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Tag Archives: Kathy MacMillan
Keeping Up with the Sweet Sixteens: September 2018
Author Victoria J. Coe recently revealed the cover of the fourth Fenway and Hattie book to an excited group of Iowa 2nd graders. Watch the thrilling reveal here. Fenway and Hattie was the 2017 Global Read Aloud for early readers and is a current One School One Book selection. The latest title in this popular middle grade series, Fenway and Hattie in the Wild, is coming on May 7, 2019 from Putnam Young Readers. Click here to preorder.
Julie Leung’s third book in the Mice of the Round Table series, Merlin’s Last Quest, releases October 2, 2018 from HarperCollins Children’s. Preorder here.
Laura Shovan’s third middle grade novel, A Place at the Table, sold to Jennifer Greene at Clarion Books. The book is a collaboration with author/activist Saadia Faruqi (Meet Yasmin!). It will be published in 2020.
In October, Laura will be at the Virginia Hamilton Conference to receive the Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award for New Voices for her debut, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary.
Melanie Conklin’s new book, All the Missing Pieces, releases May 2020 from Disney-Hyperion. Add it to your TBR here.
Emily France’s new young adult novel, Zen and Gone, has been chosen by the Washington Post as a Best Book for Young Readers. It also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Zen and Gone follows a teen in Boulder, Colorado as she searches for her missing sister outside Rocky Mountain National Park and must rely on what she’s learned from her Zen practice about how to navigate life and its many challenges.
Connect with Emily at www.emilyfrancebooks.com | Order ZEN AND GONE here.
Kathy MacMillan’s new book, Dagger and Coin, releases October 9 from HarperTeen. A companion to her 2016 debut, Sword and Verse, the book features Soraya Gamo, the would-be queen of Qilara, who now sits on the new Ruling Council beside her former enemies, holding the political power she always wanted – but over a nation in ruins. Kirkus calls Dagger and Coin a “fine balance of political intrigue, relationship drama, and thoughtful characterization.” Pre-order Dagger and Coin and get an exclusive short story!
Keeping Up with the Sweet Sixteens: Awards, Cover Reveals, and More!
And the award goes to…
Laura Shovan’s middle grade debut, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, was named the 2018 Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for New Voices honor book.
Margot Harrison’s debut novel, The Killer in Me, was named a finalist for the 2017 Vermont Book Award, created and administered by Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Jenn Bishop’s middle grade novel The Distance to Home is on the Iowa Children’s Choice Award list for 2018-2019.
Victoria J. Coe’s middle grade novel Fenway and Hattie, the 2017 Global Read Aloud for Early Readers, has been selected as a One School, One Book “Sweet Spot” title by the literacy organization Read to Them.
Coming soon!
The third book in C.M. Surrisi’s Quinnie Boyd Mystery series, A Side of Sabotage, is coming out March 1, 2018 from Carolrhoda.
Michele Bacon’s second novel, Antipodes, publishes April 3rd. If you’re near Seattle, come to her book launch at Secret Garden in Ballard, 7 p.m. on April 3rd.
Wendy McLeod MacKnight recently revealed the cover of her next middle grade novel, The Frame-Up. The novel, which explores the idea that every original piece of artwork is alive (but doesn’t want us to know it’s alive!) and will contain sixteen pages of full color glossy images of actual masterpieces from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (which are characters in the book) will be published on June 5th by Greenwillow Books.
Parker Peevyhouse’s upcoming book, The Echo Room, is coming September 11, 2018 from Tor Teen, is available for preorder!
Kathy MacMillan’s Dagger and Coin, the companion novel to her Compton Crook Award-nominated debut, Sword and Verse, will be published by HarperTeen on November 20. The story follows Soraya Gamo, the daughter of a crown traitor, who must learn to work with her former enemies to rebuild her nation.
Gordon Jack’s second novel, Your Own Worst Enemy, is coming Fall 2018. Lincoln High School has three candidates for student body president: One is a career politician, one is a radical outsider, one is a clueless billionaire. With a satirical nod to the 2016 presidential election, Gordon Jack’s sophomore novel shines a spotlight on the highs and (very low) lows of the electoral process, ultimately proving that the popular vote really is the one that matters most.
