The paranormal romance genre has a steamy new edition in Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade.  Of all the “Twilight-alikes” to date, Cremer’s sexy tale of lust, forbidden love, menacing evil, supernatural wolves, warlocks and ghouls comes the closest to capturing the steamy, angst-filled essence of the Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle and the bone-chilling, otherworldliness of the Volturi, the Cullens, and the Quileute Pack.  Calla Tor is no shrinking violet; she’s the 17 year old alpha of her pack of shape/dimension shifting human/wolves  (known as The Guardians) whose sworn duty is to protect and defend the mission and sacred places of the powerful, secretive, and menacing Keepers.  Calla is bold, strong, and determinedRead More →

Scholastic’s Fall 2010 line-up has a lot of great books that we know you’ll enjoy. Mockingjay (Hunger Games, Book 3), Suzanne Collins (August 2010): Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment ofRead More →

 Sophie Masson’s Elizabethan romantic mystery, The Madman of Venice (Aug 2010), is the perfect companion for a summer trip, poolside escape, or as an enjoyable journey from the summer doldrums. The canals of Venice in 1603 are exciting, mysterious, and dangerous.  Celia, the spunky, smart daughter of a prosperous London merchant, and Ned, her father’s like-able but somewhat stubborn clerk, find themselves quickly caught up in two mysteries: the deadly pirate attacks that have been plaguing English ships; and the search for Sarah Tedeschi, a Jewish girl who has vanished from the Venetian Ghetto after being accused of witchcraft by the powerful Countess of Montemoro. As Celia and Ned, alongRead More →

Penguin Young Readers Group has some great books lined up for Fall 2010! Here’s a peek: Twelfth Grade Kills (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod), Heather Brewer (September 2010): As a teenage vampire, Vlad has spent the last four years trying to handle the pressures of school while sidestepping a slayer out for his blood. Now he’s a senior, and in this final, action-packed book in the series, Vlad must confront the secrets of the past, unravel the mystery of who he really is, make decisions about his future, and face his greatest enemy. It’s a senior year that totally bites.   Matched, Ally Condie (November 2010):Read More →

You, Charles Benoit’s  highly praised young adult debut (August 2010), will take your breath away.  Youis a painfully realistic rendering of a teen caught in the hell of high school and the downward spiral of his own creation. In middle school, Kyle was engaged, smart ,and on the “right path.” But after a few misstepsand missed opportunities, and all those small, seemingly inconsequential choices, Kyle is a disaffected, angry, disengaged sophomore who doesn’t believe he’s going to amount to much. And the  attitude and image he projects to the outside world doesn’t give anyone else much hope for him either.  It makes for the perfect opportunity to wander into the trap ofRead More →

Publisher’s Weekly reports… BookExpo America 2010: Big Children’s Books of the Show By John A. Sellers with reporting by Diane Roback, Joy Bean, and Claire Kirch Jun 04, 2010  The BEA convention may have been shorter than in years past, but there was no shortage of major titles at the show last week. “It’s been a good show, bigger than I thought it would be,” said Mary Albi of Egmont USA, while Robert Kempe of Seven Footer Press called it “BEA on steroids,” due to the compressed two-day schedule.    Much of the buzz centered on works of fiction, including books like Ally Condie’s MatchedRead More →

Publisher’s Weekly reports… BEA 2010: Bare Truths About Hot YA Titles for Fall By Judith Rosen Jun 04, 2010 Six editors touted their favorite fall teen reads at the YA Editors Buzz panel during BEA with what can best be described as naked passion – the tone set by a story from Jennifer Weis from St. Martin’s about how she came to acquire Infinite Days by debut author Rebecca Maizel.  Weis read the book, about a 500-year-old vampire who chooses to become human again, the day the manuscript arrived from agent Matt Hudson of the William Morris Agency. “There was a lyricism to this author’sRead More →

The Tension of Opposites, by debut author Kristina McBride, balances on the razor thin line between numerous opposites: pain and relief; expectation and reality; choice and fate; caution and recklessness; love and hate; and selflessness and selfishness. Noelle was abducted from her sleepy Midwestern town two years ago. And ever since, her best friend Tessa’ life has been on hold. Guarded, isolated and basically living in suspended animation, now-sophomore Tess won’t allow herself the life that Noelle can’t have.  Her only outlet and solace has been her love of photography.  When the novel begins, Noelle has escaped her captor and been able to get himRead More →

2 new YA titles that will release in June explore the challenges of building a new life in America after fleeing the turmoil in the country of one’s childhood.   Inspired by true refugee experiences, these two novels are interesting and thought-provoking explorations of challenge, change, and resilience. The Red Umbrella by debut novelist Christina Diaz Gonzalez is set in 1961, when Lucia’s carefree life in a small Cuban coast town is about to change. She’s 14 and dreams of her school-crush, her 15th birthday celebration, and of one day travelling to Paris.  But when Castro’s revolutionary soldiers come to her town, everything changes: people are arrested and executed; neighbors spy on neighbors; freedomsRead More →