finds her in a multitude of gripping scenarios, including mortal danger. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

EVERYTHING IS FINE. by Ann Dee Ellis (Fiction)
Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she's flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU by Heather Duffy Stone (Fiction)
Nadio and his twin sister, Noelle, always had a unique bond. And somehow, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But when Keeley spends the summer in England, she comes home changed, haunted by a dark memory. As she and Nadio fall in love, they try to hide it from Noelle, who's jealously guarding a secret of her own. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

Author Interview
Andrew Klavan
Andrew Klavan is the author of over 20 mysteries and psychological thrillers for adults, such as THE ANIMAL HOUR, TRUE CRIME and DON'T SAY A WORD. He recently tried his hand at writing for teen audiences, publishing THE LAST THING I REMEMBER, the first installment in a new series called The Homelanders. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sarah A. Wood, Klavan describes what prompted him to focus on younger readers and discusses some of the themes of the book, such as struggling with identity and values, the idea of muscular pacifism, and the still-present effects of 9/11. He also explains how his previous career in journalism affects his work as a novelist, shares his own experiences with martial arts training, and reveals what readers can expect from the second book in the series.

Author Talk
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz's latest novel, NECROPOLIS, is the fourth book of The Gatekeepers, a fantasy series that chronicles the adventures of a group of gifted children on a quest to save the world from the forces of evil. In this interview, Horowitz describes how a nightmare inspired the series' villains, The Old Ones, and discusses why --- despite writing about fantastical elements like magic and witchcraft --- he chose to set his books in the real world. He also explains some of the challenges he encountered while writing from the perspective of a young girl, reveals the real-life counterparts to some of his characters, and shares details about what he has planned for the fifth and final installment of the series.

Special Features
NECROPOLIS: Book Four of The Gatekeepers, by Anthony Horowitz (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
As the fourth novel in the spellbinding Gatekeepers series begins, the world is under the greatest threat it’s ever known. The evil corporation Nightrise has amassed an immense amount of power…and the devastating force of the Old Ones is about to be unleashed around the globe. To stop this from happening, Matt and three of the Gatekeepers head to Hong Kong --- not just the modern city of skyscrapers and wealth, but the secretive underworld beneath. In Hong Kong they will meet the final Gatekeeper, a girl named Scarlet, whose fate is inextricably joined to their own.

Teenreads.com is offering 10 readers the chance to win a copy of NECROPOLIS. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, June 23rd.
- Click here for all the contest details.
- Click here to read an excerpt from NECROPOLIS.
- Click here to read an interview with Anthony Horowitz.
- Click here to read Anthony Horowitz’s bio.

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie (Fiction)
Now Available in Paperback
Junior is a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation. Born with a variety of medical problems, he is picked on by everyone but his best friend. Determined to receive a good education, Junior leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Despite being condemned as a traitor to his people and enduring great tragedies, Junior attacks life with wit and humor and discovers a strength inside of himself that he never knew existed.

Written with raw emotion by acclaimed writer Sherman Alexie, the National Book Award-winning novel THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one unlucky boy trying to rise above the life everyone expects him to live.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN.
- Click here to read Sherman Alexie’s bio.
- Click here for an audio excerpt of Sherman Alexie reading from THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN.

SOMETHING, MAYBE by Elizabeth Scott (Fiction)
Hannah's got her hands full with her embarrassing parents, and after getting the wrong kind of attention for far too long, she's learned to stay out of sight.

Of course, that isn't helping her get gorgeous, confident Josh, who Hannah knows is her soul mate. Between figuring out a way to get Josh's attention, dealing with her parents, and wondering why she can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn, Hannah feels like she's going crazy. She's determined to get what she wants...only what she wants may not be what she needs.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SOMETHING, MAYBE.
- Click here to read our interview with Elizabeth Scott.
- Click here to read Elizabeth Scott’s bio.

Series Books
P.S. I LOATHE YOU: The Clique #10 by Lisi Harrison (Fiction)
Change --- and swarms of pigeons --- fills the air at the Briarwood-Octavian Country Day School campus. Ever since the Briarwood boys “crashed” the OCD, things have not been the same. Soccer players, overflow trailers, boy crushes --- oh my! The Pretty Committee still rules, and Massie is still in control. Or is she? Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

Contest
STRANGE ANGELS by Lili St. Crow (Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy)
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead --- but still walking --- and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever --- or whoever --- is hunting her?

Cool New Books
April's roundup of Cool New Books includes BLOODHOUND, the second installment in Tamora Pierce's trilogy featuring Beka Cooper, a medieval equivalent of a police officer with magical powers; FRAGILE ETERNITY, Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie (following WICKED LOVELY and INK EXCHANGE); THIRTEENTH CHILD, which kicks off a new trilogy from Patricia C. Wrede, who creates an alternate history of westward expansion; THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP, a new Catherine Jinks novel about vampires who must give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group and reform themselves; and IF I STAY by Gayle Forman, the emotionally gripping story of a 17-year-old whose life changes in an instant when she's involved in an accident that kills her parents and little brother.

New in Paperback
April's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE SWEET FAR THING, the extraordinary conclusion to Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy; the National Book Award-winning THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, a semi-autobiographical novel that chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to escape the life he was destined to live; AIRHEAD, in which Meg Cabot introduces readers to a 16-year-old girl whose appearance changes drastically as the result of a mysterious accident; EXTRAS, a continuation of Scott Westerfeld's award-winning Uglies series that is set in a world where social status is constantly monitored and rated; Carolyn Mackler's GUYAHOLIC, which centers on Vivienne Valentine (from VEGAN VIRGIN VALENTINE) and her own misadventures through life, love and a cross-country road trip; and SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH, a powerful novel from Walter Dean Myers about the heroics and horror of war, as seen through the eyes of a young recruit from Harlem.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

March 2009

2009-03-30T15:43:00.017-04:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of March.

Also mentioned in the Teenreads.com newsletter opener, which can be read here:
AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot
BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
LOCK AND KEY by Sarah Dessen
PAPER TOWNS by John Green
CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson
CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER by James Swanson
NEED by Carrie Jones
WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell

Reviews and Excerpts
WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson (Fiction) Lia’s estranged best friend Cassie is found dead in a motel room. What Lia hasn’t told anyone is that Cassie called her 33 times the evening she died; Lia didn’t answer the phone. She also hasn’t mentioned that she and Cassie once made a pact to see who could become the skinniest. At 99 pounds Lia is winning. Haunted by Cassie’s ghost, Lia must choose between the exquisite control of anorexia and the sustenance she needs to live. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from WINTERGIRLS.

MAXIMUM RIDE #5: MAX by James Patterson (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
Max and her flock of human/bird hybrids are back for their fifth book of nonstop action and adventure. And it wouldn’t be a Maximum Ride novel without our heroes facing gigantic, seemingly impossible challenges, like escaping the evil scientists and saving the world. This time the flock heads to Hawaii and enlists the help of the Navy and their submarines. They will attempt to rescue Max’s kidnappe d mother from their new nemesis, Mr. Chu. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from MAX.

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan Fantasy/Horror/Romance)
Mary’s world comprises a small village of about 200 people, which is surrounded by a thick, heavy fence. On the other side of the fence in the forest lies a disease filled with terror and a fate worse than death. But Mary needs to know if there is anything beyond the forest. No one seems to have the answers, and if they do, they aren’t telling. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH.

EVERMORE: The Immortals, Book 1 by Alyson Noël (Paranormal Romance)
Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom’s life changes forever after the car accident that kills her entire family. Actually, the accident kills her too, but for some reason she returns to her battered body. Now she can see other people’s auras, read their thoughts and predict events, plus she shares conversations with her dead sister every day. But then the new guy shows up at school. Damen is not only gorgeous, but there’s something strange about him. Who is this intriguing young man, and is he good or evil? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

PARTIES & POTIONS by Sarah Mlynowski (Fiction)
When teen witch Rachel Weinstein agrees to attend witch school with her little witch sister, Miri, she discovers a whole new world of witch parties and studly/nice young warlocks. But she’s torn when she finds out she will have her own Samsorta, a major party on the order of a bat mitzvah for witches. After all, she can't even tell her boyfriend Raf who she really is, much less invite him to a witch party. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

ALLIGATOR BAYOU by Donna Jo Napoli (Historical Fiction)
The swamp and slaughterhouse near Calogero “Calo” Scalise’s Tallulah, Louisiana home are frightening places. Alligators, panthers and cottonmouth snakes lurk nearby, waiting to pounce. Even scarier are the two-legged white predators who use the Jim Crow laws to create a climate of fear and oppression for blacks and Italian immigrants like Calo. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley (Fiction)
Justina Chen Headley’s powerfully moving third novel is a thought-provoking addition to young adult literature that will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, readers who are looking for a sophisticated exploration of such issues as identity, family dynamics and relationships. NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL follows a young woman’s quest to find love, fulfillment and the true meaning of beauty. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WHEREVER NINA LIES by Lynn Weingarten (Mystery)
Ellie has wondered about her missing sister Nina for exactly the two years since Nina disappeared. People like her best friend Amanda want her to move on and forget, but she can't. She thinks about Nina every single day, especially when some sisters come into the coffee shop where she works in Edgebridge, IL. Then she finds a drawing made by her talented artist sister in a thrift store box, and her adventure begins. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

