Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Three YA titles from New Imprint of Alloy Entertainment



Official Press Release about Alloy Entertainment's new imprint and the release of its first three books. 

Every Ugly Word by Aimee L. Salter


Every Ugly Word follows 17 year old Ashley who is relentlessly bullied at her high school and by her own mother, and is helplessly in love with her best friend, Matt, who is bullied by his father.

She seeks help by looking to her future self, “Older Me” who supports her through it all and teaches her to love herself. But is she really seeking “Older Me” or is she looking within herself for the answers?


When Ashley looks in the mirror she can see and talk to her future self. “Older Me” has been her support system through her relentless tormentor’s bullying, her unstable mother at home, and her forlorn love for her longtime best friend. But when Ashley discovers “Older Me’s” betrayal, she is targeted in the worst way and impends her last chance with Matt. She’s done with hearing every ugly word.

A digital ARC of Every Ugly Word is available for librarians through NetGalley. 

Author Aimee L. Salter


Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand


Everyone is exactly like me.

There is no one like me.
The rough fabric of my cotton nightgown chafes so I lie very still. They say my discomfort comes from being built like one accustomed to niceties. How is that fair when I myself have never experienced anything but copies of the real thing?
My entire life is an imitation.
I am an Imitation.
I’ve been here five years. Training. Preparing. Waiting.
And now I have a letter.
My assignment has begun.
I am a prisoner.
I am not Raven Rogen.

I am here to die.

Ven is an Imitation, a clone of a wealthy girl named Raven. Imitations only leave their home, Twig City, when they are needed by their Authentics- to replace them in any situation, to serve as organ donors, or, as in Ven's case, to become bait when her Authentic's life has been threatened. Ven must pretend to be Raven even as she experiences the sights, sounds, and feelings of the real world for the first time. But real life is more dangerous than she ever imagined. The attacks begin the second she replaces her Authentic, and Ven is quickly caught in a game of cat-and-mouse with her assailants.


Author Heather Hildenbrand
A digital ARC of Imitation is available to librarians through NetGalley. 

Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart

There are two things in the world that Aris truly loves: flying in her wingjet above Atalanta, and Calix, the boy that she is about to be promised to after the selection.
Just before the selection happens, a mysterious military officer named Theo presents her with a job alternative in his sector she never thought possible: to fly.  But from all the information that Aris has ever known, women are not allowed in the Military sector of the Five Dominions. What could he possibly have in mind?

With the war between the Five Dominions and Safara becoming increasingly dire, Theo also shares with Aris that there will be an increase in military recruits assigned at the selection and Calix will likely be on that list – allowing Aris to truly consider the job offer.

She could save lives, maybe even Calix’s.

In a society where conflict has overtaken, relationships are tested through the most dangerous of situations: war. REBEL WING will test the limits of love and explore how far people will go for the ones they truly care about. But even with Aris stepping up, high up in the backbone of the Five Dominions reside the wards of each sector, those in charge, and they truly have all the power. 


Author Tracy Banghart
A digital ARC of Rebel Wing is available for librarians through NetGalley. 

Monday, April 21, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 4-21-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (IMWAYR) is a weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to encourage others to share the books they are reading each week. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers added the "From Picture Books to YA" element to Sheila's idea. Many thanks to these four women for creating a fun way to share our reading lists. Please be sure to visit their blogs and see what they've read over the past week. 

Monday, April 14, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 4-14-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (IMWAYR) is a weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to encourage others to share the books they are reading each week. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki over at Unleashing Readers took Sheila's idea and added "From Picture Books to YA," spreading the IMWAYR concept to a much wider audience.  


Yes, I know I've been slacking off big time with IMWAYR lately. In my defense, I've been occupied with administering STAAR and preparing for the TLA conference. Now I'm ready to get back on track. 

When I wasn't administering the state test, working on my poster presentation, or preparing for a road trip with another librarian from my school district, I've been mostly reading professional development books to improve my library program. 


Saturday, April 12, 2014

Spotted at 2014 Texas Library Association Conference

TLA Swag - Where do I to start?!

That's all the swag I picked up at the 2014 Texas Library Association annual conference in San Antonio over the past week. The two stacks of books are mostly ARCs that I can't wait to get my hands and eyes on. What you don't see in the bags are more books for teacher giveaways; posters, pencils and bookmarks for students; and teaching guides for about a dozen young adult and children's books.

