It’s SFF awards season! The Hugos and the Nebulas are now open for nominations, and after running through our longlists earlier this week, I found myself appalled at the lack of short stories, novelettes, and novellas I had read…
Contemporary
Title: The Impossible Knife of Memory Author: Laurie Halse Anderson Genre: Contemporary YA Publisher: Viking Juvenile Publication Date: January 7 2014 Hardcover: 372 Pages For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the…
Contemporary YA Round-up: The Blonde of the Joke by Bennett Madison & Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin
Another quick round-up of recent reads – Contemporary YA this time (can you tell I am catching up with ALL THE THINGS before the end of the year?) “There are three and only three rules for shoplifting,” Francie instructed…
Graphic Novel Round-Up: Atomic Sheep by Sally Jane Thompson & The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels lately and wanted to share two of my recent favourites. Sixteen year old Tamrika Fuller is happy with her life. With good friends and good grades, she’s content to keep her options…
Title:Reality Boy Author: A.S. King Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult Publisher: Little, Brown Publication Date: October 22 2013 Hardcover: 368 Pages Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into…
Title: The Art of Wishing Author: Lindsay Ribar Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Publication Date: March 2013 Hardcover: 314 Pages He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life. Margo…
Title: Vicious Author: V.E. Schwab Genre: Speculative Fiction, Superheroes Publisher: Tor Publication Date: September 2013 Hardcover: 368 Pages A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world. Victor and Eli started out as…
Title: She Is Not Invisible Author: Marcus Sedgwick Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult Publisher: Orion Children’s Publication Date: October 3 2013 Hardcover: 354 Pages Laureth Peak’s father is a writer. For years he’s been trying, and failing, to write a…
Hello everyone and happy Friday! To kick off the long weekend in style, we are thrilled to have Sarah Beth Durst over for a guest post. To celebrate the upcoming release of her new novel, paranormal contemporary young adult…
Title: Counting by 7s Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, PoC Publisher: Dial Publication Date: August 29 2013 Hardcover: 384 Pages In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving…
Title: Charm and Strange Author: Stephanie Kuehn Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult Publisher: Electric Monkey (UK) / St Martin’s Griffin Publication Date: June 2013 Hardcover: 259 Pages No one really knows who Andrew Winston Winters is. Least of all…
Title: Vanished Author: Sheela Chari Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, PoC, Middle Grade Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Publication Date: July 2011 Hardcover: 336 Pages Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her…
Title: Absent Author: Katie Williams Genre: Ghosts, Contemporary, Young Adult Publisher: Chronicle Books Publication date: May 21st 2013 Hardcover: 184 pages When seventeen-year-old Paige dies in a freak fall from the roof during Physics class, her spirit is bound…
What She Said: The Wig in the Window & A Corner of White
Today we bring you the latest installment in our feature, “What She Said…” in which we both review books that the other has previously read and reviewed. This feature arose because of a very serious dilemma we faced at…
Grail of the Summer Stars Blog Tour & Giveaway: Freda Warrington on Inspirations & Influences
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free rein so they can go wild…
Title: Out of Sync Author: Amanda Humann Genre: Contemporary, PoC, Young Adult Publisher: Lerner Publication date: April 1st 2013 Hardcover: 102 pages Since they were six-year-olds, Madison and Dayton have had soccer sync. Maddie doesn’t have to see her…
Title: A Corner of White Author: Jaclyn Moriarty Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books Publication date: April 1 2013 Hardcover: 384 pages The first in a rousing, funny, genre-busting trilogy from bestseller Jaclyn Moriarty! This is…
Title: Wide Open Author: Deborah Coates Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Tor Books Publication date: March 2012 Paperback: 304 pages When Sergeant Hallie Michaels comes back to South Dakota from Afghanistan on ten days’ compassionate leave, her sister Dell’s ghost is…
Title: The Difference Between You and Me Author: Madeleine George Genre: Contemporary YA, LGQBT, Politics Publisher: Viking Children’s Publication date: March 2012 Hardcover: 261 pages Jesse cuts her own hair with a Swiss Army knife. She wears big green…
Title: Revel Author: Maurissa Guibord Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Publication Date: February 2013 Hardcover: 352 Pages There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map. Shrouded in…
Middle Grade Review Bonanza: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The Middle Grade Review Bonanza is a new feature of 2-3 mini-reviews for short (typically 250 pages or less) MG books we both really wanted to read. It’s a new Regular Thing (and we’d love to hear your thoughts…
Title: The Archived Author: Victoria Schwab Genre: Contemporary, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Hyperion Publication Date: January 2013 Hardcover: 328 Pages Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell,…
Title: Frost Burned Author: Patricia Briggs Genre: Contemporary, Urban Fantasy Publisher: Ace Publication Date: March 2013 Hardcover: 342 Pages Mercy Thompson returns in the seventh novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone…
Joint Review (& Giveaway): The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
Title: The Madness Underneath Author: Maureen Johnson Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (US) / HarperCollins (UK) Publication date: February 2013 Hardcover: 290 pages After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat,…
Title: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children Author: Kirstin Cronn-Mills Genre: Contemporary, LGBQT, Young Adult Publisher: Flux Publication date: October 1st 2012 Paperback: 262 pages “This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I’m Gabe. Welcome…