New YA Releases This Week

Ok, so I'm feeling kind of negligent, because I'm not familiar with any of these books, except Princess for Hire, but honestly.....City of FREAKING Fallen Angels comes out next week, so I'm not caring about much else right now!!  Haha!!  Also, Red Glove, which I'm reading now and is very good!  Most of these are Paperback, Bindups, or the second book in the series.  Have you read any of them?  I think Austin might like Breaking Down.....


Born at Midnight (A Shadow Falls Novel)
by C.C. Hunter
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon




Frost Kisses (Bitter Frost #4: Frost Series)
By Kailin Gow
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 232 KB
Publisher: theEDGEbooks.com (March 13, 2011)
More Details: Amazon



Daughters of the Moon: Volume Two
by Lynne Ewing
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 832 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; Reprint edition (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon


 The Celestial Globe: The Kronos Chronicles: Book 2
by Marie Rutkoski
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Square Fish (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon 




Princess for Hire
by Lindsey Levitt
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon




My Girlfriend's a Geek, Vol. 2
by Pentabu
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon




Papercutz Slices #2: Breaking Down
by Stefan Petrucha
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 64 pages
Publisher: Papercutz (March 29, 2011)
More Details: Amazon




Leap
by Jodi Lundgren
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Second Story Press (March 1, 2011)
More Details: Amazon
 

Book Review: Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray; 1 edition (April 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780061799259
ISBN-13: 978-0061799259
Buy the book: Amazon
Visit the site: Phoebe Kitanidis
Follow Phoebe on Twitter

I'd love a cup of coffee. . . . I wish she didn't hide how pretty she is. . . . I hope she didn't find out what Ben said about her. . . . I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin. . . .
 
Joy is used to Hearing Whispers. She's used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people's deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good—to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people's lives—especially Joy's—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica Whisper I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that's what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car, and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own. 

My Review

I was really excited to get Whisper in the mail the other day. I started reading it pretty much immediately.

Joy, the main character in the book went through a lot in this 288 page book. She was extremely nice to her friends and that didn't work out for her most of the time. Joy was always pleasing someone. Her sister was so mean to her, it was aggravating. It was sad to read about her distant father, that is always a tough topic for me to read. It was heartwarming to see her father come around slowly. This is just one more book that I can add to a small amount of books where the parents are actually around and involved in their children's lives. I liked the fact that you could read the thoughts of  different characters and see who they really were underneath. My favorite character in this book was Joy's sister Jessica "Icka", she was the devil. Not really the devil, just extremely mean, rude and just all around unpleasant. I think the reason she was my favorite is because her character was so strong and bold. My favorite parts of the book was when Joy heard the whispers, I found it interesting and exciting to read, almost as if I were being sneaky.  

Phoebe the author did a wonderful job telling this story. The characters were developed well and the last couple of chapters are so unexpected. My only problem with this book was that there was not as much dialog as I would have liked. However, I think that is just a personal preference. This is not a very long book, however the characters and the story developed at a very nice steady pace. Whisper had a great ending. It actually could be a stand alone book. I'm not sure it is, I'm just saying it had a very good, climatic ending. No cliffhangers. I'm glad I read whisper, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. 

 It's funny, since reading this book, I wish I had the power to hear whispers. It would make raising children much easier. Not to mention the fact that I am a poker player. 

Thank you Phoebe for sending me this book, I loved the cute puffy sticker next to your signature :)

PBR:

Profanity - Heavy

Sexual - Mild

Violence - Moderate

For full content of Whisper go to Parental Book Reviews. 

Review: High School Heroes by James Mascia

Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 298 pages
Publisher: L&L Dreamspell
Author's Blog: http://www.islandofdren.com/blog.html
Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/High-School-Heroes/353933315067?sk=wall
Buy the Book: Paperback, Kindle($4.99)

What if...you discovered you had the ability to read minds? What would you do with that power? On Christine Carpenter's first day of her sophomore year at Thomas Jefferson High School she makes a startling discovery. She can hear peoples' thoughts. After convincing herself she's not going crazy, Chris must learn to control her amazing mind-reading ability. Using her power she quickly realizes her crush, the captain of the football team, is also blessed with a special ability. She is soon sucked into a world she never thought possible when two more of her classmates, and a teacher, turn out to have powers as well. What are they meant to do with their special gifts that can either help, or harm others? Christine soon finds out when a monster, lurking in the depths of her school, threatens to murder the student population. When it becomes apparent that the creature is someone she knows, she must decide whether to try and save him, or destroy the beast. If she chooses destruction, can she live with the consequences? 

My Review:


     I hate to say it, but the cover of this book was a definite turnoff for me.  It's just not my style.  I fell in love with the story (which I was reading on the computer), and then saw the cover later and said, "Really?"  And I am definitely guilty of judging many books by their covers, but I urge you not to let that happen with this book!

     Aside from that I really enjoyed this book!  I loved that Christine was smart.  I'm so sick of reading books about girls, who's characters I like, but are too dumb to realize something that's staring them in the face!  And I just loved how down-to-earth she was.  It wasn't a "Yay, I have superpowers so I'm off to save the world!" kind of book.  She thought becoming a superhero was just as rediculous as I would (you know, if I'm ever confronted with that type of situation ;) 

     I also loved Ethan.  And yes, it's kind of cliche to love the main guy, but I couldn't help it!  He was just too cute in his nerdy-jock way!  I loved how much he wanted to be a superhero even though Christine told him he was crazy!  And how he let her know that (as cheesy as it sounds) she couldn't abuse her powers.

