Tag Archive | non-US author

Geek Girl, by Holly Smale (book review) – a beauty of a geek?

Jan29

book cover of Geek Girl by Holly Smale published by Harper CollinsAnimals? Adores them!
Fish anatomy? Fantastic!
High heels? Huh?

Aspiring natural scientist and focus of every school bully, clumsy Harriet reluctantly goes with lovely Natalie to a fashion tryout – and is chosen! What??

I just loved Geek Girl when I read an advance copy in 2013 and was so sad that it was only available in the UK then. At last, Harper Collins has brought freckled Harriet here – just out this week!

Read the beginning of Harriet’s headlong rush into modeling here on the publisher’s site for free.

The second book in the series, Geek Girl: Model Misfit, will be published in the US this July – whatever will Harriet get into next?

**kmm

Book info: Geek Girl (Geek Girl, book 1) / Holly Smale. Harper Collins, 2015.   [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Harriet is just fine with being a geek and so are her best friend Natalie and smitten Toby – it’s everyone else at school who hates her for being smart. Tricked into attending a mall fashion show, it’s ginger-haired, freckled Harriet who’s chosen as a model, not beautiful Nat! And wanting to change from despised geek to anything else, Harriet says yes.

From her suburb to the London modeling agency, Harriet’s dad is excited, her lawyer stepmom is skeptical, and Harriet is about to pass out from nerves. This is not part of the plan – she wants to be a paleontologist! It’s Natalie who’s always dreamed of being a model. At least the cute dark-haired guy from the mall is there, rescuing her from outside the agency where she’s hyperventilating.

The flamboyant modeling agent who discovered her (that’s Wilbur with a –bur not an –iam!) calls her Plum-cake and Treacle-Nose. Harriet doesn’t recognize the name of the very influential designer who wants to meet her, but she does know that this clothing brand is top-of-the-line (online research about fashion modeling last night paid off).

Suddenly, a gawky fifteen-year-old geek is the new face of Baylee, slated for a photo shoot in Moscow in the morning! Her stepmother disapproves of teen girls modeling or missing school, but Harriet and her dad are determined to pull this off anyway.

How could she know that getting to Moscow was the easy part?
Why didn’t Wilbur tell her that cute Nick would be there?
Will Nat ever forgive her for stealing her dream?

Every detailed plan that Harriet makes after that fateful mall trip seems to go awry in this funny tale of friendship, family, fashion, and wondering why high heels were ever invented. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Multicultural Children’s Book Day – windows & mirrors for us all

Jan27

Yes, books can be windows to other worlds, other lives.
Also they should be mirrors where we can see ourselves, yet the majority of kids’ and young adult books published in the US don’t reflect that. (see my June 2014 post here for statistics)

Today is Multicultural Children’s Book Day which aims to open eyes, spark discussion, provide resources, and spread the word about the available books with main characters who are not white, middle-class, and straight.

Visit the site to find myriad book lists by category, from Asian American Books for Kids of All Ages to Diverse Biography Picture Books, as well as book lists by geographic region and holidays.

You know that I recommend books outside bestsellers (where, let’s face it, the leads are most often white, hetero, economically comfortable), so I find wonderful diverse titles that lots of folks will enjoy. BookRiot’s recent article on “How to Read Diversely” highlights more ways to find good reads with diverse characters.

#ReadYourWorld or someone else’s with these recent books (click title for my no-spoilers recommendation):

book cover of If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth published by Arthur A Levine BooksIf I Ever Get Out of Here, by Eric Gansworth – Rez life, seeing into others’ lives, the Beatles

Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, by Joel Christian Gill – graphic novel featuring African Americans not shown in history books

Shelter, by Patricia Aust – trying to be a man without resorting to Dad’s violence

Orleans, by Sherri L. Smith – deadly Delta Fever is least of Fen’s worries in post-apocalyptic Gulf Coast

The Chaos, by Nalo Hopkinson – Jamaican-Canadian teen seeks her brother in city overtaken by mythic, storybook, nightmare beings

Riding Invisible, by Sandra Alonzo – escaping on horseback from violence at home

Shadow Hero, by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew – graphic novel of first Asian American superhero

Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel, by Diana Lopez – Mom’s cancer, Chia’s promesas, answers not always clear

Need more? Watch for Diverse Books as Genre in column on the right (under all the tags) – updating in progress.

What diverse books are your favorites?
**kmm

Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, adapted by Stacy King, art by Po Tse (book review)

Jan13

book cover of Manga Classics Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen adapted by Stacy King published by Udon EntertainmentLove, misunderstanding,
ambition, social constraints,
Jane Austen told the story so well…

And Stacy King uses Austen’s own text along with Po Tse’s stylish illustrations to bring Pride and Prejudice  to lovers of classic lit, love stories, and manga in the newest of Udon’s Manga Classics series.