DEEPER by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams (Mystery/Adventure)
In this long-awaited sequel to TUNNELS, 14-year-old Will Burrows finally reunites with his best friend, Chester, and long-lost brother Cal. But that’s about the only good news. The three are now banished from the Colony, heading down to the dangerous Deeps. Will is determined to find his missing father, but in the chaotic war zone of the Deeps, mere survival becomes the first priority. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

FLYGIRL by Sherri L. Smith (Historical Fiction)
Ida Mae Jones wants to fly. Growing up as the daughter of a crop duster, she is introduced to planes at a young age. There is no other feeling more magical than soaring through the sky. But can Ida Mae fulfill her dream of being a pilot when she’s a black woman in the 1940s? When she learns of the special Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program created during World War II, Ida Mae is determined to join --- even if it means lying about who she really is. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN THE WORLD by Lisa Levchuk (Fiction)
The only good thing about having a mother with cancer is that people are willing to let you get away with pretty much anything. But there’s one thing Edna is fairly certain even she can’t get away with --- her burgeoning romance with Mr. Howland, her fourth-period Ceramics teacher. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

BEYOND THE SMOKE by Terry W. Burns (Western)
When Bryan Wheeler’s parents are killed by Comanche raiders, he wonders how he will survive without them. With a few supplies, two guns and his mother’s Bible, he sets out to create a new life for himself in the western wilderness. But enemies lurk in the West, forcing Bryan to make difficult choices to survive. Reviewed by Susan Miura.

Author Interviews
Elizabeth Scott
Elizabeth Scott is the author of the acclaimed novels for teens BLOOM, PERFECT YOU, STEALING HEAVEN, LIVING DEAD GIRL and the newly released SOMETHING, MAYBE. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Alexis Burling, Scott discusses how her main character, Hannah, deals with her less-than-ideal family life, and elaborates on the book's theme of failure and the difficulties of picking yourself back up again. She also comments on today's hyper-sexualized society and the treatment of celebrities in the public eye, and shares details about her upcoming tour and the three books she'll be publishing in 2010.

Francisco X. Stork
Francisco X. Stork is the author of three young adult titles: THE WAY OF THE JAGUAR, BEHIND THE EYES and the newly released MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Alexis Burling, Stork explains what inspired his main character's unique attributes and discusses the research he conducted in order to accurately paint a portrait of a young man suffering from a developmental disorder. He also elaborates on the concept of "large talk," sheds light on the sound advice given to Marcelo about "hearing the right note" and shares details about his next project due in stores next spring.

Siobhan Vivian
Inspired by her own high school experiences, Siobhan Vivian's second novel, SAME DIFFERENCE, revolves around a 16-year-old girl struggling to define herself during a summer away from home. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Kristi Olson, Vivian elaborates on some of the book's main themes --- like the quest for self-discovery and how that search affects already well-established relationships --- and explains what draws her to write about friendships between girls. She also reveals some of the real-life counterparts to her characters, gives insight into her research and writing process, and shares details about her current project due out next year.

Special Features
SOMETHING, MAYBE by Elizabeth Scott (Fiction)
Hannah's got her hands full with her embarrassing parents, and after getting the wrong kind of attention for far too long, she's learned to stay out of sight.

Of course, that isn't helping her get gorgeous, confident Josh, who Hannah knows is her soul mate. Between figuring out a way to get Josh's attention, dealing with her parents, and wondering why she can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn, Hannah feels like she's going crazy. She's determined to get what she wants...only what she wants may not be what she needs.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SOMETHING, MAYBE.
- Click here to read Elizabeth Scott’s bio.

MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD by Francisco X. Stork (Fiction)
Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear --- part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo’s differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer…to join the “real world.”

There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising co-worker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it’s a picture he finds in a file --- a picture of a girl with half a face --- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice and what he can do to fight.

Reminiscent of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, legal drama and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.
- Click here to read an excerpt from MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.
- Click here to read Francisco X. Stork’s bio.

SAME DIFFERENCE by Siobhan Vivian (Fiction)
Sometimes, a girl just needs a change…

The last thing 16-year-old Emily wants is to pool hop and tan her way through another summer in Cherry Grove. Now that her best friend has a boyfriend, everything feels…different in a way Emily doesn’t quite understand. So when offered a spot at a prestigious art program in Philadelphia, Emily jumps at the chance to leave her hometown for a few hours a day.

But it takes more than a change of scenery and a new group of friends to discover yourself. As Emily bounces between a suburb where everyone tries to fit in and a city where everyone wants to be unique, she struggles to find her own identity. And while the rules may change, pressures remain the same. Friendships can be hard to navigate. Boys are both deeply mysterious and utterly predictable. And the line between right and wrong is always a little blurry.

In SAME DIFFERENCE, acclaimed author Siobhan Vivian paints a realistic and detailed picture of what it’s like to be a teenager --- including the joy, thrill and heartache we all experience when we’re figuring out who we really are.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SAME DIFFERENCE.
- Click here to read Siobhan Vivian’s bio.

Cool New Books
March’s roundup of Cool New Books includes WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson, the haunting story of a friendship frozen between life and death; MAX, the fifth installment in James Patterson’s high-flying Maximum Ride series; THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, a post-apocalyptic love story from debut author Carrie Ryan set in our world after a devastating virus spreads that causes the dead to walk and eat the living; SURFACE TENSION, Brent Runyon’s remarkable portrait of a boy at four distinct points in his life that literally shows readers his coming-of-age; and CITY OF GLASS, the final installment in Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments trilogy, in which the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down their father.

New in Paperback
March’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes INK EXCHANGE, a follow-up to the New York Times bestseller WICKED LOVELY and the continuation of Melissa Marr’s tales of Faery; THE MIDNIGHT TWINS, Jacquelyn Mitchard’s spellbinding story of mirror twins born on either side of midnight, each of whom possesses unique powers; BEIGE, an edgy LA novel from Cecil Castellucci about a quiet, polite girl who spends part of her summer with her aging punk rocker father; HIT AND RUN by Lurlene McDaniel, in which the lives of four young people intersect when a hit-and-run accident leads to choices that cannot be undone; and CITY OF ASHES, the sequel to Cassandra Clare’s CITY OF BONES that takes readers back to New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

February 2009

2009-02-27T10:02:00.000-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of February.

Reviews and Excerpts
SKELETON CREEK by Patrick Carman (Mystery/Suspense)
Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek --- and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and forbidden to see Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her videocam to search things out…and then email the clips for Ryan to see. In a new, groundbreaking format, Patrick Carman’s story is broken into two parts --- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website (www.skeletoncreekisreal.com), with links and passwords given throughout the book. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SKELETON CREEK.

ENVY: A Luxe Novel, by Anna Godbersen (Historical Romance)
ENVY is the third installment in Anna Godbersen’s Luxe series set in Gilded Age New York. Once the envy of society, her characters are now harboring secret disappointments. Hope for love and personal happiness is swiftly vanishing, along with the cash they all require to continue living their lavish lives. Featuring new romance and intrigue, along with a trip to an opulent Palm Beach resort, ENVY will leave readers hungry for more of this sumptuous series. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt of ENVY.

PROJECT SWEET LIFE by Brent Hartinger (Fiction)
A 15-year-old and his two friends explore a multitude of ways not to have to take summer jobs during their “last summer of freedom.” Throughout their search, they encounter many adventures and develop their friendship. PROJECT SWEET LIFE also touches on the treatment of the Chinese community in Tacoma, Washington, during the 1800s. Reviewed by Dan Waxman and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt of PROJECT SWEET LIFE.

SCAT by Carl Hiaasen (Mystery)
Mrs. Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, was last seen during a field trip to Black Vine Swamp. The school’s headmaster and the police seem to have accepted the sketchy, unsigned note explaining that her absence is due to a “family emergency.” There’s no real evidence of foul play. But still, Nick and Marta don’t buy it. Something weird is definitely going on. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.
- Click here to read an excerpt of SCAT.