     Lastly, I would not usually read super hero books, but there was something about this one that caught my attention.  The fight scenes and "powers" could have been very cheesy, but I thought they were very well done. The story sucks you in, so that all the conversations about superpowers seem completely natural.  That, I think, is what really won me over, the fact that he could make me think, "Maybe superheroes really do exist."

Loved it!

• Sexual content: Mild
• Profanity: Mild/Moderate
• Violence: Moderate
  
• Other Notables: Some Bullying 

For more info go to ParentalBookReviews.com.

Oh, the Thinks You Might Think About Some Super Swell Book Stuff

Ok, first I have to show you this cutest-thing-ever book stuff.  This designer creates book jackets and bookmarks that compliment each other, and I think it's freaking awesome!  I love it!  The book marks are actually extensions of the jacket!  Check out a few designs:

 

 

Aren't they fantastic??  I'm dying!  The arrow through the apple??  Seriously, I love it!  You can check out more of these designs on Icoeye and you should!  They are awesome!

Second Swellness:

For its Fall 2011 collection, Penguin commissioned artist Jillian Tamakito to design hand-sewn covers of Jane Austen's Emma, Frances HodgsonBurnett's The Secret Garden and Anna Sewell's Black Beauty for its Penguin Threads series.

Check them out:

 

 

 

OH MY FREAKING GORGEOUSNESS!  Aren't they incredible??  Did you see the freckles on Emma?? The covers are actually wrap-arounds, which means the embroidery continues on the back.  Amazing!  You should head over to Jill's Sketchblog to check out the backs, and also to see a couple of "making of" pictures!  These will be released in the Fall.

And Last but not least:

A new book with seven original stories by Theodor "Seuss" Geisel, which were originally published in different magazines between 1950-1951, will be published for the first time in book form on September 27.  

It's the literary equivalent of buried treasure! Seuss scholar/collector Charles D. Cohen has hunted down seven rarely seen stories by Dr. Seuss. Originally published in magazines between 1948 and 1959, they include "The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinniga-Zanniga " (about a rabbit who is saved from a bear with a single eyelash!); "Gustav the Goldfish" (an early, rhymed version of the Beginner Book A Fish Out of Water); "Tadd and Todd" (a tale passed down via photocopy to generations of twins); "Steak for Supper" (about fantastic creatures who follow a boy home in anticipation of a steak dinner); "The Bippolo Seed" (in which a scheming feline leads an innocent duck to make a bad decision); "The Strange Shirt Spot" (the inspiration for the bathtub-ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back); and "The Great Henry McBride" (about a boy whose far-flung career fantasies are only bested by those of the real Dr. Seuss himself).

In an introduction to the collection, Cohen traces the history of these stories, which demonstrate an intentional and significant change that led to the writing style we associate with Dr. Seuss today. Cohen also explores these stories' themes that recur in better-known Seuss stories (like the importance of the imagination, or the perils of greed). With a color palette that has been enhanced beyond the limitations of the original magazines in which they appeared, this is a collection of stories that no Seuss fan (whether scholar or second-grader) will want.

I am such a huge Dr. Seuss fan!  Who isn't right?  I can't wait to read these new, old stories!

Way too much time on her handsly yours,

Random Funny Video

Because this kid cracks me up.....and she IS reading a BOOK after all....well, she's looking at the pictures anyway.

Enjoy!

Interview with Elana Johnson, Author of Possession

As part of the Cornucopia of Dystopia event, we are bringing you an interview with Elana Johnson, the author of the upcoming Dystopia POSSESSION!

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

• Describe your book to us in five words.

Control or be controlled.

• What made you decide to write a dystopian novel?

I read Scott Westerfeld’s UGLIES. And I was fascinated by the whole concept of writing a
novel with a different future. See, I’d never read any dystopian before that. And I thought, “I want to write a book like that.” So I did.

• What sets your book apart from the other dystopians that are out there right now?

I think POSSESSION is a lot of things. I also think a lot of those things aren’t immediatelyapparent. But in the words of my publisher, POSSESSION has a mix of science fiction, dystopian, and paranormal, and that’s what makes it new and exciting.

• I really love the cover! Did you get any say in how it looked?

I did! I was shown an early mock-up with the image and fonts. The image is stunning, and I remember losing my ability to breathe. I thought, “PERFECT.” The fonts were a bit on the stuffy side, and with the help of my agent I was able to give valuable input to get them more like what I thought matched both my personality and the book.

• How much did your own life experiences affect your writing?

I think the emotion in my novels comes from deep within myself. If there’s a loss in the book, I can use the loss I’ve experience in my life to (hopefully) make the scene as emotion-tastic as possible. So every life experience I’ve had that’s allowed me to feel is used in my writing.

• Are you working on anything now? Can you tell us about it?

At the time of answering this, I am working on nothing. Sad, I know. I have this crazy pent-up energy inside, and I’m waiting to pour it into a project. What that project is is the problem. I don’t know what it is. It’s eluding me at the moment…

Thanks, Elana, for taking the time to talk with us!

Possession releases June 7!
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