Review: The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas will steal the hearts of many readers.

Review: The Patron Saint of Butterflies

In the stay-up-all-night-until-you-finish-it page-turner The Patron Saint of Butterflies , 14-year-old best friends Agnes and Honey live in a strict religious cult ruled over by a brutal leader named Emmanuel, until they are rescued by an unlikely hero.

Review: Sea of Monsters--Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson is a Half-Blood; half Greek God and half mortal. Even more, his father is one of the 'Big Three' Greek Gods. As a result, when the Greek Gods start to squabble amongst themselves, Percy gets caught up in it. He could be in mortal (or immortal) danger. Don't miss Sea of Monsters, the second book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. There are monsters, battles, adventures that will put you on the edge of your seat.

Review: Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Chasing Windmills is the newest novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward.

A five-star glimpse into the worlds of two people trapped in prisons created by their own personal bullies.

Review: Elizabeth Leads the Way written by Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote written by Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Highlights of this important woman's life!

Review: Watchers by W. Lyon Martin

Watchers by W. Lyon Martin

What's really out there in the dark?

Review: Nobody's Princess

Get to know the girl behind the face that launched a thousand ships in Nobody's Princess, Esther Friesner's imaginative tale of the childhood of the famous Helen of Troy.

Review: Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

Keeping Score by powerhitter, Linda Sue Park, will keep fans riveted to their seats.

Focus on Marthe Jocelyn's picture books

Author/illustrator Marthe Jocelyn uses collage to create the most unique and intricate board books for young readers. Find out all about her picture books here.

Review: Stones, Bones and Stitches: Storytelling Through Inuit Art

Art fans and anyone interested in learning about different cultures will love Stones, Bones and Stitches, a fascinating new look at Inuit art and life in the North.

Review: Alive and Well in Prague, New York

Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab

will grab you. Okay. That was a bad pun on the author's name...and yet, the statement remains true.

Review: Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War & Peas

Rabbit & Squirrel: A Tale of War & Peas, written by Kara LaReau and illustrated by Scott Magoon, shows what a small world it really is and what big trouble we can make for it!

Review: THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

explores the surreal life of a teenage girl with secrets beyond her wildest nightmares.

Review: Mother Goose Unplucked

Anyone who enjoys fairy tales will get a kick out of the warped take on them in the fun-to-read Mother Goose Unplucked.

Interview with Maureen Johnson!

Super Star, Maureen Johnson and YABC's Julie Prince chatted about Suite Scarlett (did you know it's the first in a series?!)

MJ also shared some juicy gossip about fellow famous authors, E. Lockhart, Scott Westerfeld, Libba Bray and John Green!

Check out the interview!

Student's Guide to the Bible

Published by Barbour Books (and just in time for graduations everywhere), Student's Guide to the Bible by Stephen M. Miller is a user-friendly guide to the Bible. Sample pages of the book can be seen here.

Winners of the Swan Kingdom Giveaway

The entrants to the Swan Kingdom Giveaway had to answer the following:

If you could be any character from any fairy tale (traditional, new, or re-imagined), which character would you be and why?

Here are the winners, in no particular order:

Josselyn: Which fairy tale character would I be? Well, I definitely wouldn't want to be Snow White, I mean, in my opinion, living with seven elves and having people after you isn't exactly the type of life I would like to live. I wouldn't want to be Beauty from Beauty and the Beast either, because I would feel very sad to leave my family even if there will be a happy ending. I think that the fairy tale character I would like to be is Cinderella.

There are several reasons that Cinderella is the fairy tale character who I would like to be. The first reason is that she looks absolutely beautiful in a gown.(I know that it isn't exactly the best reasong in the world!) Anyways, the second reason is that I admire Cinderella for her personality,she is incredibly kind, she works hard and at the same time she is very generous. It really surprised me when she asked her step-sisters to live with her in the end, even though they have treated her without respect;Therefore,I would want to be Cinderella if I could choose to be a fairytale character.

Jonathan: Come here piggy, I’m having pork for lunch! I’ll huff and puff and blow your house down. Oh no! it’s the Big Bad Wolf. I would like third pig from the “Three Little Pigs” because he builds a home out of bricks. Out of all his brothers he is smart and intelligent. Moreover, I would feel proud because both of my brothers ran to my place for safety. I also proved to them building a home out of bricks is the strongest, instead of hay and stick. I was very excited when I lit the fireplace on to he keep out Big Bad Wolf out; it was funny seeing him having a blast off.

Hatice Akcay: I would definately choose to be Kaye from Tithe, by Holly Black. I chose Kaye because she is a fairy tale character that a reader can connect with the reason being that she lives in New York. She goes through family problems while handling the pressures of being a faery. Yet in the end its not happily ever after, its just back to a regular life style.

Judith Rycar: If I could be any character from a fairy tale, I would be the stepmother in Snow White. I would realize that the king was a creep who only wanted a young, beautiful woman and that was why I was afraid of not being the loveliest in the land anymore and i would get Snow White out of their before he noticed how lovely she was becoming! We could both go live with the 7 Dwarfs and make apple pies for everyone.

Wendi Cao: I would like to become Mulan because she's one brave girl whose love of her parents had actually saved a country.

If you are one of the winners, please email me at kim@yabookscentral.com with the following: a) your name, b) your address and, if you are under 13 I'll need c) an email from your parent or guardian stating it is okay for you to accept the prize.

Winners of the Rose by Any Other Name Giveaway

The entrants to the Rose By Any Other Name Giveaway had to answer the following:

Rose by Any Other Name takes place primarily during a road trip. What has been your most memorable road trip (with or without family?) If you haven't been on one that you'd consider memorable, make up your ultimate road trip.