Which classic work would you like to see in manga style?
*kmm

Book info: Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen; adapted by Stacy King; art by Po Tse. Udon Entertainment, 2014.  [series Facebook page]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Yes, a true manga version of Jane Austen’s classic tale of sisters, ambitions, misunderstandings, and love gone awry!

As you read it from back to front, enjoy Po Tse’s visual interpretations and Stacy King’s well-chosen selections from the original Austen text.

Mrs. Bennet is all a-flutter as the frenetic, social-climbing mother striving to marry her five daughters into higher social status. The aristocratic young men are portrayed as elegant and slim in their well-tailored attire, and the young ladies are most properly frocked, befrilled and doe-eyed (as manga style decrees).

This clever and enjoyable journey from countryside to country estate, from bad first impressions to proclamations of love and eternal devotion is one of the Manga Classics series by Udon Entertainment. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Somewhat scary & completely wonderful: spooky season books pair #1

Oct26

Y’all know that I cannot read horror books; my imagination is just too good and needs no super-terrifying prompts.

I can take on scary tales in measured doses and do love mysteries, of course..

So as we count down the days till Hallowe’en, check out BooksYALove favorites to get you ghoul and ready for some frights! Today’ pair, future based on past inequities and past predicting the future: Click for today’s titles

Me On the Floor, Bleeding, by Jenny Jagerfeld (book review) – thumbtip gone, mom gone, Maja is… where?

Oct2

book cover of Me On the Floor, Bleeding by Jenny Jagerfeld published by Stockholm TextMaja really wouldn’t harm herself.
Mum really wouldn’t forget their weekend plans.
Dad really wouldn’t assume the worst (yes, he would).

A classic outsider at her high school, Maja is willing to wander a bit further in search of the truth than the adults in her life are comfortable with.

Not the first book-in-translation that I’ve featured on BooksYALove, but its publisher is my first small press from Sweden. Hope to see more YA from Stockholm Text in the future!

**kmm

Book info: Me On the Floor, Bleeding / Jenny Jagerfeld; translated by Susan Beard. Stockholm Text, 2014.   [author site in Swedish]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When Maja is injured at school, everyone worries that she did it on purpose… except her mom, who’s gone missing. The Swedish teen’s search turns up more answers than she was looking for.

If she hadn’t been trying to make a bookshelf instead of sculpture for art class, the 17 year old wouldn’t have mangled the tip of her thumb in the electric saw after hours.

If Mum had answered her text, Maja wouldn’t have taken the train to an empty house for her visiting weekend and found Mum’s mobile phone left behind.

If Justin next door hadn’t helped Maja clean up after yet another accident, they wouldn’t have gone to the coffeehouse together, or the bar, or his room.

And Maja keeps flashing back to the whirling saw blade and the blood and Mum’s increasingly odd communications. Where are the answers?

Green Teen Cookbook Winner!

Sep2

book cover of Green Teen Cookbook published by Zest BooksThanks to everyone who entered the drawing for a free autographed copy of The Green Teen Cookbook. Reading all the summer things that y’all like to cook with made me so hungry!

I numbered the comments (excluding my responses) from 1 to 17, entered 1-17 into the random sequence generator at random.org , and it gave me this list:

screenshot of random.org showing winner is number 16

 

 

So commenter #16 is our winner! Jenna, watch your email for my note from Katy@BooksYALove.com to get your mailing address so that Zest Books can send your Green Teen Cookbook directly to you.

Update: because Jenna lives out of the USA, the autographed copy will be sent to commenter #8 (next on the random list): Connie Burke!

Happy, healthy cooking to all – and watch BooksYALove for more YA books beyond bestsellers (with no spoilers)!
**kmm

Giveaway deadline soon!

Aug29

book cover of Green Teen Cookbook published by Zest BooksJust a quick reminder that Sunday is your last day to enter the giveaway for autographed copy of The Green Teen Cookbook by commenting over here on my recommendation for this yummy title.

After these chilly nights in Moscow for #IASL2014, my fellow school librarians and I are ready to warm up with some Chicken Noodle Soup with Cheese Muffins like Roscoe shows in the book. Does your weather have you longing for hot food or for cool treats?

See y’all Stateside soon, and I’ll rev up the Randomizer and see which comment number comes out as the winner!

**kmm

When Mr. Dog Bites, by Brian Conaghan (book review) – Tourette’s & a bucket list of wow

Aug19

book cover of When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan published by BloomsburyTics. Swearing.
Bucket list at 16?

Dylan would rather be a normal teenager than have Tourette’s, would rather have Dad home than away with the Army, and would rather live past March than get intimate with Michelle – scratch that last item: he wants to live and be Michelle’s boyfriend.

