Tag Archive | US author

Thorn Abbey, by Nancy Ohlin (book review) – love beyond death, vengeance beyond the grave?

Oct28

book cover of Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin published by Simon PulsePerfect beauty,
ideal love,
no room for the merely average?

Tess feels like a sparrow among peacocks when she transfers from her huge urban high school in upstate New York to private Thorn Abbey, with its ultra-wealthy students and palatial buildings. Peer pressure there is strong, but her growing feelings for Max are stronger – surely she can help him get over the tragic death of his girlfriend last spring…

Ask for Thorn Abbey at your local library or favorite independent bookstore and shiver through this spooky tale of love and obsession, a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca.

**kmm

Book info:  Thorn Abbey / Nancy Ohlin. Simon Pulse, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [video author visit] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Whatever Tess expected at private school, it wasn’t moving into a dead girl’s room, falling for her still-mourning boyfriend, or encountering a malicious spirit after English class!

Tess came to Thorn Abbey for academics; her privileged classmates are mostly there to party and gossip on this picturesque New England coastal campus. The so-tragic drowning death of Becca last spring has left Max terribly depressed, and there are bitter undercurrents in conversations that Tess overhears in their dorms.

Finding out that she’s in Becca’s old room is a shock, Max’s growing attraction to her is a delight, but the eerie nighttime apparitions and attacks are starting to freak out Tess.

Whose advice should Tess follow at Thorn Abbey?
Could ultra-rich Max from Manhattan really fall in love with a shy middle-class girl from nowheresville?
Was Becca’s death really an accident?

Devon was Becca’s roommate, is now Tess’s roommate, and definitely has secrets that are giving her nightmares in this modern-day retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Two Lies and a Spy, by Kat Carlton (book review) – spy family crisis, doubled

Oct25

book cover of Two Lies and a Spy by Kat Carlton published by Simon SchusterRendezvous point compromised,
agent contacts cease,
where are Mom & Dad?

Yep, spying runs in the family for Kari and Charlie, but something has gone terribly wrong with the pre-arranged emergency plan.

Much more serious than Ben’s tongue-in-cheek adventures at Spy School  and Spy Camp  (my reviews here and here) or Maggie’s undercover gig at a ritzy private high school in Also Known As  (review here), Two Lies and a Spy keeps you wondering what the lies are…and who’s telling them.

**kmm

Book info: Two Lies and a Spy / Kat Carlton. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The code black message from her spy parents puts Kari on alert, but when their meet-up plans fail, the teen and her genius little brother are on the run – from their own government!

Kari doesn’t mind leaving school early (even if Luke and Evan the new British guy see her), but she’s concerned when other agents show up at the rendezvous site – her parents would never send someone else to pick up her and Charlie in this situation! After plans A, B, and C for their meet-up all go wrong, Kari is getting frantic with worry.

Her best friend Rita overheard her dad the senator say the Andrews are a now menace to the country. Luke’s dad is CIA director and let slip that her mom is in custody. Kari’s still trying to get in touch with Aunt Rita, the only family they have.

Desperate times, desperate plans – no way her folks are Russian double-agents!

Which are lies and what’s the truth?
Will Kari’s friends help find her parents?
Can she keep Charlie safe until they do?

A spy story with a twist, as Kari tries to ignore Evan’s flirting, stop daydreaming over Luke, and maintain a calm image for 7-year-old Charlie while staying clear of the CIA in the heart of Washington, D.C. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Talking about #MGLit and blogging at KidLitCon!

Oct23

logo for KidLitosphere CentralYippee!

Charlotte’s proposal for a KidLitCon session on Middle Grade Books and Blogging was accepted, so she (Charlotte’s Library), Melissa Fox (BookNut), and I will be leading the discussion on Saturday, Nov. 9th in Austin.

Notice that I did NOT say that we’d be presenting the session – we want it to be a big discussion among the book bloggers, parents, authors, librarians, and publishers attending (of course, some of us wear more than one hat).

Middle grade books aren’t just YA books with younger characters, and middle grade readers span a wide range of emotional and social development, so figuring out which MGLit books are “great” or even “good” seems to be even more complex than making those decisions about books for teen readers.

We have a list of topics and questions for this session already started on Charlotte’s blog here, so please visit and add to it, even if you won’t be at KidLitCon. We’re hoping to record our discussion (fingers crossed on technology cooperating) so we can post a transcript at some point.

