My Boyfriend is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other

Maria is curious about Tom Stone, the new kid at Seward High.  He walks in on her as she plays the violin and seems taken by her.  Maria wonders about Tom and is determined  to find out more.  Let's just say Tom brings a whole new meaning to being a monster boyfriend.  My Boyfriend is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other is part of a fun new graphic novel series.

Click here to read more

Review: Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

Probably one of my favorite books of the year, and quite possibly EVER, Shaun Tan's Lost & Found, is three darkly fascinating tales in one: The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and the John Marsden classic, The Rabbits.

Tan's illustrations are nothing short of brilliant. Every page I turned, I yearned to have a canvas copy to hang on my wall. If there were a gallery exhibit of Shaun Tan's artwork, I could probably spend my entire life there, just looking at the colors and letting the profound meanings of the images seep into my soul.

Now, if that sounds too much like a love letter to you, you're right. This isn't just a review, this is indeed a love letter to Shaun Tan and Lost & Found. Heck, even to Arthur A. Levine Books. I want to wrap all of them up into one of those squishy, awkward bear hugs and hold on until they can't breathe.

There's much more to say about this one, but you have to click here to read my full review.

The Secret Journeys of Jack London blog tour

Are you ready to take a journey into the wild?

Bestselling authors Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon have teamed up to create THE SECRET JOURNEYS OF JACK LONDON. In the first book, THE WILD, seventeen-year-old Jack London travels to Alaska to join the Klondike Gold Rush, but the path he treads is not at all what he expected. Along the way, he encounters kidnappers, traders, traitors, and a mysterious wolf. Jack must face the wild head-on in order to survive.

Two of the YABC crew, Little Willow and Kim B., participated in the blog tour for The Secret Journeys of Jack London. Check out their interviews with the authors, and drop by all of the stops on the tour to learn more about the authors, the illustrators, the Gold Rush, urban legends, and, of course, Jack London.

* Little Willow at Bildungsroman
* Kiba Rika (Kimberly Hirsh) of Lectitans
* Kim Baccellia from Si, Se Puede!, Young Adults Book Central, and YABC blog
* Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners and readergirlz diva
* Justin from Little Shop of Stories
* Rebecca's Book Blog
* Martha Brockenbrough interviews Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
* Martha Brockenbrough interviews Jordan Brown
* The Evolution of a Monster
* Brian Keene, author and journalist

Want to help spread the word about this action-packed new series? Download the electronic press kit for THE SECRET JOURNEYS OF JACK LONDON.

Review: Small as an Elephant

Imagine you're ten years old and on a camping trip with your mother.  You wake up in the morning and your mother is gone. Her tent is gone.  Her car is gone.  What do you think?  What do you do?  Well, that's what happened to Jack Martel.  It was supposed to be the best vacation ever.

In Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson you will learn how Jack copes with his predicament; you'll experience his adventure with him.  You'll also learn fun facts about elephants.  For an great adventure story, read Small as an Elephant.  Click here for the full length review.

Review: Sea

Sienna is afraid - of the ocean, planes, and more. She's had these since her mother disappeared over the ocean. For her birthday she receives a plane ticket to go to Indonesia with her father and 2 other doctors to help with tsunami recovery at an orphanage. While she doesn't want to go at first, things begin to change when she gets there and meets Deni. Sienna finds her fears dissolving, and discovering herself.
 
Heidi R Kling has written a breath-taking debut with Sea! Readers are plunged head first into a heartbreaking story of loss, hope, and new experiences. Sea is a book that speaks to everyone, but everyone can take something a little different away...

Click Here To Read More

Review: Franny Parker

Franny Parker is twelve years old and lives in rural Oklahoma.  Life is good.  She's got loving parents.  She takes care of animals. She's a happy girl.  What could make life better and what could make life more frustrating at the same time?  Lucas Dunn.

Lucas and his mother, Lindy, move into the cabin next door and Franny has an instant crush.  But there is something odd, something secretive about Lucas and Lindy.  Something not quite right.  And it's that not quite right thing that makes life a little more frustrating.

Hannah Roberts McKinnon has written a wonderful book in Franny Parker.  The characters are great.  The description of life in rural Oklahoma makes you want to move there.  The hardships farmers face, especially during a drought, is real. 

