My Soul To Take

Kaylee Cavanaugh knows something is wrong with her. She has the ability to sense when someone dies. But unlike others who see auras or even visions, she lets out a blood curdling scream. All Kaylee wants to do is to be normal and to get the attention of Nash, a senior at her high school. Then after she almost loses it at a club, Nash comes to her rescue. How much does he know about her? About her ability? Add to that other girls are dropping dead without any explanation. My Soul to Take is the first book in a series about soul screamers, people who announce the death of someone with a scream. Read more of my review at YA Books Central and check back later this week for my review on the sequel My Soul to Save.

Server Issues - January 27th -- NOW RESOLVED!

Our hosting company is experiencing some kind of technical difficulty on the server and the site has been up and down starting early this afternoon. We apologize for the problem and hope that it will be fixed very soon.

Update: They've determined that it is some type of ColdFusion server issue and are working on it. ETA (hopefully) is 15 minutes or so...

UPDATE: It's all back up now. Apparently, somehow the ColdFusion installation became corrupted. It had nothing to do with our site directly (in fact, many sites were down for the hosting company). Let's keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't happen again!

YABC Survey - Winner to be drawn at end of month!

If you haven't already responded to the YABC survey, a winner will be drawn at the end of the month! Please feel free to pass it on -- your comments ARE being heard and YOU are shaping the future of the site!

A veritable boatload of winners

Okay, so I had a number of contests that I needed to announce the winners for...why'd it take so long? Because my hubbie got me a brand new MacBook for Christmas and I don't care what the commercials say, moving from a PC to a Mac ain't that easy. I still haven't been able to move my old email. As a matter of fact, there are still some things I have to do on my old (slowly dying) laptop. But anyway. Here they are! Woot, woot!


Leviathan
Mary Ann Scheuer
Kelly McEachern
Rochelle Thompson
Averie McComber
Jared Litkenhus
Chris Abbasse
Mariah Ellis
Jenna Osborne
Valerie Steinhaus
lisa schensted

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Winter's Tail
Mariann Brown
Alex Shepard
Edna Meredith
Kathy Conley
Arlette Rodriguez

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Daniel X
Julie Marcinik
Donna Teresa
Melissa Roberge
Ashley Fore
Diamond Williams
Krissy Boccia
Jennifer Grace Mason
Mardel Sissle
Jewelie Elsbree
Susan Kuchta
J. Lee
Christi Atherton
Kristin Healt
Nikki Olson
Judy Greenwood

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We Were Here
Donna Teresa
Taylor Zebrowski
Marsha Jones
Sabrina Horande
Megan Kelly

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Struts and Frets
Laura Hu
Richard Brandt
Donna Teresa
Krissy Boccia
Mardel Sissle
Nikki Olson
Katie Dahlberg
Alicia Guerrero
Jill Foltz
Emily Holder

All of those prizes are being mailed directly from the publisher and they have been notified, so expect them shortly. :-) Congrats to all the winners!

And be sure to enter all the current contests on the site, including our brand new monthly Kindle giveaway!!

Evil? by Timothy Carter

Let me just get this out of the way -- I loved this book. Evil? completely appeals to the snarky weirdo buried not-so-deeply inside of me. It's irreverent, it's zany, it's got bite...and it's a book full of potential hot button topics sure to supremely tick some people off.


What's not to like?

Stuart lives in a small, very religous town. His mom is very devout, as are his brother and sister. He's not, exactly. He does believe in God (in fact, he's got some pretty good evidence that God does exist), but he just doesn't go for all of the organized church-related stuff.

Read the rest of the review...

And, by the way, this is one of the books we're giving away this month, if you didn't notice. Enter to win a copy before the end of the month!

Review: You Are Here

Back in 2008 I read Jennifer E. Smith’s The Comeback Season which was one of my 2008 favorites. Since I hadn’t really followed Smith after that, I was surprised to stumble upon her latest book, You Are Here. I was not disappointed. I highly recommend it.

Emma and her neighbor Peter are on a road trip. Actually, Emma started it by "borrowing" her brother's Mustang and heading towards North Carolina. But, unfortunately, the car died at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. She had no one to call but Peter. Without hesitating, he said he'd meet her and continue on the road trip with her.

