Tag Archive | school

Half Life of Molly Pierce, by Katrina Leno (book review) – mind unhinged or memories unleashed?

Jul8

book cover of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno published by Harper TeenHer blackouts are more frequent,
suddenly waking up somewhere else,
so disorienting… or is it something more?

There’s a secret about Molly that many people know, but she hasn’t allowed herself to even glimpse it – until now.

Happy book birthday to The Half Life of Molly Pierce!  Find it soon – this distressed teen’s gradual self-awakening is mesmerizing.

How long could you keep someone’s deepest secret – from themself?
**kmm

Book info:  The Half-Life of Molly Pierce / Katrina Leno. HarperTeen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A total stranger calls Molly by name as he dies, triggering flashbacks even more confusing than her frequent blackouts since last year’s almost-suicide.

Abruptly regaining consciousness somewhere different is frightening – how did she get from her Massachusetts high school to the family bookstore in a heartbeat?

Why does the guy in the motorcycle wreck ask her to ride in the ambulance with him, calling her name as he bleeds and bleeds, begging her to call his brother like they’re all friends?

With Sayer at his brother’s funeral, Molly thinks he really knows her, that she was close to Lyle, but why can’t she remember them?

As memories of Lyle and Sayer begin flashing into her mind, Molly finally tells her therapist about the blackouts and is shocked to discover that Alex already knows and that only she can unravel her own self-deception.

Discover what the worried teen’s mind is trying to hide from herself in this tense psychological novel.

 

Now You Tell Me! 12 College Students Give the Best Advice They Never Got, by Sheridan Scott, Nancy Allen, Anya Settle (book review)

Jul5

book cover of Now You Tell Me! 12 College Students Give the Best Advice They Never Got by Sheridan Scott, Nancy Allen & Anya Settle published by ArundelGet up,
show up,
keep up!
Yes, classes are the main reason you go to college!

Great advice from real students who survived and thrived at college fills this book: get to know future classmates before you arrive on campus, try new things (but not everything!), stay hydrated, stay healthy, and remember that the dorm staff is there to help you.

You should be able to find this 2012 release at your favorite local library or independent bookstore – its advice is timeless! Download a free excerpt here.

What advice would you share with someone going to college or another new situation?
**kmm

Book info: Now You Tell Me! 12 College Students Give the Best Advice They Never Got / Sheridan Scott, Nancy Allen, and Anya Settle. Arundle Publishing, 2012.   [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Who better to tell you the real story about college life than recent graduates? This Now You Tell Me title can help you enjoy the good life at college while avoiding major pitfalls.

Whether at a small college or large university, several folks recommend waiting until the end of your first semester (or first year) to declare a major.

Read on for advice about dealing with difficult professors, your roommate’s dating and housekeeping habits, and other common situations of college life.

A dozen different experiences fill this book, so it’s no surprise that some advice contradicts what someone else earlier (join/don’t join a sorority/fraternity, etc.).

So put back half of the stuff you’d planned to take, bring your adventurous spirit, and learn from these 12 varied experience to make your college time the best it can be.

One Man Guy, by Michael Barakiva (book review) – gay teen comes out of his shell

Jun27

book cover of One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva published by Farrar Strauss GirouxSummer school – ugh.
Stuffed grape leaves – yum!
Hearing Rufus Wainwright live at Central Park – yay!
Falling in love for the first time – ahhhhh!!!

Ask for One Man Guy today at your local library or independent bookstore, and enjoy Alek’s breakout summer and the glow of first love. (Armenian hospitality also includes the Khederian family recipe for Stuffed Grape Leaves at the end of the book).

Have you ever taken a big leap away from how people perceived you?
**kmm

Book info: One Man Guy / Michael Barakiva. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The tedium of summer school gives way to joy as Alek meets skateboarder Ethan who takes the Armenian-American teen under his wing and into his heart – the consequences of their adventures, however…

In summer school to raise his math grade from a B+,  Alek has to miss family vacation, but can’t miss the cute upperclassman who’d rather skateboard than study.

Ethan gleefully convinces by-the-rules Alek to skip algebra and attend a Rufus Wainwright concert in Central Park. At 14, Alek realizes for the first time that he’s probably gay, which explains why his best pal Becky is the only girl he cares to be around (her love of rollerblading and old movies notwithstanding).

As Alek and Ethan grow closer, exploring NYC together instead of going to English class, watching classic movies with Becky, and just hanging out, life is wonderful – until his parents and big brother get home early from vacation with their Armenian church group.

If the Khederian family would only stop reminiscing about the post-WWI Armenian holocaust and critiquing food long enough to accept that Alek won’t be a perfect student… He’s ready to become his own person, a good and faithful person, a One Man Guy.

Can better things come from darkest days? SYNC audiobooks listen in…

Jun26

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC examine deep and dark secrets, looking for hope.