HEROES OF THE VALLEY by Jonathan Stroud (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
Fourteen-year-old Halli Sveinsson longs for adventure. However, thanks to his ancestors, the Valley lands are now peaceful and safe, and the horrid monsters called Trows are forbidden to enter. But when Halli pulls a prank that leads to the digging up of old grudges, war returns to the Valley. Does Halli have it in him to be a hero, like the ancestor he so admires? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

AMIRI & ODETTE: A Love Story, written by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe (Fiction)
Walter Dean Myers, the author of more than 80 acclaimed books for young people, offers his unique take on Swan Lake in AMIRI & ODETTE, bringing Tchaikovsky's famous ballet to a gritty urban environment, with a love story every bit as powerful as the original. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE FETCH by Laura Whitcomb (Supernatural Romance)
For more than 300 years, Calder has been a Fetch --- an escort for the dead. As a Fetch, Calder is entrusted with a key to escort souls through Death’s Door. But during one earthly trip, he falls in love with a beautiful woman and changes the course of history. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

WARRIOR PRINCESS by Frewin Jones (Historical Fantasy)
Fifteen-year-old Branwen is the princess of a once peaceful village, now being attacked by the Saxon enemy. To keep her safe, Branwen’s parents decide to ship her off to another village for an arranged marriage. However, on her journey, Branwen encounters one of the Shinning Ones. From the Shinning One, Branwen learns that she must decide whether or not to follow her destiny and become a warrior. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT ME by Randa Abdel-Fattah (Fiction)
Jamie doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about Jamie's life outside the classroom, her secrets threaten to explode. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE ANATOMY OF WINGS by Karen Foxlee (Fiction)
Ten-year-old Jennifer Day lives in a small mining town full of secrets. Trying to make sense of the sudden death of her teenage sister, Beth, she looks to the adult world around her for answers. As she recounts the final months of Beth’s life, Jennifer sifts through the lies and the truth, but what she finds are mysteries, miracles and more questions. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

BONES OF FAERIE by Janni Lee Simner (Fantasy)
The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so 15-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see --- into the past, into the future --- and she has no choice but to flee her town. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

THE DEVIL'S PAINTBOX by Victoria McKernan (Historical Fiction)
It's 1865. When Jefferson J. Jackson offers to let orphans Aiden and Maddy Lynch join his wagon train, which is heading over the rugged Oregon Trail, they have no other option. They are literally starving to death on their family's barren Kansas farm. Their journey, filled with joys and sorrows, mirrors Aiden's own journey into adulthood. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS by Lucy Silag (Fiction)
What better place to live out all your fantasies of adventure, romance and more foreign fun than in the City of Love? Lucy Silag's debut novel brings a group of high schoolers to Paris for a prestigious study abroad program. But these students do far more than just practice their French. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.

SECRET KEEPER by Mitali Perkins (Fiction)
In 1974, 16-year-old Asha has to move in with her relatives in Calcutta, India, while her father goes to America to look for a job. Asha not only misses him dreadfully, but she must also endure strict cultural rules, disapproving relatives, dying dreams and loneliness. Her only sources of light are her sister, her journal and the guy next door who chats with her across the rooftop. But when the situation becomes even more desperate, Asha makes some decisions that will forever change all of their lives. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

CYBELE’S SECRET by Juliet Marillier (Historical Fantasy)
For Paula, accompanying her merchant father on a trading voyage to Istanbul is a dream come true. They have come to this city of trade on a special mission to purchase a most rare artifact --- a gift from the ancient goddess, Cybele, to her followers. It’s the only remnant of a lost, pagan cult. But no sooner have they arrived when it becomes clear they may be playing at a dangerous game. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

Author Interviews
Lisa Yee
In this interview with Teenreads.com's Kristi Olson, Lisa Yee --- author of several middle-grade novels, including MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS, STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME and SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS --- discusses her first book for young adults, ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, and explains why she chose to aim this latest work toward a slightly older audience. She also imagines a conversation between two of her protagonists, recalls her own attempts at teen rebellion and shares details about a few projects she's currently working on.

Sara Shepard
Sara Shepard's latest book, WICKED, is the fifth installment in the popular teen series Pretty Little Liars, which follows four best friends who each have their fair share of skeletons in the closet. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Donna Volkennant, Shepard explains how her childhood experiences in suburban Pennsylvania inspired her to write these novels and describes the traits she has in common with each of her main characters. She also shares some of her readers' responses to the timely and somewhat controversial subjects addressed in the books, discusses the possibility of a Pretty Little Liars television show, and reveals what's in store for the four PLLs in upcoming installments of the series.

Author Talks
Patrick Carman
Children’s author Patrick Carman’s latest work, SKELETON CREEK, is the first installment of an innovative new series that tells its tale in two parts: Ryan, one of the main characters, shares his journals within the text of the book, while his friend Sarah --- an amateur filmmaker --- tells her side of the story through videos that readers can watch by visiting her website. In this interview, Carman and his editor, David Levithan, discuss what inspired this multimedia project and reveal the initial insecurities about taking on this new method of storytelling. Carman also shares some behind-the-scenes information about shooting the videos, explains why it’s so important to think outside the box as a way to encourage young readers, and talks about why he chose to end the book with a cliffhanger.

Special Features
MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD by Francisco X. Stork (Fiction)
Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear --- part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo’s differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer…to join the “real world.”

There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising co-worker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it’s a picture he finds in a file --- a picture of a girl with half a face --- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice and what he can do to fight.

Reminiscent of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, legal drama and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.
- Click here to read an excerpt from MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.
- Click here to read Francisco X. Stork’s bio.

SAME DIFFERENCE by Siobhan Vivian (Fiction)
Sometimes, a girl just needs a change…

The last thing 16-year-old Emily wants is to pool hop and tan her way through another summer in Cherry Grove. Now that her best friend has a boyfriend, everything feels…different in a way Emily doesn’t quite understand. So when offered a spot at a prestigious art program in Philadelphia, Emily jumps at the chance to leave her hometown for a few hours a day.

But it takes more than a change of scenery and a new group of friends to discover yourself. As Emily bounces between a suburb where everyone tries to fit in and a city where everyone wants to be unique, she struggles to find her own identity. And while the rules may change, pressures remain the same. Friendships can be hard to navigate. Boys are both deeply mysterious and utterly predictable. And the line between right and wrong is always a little blurry.

In SAME DIFFERENCE, acclaimed author Siobhan Vivian paints a realistic and detailed picture of what it’s like to be a teenager --- including the joy, thrill and heartache we all experience when we’re figuring out who we really are.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SAME DIFFERENCE.
- Click here to read Siobhan Vivian’s bio.

TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA by Shaun Tan (Fiction/Illustrated Short Stories)
An exchange student who’s really an alien, a secret room that becomes the perfect place for a quick escape, a typical tale of grandfatherly exaggeration that is actually even more bizarre than he says... These are the odd details of everyday life that grow and take on an incredible life of their own in tales and illustrations by Shaun Tan, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestseller THE ARRIVAL.
- Click here to read an excerpt from TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA.
- Click here to read Shaun Tan’s bio.

CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER by James Swanson (History)
“This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books, and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up.”

CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.
- Click here to read an excerpt from CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER.
- Click here to watch James Swanson talk about CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER.
- Click here to read James Swanson's bio.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #5: WICKED by Sara Shepard (Fiction)
Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Aria have paid dearly for their sins. A stalker named "A" terrorized them for months and revealed their darkest secrets. But now that A's true identity has been revealed, the girls can finally go back to their pretty little lives. Only, once a pretty little liar, always a pretty little liar --- and these girls just can't help but be bad. After all, girls who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And in Rosewood, someone is always watching…
- Click here to browse inside PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #5: WICKED
- Click here to read Sara Shepard’s bio.
- Click here to read an interview with Sara Shepard.

ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee (Fiction)
Meet Maybelline “Maybe” Chestnut. She may be named for her mother’s favorite brand of mascara, but she has a mind --- and a hair color --- all her own.

Meet her mother, Chessy --- that is, Chessamay Chestnut Abajian Wing Marshall Wing Sinclair Alvarez and soon-to-be Himmler. The one man she didn’t marry? Maybe’s father.

Meet Ted and Hollywood, aka Maybe’s best friends. When Chessy chooses her latest scuzzball fiancé over her daughter, the trio sets out to find Maybe’s dad in California.

Where they meet Los Angeles: city of swimming pools, movie stars, and a whole lot of surprises, including an aging screen goddess, a famous photographer, three makeovers, a Rolls-Royce, and a taco truck.

Hollywood makes a film; Ted makes his fortune. But the biggest surprise may be Maybe herself, as a charm-school dropout becomes a drop-dead charmer in Lisa Yee’s terrific new novel.

Teenreads.com is offering 10 readers the chance to win a copy of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 26th.
- Click here for all the contest details.
- Click here to read an excerpt from ABSOLUTELY MAYBE
- Click here to read Lisa Yee’s bio.
- Click here to read an interview with Lisa Yee.

Cool New Books
February’s roundup of Cool New Books includes SKELETON CREEK, a groundbreaking interactive ghost story courtesy of bestselling author Patrick Carman that plays out on both the written page and in special videos that can be viewed online at www.skeletoncreekisreal.com; P.S. I LOATHE YOU, the 10th installment in Lisi Harrison’s bestselling Clique series that deals with the fallout from the events that unfolded in the Clique Summer Collection; THE FETCH, a supernatural love story set in imperial Russia from A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT author Laura Whitcomb; PROJECT SWEET LIFE, Brent Hartinger’s novel about three teens who are determined to trick everyone into believing they really do have summer jobs; and DOPE SICK by Walter Dean Myers, the compelling story of a young man who would do anything to change the last 24 hours after being pursued by cops and getting dope sick from his latest high.

New in Paperback
February’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME by Rachel Cohn, a painfully realistic exploration of teen suicide and drug abuse; WHAT THEY FOUND, a return to the world of 145th Street, in which Walter Dean Myers shows how love can be found, and thrive, in the most unlikely places; A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE, Siobhan Vivian’s debut novel about a 16-year-old girl who must deal with a number of friendship issues; and THIS IS WHAT I DID: by Ann Dee Ellis, a story that allows readers to piece together the sequence of events that has changed the life of an eighth grader and changed his perspective on what it means to be a good friend and what it means to be a good person. » Click here

Click here to read the full newsletter.