Emma and Peter are on a trip of discovery. Emma must learn about the twin brother she knew nothing about and who died two days after birth. She also must learn about herself and her family. Peter, similarly, never knew his mother who died in childbirth. The trip reveals so many things to them about each other, their families. The characters are great, especially the 3-legged dog. The trip itself is fun, heartwarming, heartbreaking. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and emotional.

I really like Jennifer E. Smith's writing. Her two books are wonderful reads. I heartily recommend them.

YABC Monthly Kindle Giveaway!!

So, you talked and we listened. Because we're good like that. Now announcing a monthly Kindle giveaway (because you totally want to win a FREE KINDLE, right?). And this isn't just any Kindle...no, this will be one COOL Kindle, all skinned up with awesomeness and pre-loaded with some incredible YA books.

Didn't I say we were cool? Yes, I think I did. Did I say books? Yes, yes, I did. Not just a Kindle, but a Kindle loaded with BOOKS.

Because we are awesome. And we love books. And we love YOU.

All you gotta do is: A) submit 5 book reviews to the site during the contest period (which is normally monthly except for this month 'cause we're giving you extra time) and B) fill in the contest entry form using the same email you used to submit the book reviews.

So check it out here. (Did I mention this was monthly? And that there'd be at least TWO given away a month -- one pre-loaded with "guy" books and one pre-loaded with "girl" books? And that all you had to do was submit FIVE eensey-weensey little book reviews and fill out a form to enter?)

Current contest starts NOW and ends February 28th!

New YABC Logo!

Okay, remember that contest I had for a new YABC logo? Well, we've chosen one...and the winner is...

Created by @dualori on Twitter! Congrats! You won the box of books! It's simple, colorful, and fits well within the existing boundaries of where the logo goes on the site. :-) Everyone can check it out in action at www.yabookscentral.com

Smile Giveaway

What has been your most own embarrassing experience at the dentist's office? Share your story in words, in pictures, or in video, and you could win a copy of SMILE by Raina Telgemeier! Click here to enter.

True stories as well as fiction will be accepted, with one winner in each category, so please mark your entry non-fiction or fiction.

WORDS: 500 words or less, in any style or tense you choose.
PICTURES: A one- to two-page spread. It can be one image, multiple images, or multiple panels, like a comic book, but please limit it to a maximum of two pages. Use your pens, pencils, pastels, paints, PhotoShop - get creative!
VIDEO: Keep it under two minutes in length. Upload it to a site where the judges can see it, like YouTube or Vimeo.

CONTENT: All submissions should be appropriate for all ages. Keep it G-rated.

SUBMISSIONS: Leave a comment under the official giveaway announcement at Bildungsroman with your name, your email address, and your submission (full text, all images, or embedded video) OR a link to your file. If you have difficulty leaving a comment, email it to littlewillow(at)slayground(dot)net

ELIGIBILITY: All ages may enter. Winners must provide a U.S. mailing address where the book will be shipped.

DEADLINE: All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM PST on February 28th, 2010.
Entries will be judged by Raina Telgemeier and Little Willow, book blogger at Bildungsroman: http://slayground.livejournal.com One winner will be selected per category. Winners will be announced March 2010.

About the Book
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama.

About the Author
Raina Telgemeier grew up in San Francisco, but made her way to New York City when she was 22 to attend the School of Visual Arts as an Illustration and Cartooning student. She received her BFA in 2002, and has worked as a freelance artist ever since. Her comics have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Eisner, Ignatz, Cybil, and Web Cartoonists' Choice awards. Raina lives in Queens, NY, with her husband, Dave Roman.

Call Me Book Club Sweepstakes

Discovered via Elizabeth Scott:

Simon & Schuster has announced the Call Me Book Club Sweepstakes:

"If you're a member of a book club (classrooms count too!), enter to win up to 25 books for your group and a follow-up call from one of the participating authors: Lisa Schroeder, Lisa McMann, Kate Brian, Deb Caletti, Angela Johnson, and Elizabeth Scott."

Visit the S&S website to enter.