Upcoming Appearances
Tobie Easton will be appearing as a featured guest and panelist at two upcoming events, Teen Bookfest by the Bay in Corpus Christi, TX from February 16-18, 2018 and the SE-YA Book Fest in Murfreesboro, TN from March 8-10, 2018 (more details at: www.TobieEaston.com/events). Tobie is the award-winning author of the Mer Chronicles series, which follows the descendants of the Little Mermaid and offers a peek into a world where mermaids aren’t just real but live secretly among us on land. She will be signing the first two books in the series, Emerge and Submerge, at both events.
Autograph, Please: Where to Find Signed Copies of Books by the Sweet Sixteens
Signed books make great holiday gifts! Many of the Sweet Sixteens have paired up with local bookstores to offer signed copies; click on the bookstore links below to order yours today.
FENWAY AND HATTIE by Victoria J. Coe
Henry’s Bear Park, Providence/Arlington/Cambridge/Brookline, MA
COUNTING THYME by Melanie Conklin
[words] bookstore, Maplewood, NJ
THE WEIGHT OF ZERO by Karen Fortunati
SWORD AND VERSE by Kathy MacMillan
The Children’s Bookstore, Baltimore, MD
RIPPLE by Heather Smith Meloche
THE GIRL WHO FELL by Shannon M. Parker
Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop, Damariscotta, ME
Barnes & Noble, Canton, CT
WHERE FUTURES END by Parker Peevyhouse
UNDERWATER by Marisa Reichardt
{pages} a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA
CROSSING THE LINE by Meghan Rogers
Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA
THE BFF BUCKET LIST by Dee Romito
Monkey See, Monkey Do Bookstore, Clarence, NY
THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY by Laura Shovan
The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, MD
BOUNDERS (hardcover) by Monica Tesler
EARTH FORCE RISING (BOUNDERS 1, paperback) by Monica Tesler
THE TUNDRA TRIALS (BOUNDERS 2, hardcover) by Monica Tesler
Buttonwood Books and Toys (Please include signing and personalization requests in Order Comments section of electronic checkout or contact the store for assistance.)
Autograph, Please: Where to Find Signed Copies of Books by the Sweet Sixteens
Many of the Sweet Sixteens have paired up with local bookstores to offer signed copies! Click on the bookstore links below to order yours today!
FENWAY AND HATTIE by Victoria J. Coe
Henry’s Bear Park, Providence/Arlington/Cambridge/Brookline, MA
COUNTING THYME by Melanie Conklin
[words] bookstore, Maplewood, NJ
SWORD AND VERSE by Kathy MacMillan
The Children’s Bookstore, Baltimore, MD
RIPPLE by Heather Smith Meloche
WHERE FUTURES END by Parker Peevyhouse
UNDERWATER by Marisa Reichardt
{pages} a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA
CROSSING THE LINE by Meghan Rogers
Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA
THE BFF BUCKET LIST by Dee Romito
Monkey See, Monkey Do Bookstore, Clarence, NY
THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY by Laura Shovan
The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, MD
THE GIRL WHO FELL by Shannon M. Parker
Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshop, Damariscotta, ME
Barnes & Noble, Canton, CT
THE WEIGHT OF ZERO by Karen Fortunati
Thank the Admins!
As we near the end of 2016, we’d like to take the opportunity to Thank the Admins! For over two years, a core group of sixteen authors have been the tireless engine behind: ARC tours, Sweet Sixteen logo & web design, Facebook posts, Twitter love and so much more. To thank these incredible authors for their extra time and effort, we’ll be featuring a handful of administrators each month in a Thank the Admins post. We hope you’ll take a moment to extend your gratitude and give these peeps a virtual high five.
Kathy MacMillan
Your role as admin: Kathy was the founder of The Sweet Sixteens! *Huge shout-out to Kathy!* She coordinated EVERYTHING, including wrangling admins! The Sweet Sixteens wouldn’t be The Sweet Sixteens without the phenomenal amount of effort, time and caring that Kathy MacMillan has devoted to this debut group.
What’s up next: An as-yet-untitled companion novel to Kathy’s YA fantasy debut Sword and Verse, scheduled to be published January 2018. Kathy’s fans are already drooling for this one!!
Thing you learned in your debut year: “Everyone will have different expectations of you and your book, and there is nothing you can do about that. All you can do is focus on telling the story you need to tell.”
Victoria J. Coe
Your role as admin: Victoria formatted and posted all of the Meet the Author features. She’s been incredible about getting to know each and every Sixteener and making them feel welcome, both virtually and (for the lucky ones) throughout her book travels.