January 2009

2009-01-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of January.

Reviews and Excerpts
3 WILLOWS: The Sisterhood Grows, by Ann Brashares (Fiction)
Eighth grade has come to an end, and Polly, Jo and Ama --- a new generation of sisterhood --- are poised to enter South Bethesda High School. Over summer vacation, the three girls reflect on the day they first met and how their friendships have changed over the years.

Our review of 3 WILLOWS is written by Donna Volkenannt, a newcomer to Ann Brashares’s work. In addition, Amy Alessio, who has read all four books in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, discusses the similarities and differences between the two series.
-- Click here to watch an interview with Ann Brashares as she discusses 3 WILLOWS.

FOREVER PRINCESS: Princess Diaries, Volume X by Meg Cabot (Fiction)
The final episode in the popular Princess Diaries series will surprise and delight. Once again, Meg Cabot is able to take the fun fantasy princess angle and apply it to a realistic, funny and endearing teen who is wondering who she is and what she wants out of life. FOREVER PRINCESS is a fitting end for a Princess. Reviewed by Amy Alessio and excerpted.
-- Click here to read an excerpt of FOREVER PRINCESS.

DEADLY LITTLE SECRET: A Touch Novel, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Paranormal Romance)
Sixteen-year-old Camelia Hammond’s normal life gets turned upside down when Ben Carter transfers to her school. Rumors fly that Ben murdered his girlfriend. Then Camelia starts receiving threatening letters and phone calls. Her gut says she can trust Ben, but then who is stalking her every move? And is the stalker really capable of the threats he makes? Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

GUARDIAN by Julius Lester (Historical Fiction)
In a time and place without moral conscience, 14-year-old Ansel knows what is right and what is true. But it is dangerous to choose honesty, and so he chooses silence. Now an innocent man is dead, and Ansel feels the burden of his decision. He must also bear the pain of losing a friend, his family and the love of a lifetime. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gomez.

DEADVILLE by Ron Koertge (Fiction)
Basically, Ryan has been sleepwalking through life since his younger sister died of cancer two years ago. But when Charlotte Silano --- a gorgeous, popular senior way out of his league --- has a riding accident and falls into a coma, Ryan finds himself drawn to her hospital room almost every day, long after her friends stop coming around. DEADVILLE, deals with life, death, love, drugs --- and a really great playlist. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

NEED by Carrie Jones (Paranormal Romance)
After her father suddenly dies from a heart attack, Zara White falls into a deep depression. Desperate to help, Zara’s mom sends her to Maine to live with her grandmother. And while the change of scenery, new friends and even a boyfriend help Zara begin to crawl out of her depression, her life is in even greater danger. An evil creature called the Pixie King has set his sights on Zara, and he is willing to kill in order to fulfill his needs. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE SCHOOL FOR DANGEROUS GIRLS by Eliot Schrefer (Psychological Thriller)
Parents used to threaten their misbehaving children with military school. Now there is something much worse to offer --- Hidden Oak, a school that promises to rehabilitate "dangerous girls." Angela has no idea just how much danger is in store for her when she is forced to enroll. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez.

TIGER MOON by Antonia Michaelis (Fiction)
German author Antonia Michaelis makes her U.S. debut with TIGER MOON, a powerful and thrilling fairy tale whose magical realism is set against the backdrop of colonial India. Michaelis's skillful storytelling should win her a wide following among anyone who enjoys losing themselves in a good, old-fashioned tale of adventure, love, friendship and storytelling. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

Special Features
TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA by Shaun Tan (Fiction/Illustrated Short Stories)
An exchange student who’s really an alien, a secret room that becomes the perfect place for a quick escape, a typical tale of grandfatherly exaggeration that is actually even more bizarre than he says... These are the odd details of everyday life that grow and take on an incredible life of their own in tales and illustrations by Shaun Tan, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestseller THE ARRIVAL.
-- Click here to read an excerpt from TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA.
-- Click here to read Shaun Tan’s bio.

CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER by James Swanson (History)
“This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books, and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up.”

CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.
-- Click here to read an excerpt from CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER.
-- Click here to read James Swanson's bio.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #5: WICKED by Sara Shepard (Fiction)
Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Aria have paid dearly for their sins. A stalker named "A" terrorized them for months and revealed their darkest secrets. But now that A's true identity has been revealed, the girls can finally go back to their pretty little lives. Only, once a pretty little liar, always a pretty little liar --- and these girls just can't help but be bad. After all, girls who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And in Rosewood, someone is always watching…
-- Click here to browse inside PRETTY LITTLE LIARS #5: WICKED
-- Click here to read Sara Shepard’s bio.

ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee (Fiction)
Meet Maybelline “Maybe” Chestnut. She may be named for her mother’s favorite brand of mascara, but she has a mind --- and a hair color --- all her own.

Meet her mother, Chessy --- that is, Chessamay Chestnut Abajian Wing Marshall Wing Sinclair Alvarez and soon-to-be Himmler. The one man she didn’t marry? Maybe’s father.

Meet Ted and Hollywood, aka Maybe’s best friends. When Chessy chooses her latest scuzzball fiancé over her daughter, the trio sets out to find Maybe’s dad in California.

Where they meet Los Angeles: city of swimming pools, movie stars, and a whole lot of surprises, including an aging screen goddess, a famous photographer, three makeovers, a Rolls-Royce, and a taco truck.

Hollywood makes a film; Ted makes his fortune. But the biggest surprise may be Maybe herself, as a charm-school dropout becomes a drop-dead charmer in Lisa Yee’s terrific new novel.

Teenreads.com is offering 10 readers the chance to win a copy of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, March 26th.
-- Click here for all the contest details.
-- Click here to read a review of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE
-- Click here to read an excerpt from ABSOLUTELY MAYBE
-- Click here to read Lisa Yee’s bio.

Special Giveaway: Win All of Sarah Dessen's Books --- and a "Lock and Key" Necklace!
Calling all Sarah Dessen fans! Teenreads.com is giving one lucky reader the complete Sarah Dessen library, along with a very cool “lock and key” necklace (get it?!). The winner will receive one copy of LOCK & KEY, JUST LISTEN, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, THIS LULLABY, DREAMLAND, KEEPING THE MOON, SOMEONE LIKE YOU and THAT SUMMER. Start reading now, and you’ll be done with Sarah’s books just in time for her upcoming title, ALONG FOR THE RIDE, which releases in June. Keep up with all the latest buzz on the new book at Teenreads.com and www.sarahdessen.com.

Books into Movies
The two films in our latest Books into Movies feature are about as different as night and day, but each offers the perfect excuse to lose yourself in a good story. Hitting theaters on February 6th is Coraline, a delightfully creepy animated movie based on Neil Gaiman’s instant classic about a young girl who stumbles upon an alternate mirrored universe and risks becoming trapped “on the other side” forever. Remember to bring your 3-D glasses, as this Tim-Burton-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland fairy tale is being released in both 2-D and 3-D formats.

And just in time for Valentine’s Day, February 13th marks the release of Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, a madcap romantic comedy that follows unlikely heroine Rebecca Bloomwood as she conquers life, love and looming credit card debt in the big city.

Cool New Books
2009 is getting off to an excellent start for teen readers, as bestselling authors return with additions to popular series, brand-new series and stand-alone novels that will be remembered for a long time to come.

FOREVER PRINCESS marks the 10th and final installment of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series. Mia is now a senior in high school, and her future (along with Genovia’s) hangs in the balance. In 3 WILLOWS, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares introduces fans to three BFFs on the verge of entering South Bethesda High School --- the very same school that the original Sisterhood attended. Anna Godbersen’s Luxe series continues with ENVY; it’s Manhattan, 1899, and all of society is eagerly watching the Hollands, the Hayeses and the Schoonmakers to see what kind of drama the great families’ sons and daughters will stir up next. Jonathan Stroud follows up his Bartimaeus Trilogy with HEROES OF THE VALLEY, an epic fantasy thriller featuring murder, revenge and a slightly diminutive protagonist. And Carl Hiaasen delivers his third novel for young audiences, SCAT, a mystery involving the disappearance of a fearsome biology teacher while on a field trip to Black Vine Swamp.

New in Paperback
The ninth --- and next-to-last --- installment of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series is now available in paperback. PRINCESS MIA features several plotlines: Mia has broken up with Michael, her best friend Lily isn’t speaking to her, Mia’s parents are so worried about her emotional state that they are making her see a therapist, and Mia seems to have uncovered a secret that could alter Genovia’s destiny. January’s roundup of New in Paperback titles also includes RUMORS, the exciting sequel to Anna Godbersen’s THE LUXE, which revolves around the price of keeping secrets and the fortunes that can be made or lost upon their revelation; GAME, Walter Dean Myers’s novel about a young man who hopes that his achievements on the basketball court will help him succeed in life off the court; and BOY TOY by Barry Lyga, in which an 18-year-old battles the demons of his past, especially when he learns that his seventh grade history teacher is about to be released from prison.

