Young Adult (& Kids) Books Central Blog

Goth Girl Rising

2009-11-09T14:39:00.002-05:00

Kyra Sellers is back after a six month stay at a mental health unit. She's ready to go back to life as she knew it. Problem is it seems like all her friends have moved on, including Fanboy. To say she's not too happy is an understatement. Goth Girl Rising is the sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Kyra's back in full force. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.

Never After by Dan Elconin

2009-11-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

J.M. Barrie’s original Peter Pan was really quite dark and not at all like the Disney-fied version we all think of. Dan Elconin’s Never After raises that bar and throws in some zombies for good measure. The Island is Neverland like you’ve never seen it before.

Ricky Darlin is an angry teen. Angry at his parents, bored with his life, and just generally dissatisfied. When a mysterious but friendly-seeming fellow named Peter drops in on him in the middle of the night and offers to take him away to The Island (a tropical paradise he’d been dreaming about), he jumps at the chance.

Click here to read the rest of the review...

YARN - A New YA Lit Mag seeks submissions!

2009-11-08T15:17:00.002-05:00

YARN, a new online literary magazine for Young Adult readers, is seeking fiction, poetry, and essays for its debut issue. Writing should be of special interest to 14-18 year old readers, but can be written by writers of any age or background. Submissions by teens are especially encouraged. YARN’s mission is to publish the highest quality creative writing for everyone who enjoys young adult lit. Published quarterly, YARN will feature short fiction and creative essays, poetry, and an author interview. Our interactive sections will allow for comments on stories, as well as reviews of recent YA books. We distinguish ourselves from other teen lit mags by seeking to discover new teen writers, and publish them alongside established writers of the YA genre. Issue 1 will go live in Winter 2010, but a little taste of our site is currently available at www.yareview.net (where you can also find our submission guidelines).

Review: Odd and the Frost Giants

2009-11-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

In Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, Odd a young, skinny Norse boy is up against the chilling evil of the Frost Giants who have taken over Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. He is an unlikely savior, if ever there was one. Yet, several of the Gods have been tricked by a Frost Giants and are helpless to undo what has been done. Since he is too weak to fight them, he must outwit them instead.

Gaiman's latest novel has its roots in Norse mythology. He has written a cute, readable tale. However, it does not live up to the high standards set in Coraline or The Graveyard Book. The illustrations certainly enhance the book, as do the informative chapter titles. While I recommend reading Odd and the Frost Giants (it is a fast, enjoyable read), I would highly recommend reading some of Gaiman's other children's books.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

2009-11-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

Autism is in the news a lot these days. And why wouldn’t it be? The statistics are alarming; more and more kids are diagnosed every day with everything from Asperger’s to Rett Syndrome and everything in between. Happily, great strides have been made in facilitating communication with those who have autism (on ALL sides of the spectrum).

Nora Raleigh Baskin’s book, Anything But Typical is told from the viewpoint of an autistic boy. Jason is a sixth grader and a talented kid. But he also has a lot of trouble dealing with the day-to-day world in ways that a non-autistic person has problems comprehending.

Read the rest of this review...

Another Kickstart a Classroom Library winner

2009-11-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

This one is an 8th grade teacher: Jody Litkenhus.

In her words:
I started teaching a few years ago. I went to school in my 30s with three kids and a husband and all that comes with that. I have taught 8th grade this whole time and have students who I supply with books from Godwill and thrift stores. I rarely am able to purchase new books as there are so many students who need books in their hands and this is the only way I can get enough to go around.

This library jumpstart would be such a cool thing for our classroom. Our school library is very limited, and I haave really tried to instill the love of reading in my students. A new selection would be so exciting for them, and a benefit for all the students in the years to come.

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Some Winners of Kickstart a Classroom Library

2009-11-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

Jacquelyn McCanse, as nominated by Kalina Badzioch.

Ms. McCanse is a first grade teacher and, according to Ms. Badzioch: "She has a heart of gold, and truly deserves a jump start on building her class library."

I don't have a huge amount of books for that age group, but what I have will be going to Ms. McCanse.

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More winners: two teachers at Prairie Crossing Charter School (K - 8), as nominated by Terry Wrzesinski, a HS teacher. They are: Mrs. Mallin, 8th grade and Mrs. Jeffrey, 3/4th grade.

More winners to come...I'm still dividing up the books.