What’s up next: Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang, the sequel to Victoria’s MG debut Fenway and Hattie, will be published on January 24, 2017. Victoria is currently revising a third Fenway and Hattie book that will be released in Winter 2018. More Fenway and Hattie means more smiles!!!
Thing you learned in your debut year: “This year has been life-changing! I’ve learned so much I can hardly get my thoughts together. But the biggest thing I’ve learned is I’m so glad I got to go through this journey with the Sweet Sixteens. To be part of this community of talented writers and outstanding human beings has been an honor.”
…
Marisa Reichardt
Your role as admin: Marisa posted all of the Fearless Fifteener interviews and kept our Sweet Sixteen Facebook page populated, along with help from MG author Laura Shoavn. Did you have your book news posted to Facebook this year? Throw a thanks Marisa’s way!
What’s up next: Marisa is looking forward to foreign publications of her contemporary YA debut Underwater in 2017, as well as its paperback release. Today, she’s busy at work on another standalone contemporary YA novel. We can’t wait!!
Thing you learned in your debut year: “I can’t live without Shannon M. Parker.”
Brooks Benjamin
Your role as admin: Brooks is our YouTube guru and tweets for The Sweet Sixteens account, sharing great news across both platforms.
What’s up next: Brooks is hopping around to different states for conferences and festivals promoting My Seventh Life and Tights. In between events, he’s writing and has a couple of MG manuscripts on sub right now! Yay for more Brooks Benjamin stories to come!
Thing you learned in your debut year: “Things get seriously busy after your book comes out. This isn’t a bad thing, just surprising. But I’ve also learned that I the other Sweet Sixteeners are wonderful to rely on when you feel overwhelmed. They’re going through the same thing and they always let you know they’re there for you.”
16th Day Update
THE WEIGHT OF ZERO
Karen Fortunati’s debut, THE WEIGHT OF ZERO has been getting a lot of pre-publication love. Her book was chosen as a Summer/Fall 2016 Indies Introduce Selection and was featured in Seventeen Magazine’s September issues as “What’s hot this month.” Karen’s THE WEIGHT OF ZERO doesn’t debut until October, but you can pre-order your copy now. Find out why it’s been chosen as a Shelf Awareness BEA2016 YA Buzz Book, a BARNES & NOBLE 2016 Most Anticipated Debut, and an Amazon Editors Favorite Young Adult Books for Fall 2016. Timely and powerful, THE WEIGHT OF ZERO is a must-read.
LIKE WATER: A 2017 Novel Coming from Rebecca Podos
LIKE WATER: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired North American rights to LIKE WATER by Rebecca Podos, a contemporary LGBTQ YA novel. When Savannah’s father is diagnosed with a genetic illness she may inherit, she sets aside her plans to flee her tiny hometown after graduation. She takes a job as a performing mermaid at a water park; when she meets the handsome lifeguard’s even more intriguing sister, Vanni learns the difference between sinking and diving in deep. Publication is slated for fall 2017.
THE RATTLED BONES: A 2017 Novel Coming from Shannon M. Parker
THE RATTLED BONES: Pitched as the YA Stephen King’s Bag of Bones, Simon & Schuster has acquired World English rights to Shannon M. Parker’s next YA novel THE RATTLED BONES. In the wake of grief that 17-year-old Maine lobster boat captain Rilla Brae experiences after the unexpected death of her father, the veil between the living and the dead begins to dissolve as Rilla sees a mysterious girl haunting the shores of an abandoned island. Parker is the author of THE GIRL WHO FELL and a contributor to the forthcoming YA anthology WELCOME HOME. Publication is set for August 22, 2017.
HOW TO MAKE A WISH & GIRL MADE OF STARS: 2017 & 2018 Novels Coming from Ashley Herring Blake
HOW TO MAKE A WISH: All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn’t have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father. Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace’s mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on.
GIRL MADE OF STARS: A LGBTQ young adult novel by Suffer Love author Ashley Herring Blake. When her twin brother is accused of date rape, a girl is torn between family allegiances and a quest for the truth. Publication is planned for spring 2018.