Click here to read the full newsletter.

December 2008

2008-12-23T17:43:00.011-05:00

The following reviews, interviews and features are running on Teenreads.com for the month of December.

Reviews and Excerpts
THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION, VOLUME II: THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES by M. T. Anderson (Historical Fiction)
In this second volume of M. T. Anderson's historical epic, Octavian flees from the College of Lucidity, where he has been raised in isolation, to the British-occupied city of Boston. He enlists with Lord Dunmore's Royal Ethiopian Regiment on the promise that he will earn his freedom from slavery if he fights for the Crown. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood and excerpted.

HERE LIES ARTHUR by Philip Reeve (Fiction/Action & Adventure)
Gwyna is servant to Myrddin, bard to the young and brutal warlord Arthur. Exchanging her service for Myrddin's protection, Gwyna witnesses Arthur's rise to power. HERE LIES ARTHUR is a record of her role in the events that one day will become legend. Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood.

PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (Fantasy)
In times of stress, Erin Misrahe has always been overcome by her alter ego, Shevaun, whose violent behavior wreaks havoc on those around her. Erin can never remember anything about these episodes and is grateful to have been spared them for a while. But when a protective friend comes back into her life, he insists that Shevaun is a vampire who actually exists apart from Erin. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

LOVE IS HELL by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Supernatural Fiction Anthology)
In these supernatural stories by Melissa Marr (WICKED LOVELY), Scott Westerfeld (SPECIALS), Justine Larbalestier (MAGIC OR MADNESS), Gabrielle Zevin (ELSEWHERE) and Laurie Faria Stolarz (BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES), love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

LET IT SNOW: Three Holiday Stories, by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (Romance/Humor)
When one thinks of Christmas, images of sparkling snowfalls, traditional family dinners and children dreaming of the shiny presents that Santa might bring probably come to mind. Today's holiday season, however, is sometimes more stressful than joyful. Fortunately, reading LET IT SNOW, a collection of interconnecting Christmas-themed stories, is one such stress-reducer. Reviewed Sarah Sawtelle.

LILY DALE: CONNECTING by Wendy Corsi Staub (Paranormal Suspense)
Now that Calla has accepted her ability to communicate with the Other Side, she's desperate to connect with the one spirit whose energy she can't seem to feel anywhere: her late mother. As ominous supernatural signs imply that the devastating loss might not have been an accident, Calla sets out to uncover the truth. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

DEATH'S SHADOW: The Demonata #7, by Darren Shan (Horror/Supernatural)
With Beranabus, Grubbs and Kernel off exploring the universe of the Demonata for clues about the Shadow behind the demon invasion, Bec is left behind in Carcery Vale for safekeeping. But with Dervish's health on the decline, Lord Loss knows she's the most vulnerable piece of the Kah-Gash. As hoards of demons, werewolves and zombies advance, Bec needs to figure out how to reach Beranabus with crucial information about the Shadow-fast. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER by Sally Nicholls (Fiction)
Eleven-year-old Sam McQueen has leukemia and sadly won't live to see his 12th birthday. WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER is his story: his hopes, his dreams, his goals, his questions and his thoughts on life. Come and share this profoundly moving debut novel, become Sam's friend and carry part of him in your heart forever. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

CRICKET MAN by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Fiction)
Kenny Sykes is determined to make his mark somehow in his new town and his new school. In the meantime, he has appointed himself the secret savior of the hundreds of crickets who seem bound to commit suicide by jumping into his pool. He is not entirely sure why he wants to save them. But once school starts again, Cricket Man finds that there are more important things that need saving. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE GHOST'S CHILD by Sonya Hartnett (Fiction)
Maddy arrives home one day to find a peculiar boy waiting for her. She tells him the story of her life long ago, when she fell painfully in love with a free spirit named Feather. He put aside his wild ways to live with her in a little cottage, conceived with her a child never to be born, and disappeared --- leaving an inconsolable Maddy to follow after him on a fantastical journey across the sea. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

BABYLONNE by Catherine Jinks (Historical Fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Babylonne, an orphan, lives in the 13th century with her abusive aunt and grandmother. When they start planning to marry her off to an old man, Babylonne chops off her hair and runs away, disguised as a young boy. She longs to join the noble knights and assist them with their mighty quests. But then she actually gets what she wished for. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE LETTER WRITER by Ann Rinaldi (Historical Fiction)
Nat Turner was a slave who led the largest slave rebellion in the South beginning on August 21, 1831. When finished, at least 55 people were slaughtered. The mystery is that before this occurred, he was known as a Preacher of God's Word among the area slaves. Ann Rinaldi brings the man and the surrounding events to vivid life from the point of view of 11-year-old Harriet Whitehead. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

PLAY ME by Laura Ruby (Fiction)
Eddy knows how to play the game. Not only does he have a hit online TV show, but in the game of love Eddy knows all the tricks and who will play with him. The girls who know he doesn't make any promises. The girls who are cool with it. But as graduation looms, everything starts deviating from Eddy's master script. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

DOWN SAND MOUNTAIN by Steve Watkins (Fiction)
Twelve-year-old Dewey Turner is giving life a go in 1966 Florida. Though he hasn't had the best of luck with popularity, Dewey is positive it will get better when he starts at the junior/senior high school. But it doesn't. In fact, it gets worse. Dewey muddles through the confusion of racial rights, the Vietnam War, death, growing up, morality and even a haunted hotel while trying to figure out himself. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

UNSETTLED: The Problem of Loving Israel, by Marc Aronson (History)
Marc Aronson's new book explores the history of Israel, from the beginning of the Zionist movement to the birth of Israel as a state in 1948 to the intense conflicts over Israel, the Palestinians and the Jewish settlements of today. Along the way Aronson intersperses stories from his own family's long experiences in Israel. Reviewed by Sarah Hannah G ómez.

Best Books of the Year
As 2008 comes to a close, we at Teenreads.com have compiled some of our favorite books of the year for teens. Along with the blockbusters BREAKING DAWN and BRISINGR, we spotlight THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins, the first installment of a trilogy set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present; THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES, book two in the historical epic The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, in which M. T. Anderson recounts Octavian's experiences as the Revolutionary War explodes around him; and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, E. Lockhart's story of a teenager who finds a way to infiltrate her school's boy-only secret society and practically becomes a criminal mastermind by the age of 16.

Additional standouts include PAPER TOWNS, the highly anticipated return of Printz Medalist John Green in an irresistible plot combining a friendship tale, a road trip and a mystery; CHAINS, Laurie Halse Anderson's compelling examination of the very different implications of freedom and loyalty for slaves during the American Revolution; THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, which marks the first time Holly Black has written about the faerie world in graphic novel form; and the winner of the 2008 National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category, WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, Judy Blundell's coming-of-age novel set against a backdrop of mystery, lies and shattering reality.

Special Giveaway: Win All of Sarah Dessen's Books --- and a "Lock and Key" Necklace!
Calling all Sarah Dessen fans! Teenreads.com is giving one lucky reader the complete Sarah Dessen library, along with a very cool "lock and key" necklace (get it?!). The winner will receive one copy of LOCK & KEY, JUST LISTEN, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, THIS LULLABY, DREAMLAND, KEEPING THE MOON, SOMEONE LIKE YOU and THAT SUMMER. Start reading now, and you’ll be done with Sarah's books just in time for her upcoming title, ALONG FOR THE RIDE, which releases in June. Keep up with all the latest buzz on the new book at Teenreads.com and www.sarahdessen.com.

Special Feature: IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin (Romantic Suspense/Fantasy)
Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter.

Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy is 17 when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?
-- Click here to read a review of IMPOSSIBLE.
-- Click here to read an excerpt from IMPOSSIBLE.
-- Click here to read our interview with Nancy Werlin.
-- Click here to read Nancy Werlin's bio.

Cool New Books
November and December's roundup of Cool New Books includes PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, a thrilling tale of love, loyalty and illusion from the bestselling author of the Kiesha’ra series, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes; LOVE IS HELL, a collection of supernatural stories courtesy of Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin and Laurie Faria Stolarz; LILY DALE: CONNECTING, the third installment in Wendy Corsi Staub's paranormal suspense series, in which Calla finally uncovers the mystery behind her mother's death; HERE LIES ARTHUR, Philip Reeve's retelling of the legend of King Arthur, who is portrayed as the leader of a ragtag war band; DEATH'S SHADOW, book seven in The Demonata horror series by Cirque du Freak author Darren Shan; and THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, a collection of five fairy tales courtesy of J.K. Rowling that gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.

New in Paperback
November and December's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE DANGEROUS DAYS OF DANIEL X, James Patterson's sci-fi adventure about a boy who uses his unique gifts to hunt down the killer who brutally murdered his parents; WYVERNHAIL, the fifth and final installment in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's The Kiesha'ra series, in which readers find out what happens after Princess Oliza abdicates the throne of Wyvern's Court; UNBELIEVABLE, book four in Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series that marks a return to the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania; COVER-UP, a John Feinstein mystery that finds Steve Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson sitting on the biggest sports scandal of the decade; RIGHT BEHIND YOU by Gail Giles, a psychologically complex novel in which a boy learns that sometimes your own past can be the scariest thing of all; and THE NIGHT MY SISTER WENT MISSING, a suspenseful mystery from Carol Plum-Ucci involving a summer night, a group of teens --- and a loaded gun.