Please download either or both of these complete audiobooks at no cost from today through Wednesday July 3, 2014.

Then you can read with your ears whenever you like, as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device.

CD cover of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, By Matthew Quick Read by Noah Galvin Published by Hachette AudioForgive Me, Leonard Peacock  (download here)
By Matthew Quick
Read by Noah Galvin
Published by Hachette Audio

On his 18th birthday, Leonard says goodbye to 4 special friends as he plans to kill himself and his former best friend.

 

CD cover of October Mourning, By Lesléa Newman Read by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, & Christina Traister Published by Brilliance AudioOctober Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard  (download here)
By Lesléa Newman
Read by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl,  Kate Rudd, & Christina Traister
Published by Brilliance Audio

Newman commemorates the life of Matthew, a gay student at the University of Wyoming who was brutally beaten and killed in 1998, through this novel’s 68 poems.

Stories worth telling, books worth listening to!
**kmm

Stuff Every College Student Should Know, by Blair Thornburgh (book review) – handy advice for living

Jun22

book cover of Stuff Every College Student Should Know by Blair Thornburgh published by Quirk Books Do you know how to…
Cook without a microwave?
Take care of yourself when you’re sick?
Request a faculty recommendation letter?

No one gets to college knowing how to do everything, so Blair has compiled great hints and advice to get you through everything from roommates to homesickness.

Check out this handy, pocket-sized hardback book at your local library for your own personal education, or buy it at an independent bookstore for a graduation present or gift of encouragement to a current student.

What life skill tops your list of things to know?

**kmm

Book info: Stuff Every College Student Should Know / Blair Thornburgh. Quirk Books, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview podcast] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: College brings new challenges and opportunities, but how can you learn the best way to accomplish things? This pocket guide gives you concise information about all aspects of your campus experience – from dorm living and personal care to academics and social life to money and the real world.

You can be a better roommate, cook without a microwave (yes, it’s possible), form a useful study group, and pass a test that you forgot to study for.

Learn how to deal with a long-distance relationship, stress, or homesickness. Know how to be smart with your first credit card and why you should interview the landlord of any apartment that you’re considering renting.

Scan through all the many entries, including how to pack for Spring Break, avoid going broke on textbooks, and good verbs to use on your resume, and you’ll be ready for many of the new situations that college life brings.

Brave girls in unexpected situations – free SYNC audiobooks this week!

Jun19

A teenage spy falling in love!
An orphaned girl sent to do a boy’s farm job!
Two great stories to read with your ears this week, courtesy of AudioSYNC!

You can download either or both free audiobooks beginning today through Wednesday 25 June 2014 at the SYNC site. Then you can listen to them any time that you like,  as long as you keep those files on your computer or electronic device.

CD cover of I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You By Ally Carter Read by Renée Raudman Published by Brillance AudioI’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (download here – USA & Canada only)
By Ally Carter
Read by Renée Raudman
Published by Brillance Audio

Enrolled in spy school for teen girls, Cammie faces her toughest challenge yet when she falls for a regular teenage guy. (read chapter 1 here free)

 

Anne of Green Gables (download here)CD cover of Anne of Green Gables By L.M. Montgomery Read by Colleen Winton Published by Post Hypnotic Press
By L.M. Montgomery
Read by Colleen Winton
Published by Post Hypnotic Press

A plucky orphan girl brings new life to the rural Nova Scotia farm where she is mistakenly sent; the first book in the classic series (read here free).

 

Can you identify with what Cammie and Anne are facing in their new situations?
**kmm

Breakfast Served Anytime, by Sara Combs (book review) – geek camp, cryptic clues, big questions

Jun18

book cover of Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs published by CandlewickSearching for signs,
learning to read people,
trying to read her own heart.

Lots more than advanced academics at UK‘s summer camp for the best and the brightest, Gloria discovers – it’s the people who make the difference.

Read chapter 1 here for free (yay!), then head for your local library or independent bookstore to get this April 2014 title, and find out how GeekCamp and time together at the diner changes Glo and her new-found friends.

**kmm

Book info: Breakfast Served Anytime, by Sara Combs. Candlewick, 2014. [author’s letter to her teenage-self]    [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Searching for signs to guide her future, Gloria goes to “geek camp” just for the collegiate experience, but comes home with so much more.

Armed with her newly-begun Book of Ephemera and her namesake-grandmother’s copy of To Kill a Mockingbird,  Glo chooses “Secrets of the Written Word” as her camp course, content to leave her phone and computer home all month.

Cryptic messages from their Written Word professor send Glo, Calvin, Chloe, and Mason (such an annoying guy!) all over campus and town, including the college founder’s tomb and the Egg Drop Inn, which becomes their favorite hangout.

Chloe is creative, Calvin is a philosophical polymath, but is there more to big-gestures Mason than mere dramatic flair? Will they ever meet Professor X in person before Geek Camp is over? Hmm… being around Mason is starting to grow on her.