AND we’ll have a whole slew of MG books and ARCs to give away to session attendees = more books to read, review, and recommend!!

p.s. registration for KidLitCon 2013 ends tomorrow, Oct. 24th, so hop to it! See y’all in Austin!

**kmm

 

I’m With Stupid, by Geoff Herbach (book review) – play football where? change life how?

Oct18

book cover of I'm With Stupid by Geoff Herbach published by Sourcebooks FireStress!
Decisions!
Pressure!

Felton’s senior year was never going to be a cakewalk, but knowing that his college choice will be televised live on ESPN!?!? The road trip craziness of the previous summer chronicled in Nothing Special (my no-spoiler review here) was nothing compared to this!

Ask for I’m With Stupid  at your local library or independent bookstore (just saying the title is crazy) and also read YA authors’ own teen-wacky stories at I’mWithStupidStories.

Ever had an out-of-control situation like Felton’s?
**kmm

Book info: I’m With Stupid / Geoff Herbach. Sourcebooks Fire, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Felton’s college choice for football will be televised live! Too much stress, as he visits colleges, looks for something meaningful in his life for those entrance essays, and tries to survive senior year.

He knows he’s a super-fast football player, a sorta-okay big brother and son and grandson, but not sure about anything else. So he decides to do something with his senior year, something worthwhile – then maybe he’ll be able to figure out what college to pick.

Mentoring a bullied freshman boy, visiting colleges where coaches want him to change everything about his game, trying to ignore his mom dating the dad of the girl he wants to date, running over football opponents like crazy, wishing he could ask his dead dad for advice – fall is nuts for Felton.

Too bad he can’t just make wacky videos with Gus instead of worrying about that college commit date looming ahead, can’t keep his girlfriend from breaking up with him, can’t keep a friend from making terrible choices.

Where should he play college football?
What’s with Heather and the peach schnapps?
Why is this all so difficult?

The Stupid Fast  guy who considers himself Nothing Special  off the football field has to figure things out now so future friends won’t be wearing that “I’m With Stupid” shirt in this wild conclusion to Geoff Herbach’s story of Felton Reinstein’s high school years.

(One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

TBR 2012 update – slowly, but surely!

Oct16

Since my last update on July 1 chronicling my progress through the shelves full of pre-2013 books that I was determined to finally recommend on BooksYALove, I have

  • traveled to Singapore and Indonesia, via Japan and Korea,
  • driven several hundred miles in Texas presenting IASL’s GiggleIT Project for global student writing through school libraries,
  • moved 3 truckloads of  semi-tropical plants in containers to their winter home,
  • and read many, many eGalleys online with 30-60 day expiration dates.

Book cover of The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson published by Margaret McElderry BooksI haven’t written up as many TBR2012 Challengebook cover of Pearl by Jo Knowles published by Henry Holt Books books as I did earlier in the year, but did spotlight Nalo Hopkinson’s highly inventive Canadian-Jamaican fantasy The Chaos  (my no-spoiler review here) and Jo Knowles’ growing up novel Pearl  (more here), which brings my total to 51 for the year. Over one per week – not bad!

What’s on your to-be-read shelf these days?
**kmm

Beautiful and the Cursed, by Page Morgan (book review) – danger and dark secrets in Paris

Oct14
UK book cover of The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan published by Hot Key Books

UK cover

US book cover of The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan published by Delacorte Books

US cover

Brother missing,
Gargoyles watching,
Protectors or predators?

A different sort of paranormal creature stalks Paris as the 20th century peeks over the horizon – first novel I’ve read with gargoyles as central characters!

Read this one for

  • a new paranormal hero/villain
  • interesting family dynamics
  • a look into 1899 Paris

Book two in the series, The Lovely and the Lost,  is scheduled for May 2014 publication – more gargoyle intrigue impacting the human world, no doubt!
Hoping its cover is more like the UK cover of The Beautiful and the Cursed.

**kmm

Book info: The Beautiful and the Cursed / Page Morgan.  Delacorte Press, 2013.   [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover images courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Searching for her missing brother in 1899 Paris, Gabrielle finds gargoyles come to life, mysterious alliances, and danger at every turn as time runs out for his safe return.

Grayson was overseeing repairs at the gargoyle-bedecked old abbey that Mama had bought as an art gallery, but he wasn’t there when she arrived in dead of winter with his teen sisters – how unthoughtful!