I can't imagine anything that would make Franny Parker a better book.  So, I recommend you rush out and read it.  To read more about Franny Parker, click here.  Also read The Properties of Water by Ms. McKinnon.  Another great read.

How To Grow Up And Rule the World

Be warned.  Super villian Vordak The Incomprehensible is here with a diabolical guide to rule the world.  Make no mistakes.  This is NOT for wimpy kids.

Are you ready?

How To Grow Up And Rule the World is a hilarious tale that is sure to appeal to any fourth grader and up.  Even my own son and friend Doheny are in training.

Click here to read more

Demonglass: A Hex Hall Novel

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. Turns out she is a demon, one of only two in the world, the other being her father. After finding out she is a demon and finding out the boy she was crushing on was an agent for The Eye-a group trying to wipe out all Prodigum, she decides to have her powers removed, a very dangerous procedure that will leave her with marks all over her body. Her father picks her up at Hex Hall and takes her to London for the summer, hoping to persuade her from following through with the Removal. But when she gets to the London countryside she discovers two more demons! What does this mean? How were they made? To read more of my review, click here.

The Dark and Hollow Places

Annah has been waiting three long years for the return of Elias.  She decides that she needs to go on with her life, no matter how bleak that is.  Then on the way out she glimpses her long lost twin.  Things change forever.  Elias is also back.  Their reunion isn't what she'd hoped.  Someone new is also with her twin, an Immune named Catcher.  Something about him makes Annah feel something that she hasn't felt in a long time.  She feels alive.  But there is much that stands in the way of them having a relationship which includes a Horde that threatens to overrun the city.


The Dark and Hollow Places brings The Forest of Hands and Teeth books to a very satisfying conclusion.  A must read.

Click here to read more.

Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

I DARE YOU NOT TO LIKE THIS BOOK.  That's all that needs to be said about this book, other than:  To see my full review, click here.

Don't Miss Our March Giveaways!

For Jimmy Stone, life in Boredsylvania has been pretty tough. His mom's died, his dad's completely checked out, and he spends his days running from the Coogan Boys, the local bullies.

It isn't long, however, before Boredsylvania gets a lot more exciting. With his new friend, David, and his dog, Trex, by his side, Jimmy discovers that the woods beyond his backyard hold the key to a world he could never even imagine.

Soon, he ends up in Ghost Town, where he's greeted by his ghost guide, Gasp, and receives an ominous prophecy. Suddenly Ghost Town becomes as scary as it sounds, and Jimmy Stone realizes that he's in way over his head.

Click here to enter the Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town Giveaway!




Carlie Edmund has everything: a loving family, good friends, a perfect home and wealth and status; then in her junior year of high school all of that changes. How will Carlie take on the challenges of living in a different world, a world where she doesn't "fit" and where nothing is as it should be?

Click here to enter The Princess of Las Pulgas Giveaway!









Orphaned young, Bryony is brought up in the sheltered community of an abbey. When she turns 14, she is sent to join her cousin, the King of Athlandia, at Court, and the only family she knows. However, she soon learns that the King is not as benevolent as she thought and things in the country are not quite as they seem. When an event occurs that changes her perception of her family, Bryony has to decide where her loyalty and friendships lie.

Click to enter the Blood and Allegiance Giveaway!








He studies the heavens but all along, the heavens were studying him...

Heroes and Angels -- Book Two in the Cychaea Series -- takes place two years after the events chronicled in The Twelfth Window and relates the story of a humble astrophysicist and his friends who struggle to keep a promise to an old friend.

Click here to enter the Heroes and Angels Giveaway!






 

Review: Miles From Ordinary

Lacey just wants to be a normal teenager. She wants to have friends, come home a bit late without fear, volunteer at her local library, and live outside the constant shadow of her long-dead granddaddy. But Lacey's mother is plagued by such heart-breaking mental illness that Lacey must be the woman of the house, facing horrors most of us can only imagine.

When summer break comes, however, things seem to be turning around for Lacey. It's her first day working at the library, and she even convinced her mother to take a job at the Winn-Dixie. The entire novel revolves around that one fateful day and the events that end up changing Lacey's life forever.