Filled with involuntary creative swearing from Dylan and racial slurs by his special school classmates, When Mr. Dog Bites has raised eyebrows for its strong language, but is also raising awareness of living with Tourette Syndrome like its author does.

This funny and profane book was published in the US in June – will Dylan fulfill his bucket list before it’s too late?
**kmm

Book info: When Mr. Dog Bites / Brian Conaghan. Bloomsbury, 2014.  [author’s Twitter]  [publisher site]  [video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When he misunderstands a doctor’s comment, 16-year-old Dylan lists things to do quickly before he dies – and he’s not letting his Tourette’s or the crazies at his special school or that taxi driver stop him!

Inside Dylan is “Mr. Dog” the uncontrollable side of his Tourette Syndrome which causes the Scots teen to bark and swear. Special school, meds, and counseling help a bit, but Dad being away on special Army duty and Mum getting all weepy with the taxi driver don’t.

His best friend Amir doesn’t believe that the doctor said Dylan would die soon, but soon enough is on board with his plan to hook up with Michelle before it’s too late. Get Dad back home, find Amir a new BFF – lots to do before March, if Dylan can keep Mr. Dog quiet…

The tics, swearing, and blackouts permeating every moment of Dylan’s life despite his deep desire to behave normally reflect the author’s own struggle with Tourette’s in this forthright novel.

Green Teen Cookbook – book review & giveaway!

Aug16

book cover of Green Teen Cookbook published by Zest BooksOrganic? Fair trade?
Bechamel? Vinaigrette?
Food! Fabulous! Yum!

The People’s Book Prize winner Green Teen Cookbook: Recipes for All Seasons has finally arrived in the USA, filled with luscious food photography and refreshed with measurements in tablespoons, cups, and quarts.

Also named the Best Sustainable Food Book in the UK, this cookbook features over 70 teen-created recipes, plus articles about key issues from eating seasonally to maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle.

GIVEAWAY! Zest Books will send one lucky BooksYALove reader (US addresses only, please) an autographed copy of The Green Teen Cookbook  since I joined their blog tour for this title. Of course, y’all know that I wouldn’t post a recommendation here if I didn’t love the book!

The Giveaway is closed. Super easy to enter – just comment below with your favorite summer ingredient to cook with by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time on Sunday, 31 August 2014. Please include your email address (you can format like katy at BooksYALove dot com) so I can contact the winner for your mailing address.

I’ll number the entries sequentially and use Random.org to pick the winner. The nice folks at Zest hinted that a little extra something might appear in the winner’s package!

Ready, set, enter! Pass the Rose Petal Sweets, please.
**kmm

Book info: The Green Teen Cookbook: Recipes for All Seasons — Written by Teens, For Teens / edited by Laurane Marchive & Pam McElroy. Zest Books, 2014.  [about the editors]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Travel the globe by bowl and plate with fresh and clever recipes celebrating seasonal food, sustainable farming, and happy taste buds. These teen-crafted recipes will please vegetarians, carnivores, eat-local champions, and fans of tastes from around the world.

Start the day with Pumpkin Pancakes or Huevos Rancheros. Offer Flower Prawn Soup and Chicken Noodle Soup with Cheese Muffins for lunch, then plan Hummus or Scallion Pancakes as a snack.

Family and friends will enjoy Green Pesto Tagliatelle or traditional Sancocho from the Dominican Republic for the evening meal, followed by scrumptious Crepes with Orange Sauce or Oreo Cupcakes for dessert.

The Green Teen Cookbook is a one-stop resource for information on many issues of interest to thoughtful consumers, from eating locally to fair trade. Especially useful are the instructions for seasonal variations of tasty favorites like lasagna, fruit salad, and mini-fritattas.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Broken brain, bent mind in SYNC audiobooks – listen and beware!

Jul24

Go deep into the human brain and mind – if you dare!

Through Wednesday, July 30, you can download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC, then listen to these 2 explorations of what’s inside one man’s skull. Just remember to keep the Overdrive Media files on your device or computer, and read with your ears at any convenient time.

CD cover of Headstrong by Patrick Link Read by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, & Scott Wolf Published by L.A. Theatre WorksHeadstrong (download here)
By Patrick Link
Read by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, & Scott Wolf
Published by L.A. Theatre Works

The celebrated hard hits in pro football take on new meaning as a retired NFL linebacker faces tragedy in their aftermath.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde CD cover of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde By Robert Louis Stevenson Read by Scott Brick Published by Tantor Audio(download here)
By Robert Louis Stevenson
Read by Scott Brick
Published by Tantor Audio

Everyone has heard of mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and his malevolent alter ego Mr. Hyde – now it’s time to hear the whole dark tale in its original form.

How does the mind work? How does the brain work? How do we go on when they don’t? Read with your ears to find out.
**kmm