But Gabby and Ingrid soon discover that his disappearance has interested not only the police, but also the warring factions of unworldly beings – the Dispossessed in human guise and the masters of Underneath, whose hellhounds have burst into the Paris nights.

For the gargoyles are indeed the Dispossessed, forced to stay in the world after their death because of their crimes in life, forever guarding and protecting the humans residing in their building, able to assume human form as needed, yet never letting people see them so.

And as for the hellhounds… their dark masters require more human blood and have broken a long-standing treaty with the Dispossessed to acquire it more quickly.

How can the gargoyle Luc protect Gabby and Ingrid when they keep leaving the abbey grounds?
Did one of the Dispossessed turn traitor and open the way for the hellhounds?
Where does Grayson fit into all this?

First in a series featuring a new type of paranormal hero, The Beautiful and the Cursed  brings the dark corners of the City of Light into sharp focus as two sisters risk much to find their brother.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

This Song Will Save Your Life, by Leila Sales (book review) – will this change work?

Oct11

book cover of This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales published by Farrar Strauss GirouxRepeat suicide risk,
perennially unpopular girl,
or rave-worthy DJ –
which persona would you choose?

Widely available at your favorite local library or independent bookstore, This Song Will Save Your Life is a Fall 2013 “Fierce Read” – catch Leila Sales at the Texas Book Festival in Austin at the end of October.

What songs are on the playlist that keeps you going when things get rough?
**kmm

Book info:  This Song Will Save Your Life / Leila Sales. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Elise wasn’t sure what to add to her killing-myself playlist, but never dreamed that she’d finally find friends through a suicide attempt and music.

Being born unpopular was the problem – Elise hadn’t had a friend since grade school, and high school was simply hell. Her remarried mom with the perfect husband and two perfect kids didn’t see it, her rock musician dad didn’t see it, so Elise figured why live at all?

Of course, killing herself didn’t work, made her more of an outcast at school than ever, kept her awake at night. Running in the dark calms her down and one night brings her to a secret dance club in a warehouse. Great DJ, awesome music, folks don’t mind that she’s just 16 – Start is the best thing that ever happened to Elise.

Soon, she lives for Thursday nights at Start (never mind that Mom thinks she’s asleep upstairs)  where Vicki, Pippa, and Char respect her eclectic taste in music, encourage her to try becoming a DJ, and like her for herself – especially handsome Char.

Secrets can be hard to hide, though, and Elise’s lack of sleep and dropping grades trip her up (have her folks ever stopped considering her a repeat suicide risk?).

How can she keep DJing at Start?
What suddenly made affectionate Char so distant?
Why is high school so important anyway?

Her dad taught her about all kinds of music, her mom taught her about social activism – maybe Elise needs her friends at Start to teach her how to live.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Killer of Enemies, by Joseph Bruchac (book review) – mind, heart, death in future

Oct4

book cover of Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac published by Tu BooksTechnology gone,
New monsters join the old,
Hungry for the people’s blood.

Read this desert-based dystopia for Lozen’s warrior woman spirit, her respectful killing skill, and her tenacious love for her family.

For a taste of  the dangers and monsters that Lozen faces inside and outside Haven, try chapters 17-19 for free here.

Then ask for Killer of Enemies  at your local library or independent bookstore now- you won’t want to miss it!

**kmm

Book info:  Killer of Enemies / Joseph Bruchac. Tu Books, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Lozen can sense the monsters on both sides of the compound’s walls and kill the mutants outside skillfully. But those holding her family hostage inside…can only be eliminated with a skill that the teen isn’t sure she has.

The land of Lozen’s Apache ancestors survived the Cloud from space which wiped out all technology, but so many people perished. The privileged Ones who survived meltdown of their implanted enhancements have holed up in secure places and gathered small armies, ‘recruiting’ those with blacksmithing or hunting skills to add to their power.

With her family held hostage in “Haven” Lozen must hunt the freakish Cloud-magnified animals who can batter down the former prison’s walls. The four Ones ruling Haven don’t know that the teen can sense the gen-mod monsters’ thoughts, as well as those of most humans.

Carefully-made plans for her family’s escape from the insanity of Haven may have to accelerate when the Ones declare her only friend is a traitor and plan to execute him.

Can she sway their decision without exposing her telepathic powers?
Can she get her family out of Haven before it’s too late?
Can a monster-killer save herself?