Like her previous novel, The Chosen One, Williams steps artfully inside the shoes of a guilt-ridden teenager who feels trapped and suffocated by her home life. Though Miles from Ordinary wasn't as heart-wrenching as The Chosen One for me personally, it deals with a topic that most of us tend to ignore, unless we're faced with it firsthand.

Click here to read the rest of my review.

 

How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend

David Gershwin's summer takes a wild twist when he runs into his dad's latest patient Zelda.  Zelda insists she's from Outer Space and on a quest to find her soul mate which just happens to be Johnny Depp.  David knows she's kind of crazy but once he looks into her gorgeous green eyes, he can't stay away.  What happens next is a hilarious romp through Paris with one kick butt heroine and a teen who  finds he'll do anything to get the girl even if it takes him to the end of the universe.

Click here to read more

REVIEW: The Atomic Weight of Secrets, or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black

The mysterious men in black in Eden Unger Bowditch's new novel The Atomic Weight of Secrets are indeed mysterious, far more so than Will Smith in those movies. He's all cool and suave "in black." These men are quirky, disturbingly odd "in black," right down to black, fluffy bunny slippers and feathered bonnets and black inner tubes and black ear muffs and black lacy cravats...

Yet these almost laughably odd men have the power to separate five children from their parents, and hold them prisoner, even if their prisons are very nice houses, with kind nannies and glorious food. Oh the food! You ought to read the book for the descriptions of food, even if nothing else.


But there are lots more reasons to read it.
Click here to read more about those reasons.

Review: What Does the President Look Like?

Throughout history, the American people have known what their presidents looked like. How? This has changed over time. Technology has altered the ways in which we view and get to know our leaders. From paintings to cartoons to motion pictures and beyond, What Does the President Look Like? by Jane Hampton Cook demonstrates how the President of the United States has been revealed to his constituents. Click here to read more.

Possessed

When Rayne arrives at Morton's Keep, she is a bit scared at first by the scary stately manor. Her first night there is a frightful one, and she thinks about going home. But then things quiet down, and she starts to love the quiet and tells herself that she is just imagining things. But is she?

When she meets some local kids her age, she starts to feel accepted into their elite group, until she notices their weird behavior and starts to wonder if it's safe to be around them. But the appeal of their 'leader', St. John, can't keep her away.

 To read more of my review, click here.

Review: Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon

One evening, as Pelly is preparing for bed, she notices something odd about the bathtub. Rockets have grown from one end. Pelly and her dog, Mr. Harrison, climb aboard the tub and jet up and away for an adventure on the moon! Click here to read more.

Review: Rope 'Em

Scout and Virgil, the O.K. Coral’s two best undersea cowhands, try to outdo each other at roundups, on the trail, even at branding time. They each bring unique skills to their jobs (Virgil can rope and tie; Scout can herd) but they can’t stop competing! That is, until the biggest, meanest shark around swims into their lives ... Click here to read more.

Review: At the Seafloor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems

Come explore the sea! At the Seafloor Café by Leslie Bulion profiles unusual sea creatures like the snapping shrimp, the leopard sea cucumber and the narwhal through poetry. Click here to read more.

Review: Ten Birds

Nine very smart birds and one “Needs Improvement” bird need to cross the river. They create contraptions, using nearby materials, to cross the bridge, but the Needs Improvement bird recognizes perhaps the best solution of all.

Part counting book, part fable ... Click here to read more.

Interview with Saundra Mitchell!

I recently got the chance to interview oh-so-awesome Saundra Mitchell, author of THE VESPERTINE and SHADOWED SUMMER. Check out her answers to my questions below!




Thank you for joining us on YABC today! First off, can you tell us a little bit about your latest novel, The Vespertine?

Thank you for having me! The Vespertine is about Amelia van den Broek, who goes to spend the summer with her cousin in Baltimore, for the purpose of finding a husband. Instead, she finds a completely unsuitable suitor in the shape of a hired guest and painter -- as well as discovering she can see the future in the fires of sunset. At first, her gift is a parlour trick, and brings her and her cousin Zora all kinds of popularity. But when darker visions come, people start to wonder if Amelia isn't just telling future disasters -- but creating them.