The winners are, in no particular order:

Brittany Rebello
Lilli Partyka
Amanda Kinder
Tali
Laura W.,
Hillary Krajewski
Darci Lindgren
Nicole B.,
Av Moore
David Stein
Laura Stiles
Becky Grady
Jennifer Richard
Alexis
Meredith F.
Ronni Fox
Lauren Becker
Betty Curran
Mary Dunigan
Melinda A. Adams

You can read all of the winning entries on the YABC site (and you should...there are some pretty cool stories in there!).

If you are one of the winners, please email me at kim@yabookscentral.com with the following: a) your name, b) your address and, if you are under 13 I'll need c) an email from your parent or guardian stating it is okay for you to accept the prize.

Please note that this prize is being mailed out directly from the publisher.

Review: Quest for the Lost City of Gold

Readers join artist Stephen Biesty in his adventures on his Quest for the Lost City of Gold in a stunning interactive journal-type book crammed full of drawings, photos, clippings, fascinating facts . . .and much more.

Review: Someday When My Cat Can Talk

In the rhyming picture book Someday When My Cat Can Talk, a little girl tells us all the adventures she imagines her traveling kitty enjoys in other countries. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the rhyme is bouncy; this story is a perfect read-aloud for cat-loving talespinning kids.

Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Greg Heffley's woes continue in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. His brother gets the better of him. His mother intrudes when she's not wanted. His friend Rowley breaks under pressure. And Greg's attempts at pranks backfire. What else could go wrong? Jeff Kinney's drawings, combined with his narrative will have you smiling throughout the book. So, start with Diary of a Wimpy Kid and move on to Rodrick Rules for a good time.

Review: BEFORE, AFTER, AND SOMEBODY IN BETWEEN by Jeannine Garsee

Before, After, and Somebody in Between by Jeannine Garsee has changed me forever.

Someone please pass the tissues and then give this brilliant writer an award. Anyone that can make me laugh and cry this many times with one book deserves some sort of honor higher than the puny five-stars I can give here.

Review: EARTHLY PLEASURES by Karen Neches

Give yourself a divine treat: read
Earthly Pleasures by Karen Neches.

Envisioning Heaven has never been more fun. A Wishberry that orders up every command, a guardian angel wearing a studded collar, and a soap opera featuring life on Earth...all the essentials the newly dead need.

Laugh, cry, and then laugh some more.

Gert Garibaldi's Rants and Raves: One Butt Cheek at a Time

Gert Garibaldi is a teenager. Therefore, her diary consists of A LOT of rants. And a few raves. In a comical voice, she tells her honest, not-so-pure, uncensored thoughts about high school and life.

Read the rest of the review here.

Review: Mrs. Muddle's Holidays

Here's a lady who knows how to party! In the delightful picture book Mrs. Muddle's Holidays, Mrs. Muddle teaches the neighbor kids to celebrate all kinds of unusual holidays, such as (in deepest, coldest February) Let's Pretend It's Summer Day and Earthworm Appreciation Day. But those children have a surprise celebration in store for Mrs. Muddle. . .

Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Frankie Landau-Banks is tired of being left out of the all male Loyal Order of the Bassets. So she decides to do something about it. The Disreputable History of Frank Landau-Banks describes how Frankie goes about making her mark at Alabaster Prep School and the Loyal Order. This is a must, must, must read.

Review: SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson announced on her blog that her newest book, Suite Scarlett, has hit shelves early, so be sure to check your local bookstore!

The review is here, and Maureen Johnson will be chatting with YABC soon!

Review: Science on the Loose

Filled with bizarre and fascinating factoids plus experiments you can do yourself, Science on the Loose demonstrates just how wacky and enjoyable science can be.

Review: SIR FARTSALOT HUNTS THE BOOGER by Kevin Bolger, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin

Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger by Kevin Bolger, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin

is as much fun as the title!

Allow yourself to go back to the days when you laughed uncontrollably over the silliest little thing. Got that image in your head? Now, go pre-order this book and relive those days page-by-page!

Find out more about the book here.

Review: Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw

Readers will love the underdog hero, witty illustrations, and sly drawing lessons in the delightful picture book Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw.

April 2008 Giveaways Now Live!

Be sure to enter the following awesome April giveaways (now officially live):

• One of 5 copies of A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz from Candlewick Press
• One of 15 copies of Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway from Penguin
• One of 10 copies of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart from Hyperion

Review: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

In return for the great white bears promise of wealth for her family, the pika (the girl) agrees to live with him in a palace for one year. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, a Scandinavian version of Beauty and the Beast is a must read.

April 2008 Giveaways - Please Read!

I'm a bit late getting the April giveaways up on the website, but I should have them up tomorrow (babies are great, but they are also HUGE time suckers). In the meantime, if you want to get an extra entry, just email me at kim@yabookscentral.com for an entry now for any (or all -- separate emails, please...that way I can put the emails in the appropriate contest folder) of the following great giveaways and then enter again once the contest page is up:

• One of 5 copies of A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz from Candlewick Press
• One of 15 copies of Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway from Penguin
• One of 10 copies of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart from Hyperion

Review: TROUBLE by Gary D. Schmidt

Be sure to check out Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt

The only trouble is putting this one down!

Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt

Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt by Jennifer Richard Jacobson is a funny and true-to-life look at kids learning to work together as a team. Can Andy and Delores learn to work together as a team? Read and see!

Annie and Simon by Catharine O'Neill

Annie and Simon is a cute-and-funny early reader about a dog, a sister, and a much-older brother. Family drama--the ups and downs of sibling relationships--is what you'll find in Annie and Simon. A thoroughly enjoyable early reader/chapter book.