Weaving traditional Chiricahua beliefs with a new Stone Age power struggle, the Killer of Enemies  must remember her heritage while she strives to live long enough to have a future.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

To Be Perfectly Honest, by Sonya Sones (book review) – truth=lies, if Colette is talking

Sep30

book cover of To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones published by Simon SchusterExaggerations,
Embellishments,
Calling them “lies” is so…caustic.

Colette stretches the truth about her movie-star mom, long-absent dad, and winsome little brother – to protect them, of course. Or to keep the world from discovering how unspecial she is. Or none of the above. Definitely an “unreliable narrator” here.

Luckily, Sonya Sones is honest when she writes a “Dear Teen Me” letter to tell her younger self that her experiences would become part of much-loved novels-in-verse someday.

Find Collette’s story today at your local library or independent bookstore, and decide for yourself if Collette can ever be honest, even with herself.

**kmm

Book info: To Be Perfectly Honest: a Novel Based on an Untrue Story / Sonya Sones.  Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Colette’s movie-star mom is entirely gorgeous, the 15-year-old isn’t, but invents some crazy tales to make herself more interesting. When it counts, though, Colette may have told too many lies to get ever back to the truth.

Teen guys in L.A. seem interested in only one thing, but Colette refuses to be just another conquest. She might even miss their groping if Mom insists on dragging her and little brother Will along to the small town where her next film is being shot. She will die of boredom, truly.

Thankfully, a gorgeous guy on a motorcycle starts talking to her in the town park. She certainly can’t let him know who her mom really is, so the stories start flowing again.

Connor is so sweet and thoughtful, a great pal to Will, and so handsome. Colette senses that he has a secret sorrow, and it nearly breaks her heart when he finally tells her. Loving the most special girl in the world is on his ‘bucket list’ he says, and Colette is the one.

Should she let Connor be the one for her?
What if the doctors are wrong and his time is ticking away too fast?
Would he still adore her if he knew how many lies she’s told him?

“But there’s no law against
a girl making up stories.
And I sure am lucky
there isn’t.
Or I’d be serving
a life sentence by now.”

Sones gives readers a charmingly unreliable narrator in this compulsively readable novel-in-verse – sometimes it’s smoke and mirrors, sometimes it’s truer than true. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Pearl, by Jo Knowles (book review) – mystery fathers, faithful friendship

Sep27

book cover of Pearl by Jo Knowles published by Henry Holt BooksNo dad,
weird mom,
just one friend, ever –
Henry and Pearl feel like they’re in Bizarro World for sure.

Must have been hard for Pearl’s grandfather when his only child was suddenly pregnant at 15, the age that never-had-a-boyfriend Pearl is now. As much as he loved his little ‘Bean’, he blamed her mom for that mistake every single day for the rest of his life.

Her friend Henry’s mom never got over being abandoned when he was a tiny baby, so she just stays in their house, watching soaps endlessly.

Fate does have its twists and turns, especially when 15 years of neighborhood and family secrets suddenly surface. You’ll have to read Pearl  to find out which layers of those secrets are the truth.

Big thanks to author Jo Knowles for helping Kate Messner offer  the summertime Teachers Write program online so that teachers and librarians can get better at their own writing (and maybe finish the next amazing novel we all can’t wait to read).

When is revealing a secret worse than keeping it?
**kmm

Book info:  Pearl / Jo Knowles. Henry Holt, 2011. [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The summer that her grandpa dies changes everything for 15-year-old Bean and her best (only) friend Henry, trying to grow up despite their oddball moms and missing dads.

Soap operas, junk food, always staying at home – that’s Henry’s mom. Waitressing till late night, always arguing with her dad Gus, never escaping the big mistake she made at 15 – that’s Bean’s mom. Along with grandpa Gus, they’re all that Bean and Henry have, besides one another.

It was Gus who started calling her Bean (instead of Pearl), who took her fishing on the city-smooshed river behind their tired house, who told her stories of the grandmother who died when Pearl’s mom was young.

Gus’s death opens up family secrets, brings Claire into the house (her mom needs her, they both say), makes the summer even hotter and more miserable for Bean and Henry. At least the friends can be together and keep each other sane amid the craziness that their moms and Claire unleash.

Why did Bean’s mom hate her own dad so much?
Will Claire ever go back to her own place?
Why didn’t their dads stick around?

Too many secrets swirl through Bean and Henry’s lives now, but maybe they’re good enough friends to survive it all in this realistic novel of growing up and second chances.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)