How did you come to the decision to set The Vespertine in late 1800's Baltimore?

I tried writing the book in contemporary Indiana, then in contemporary New England, and the story never gelled. It wasn't until I decided to move it to Baltimore, and back in time, that everything blossomed. I'm not so much sure I came to a decision as the book slowly nudged me that way until it got what it wanted.


How did you do your research on the time period? Were there any specific resources you turned to?

I read a lot of books -- books on Spiritualism and women in society, the early suffragette movement, household management, middle class social histories, period architecture and medicine, man, I read a ton of books. I also went online, and dug through the Baltimore Historical Society's website thoroughly, traipsed through the Library of Congress, and read a ton of period newspapers. I re-read novels written in the period to check my language.

Plus, I talked to some incredibly nice people at Pacific Yew Longbows about the archery aspects. Then, when I revised, I broke out the etymology dictionaries to make sure nothing was anachronistic, and did a
lot of cross-checking sources to make sure everything matched up.

The fashions are a little off, though. I originally set the book in 1881, then later moved it to 1889. So the girls' dresses are actually out of date. But, they all came out of period editions of Harper's Bazar, as did Nathaniel's wardrobe. Yow, we think of that period of time as being very sedate, but the real period color choices are WILD. I actually toned them down a little, because a purple and orange silk dress just doesn't sound like it would look good in 2011, even though it was a very popular color combination in the 1880s.


I loved the inclusion of calling cards. It's so similar to shooting a friend an email or a tweet nowadays. Did you know you wanted to use calling cards as an integral part of the story from the beginning? Or did you stumble across the idea by chance?

Once I knew the book would be set in that particular era, I totally knew calling cards (and dance cards) would play into the story somehow. If you're going to jaunt back to 1889, you have to take advantage of all the goodies. I'm still sorry that I didn't manage to work in a magic lantern show!


Even though I love Amelia and Nathaniel, I would probably name Zora as my favorite character. I loved seeing her through Amelia's eyes. Who was your favorite character to write and why?

I really had a blast writing all of them. This was one of those special books where the story just poured out, and I had fun every single day. But I do think that I enjoyed writing Zora and Amelia together the best. They're like a couple of puppies playing together, and they always have each other's back. Every time they started goofing off, I just laughed and laughed.


There are many stories about forbidden love due to differences in class or status. I enjoyed how you stepped that idea up a notch and added a paranormal twist. What are some of your favorite forbidden love stories?

There are so many; start me right up with Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere and Tristan and Iseult. And man, Rogue and Gambit from the X-Men comics ravaged me, seriously! Then there's Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain, and this coming April, oh man, if you read adult romances, I can't recommend the fabulous, forbidden romance in Sarah MacLean's Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart. 


Were there any television shows, films, songs, or books that helped fuel your creativity and inspiration while working on The Vespertine?

I have to say, between Burn Gorman's performance in WUTHERING HEIGHTS and Michael Nyman's Beach Concerto, there was a lot of other people's magic in the air that got me through writing this book.


Are there any The Vespertine contests our readers should know about and enter?

You can follow The Vespertine as it goes calling -- it's a blog tour, where you collect the calling cards at different stops. The last stop is at my blog on April 1st, and I'll be giving away three prize packs. Each one includes a dance card signed by some of your favorite authors. You can find out more about the tour here.


Where can our readers go to learn more about The Vespertine?

I have a website for the book at thevespertine.com, and there's so much stuff up there. Playlists, history, pictures, free downloadable bookmarks, other books you might like... seriously, there's a ton of stuff there!


So, what's next for Saundra Mitchell?

This year is absolutely crazy! I have a story in the Truth & Dare anthology in May, the Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories anthology in October, and an essay in the Dear Bully anthology coming this fall. Then early next year, The Springsweet, a companion novel to The Vespertine, comes out.


Last but not least, what has been your biggest SQUEE! moment since becoming a published author?

Last year, I got to meet R.L. Stine, and exchanged e-mail with Tamora Pierce and Annette Curtis-Klause. It was like my whole childhood showed up and said, "Yo!" (Not that any of them actually said "Yo," I'm just sayin'...)