Click Here to Read the Full Newsletter

October 2008

2008-11-13T11:15:00.002-05:00

Interviews:
G. P. Taylor
G. P. Taylor, bestselling author of SHADOWMANCER and WORMWOOD, recently published THE FIRST ESCAPE, book one of The Dopple Ganger Chronicles. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Michele Howe, Taylor discusses what inspired him to create the book in a new format called the "illustra-novella" --- a combination of graphic novels and illustrated plain text --- and explains the real-life influences behind the main characters. He also describes where he sees the series going in future installments and shares what he hopes young readers will take away from his work.

Coe Booth
Coe Booth, author of the young adult novel TYRELL, recently published her second work of fiction for teens, called KENDRA. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Alexis Burling, Booth explains how her firsthand experiences with friends inspired the main character's unique circumstances and living situation, and elaborates on the strained dynamics between the protagonist and her family. She also describes why she decided to shed light on the important but controversial topic of teen pregnancy, shares details about her work aiding families in crisis and reveals when her next book --- the sequel to her debut --- will be available in stores.

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch is the award-winning author of several books for young adults, including INEXCUSABLE, ME, DEAD DAD, & ALCATRAZ, and the newly released CYBERIA, which will be the first installment in a three-part series. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Kristi Olson, Lynch recounts the humorous occurrence involving his pet dog and his newly installed broadband connection that sparked the idea for the novel, and explains his motivations behind the story's villain, Dr. Gristle. He also shares his thoughts on people's ever-growing dependency on technology, muses on how different the world would be if it were possible to communicate with animals and discusses where the series is headed in future installments.

Author Talk:
Holly Black
After publishing several popular children's and young adult titles such as The Spiderwick Chronicles, TITHE, VALIANT and IRONSIDE, Holly Black tries her hand at graphic novels with KIN, the opening book in her trilogy The Good Neighbors. In this interview, Black discusses what prompted this change in genre and highlights the major similarities and differences between writing prose and comics. She also recalls the historical event that inspired the plot of this first installment, describes the step-by-step process of collaborating with artist Ted Naifeh, and explains how seeing his visual representations ultimately influenced the direction of the story.

Special Features:
THE FIRST ESCAPE: The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, Book One by G. P. Taylor (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
From the bestselling author of SHADOWMANCER comes an enthralling new series of illustra-novellas.
THE FIRST ESCAPE is the first book in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles, a six-book series following three children --- Sadie and Saskia Dopple and Erik Morrissey Ganger. Sadie and Saskia are mischievous identical twins living at an orphanage, where Erik is their only friend. They are separated when Saskia is adopted by Muzz Elliott, a wealthy woman searching for her long-lost family treasure. While Saskia stumbles into the center of a crime only she can stop, Sadie and Erik embark on a quest to find her. This book is in an exciting new format called an "illustra-novella," in which the story is told alternately in graphic novel format and plain text with occasional illustrations.

KENDRA by Coe Booth (Fiction)
Kendra’s mom was only 14 when she had Kendra. Then she left Kendra with Kendra’s grandmother and went on with her life. Now Kendra is 14, and her grandmother wants her mother to start acting like a mother --- especially when Kendra starts getting in trouble with boys.Kendra isn’t sure she has anything to say to her mom --- not after all these years. But when her trouble turns serious, where else can she turn?As she did in her debut novel, TYRELL, Coe Booth gets into the head of a teen trying to find her place in the world --- even though nothing (not family, not friendship, not sex, not love)
is what it’s supposed to be.

CYBERIA by Chris Lynch (Science Fiction)
Zane lives a life of luxury in a completely wired world. He doesn’t ever (even?) have to leave his building to have exciting (virtual) experiences. His room knows everything he eats and what he needs for school. Even his pet dog is wired.There’s only one problem: When Zane gets a device that enables animals to talk to him, he finds out that his world is a lie. The animals don’t want to be wired --- they want to rebel. And Zane is going to be a part of their revolution, whether he likes it or not. In the process, he’ll have to enter a world he has never confronted before: Nature.Join award-winning author Chris Lynch on a nonstop adventure through a not-so-distant future, where one lone kid has to prove he can be an animal’s best friend.

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book One: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (Graphic Novel)
The human realm and the faerie realm have always been good neighbors. But all that is about to change...

Rue Silver's life isn't at all what it appears to be; her mother has disappeared --- and her father is being blamed for her murder. Is he guilty, or is there another truth behind it all? Rue digs deeper into her family's past and makes a startling discovery: her mother is a faerie, and she's vanished back into the faerie realm because of a broken promise. In order to save her, Rue must defeat a dark faerie --- who threatens our very mortal world.

Contests:
Grab Bag of Books Giveaway
Every month in our Grab Bag of Books contest, five readers are awarded a Teenreads.com signature tote bag filled with some of the hottest books --- and may even include a sneak peak at titles that haven’t been released yet! This contest period’s winners will each receive a copy of CREEPERS by Joanne Dahme, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart, EVERNIGHT by Claudia Gray and VAMPS by Nancy A. Collins.

Books Into Movies:
There is much to be thankful for in November --- and we’re not just talking about family gatherings, delicious turkey dinners and days off from school. Our latest Books into Movies feature spotlights three films that cannot be missed. Of course, everyone is talking about the appearance of Edward Cullen in the November 21st movie version of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance novel, TWILIGHT. We always appreciate when films stay true to the books we love, and director Catherine Hardwicke has followed its vision as closely as possible: “When I read Stephenie’s book, I fell in love with it just like you did. I wanted to see Edward and Bella living and breathing!” (In fact, the author refused to sell the movie rights unless Summit Entertainment promised in their contract not to portray any of the vampires with “canine or incisor teeth longer or more pronounced than may be found in human beings.”)
With a phenomenally talented young cast and careful filming --- they had to stop shooting every time it got sunny! --- this one will definitely live up to its mega-hype. November 7th marks the release of the highly anticipated The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This incredibly moving (and, let's face it, insanely depressing)
adaptation of John Boyne's award-winning novel about the Holocaust is told from the innocent eyes of a Nazi officer's young son and promises to meet the high standards setby the soon-to-be classic book. Keep the tissues handy, though --- the surprise ending will leave you sobbing long after you leave the theater.And last but certainly not least is The Clique, a direct-to-DVD film based on Lisi Harrison’s bestselling series about five girls who belong to The Pretty Committee, the most popular clique at Octavian Country Day. Join Massie, Dylan, Kristen, Alicia and Claire at their exclusive private school in Westchester County, New York, beginning November 18th.

Don't Miss
RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE written by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale (Graphic Novel)
An old fairy tale gets a new face in RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE, complete with a sassy heroine who takes no nonsense from evil stepmothers or pompous princes. This Rapunzel is much more fun (and a whole lot more adventurous)
than any version you may have encountered before. Reviewed by John Hogan.

Cool New Books:
October's roundup of Cool New Books includes PAPER TOWNS, which marks the highly anticipated return of Printz Medalist John Green in an irresistible plot combining a friendship tale, a road trip and a mystery; the National Book Award finalist CHAINS, Laurie Halse Anderson's compelling examination of the very different implications of freedom and loyalty for slaves during the American Revolution; MELTING STONES, the latest novel from bestselling fantasy author Tamora Pierce, who brings readers back to the world of the Circle of Magic quartet; YOU JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH, the second installment in Cecily von Ziegesar’s follow-up series to Gossip Girl featuring the Carlyle triplets of Nantucket, Massachusetts; and THE KINGDOM ON THE WAVES, the sequel to the National Book Award winner THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, in which M. T. Anderson recounts Octavian’s experiences as the Revolutionary War explodes around him.

New In Paperback:
October’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes SEEING REDD, the fast-paced second installment in Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars trilogy; ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD by Melissa de la Cruz, a compelling story concerning a social networking website that started out innocently enough but has slowly turned into something much darker; BLOOD BEAST, book five in The Demonata horror series by Cirque du Freak author Darren Shan; and BREATHE MY NAME, an intense psychological thriller from R.A. Nelson, who wrote the much-talked-about novel TEACH ME.

Reviews and Excerpts:
PAPER TOWNS by John Green (Fiction)
Likable Quentin Jacobsen has yearned for his vibrant neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were kids. So imagine his ecstasy when she lures him into a middle-of-the night adventure…and his pain when she vanishes. Finding Margo becomes Q's quest in an irresistible plot combining a friendship tale, a road trip and a mystery. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon and excerpted.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place --- he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings --- like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? Reviewed by Brian Farrey and excerpted.

NATION by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle, Daphne --- a girl from the other side of the globe --- is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave. Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.