Ghost Huntress: The Guidance

2009-11-03T15:23:00.004-05:00

Kendall is still trying to settle in her new home. Radisson, Georgia is a lot different than her hometown of Chicago. One thing that seems to be different is her ability to see ghosts. And there's a lot of them here in Georgia. Ghost Huntress: The Guidance continues the tale of Kendall and her team of ghost hunters as they search out more ghosts in this Southern town. But what's different is resident mean girl Courtney, former girlfriend of Kendall's now boyfriend Jason, is up to no good. Read more of my review at YA Books Central and find out what happens when Courtney decides to dabble in a world that she's not prepared for.

Catching Fire Winners! Finally!

2009-11-03T13:09:00.002-05:00

At long last, here are the Catching Fire Giveaway winners:

Sandra Bannerman

Hillary Krajewski

Tina Johnson

Cheyenne Schroeder

Beth Revis

Emily Remer

Yan Lin

Dwan Proctor

Sara Grochowski

Julie Holden

Congratulations!

Twitter Challenge!

2009-11-02T20:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, it started out harmlessly enough. But now I'm committed. Or committable...you decide. I wanna see how many followers we can get over on Twitter our first day on the scene. For every 100 followers there will be a winner (plus an extra winner for hitting 150 just because I said so). We're already close to 200. How many can we hit???

http://twitter.com/yabookscentral

YOU have been TRIPLE DOG DARED.

BTW, if we actual hit 1,000 followers, one of those 11 prizes will be the MOTHER of all prizes. I'm just sayin'.

It could happen. The Internet is a wild and wooly place.

Winners of Beautiful Creatures

2009-11-02T18:16:00.001-05:00

The winners of Beautiful Creatures are:

Alanna Kurt
Megan Bishop
Sylvia Uy
Cara Beatrice
Brittany McElveen
Doreen Riopel
Meghan Riegel
Melissa Burmester
Sophia Zhong
Jessica Blair
Teddi Moorman
Amber Lane
Raelena Pavey
Angelikka Lin
Emilee Richardson

Please note that the publisher will be mailing out this prize directly. I'm just waiting on one address (Sophia) and will be sending the list of winners on shortly! Congrats!

And thank you to the @yabookscentral Twitter followers for helping to pick the winners by tweeting me random numbers!

Winners of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2009-11-02T17:16:00.000-05:00

The very lucky winners of the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book are...in no particular order...

Danetta Young
Elizabeth Wang
Adayla Schroeder
Billy Schuldt
Darryl Tahara
Patti Bright
Jane Maritz
Karen Yingling
Janice Vuong
Liz Tapia

Please note that the publisher will be sending out this prize directly! Congrats!

Winners of the Cirque du Freak giveaway...

2009-11-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

The winners of the Cirque du Freak giveaway are...in no particular order...

Meg Treacy
Aylia Naqi
Sarah Laframboise
Asja Proano
Judie McCann

I'm currently waiting on 3 addresses and will send all winners on as soon as I get them. Thanks & Congrats!

YABC Survey!

2009-11-02T16:11:00.003-05:00

Please answer this survey. All respondents will be entered into a "Thank You" giveaway.

The survey is hosted on Google Docs.

Only 5 more followers...

2009-11-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hey! The blog only needs 5 more followers for there to be a new giveaway! You know what to do about that...

In other news, I've created a new Twitter account just for YA (& Kids) Books Central. It's at https://twitter.com/yabookscentral

Please follow! There will, of course, also be giveaways there. Probably every 100 followers? We'll see. :-)

(I'm also testing a twitterfeed thing so that blog posts will automatically post to the Twitter feed)

Beth Kephart: Then and Now

2009-11-02T11:11:00.001-05:00

Beth Kephart, our first author-in-residence at readergirlz, has been posting monthly blogs in which she discusses the art (and the joys, and the frustrations) of writing, along with writing prompts and related contests. Here is Beth's third prompt:

"In this readergirlz challenge, the premise is simple: Find a photograph of yourself as a young child on the verge of some new knowledge or turning point. Write a paragraph about that photograph/that moment in present tense, as if you are experiencing that moment for the first time. Then write about that photograph/that moment in past tense, with the gift of retrospection. Ask yourself what you gain from working in the present tense, and what is gained by reflection; include your thoughts on this with your submission."