Monday, March 31, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3-31-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

Monday, March 17, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3-17-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

Monday, March 3, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 3-3-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

As someone who grew up painfully shy, I love reading books that have strong, independent female characters. I happily found several books featuring such main characters in my selected readings over the past week. 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Book Review: Thirty Sunsets by Christine Hurley Deriso

18579800
Flux
Expected publication: July 2014

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

Forrest Shepherd is a sixteen-year-old girl wrapping up the last few weeks of her sophomore year. She is smart and witty. She seems confident in her own skin. And she's majorly crushing on a senior guy who barely notices she's alive. But the biggest challenge in Forrest's life is her nemesis - her brother's high maintenance, cheerleader girlfriend, Olivia.

Before Olivia, Brian had big plans. He wanted to go to Vanderbilt and study medicine. After Olivia, Brian throws away his acceptance letter to Vanderbilt and settles for the local community college so he can stay close to Olivia. Being very protective of her brother and his future, Forrest absolutely rues the hold Olivia has over her brother, who has made it clear that if he is forced to choose, he would choose Olivia over his own family. Forrest and her mother struggle to hide their disgust for Olivia in order to maintain a relationship with Brian.


Monday, February 24, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2-24-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

Monday, February 17, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2-17-2014




It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

As often happens with me, I set out with a reading goal but get distracted by shiny, new discounts on e-books and read those instead of what I intended to read. This was the case over the past week with  two great young adult books,  The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park, which I discuss in the Young Adult Section of this week's post.


Sunday, February 16, 2014

Book Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

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Delacorte Press, May 13, 2014

We Were Liars is the story of a wealthy American family, headed by Harris and Tipper Sinclair. The story is narrated by Cadence ("Cady") Sinclair Eastman, Harris's first grandchild and daughter of Penelope Sinclair. It begins in Cadence's eighth summer at Beechwood, the family's private island in Massachusetts. It is the summer that Cady and her cousins meet Gat. 

Monday, February 10, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2-10-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

Taking a cue from fellow librarian Julee Murphy (@JuleeMurphy) over at Book Egg, I'm including books I've used for library lessons over the past week. Indeed I think these books should be included in every It's Monday! What are you reading?, even if it's the second, third, or umpteenth time reading the books because these great books are still worthy of reading, and of course, sharing.


Monday, February 3, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? 2-3-2014


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is weekly challenge begun by Sheila at Book Journey to blog about the books readers enjoy each week.  For some wonderful reading suggestions, please visit Teacher Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers, who took Sheila's It's Monday! What are You Reading? challenge and gave it a kid lit twist.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Book Review: The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanne Wiebe

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant (V, #1)The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, and a little bit of patience, I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Anne Merchant is a sixteen year old girl who has spent her entire life in one of the richest neighborhoods in the U.S., Atherton, CA. Unlike her extremely wealthy neighbors, Anne grew up in a modest environment, having lived in an apartment above her father's mortuary.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

2014 Reading Goal and TBR List

This year I'm trying something new with my reading goals, thanks to Goodreads. I've never really kept track of books that I've read but now that I have a Goodreads account, I thought it'd be fun to create a list of the books I want to read this year and create a reading goal. (After all, I need to model reading habits for my students, right?) 

 For the time being, my goal is to read 300 books in 2014. 


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Book Review: West of the Moon by Margi Preus

West of the MoonWest of the Moon by Margi Preus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of West of the Moon by Margi Preus from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

It almost feels like Preus wrote this book just for me. She took several of my favorite topics -- folk tales/fairy tales, religious and medical history, and historical fiction -- and wove them all together into this one amazing book.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Book Review: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

And We StayAnd We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book has really confused me when it comes to what rating to give it. Some elements of the book were great, some weren't so great.



Book Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Defy (Defy, #1)Defy by Sara B. Larson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not an avid reader of fantasy so I'm unfamiliar with other books in this genre. Therefore I can't compare it to other fantasy books. But overall it was a good read, though some elements of it need some work in my opinion. For example, it seemed like Alex/Alexa was strong as long as she thought everyone thought she was a boy. After that, she became very fragile and her peers felt like she needed to be protected.

There's a lot of talk about physical attraction from the main character when she sees her peers shirtless which gets a little tiring after a while but perhaps that's the author's way of portraying the main character's struggle with her identity as a girl pretending to be a boy.

The plot has lots of twists and turns which I think is great for keeping the reader going, wanting to find out what happens next.

From what I understand, this book is going to be part of a series. I look forward to reading more in the future because I'm interested in seeing how the story plays out. But I hope Alex/Alexa is stronger in future books.

Like I said, I'm not a real reader of fantasy, so I don't really know what to expect from this genre. But I probably would purchase this for my library's collection for those students who do enjoy fantasy -- because I'm sure many of them would be interested in this book.

View all my reviews