Going Bovine

What is reality? Sixteen-year-old Cameron asks himself that question right after he finds out he has mad cow disease and will die. During a school assembly, Cameron sees Dulcie, a punk rock/angel, who later tells him he needs to go on a two week quest to find Dr. X who has the cure for his disease. Going Bovine is a hilarious tale that will keep you guessing on what's real. Read more of my review at YA Books Central

Review: The Hate List

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown deals with the subject of the aftermath of a school shooting from the point of view of the shooter's girlfriend. Nick and Valerie were going out for about three years. During that time they developed a hate list: those people who played jokes on them, called her Doctor Death because of the way she dressed, bumped them in the hallways. To Valerie it was a means to vent. To Nick, apparently, it was a whole lot more.

Valerie was a victim of the shooting in many ways. Nick actually shot her in the leg. She was hospitalized, put in the psychiatric ward for a bit, saw a therapist and was blamed for the shooting. Going back to school was tough, but Nick didn't have to deal with any of this. He committed suicide. It was all on Valerie.

Brown tenderly and effectively deals with the aftermath of this horrible act. She ably shows the feelings of Valerie, her classmates, teachers, parents and brother. Once the book is started, you won't be able to put it down. I stayed up until 1 AM to finish it, it's that good. So, read The Hate List and then give it to your parents and friends to read. It's a very real portrayal of tragic events.

Deadly Little Lies-A Touch Novel

Just when Camelia starts to get close to Ben, he decides to leave town. He also leaves more questions than answers about his past. Many in town think he's responsible for his former girlfriend's death. Though Camelia doubts the rumors, he still leaves.

Then one day he comes back. Camelia tries to get close to him, but he pushes her away. Adam, a new guy at her after school job starts to show interest in Camelia, who decides maybe it's time to forget Ben. But Ben seems to refuse to let her go. Also Camelia starts getting threatening letters, warning her she might be the next victim. Deadly Little Lies continues the Ben and Camelia saga where lies could be deadly to all those involved. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.

An Illustrated Guide to Mythical Creatures is one of the coolest books for kids (or adults!) I’ve seen this year. Let anyone with a big imagination loose in these pages and watch their eyes and their creativity grow.

British illustrator David West has created intense computer-generated 3-D images and placed them alongside classical works of art, immersing the reader in visual wonder. Intricate details about creatures from dragons to chimeras to shape-shifters and every being in between grace the pages. A huge fan of all things mythical and beastie, I didn’t expect to discover anything new or different as I read. I was so wrong! Anita Ganeri and David West have gathered invaluable information from so many cultures and beliefs that I found more than one surprise. I’d planned on passing this book along to my child’s school library, but I’m … not.

Click here to read my review at Young Adult Books Central.

This World We Live In

It's been a year since the meteor hit the moon, changing both the climate and life of Miranda. Most people she knew are now either dead or gone. The struggle to survive grows with the arrival of her father, stepmother and new baby. Some strangers also are with them. One, Alex, causes Miranda to feel emotions she thought were as dead as the world around her. This World We Live In continues the haunting tale of the last survivors with equally vivid and powerful writing. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.

January 2010 Contest: Evil?

Enter to win one of 5 copies of Timothy Carter's Evil?

Book of Stuart, Chapter 1:10.

10 And, yea verily, Stuart did commit the Sin of Onan in the shower. And this was witnessed by his own brother who did cry out unto their mother. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
11 And the townspeople rose up against him and all Onaners, calling upon one another to tear the youthful sinners limb from unclean limb. And there was much pants wetting.
12 And lo, Stuart did join forces with the demon, Fon Pyre, and together they did set forth to discover the cause of the town's trouble.
13 And, hark! A pair of fallen angels would plant seeds of hatred unto the townspeople. And on the seventh day, Stuart did vow to rip the fallen angels a new one and layeth upon them an epic smacketh-down.

Enter to win one of 5 copies of Lauren Mechling's Dream Life, the sequel to Dream Girl.

Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.

Becca’s been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why—there’s a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who’s out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who’s in danger again—or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake?

January 2010 Contest: The Wish Stealers!

Enter to win one of 10 copies of The Wish Stealers!

Griffin Penshine is always making wishes. But when a sinister old woman tricks her into accepting a box of eleven shiny Indian Head pennies from 1897, Griffin soon learns these are no ordinary pennies, but stolen wishes.