Ha! That's awesome. Thank you, Saundra!

Don't forget to read my review of The Vespertine and pick up a copy at your local bookstore today!

Review: Beatle Meets Destiny

When John Lennon (aka Beatle) meets Destiny McCartney on Friday, February 13, you know it's going to be a rocky road.  And, indeed, it is.  You see, he has a girlfriend, Cilla, who is his twin sister's best friend.  So, even if he wanted to get involved with Destiny, which he does, there's this little situation that he needs to deal with.  So, uncertain as to what to do, Beatle just acts like a jerk to Cilla and doesn't call Destiny.  Smart moves, huh?  Not really.

This is just one of the funny, yes funny, situations in Australian author Gabrielle Williams' first YA novel, Beatle Meets Destiny.  Believe me there are more, including the fact that Beatle's twin sister is 45 days younger than he is.  Read Beatle Meets Destiny to find out how that could happen.  More more details, click here.

Review: The Vespertine

In the summer of 1889, Amelia van den Broek heads to Baltimore to visit her stylish and fiery cousin, Zora, in the hopes of finding a husband. But the best summer of her life is interrupted by dark visions of the future only she can see at sunset. As Amelia dares to discover more about her new "talent," she finds herself irrepressibly drawn to the mysterious artist, Nathaniel, who seems to have a few secrets of his own.

The Vespertine has what most classic historical romances do not -- a twist of paranormal. We've seen countless stories where couples are forbidden to be together due to differences in social status. In these stories, it's ultimately their love that transcends the ridiculous social hierarchy. But what if you were connected to someone of a different class on a level even deeper than love? What if you connected in a psychic and spiritual realm, one where classes do not exist?

Saundra Mitchell explores all that and more in The Vespertine. Click here to read my full review.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

Tobias has no memory of what happened to him the night before.  When he finds out he was found unconscious and naked in a dingo pen, he's horrified.  Then the mysterious Reuben shows up, claiming Toby has a rare and dangerous 'condition'.  Tobias and his mother throw Reuben out, refusing to believe him.  Then Tobias is kidnapped.  Only then does he start to believe that maybe Reuben might have been right.  The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group shows us a world where werewolves do exist.

Click here to read more

Dark Mirror

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. I love 1800's England. So different from our time today. I love the way ladies are courted and presented. I love the parties, the gentlemen, the huge mansions...all of which are in this book! The book is through Tory's point of view the whole time, so we only know what she is thinking. We see Tory grow throughout the book, and I really liked that. She goes from a spoiled rich 'Lady' to a brave, courageous woman. To read more of my review, click here.

Bumped

In the future teens are a prized commodity as they are the only ones who can give birth.  A virus has made everyone over the age of eighteen inferile.  Would-be parents must pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children.  Sixteen-year-old Melody is lucky in that her parents have scored her the enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens.  In this contract she will want for nothing.  She's secure in knowing what is expected of her.  Until the day her identical twin Harmony show up.  Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother.  Her community teaches having babies for profit is a sin.  Things change when Melody's match, the genetically flawless Jondoe shows up and mistakes Harmony for Melody.  Both girls lives are changed forever.  Bumped has an unique and original twist complete with humor and a great voice.

Click here to read more

The Secret Journeys of Jack London

One of my favorite books when I was in the fifth grade had to be WHITE FANG by Jack London.  Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon revisit a favorite person with their own unique twist of magic, adventure, and the paranormal.  The Secret Journeys of Jack London is a fun tale that is sure to win a new generation of fans.

Click here to read more

February 2011 Giveaway Winners Announced

February was an amazing month for giveaways -- we received a record number of entries. Thanks to all those who spread the word!

And now, on to the winners.....


These five winners will each receive a copy of BLESSED by Cynthia Leitich Smith:

ssmith
breakkanamexd
jbeckstead
talisker2000
maddie.mcphail






These two winners will each receive an IRON QUEEN Prize Pack:

blazesandbubbles
mar_vene4u











This winner will receive a signed copy of SELLING HOPE and some of Hope's Anti-Comet Pills:

leebee19












Congratulations to the winners!

Don't forget to enter our new March Giveaways: Click here to enter!