MELTING STONES by Tamora Pierce (Fantasy)
Four years have passed since Evvy left the streets of Chammur to begin her training as a stone mage. At 14, she's unhappy to be on a new journey with her mentor, prickly green mage Rosethorn, who has been called to the Battle Islands to determine why the plants and animals there are dying. Evvy's job is to listen and learn, but she can't keep quiet and do nothing. With the island on the brink of disaster, it's up to Evvy to avert the destruction that looms ahead. Reviewed by Joy Held and excerpted.

KINGDOM KEEPERS II: DISNEY AT DAWN by Ridley Pearson (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
It's supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom --- the return of the teenaged holographic hosts. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda's mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle and excerpted.

IDENTICAL by Ellen Hopkins (Fiction)
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family --- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THE JUVIE THREE by Gordon Korman (Fiction)
Gecko Fosse drove the getaway car. Terence Florian ran with the worst gang in Chicago. Arjay Moran killed someone. All three boys are serving time in juvenile detention centers until they get a second chance at life in the form of Douglas Healy, a former juvenile delinquent who is running an experimental halfway house in New York City. Things are going well, until an accident upends all their lives. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

LIFEBLOOD: Darkside, Book 2 by Tom Becker (Fantasy/Action & Adventure)
A series of unexplained murders on the Darkside of London has Jonathan tangled up in another dangerous mystery. He becomes obsessed with solving the crimes and finding his mother, who was investigating similar murders before she vanished. Meanwhile, the Ripper family is involved in a deadly scandal that goes right to the heart of Darkside society --- and they're watching Jonathan. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND by Allegra Goodman (Science Fiction)
The world is a very different place after the devastating flood. Most of the survivors live on the island colonies, and though Honor and her parents come from the north, they now live in the colonies as well. There are a mass of new, very strict rules to learn, and Honor tries her best to fit in with everyone else. Unfortunately, her parents refuse to become like everyone else. And sometimes, when a person refuses to follow the rules, they disappear. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

GIRLWOOD by Claire Dean (Fantasy)
The morning after Polly’s older sister Bree disappears, her mother becomes hysterical and phones the police. Polly’s father rushes home from his cottage in the woods; Baba, her grandmother, shows up at their doorstep and their lives forever change. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

CROSSING TO PARADISE by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Historical Fiction)
As field girl Gatty journeys with Lady Gwyneth and a prickly new family of pilgrims across Europe to the Holy Land, Kevin Crossley-Holland reveals a medieval world as rich and compelling as the world of today it foresees. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE SPECIALISTS: NATIVE TONGUE by Shannon Greenland (Mystery)
Lovable GiGi is pairing up with expert linguist Darren, aka Parrot, on a mission to South America. When a centuries-old vase is found in a cave full of hieroglyphics, it is discovered that this vase was important to at least 15 different North American and South American Indian tribes. And now all 15 nations want it back. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

Manga and Graphic Novels:
powered by noflyingnotights.com
BOUND BEAUTY, Volume 1 by Mick Takeuchi
Chiyako can see the mythical connection known as the red string of fate, the invisible thread that ties each person to the one they're destined to love. When she is told by a stranger that she had better stop using her vision or pay the price, she is not about to back down. Reviewed by Robin Brenner.

MUHYO & ROJI’S BUREAU OF SUPERNATURAL INVESTIGATION, Volumes 1 and 2 by Yoshiyuki Nishi
Muhyo is an Executor, the highest ranking practitioner of paranormal law, and the youngest one at that. Roji is his assistant, a mere second clerk, who helps run their business. Together the two can help anyone out with their supernatural problems --- from a girl who is killing people on a subway platform to a haunted piece of furniture. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

TWO FLOWERS FOR THE DRAGON, Volumes 1 and 2 by Nari Kusakawa
Shakuya is next in line to rule her desert country, she is the descendent of a dragon and tends to turn into one when she gets riled, and her long-lost fiancé has just returned from the dead. The fiancé part wouldn't be so bad, except that when he disappeared, she got another fiancé. Now she has two. Reviewed by Eva Volin.

Christian Reviews and Excerpts:
THE MIRACLE GIRLS by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt (Fiction)
Ana Dominguez was happy in San Jose, but everything changed when her dad moved the family to Half Moon Bay, California, to open a law practice. Her parents think she's settling into her new school nicely, but she has them fooled. Riley, the most popular girl in school, has picked Ana as enemy #1, and Tyler, Ana's crush, doesn't even know Ana exists. When Ana ends up in detention with Riley, her life suddenly changes. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

Sweet Seasons
THE FALL OF CANDY CORN by Debbie Viguié (Fiction)
Fall is in the air, and without completely knowing why, Candace Thompson has signed up to continue what was supposed to be a short-term summer job at the local theme park. Working with Kurt doesn’t hurt, but a surprising kink involving her youth group, as well as the shock of an unexpected setback, threaten to be more painful. Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby.

Lauren Holbrook
MATCH POINT: Lauren Holbrook Series, Book 3 by Erynn Mangum (Fiction)
Lauren Holbrook, matchmaker extraordinaire, takes credit for four successful couples now. With her dad happily married and life settling down around her, Lauren feels quite content. That is, until the tables are turned and she's on the receiving end of the matchmaking! Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby.

Recent Bookreporter.com Titles for Teens:
THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks (Fiction)
When Marine veteran Logan Thibault decides to find the woman in the picture he discovered during his third tour of duty in Iraq, it's partly because that photo appears to have kept him safe in the deadliest of war experiences. When he comes face to face with the lovely Elizabeth, his unwitting lucky charm, he realizes the quest is more complicated than he ever could have dreamed. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

GOLDENGROVE by Francine Prose (Fiction)
At the center of Francine Prose's profoundly moving new novel is a young girl facing the consequences of sudden loss after the death of her sister. As her parents drift toward their own risky consolations, 13-year-old Nico is left alone to grope toward understanding and clarity, falling into a seductive, dangerous relationship with her sister's enigmatic boyfriend. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (Memoir)
Someone dumped a small kitten into the book drop of the public library in Spencer, Iowa, on the coldest night of the year. Librarian Vicki Myron found the nearly frozen, half-starved, dirty kitten the next morning and rescued it from certain death. Thus begins the true story of a plucky little feline who won the hearts of the library patrons and countless other folks around the world during the 19 years he spent as the unofficial town mascot and library resident. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

Feature:
BRISINGR: Inheritance, Book III by Christopher Paolini (Fantasy)
Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength --- as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices --- choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

September 2008

2008-10-14T16:16:00.002-04:00

Feature:
BRISINGR: Inheritance, Book III by Christopher Paolini (Fantasy)
Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength --- as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices --- choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

Author Talk:
Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins, author of the children's series The Underland Chronicles, recently published a novel for young adults called THE HUNGER GAMES. In this interview, Collins discusses the various sources --- ranging from Greek mythology to reality television --- that inspired the plot of this futuristic sci-fi tale and explains how her father's stories from her childhood helped her with elements of the story's plot, themes and characters. She also reveals how she tastefully handled the book's violent scenes, shares her thoughts on writing for different age groups and lists some of her favorite books she read as a teenager.

Holly Black
After publishing several popular children's and young adult titles such as The Spiderwick Chronicles, TITHE, VALIANT and IRONSIDE, Holly Black tries her hand at graphic novels with KIN, the opening book in her trilogy The Good Neighbors. In this interview, Black discusses what prompted this change in genre and highlights the major similarities and differences between writing prose and comics. She also recalls the historical event that inspired the plot of this first installment, describes the step-by-step process of collaborating with artist Ted Naifeh, and explains how seeing his visual representations ultimately influenced the direction of the story.

Special Feature:
THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book One: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh (Graphic Novel)
The human realm and the faerie realm have always been good neighbors. But all that is about to change...

Rue Silver's life isn't at all what it appears to be; her mother has disappeared --- and her father is being blamed for her murder. Is he guilty, or is there another truth behind it all? Rue digs deeper into her family's past and makes a startling discovery: her mother is a faerie, and she's vanished back into the faerie realm because of a broken promise. In order to save her, Rue must defeat a dark faerie --- who threatens our very mortal world.

Contests:
Grab Bag of Books Giveaway
Every month in our Grab Bag of Books contest, five readers are awarded a Teenreads.com signature tote bag filled with some of the hottest books --- and may even include a sneak peak at titles that haven't been released yet! This contest period's winners will each receive a copy of AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot, THE GOOD NEIGHBORS: Book One - Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh, THE MIRACLE GIRLS by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt, SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson and the VAMPIRE KISSES Box Set, which includes the first three books of Ellen Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series.

Books Into Movies:
NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST actually began when author Rachel Cohn mentioned to her friend, fellow writer David Levithan, her idea for a novel. Two New Jersey teenagers would meet at a music club in Manhattan and have an all-night series of adventures as they keep searching for where the next great band is playing. Levithan loved the idea so much that he asked if he could write Nick's part, and Cohn agreed. A few months later, he sent her Nick's opening chapter, and they began emailing each other back and forth for the rest of the summer. Without any planning, the book --- which Levithan has called "a truly kick-ass love story" --- thus emerged and has now been adapted into a major motion picture. Starring Michael Cera of Superbad and Juno fame, and releasing on October 3rd, this is one movie you won't want to miss.