Send your entry to kephartblog AT comcast DOT net by November 25th, 2009. The author of the winning paragraph will receive a signed copy of Nothing but Ghosts, a novel about a young girl who, in learning to live past her mother's unexpected passing, involves herself in decoding the mystery that envelops the recluse down the road. The past and the present collide in Ghosts.

Nov. Giveaway: So Punk Rock & Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

2009-11-01T01:00:00.003-04:00

Enter to win one of 5 copies of So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol and David Ostow!

Nov. Giveaway: Leviathan

2009-11-01T01:00:00.002-04:00

Enter to win one of 10 copies of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan! You soooooo want to!

Nov. Giveaway: Winter's Tail

2009-11-01T01:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a special giveaway for November (and right in time for the holidays): win a Winter's Tail grand prize pack or 4 runner up prizes. Enter now!

First prize winner will receive the following, a grand prize valued at $81.99:

Dolphin Plush
Dolphin Key Chain
Winter's Tail game for Nintendo DS
A copy of Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again Book

Four second place winners will receive a copy of the book!

Review: The Magician's Elephant

2009-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

I cannot stop raving about The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. It is a marvelous fantasy story about a boy looking for his sister, a magician who wants to perform a magic trick beyond his best, a young orphan girl and the elephant that brings them all together.

Kate DiCamillo is known for her story telling ability. Just read The Tale of Despereaux or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and you will be convinced. But The Magician's Elephant, in my opinion, is her best work to date. It is a beautiful story, elegantly told. The illustrations by Yoko Tanaka add a wonderful element to the words.

The Magician's Elephant is first class, all the way.

Dear Big V

2009-10-29T19:51:00.004-04:00

Courtney Condon just happens to be the founder of Donuts and Coffee, her high school abstinence club. She swears that she'd never sink as low as making out with a guy. She also writes entries to Big V, her virginity. Then things change when she's asked to write a piece for her paper that involves working with Lance, Mr. Player, and also hottie of her school. Dear Big V addresses issues such as conflict over values with hormones. Told in a zippy fun style, Courtney's decisions and actions will reasonate with you. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.

2009-10-29T10:28:00.002-04:00

Want to win a free copy of Legacy by Tom Sniegoski?

The first five people to leave their answers (with their email addresses and mailing addresses!) at my book blog, Bildungsroman, will get free copies of the book.

It's as simple as that - and that's way simpler than learning how to fly.

Read my review of Legacy.

Last Call!!!

2009-10-28T15:57:00.000-04:00

Not to beat a dead horse (which is something I would definitely never do...who makes up these sayings?), but only THREE more days to get in your prize claims for the Prize Bucket. If you earned a book before the end of September by either posting reviews or posting in the forum, I need your picks ASAP! After the end of October, that's it. Finito. End O' The Bucket.

I've still got a list of over 10 people that I know for sure earned books and have not responded...

Leviathan

2009-10-28T11:01:00.002-04:00

Enter the alternate world of 1914 Europe, where mechanical machinery is in odds with gentically engineered beasts. Leviathan is a fun, exciting YA steampunk tale where science fiction meets fantasy. Once again Scott Westerfeld has created a fantastic world that will take readers away to imaginative places. Read more of my review at YA Books Central.

2009-10-27T20:23:00.004-04:00

By the pricking of my thumbs...

Murder, betrayal, blood, and fear. So goes the story of Macbeth, the mad King of Scotland. Many have read his story, seen it preformed on a stage as the drama swept them in. But what of his people, and the side characters who seemingly meant so little? What is their story? What did they see as their beloved Lord Macbeth went mad with power? This is their story.
It is the tale of a traitor's daughter, a scullery maid, a servant, and the sons of nobles. How are these five important to Macbeth's story? Can they see through the darkness of madness, greed, loss, and and betrayal to discover the truth? And who can they trust? Can they get out before it's too late? Or do they even deserve to be saved?

Something wicked this way comes.

I absolutely adored Enter Three Witches. It was dark and enthralling, with a constant underlying mystery that kept me wondering who was trustworthy, and trying to decide who I should like and who I should dislike. The story takes an interesting spin a little over halfway through. It threw me for a loop, and left me begging to find out how it would end. I was initally interested in this book because of my deep love for Shakespeare. Those who have to read Macbeth in school and don't exactly understand the plot, this book might help you understand a little better. And for those who love Shakespeare, Caroline B. Cooney has taken one masterpiece to make another. I HIGHLY suggest this book to anyone with a love of dark plots, romance, and mystery.