A MILLION JUNES: A 2017 Novel Coming from Emily Henry
Romeo and Juliet meets One Hundred Years of Solitude in Emily Henry’s brilliant follow-up to The Love That Split the World, about the daughter and son of two long-feuding families who fall in love while trying to uncover the truth about the strange magic and harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. A MILLION JUNES is set to publish in January, 2017.
Baltimore Book Festival
Play along with Sweet Sixteens authors in back-to-back game panels at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Children’s Stage at the Baltimore Book Festival at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Saturday, September 24:
2 PM: Whose Book is it Anyway? featuring Brooks Benjamin (My Seventh Grade Life in Tights), Jenn Bishop, (The Distance to Home), Bridget Hodder (The Rat Prince), Laura Shovan (The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary), Erin Teagan (The Friendship Experiment). Pit your wits against the pens of five wily Middle Grade authors! Audience volunteers will try to decide which book excerpt is real…and which are clever fakes.
3PM: Games with YA Authors featuring Lindsey Roth Culli (This Above All), Karen Fortunati (The Weight of Zero), Jan Gangsei (Zero Day), Karen Hattrup (Frannie and Tru), Kathy MacMillan (Sword and Verse), Lisa Maxwell (Unhooked). Come and play! YA authors team up with audience members for interactive games based on their books.
#YARoadTrip Tour
Lindsey Roth Culli (This Above All), Tobie Easton (Emerge), Karen Fortunati (The Weight of Zero), Melissa Gorzelanzcyk (Arrows), Karen Hattrup (Frannie and Tru), Rahul Kanakia (Enter Title Here), and Kathy MacMillan (Sword and Verse) will be participating in the YA Road Trip tour from October 6-16 in celebration of Teen Read Week. Check out the complete schedule of appearances!
Extras! Extras!: Bonus material from Sweet Sixteens authors
Here’s a guide to some of the extras that Sweet Sixteens have been posting around the internet, including deleted scenes, extra stories, and details from the worlds of their books!
ASSASSIN’S HEART by 
Sarah Ahiers
Sarah AhiersQuiz: In Which ASSASSIN’S HEART Family do You Belong?
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IVORY AND BONE by Julie Eshbaugh
Pinterest Inspiration Board: Photos and artwork that inspired IVORY AND BONE
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SWORD AND VERSE by Kathy MacMillan
Extra stories, pronunciation guide, and playlist, including:
- “Alterations”: Raisa’s Selection and first day in the Adytum.
- “The Only Bearable Solution“: The story of how Mati fell in love with Raisa, from his point of view.
- “Iron and Silk”: Recruiting one Tutor into the Resistance was a risk. It would be madness to try again – but then, Jonis never was one to play it safe.
- “Exposed”: Mati has to do some quick thinking when his father finds out about him and Raisa.
THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY by Janet Sumner Johnson
Annie’s Bet: Six months before their last great adventure, Annie and Jason fight for justice at recess.
(at the same link there is also PB&J Society Rules Printable, & Discussion Guide)
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THE BFF BUCKET LIST by Dee Romito
Behind the Book – Designing The BFF Bucket List Cover: A look behind the scenes of designing and illustrating a cover! (With a peek at early cover designs.)
SECRETS OF THE DRAGON TOMB by Patrick Samphire
Meet the Characters: Find out about all the exciting and peculiar characters in SECRETS OF THE DRAGON TOMB
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THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY by Laura Shovan
“A Fib Poem”: Fibonacci poem in the voice of Newt Mathews, cut from the final book.
16th Day Update
MONSTERVILLE
Beware what lurks beneath your bed. . . . It could lead to a monstrous adventure.
Thirteen-year-old Lissa Black is anything but happy when her parents force her to move from New York City, the perfect home for an aspiring writer/director/actress, to Freeburg, Pennsylvania, nowhere capital of the world. There’s not much for Lissa to do there, except play Monsterville, a Candyland-esque quest to survive, which Lissa’s little sister, Haylie, has becomed obsessed with, and hang out with her new neighbor, Adam, who is intent to prove to her that Freeburg is a great place to live.
But even Lissa can’t call her new home totally boring when a trek into the woods lands her face-to-face with a sea monster looking for brains to eat and then a Sasquatch that moos! With Adam’s help, she discovers a monster secret . . . or maybe just a monster: a poor little goblin they name Blue, who’s fled the world Down Below, desperate to decide on his scary form.