Cool New Books:
Two major sci-fi/fantasy releases from bestselling authors highlight September's roundup of Cool New Books. In BRISINGR, the third book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep. Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in THE HUNGER GAMES, the first installment of a trilogy set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

Other featured titles this month include Terry Pratchett's NATION, the story of a boy whose journey to manhood requires the strength to defy expectations and the courage to forge new beliefs; IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin, in which a 17-year-old has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter; and LIVING DEAD GIRL, Elizabeth Scott's deeply disturbing and heart-wrenching novel about a girl who suffers indescribable physical and mental abuse at the hands of her abductor.

New In Paperback:
September's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE FINAL WARNING, the fourth installment in James Patterson's high-flying Maximum Ride series; THE LUXE, Anna Godbersen's novel about five teens in 1899 Manhattan, where appearance matters more than anything else and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever; HOLIDAY PRINCESS, in which Mia and her subjects from Meg Cabot's bestselling Princess Diaries series tells readers how to have a jolly and memorable holiday; the Carnegie Medal-winning TAMAR by Mal Peet, a masterful story of adventure, love, secrets and betrayal in a time of war; and HARMLESS, Dana Reinhardt's second work of fiction (following A BRIEF CHAPTER IN MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE) that answers the question, "How much harm can one lie do?"

Reviews and Excerpts:
LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott (Fiction)
When Alice was 10, Ray took her away from her family and friends. She learned to give up all power and endure the pain, and waited for the nightmare to be over. Now Alice is 15 and Ray still has her, but speaks more and more of her death. However, she doesn't know that he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts and excerpted.

THE BIG GAME OF EVERYTHING by Chris Lynch (Fiction)
Sure, Jock loves his family, but that's because a guy is supposed to, right? They may be weird and annoying, but they're still his family. And Jock spends an intense, discovery-filled summer with them working at his grandfather's golf course while figuring out the important things in life. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman and excerpted.

SOVAY by Celia Rees (Historical Fiction)
Celia Rees follows up such popular books as PIRATES! and WITCH CHILD with SOVAY, an action-packed, swashbuckling 18th-century tale with plenty of intrigue, suspense, romance and fabulous fashion. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.

GHOSTGIRL by Tonya Hurley (Fiction)
After a death-causing freak accident with a gummy bear, Charlotte Usher goes from being a supremely unpopular girl to an invisible ghostgirl. But even in death, she desperately wants to win the attention of Damen, the most popular guy in school. Can Charlotte finally find popularity in the afterlife? Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

ALL WE KNOW OF LOVE by Nora Raleigh Baskin (Fiction)
Natalie Gordon's mother walked out on Natalie and her father four years ago, leaving without an explanation, a goodbye, or a forwarding address. Then one day, out of nowhere, a package with a return address arrives for Natalie. She buys a bus ticket and sets out on a painful journey to get some desperately needed answers. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

BLISS by Lauren Myracle (Horror)
New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle delivers plenty of creepy chills in BLISS, a blood-soaked psychological suspense novel set in an elite school in the deep South amid the racial tensions of the post-segregation era. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

BOG CHILD by Siobhan Dowd (Fiction)
Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds the body of a child, and it looks like she's been murdered. As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him, a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

ODDEST OF ALL by Bruce Coville (Fantasy/Horror/Short Stories)
Master storyteller Bruce Coville continues to wow readers with his quirky tales in this anthology of nine stories that are magical, frightening, hilarious and touching. From the strangest frog mutation ever and ghosts that haunt in more ways than one, to the pure weirdness of being 13 and in love, consider us "awed"! Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

HERO-TYPE by Barry Lyga (Fiction)
Kevin Ross doesn't think he's a hero. He just happened to be in an alley near the library when Leah was almost raped and murdered by a notorious serial killer. True, Kevin did attack the assailant from behind and hold him until the police came. Sure, his life is forever changed, with the media camped out everywhere and reporters looking to interview him. But he doesn't want anyone to know what he was doing in that alley in the first place. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

VAMPIRE KISSES 5: THE COFFIN CLUB by Ellen Schreiber (Horror)
It's tough for love-struck Raven to imagine what's keeping her nocturnal boyfriend from returning to Dullsville. So there's only one thing to do --- find Alexander. Along the way, Raven can't resist the spot where she feels most at home: the Coffin Club. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

THE DRAGON HEIR by Cinda Williams Chima (Fantasy)
Relationships are tested, strange alliances are made (and broken) and startling secrets are revealed, as THE DRAGON HEIR brings Cinda Williams Chima's series to a gripping yet bittersweet conclusion that will leave readers wanting to revisit the previous two installments, THE WARRIOR HEIR and THE WIZARD HEIR. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

WOULD YOU by Marthe Jocelyn (Fiction)
For Natalie's amazing older sister, Claire, this summer is fantastic, because she's heading to college in the fall. But when she's hit by a car, the world changes in a heartbeat. Over the next four days, moment by moment, Natalie, her parents and their friends wait to learn if Claire will ever recover. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

FOOTBALL HERO by Tim Green (Fiction)
Ty's big brother, Thane "Tiger" Lewis, has graduated from college and has been drafted into the pro leagues by the New York Jets. That couldn't be better news for young Ty because he lives in New Jersey with a disagreeable uncle, but now he gets to see Thane every week. They have gotten even closer since their parents died six months earlier in a car accident and need each other in more ways than one. Reviewed by Joy Held.

Manga and Graphic Novels:
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THE CHRONICLES OF THE GRIM PEDDLER, Volume 1 by Lee Jeoun-A
The Grim Peddler, though a dashing young man with stylish suits and the preternatural beauty of a fairy tale princess, plays neither the prince nor the hero of any fairy tale. He is instead the wicked witch, the tempter, the trickster, and unlike the fairy tales we know, the Grim Peddler's touch reveals twists on old tales. Reviewed by Robin Brenner.

LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED, Volumes 2-9 by Sakura Tsukuba
Readers looking for something to pair with Fruits Basket, From Far Away, Apothecarius Argentum or Yurara should definitely check out this series. It has the romance, the fantasy, and the strong writing and good art to make it a keeper. The first three volumes also have terrific bonus stories that leave the reader longing for more from this fine creator. Reviewed by Snow Wildsmith.

MONSTER ZOO by Doug TenNapel
Ty visits the zoo as a way to take a break, especially from the recent loss of his father, a sharpshooter who was stationed in Afghanistan. Taking breaks doesn't come easy, though, when his best friend, Carpo, lets loose all his annoying habits, and the girl of his dreams, Rainy, arrives on a date with the school Neanderthal, Rick. Then something goes wrong. Horribly wrong. Reviewed by Robin Brenner.

Christian Reviews and Excerpts:
GOODBYE HOLLYWOOD NOBODY by Lisa Samson (Fiction)
Charley is off to Scotland with her new beau, and Scotty and her dad travel to Maine in search of Scotty's mom. When they land on her mother's last known trail, will their questions finally be answered? Reviewed by Michele Howe.

The Lost Books
CHAOS: The Lost Books #4 by Ted Dekker (Fiction)
Deep in the mountains of Romania stands a fortress, and deep within that fortress lies a chamber. In that chamber, ruling the dead for over 2,000 years, lives one Shataiki bat straight from the bowels of the Black Forest. He seeks the final Books of History with which he will destroy the world. But there are four who stand in the way. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

Lauren Holbrook
REMATCH: Lauren Holbrook Series, Book 2 by Erynn Mangum (Fiction)
Lauren Holbrook has two great loves: matchmaking and a good cup of coffee. Needless to say, she is thrilled when her favorite pastimes finally are able to come together. In REMATCH, Lauren, fresh off a successfully matched wedding, is on the prowl for a new unsuspecting couple to work her magic on. Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby.

Recent Bookreporter.com Titles for Teens:
HURRY DOWN SUNSHINE: A Memoir, by Michael Greenberg (Memoir)
Aristotle said that "no excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness." And it seems that many of the great and creative minds of history have been, to put it poetically, excellent souls. Still, to see a loved one wrestle with mental illness is usually more frustrating and heartbreaking than inspiring. Inspiration is there, however, waiting to be uncovered by the patient and the gifted. Michael Greenberg's honest new memoir demonstrates such patience and skill as he retells his teenage daughter's first psychotic break and its immediate aftermath. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING: A Memoir, written by Haruki Murakami and translated by Philip Gabriel (Memoir)
In this slim, entertaining memoir, noted Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami discourses on his passion for distance running and the way in which that passion has influenced his writing and his view of life itself. It is one man's wry and refreshing look at how vocation and hobby sometimes unite to form a seamless whole. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg and excerpted.

BLUE SKY JULY: A Mother's Story of Hope and Healing, by Nia Wyn (Memoir)
A child is born with brain damage and severe cerebral palsy. His mother, a former newspaper reporter who is adept at research and knows how to get difficult questions answered, is determined that her son Joe, her only child, will have as normal a life as possible, in spite of what all the medical experts tell her. The author battles heartbreak, depression and conventional wisdom in this chronicle of the first seven years of Joe's remarkable life. Reviewed by Carole Turner.