Questions of “Big Coal” versus protecting the environment, dorm drama, the blue Morpho butterflies which fill the summer, and the wacky daily interactions of Professor X’s quartet of Word students fill Glo’s letters home to Carol – but will the full-ride in-state scholarship for campers override the best friends’ plans to escape Kentucky for NYC after graduation?  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Fan Art, by Sarah Tregay (book review) – just admiring his own best friend, or more?

Jun17

book cover of Fan Art by Sarah Tregay published by Katherine Tegen BooksTo prom or not to prom?
Stay quiet or speak up?
Let love slip by or be bold?

Jamie’s last semester of high school is fraught with problems as the quiet guy tries to support artistic freedom in a conservative school district and realizes that he has a huge crush on his best friend.

**kmm

Book info: Fan Art / Sarah Tregay; illustrated by Melissa DeJesus.  Katherine Tegen Books, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Fighting to include a gay comic in the school magazine, Jamie won’t allow himself to admit his new-found feelings for longtime best friend Mason until it’s almost too late.

He promised Challis that he’d get her manga short comic into the Gumshoe, promised Eden that he’d pose as her prom date to appease her “no daughter of ours is lesbian” fundamentalist parents, and promised himself that he’d be out of their Idaho hometown before he was out to anyone besides his embarrassingly supportive family…

But the literary magazine’s staff rejects the comic, Eden’s big brother questions whether theirs is a real date, and Jamie silently agonizes as Bahti and Mason flirt endlessly in the limo and beyond.

Why didn’t he just agree to go with Mason to the mountain condo and avoid the prom altogether?

When Jamie decides to sneak the comic into the Gumshoe final printing, he’s prepared for fallout from the other staffers, but things get way out of hand at graduation.

Target Practice, by Mike Maihack (book review) – Cleopatra in Space! Talking cats! Alien war!

Jun11

book cover of Target Practice: Cleopatra in Space #1 by Mike Maihack published by GraphixGood aim, quick reflexes,
sneaking out of class,
yes, Cleo is sure the rules don’t apply to her!

We all know about Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, but imagine her teen years – with time travel and intergalactic war and talking cats as teachers (yes, 15 year olds in the future have to go to school…)

Sample this action-packed graphic novel here free (thanks, Mike!), then head to your local library or independent bookstore for the rest of the tale.

Alas, we’ll have to wait until April 2015 for the second in this #diversebooks series: The Thief and the Story.

So, alternate history – thumbs up or thumbs down?

**kmm

Book info: Target Practice (Cleopatra in Space #1)  / text and art by Mike Maihack. Graphix, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Curiosity sends Cleopatra from ancient Egypt to outer space where the teen is hailed as savior of the galaxy – if she survives training school!

If she hadn’t slipped away from boring algebra (does a queen really need math?) for slingshot practice with her pal Gozi, then 15-year-old Cleopatra wouldn’t have found the old temple or the glowing tablet there which transported her from the ancient Nile Valley to the future, where talking cats explain her prophesied arrival.

At Yasiro Academy, Cleo learns alien languages (yawn), algebra (snore), and target practice (ray guns!) as she prepares for intergalactic war against Xerx who is capturing all knowledge stored electronically – and their sector is next!

First graphic novel in the Cleopatra in Space series, Target Practice  shows the young queen-to-be facing danger from school dances, warring aliens, and her own impetuous nature.   (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Expiration Day, by William Campbell Powell (book review) – created or birthed, what makes human?

Jun10

book cover of Expiration Day by WIlliam Campbell Powell published by Tor TeenI’m definitely human.
Wait! I’m not?!
But I feel human…

As a rare human child, Tania knows that her humanoid robot classmates will go back to the factory at age 18. Shocked to discover that she too is just a teknoid, she’ll fight to stay alive past her Expiration Day!

Tania addresses her diary (read free excerpt here) to alien Zog, whose observations surprisingly appear among her musings on playing bass guitar and doing a Shakespeare play with nearby boys’ school.

Rather eerie to discuss this book just after a computer passed the Turing Test for the first time, tricking researchers into thinking it was a real 13 year old boy!

**kmm

Book info: Expiration Day / William Campbell Powell. Tor Teen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:  In the 2050s when humans so rarely have babies, music-loving Tania suddenly discovers that she’s a robot and decides to fight to stay alive past her mandatory recycling date.

The global fertility crisis couldn’t end adults’ longing to have children to love,  so teknoids were created.Each is reused or reprogrammed by the Oxted factory at age 18.

For Tania, that means no more playing bass with her band, no more Shakespeare performances, no more helping Dad navigate their shared grief over Mum’s recent death…

But she feels so human, with burning philosophical questions in her heart and such a desire to study psychology at university!

Taking Oxted to court to break their “lease” of Tania to Dad is their only option – could their desperate ploy work?  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)