And what do you do with a creature that can be literally anything? You make monster movies, of course! Lissa is convinced that Blue will be the secret to her big break. But when Haylie goes missing on Halloween, Lissa, Adam, and Blue must ventrure Down Below to stage a rescue—and face the real Monsterville, which is anything but a game. Monsterville is a fusion of The Boxtrolls, Jumanji, and Candyland, weaving together friendship family, and monsters into a funny fantasy-horror brimming with heart from a great new middle grade voice.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING
Seventeen-year-old, Eric, is a kick-butt squire to the most revered knight in Fallhollow. Well he would be if Sir Trogsdill allowed him to do anything even remotely awesome. Determined to prove his worth, Eric sets out to find the mythical paladin summoned to protect the realm from the evil lurking nearby.
Sixteen-year-old, David, spends his days collecting school honors, winning archery tournaments, and trying not to fall in love with his scrappy best friend, Charlotte.
Right when things start to get interesting, he is whisked away to the magical realm of Fallhollow where everyone thinks he’s some sort of paladin destined to fulfill a two-hundred-year-old prophecy. He’s supposed to help kill a dragon with some sort of magic key. The same key that happens to adorn the neck of an annoying squire who’s too wrapped up in proving himself to be much help to anyone.
With egos as big as the dragon they need to destroy, Eric and David must get over themselves, or watch everything they know and love, burn.
KINGDOM OF ASH AND BRIARS
Bristal, a sixteen-year-old kitchen maid, lands in a fairy tale gone wrong when she discovers she has elicromancer magic in her blood. Elicromancers are an ancient breed of immortal people, but only two remain in Nissera after a bloody civil war. Bristal joins the ranks of Brack and Tamarice without knowing that one of them has a dark secret . . . Tamarice is plotting a quest to overthrow the realm’s nobility and take charge herself. Together, Bristal and Brack must guard the three kingdoms of Nissera against Tamarice’s black elicromancy. There are cursed princesses to protect, royal alliances to forge and fierce monsters to battle—all with the hope of preserving peace.
Building on homages to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jane Austen’s Emma and the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, Hannah West makes a spectacular and wholly original debut.
THE ADVENTURER’S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL ESCAPES
Set in a world where fantasy meets science fiction, a subversive narrator lurks behind every page, and intrepid heroine Anne must triumph over time, destiny, and heretofore unknown levels of bureaucracy to uncover the truth of her quest.
FOREIGN RIGHTS
Marisa Reichardt’s Underwater has sold to Nuevo Extremo in Argentina for World Spanish rights and to Penerbit Haru for Indonesian rights.
AUTHORS ABOUT
New stops have been added to the Behind the Pages Book Tour featuring Ava Jae (BEYOND THE RED), Janet Sumner Johnson (THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY), Kathy MacMillan (SWORD AND VERSE), and Laura Shovan (THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY)! The authors will all be presenting at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators MD/DE/WV Regional Conference on March 19 and 20 and making appearances at schools, libraries, and bookstores in Maryland and Virginia
MARCH AUTHORS GETTING GOODREADS READER LOVE
Three Sweet Sixteen debuts were chosen Goodreads readers as March’s YA BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH:
REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton
THE WAY I USED TO BE by Amber Smith
THE GIRL WHO FELL by Shannon M. Parker
Congrats, Ladies!! Were so happy to see all the love from early readers!
16th Day Update
GIRLS IN THE MOON
Janet McNally revealed her cover for GIRLS IN THE MOON on February 10, 2016 over on Publishing Crawl.
Phoebe and Luna Ferris haven’t grown up in the spotlight, but that’s only because their mother, Meg, quit her famous band when the girls were small. She hasn’t said much about it since.
Now, Luna has a band of her own, and their still-famous dad hasn’t called in three years. The summer Phoebe turns seventeen, she goes to visit Luna in New York, determined to discover the truth about her family—and herself.
THE BOOMERANG EFFECT
Gordon Jack held the cover reveal for his YA Contemporary, THE BOOMERANG EFFECT on February 10th.
It all started with a harmless prank.
But now high school junior (and resident stoner) Lawrence Barry is one step away from reform school unless he agrees to participate in a mentorship program. His mentee? Spencer Knudsen, a Norwegian exchange student with Spock-like intelligence but with the social skills of the periodic table. Lawrence thinks this is an easy task, but every time he and Spencer are seen together, Lawrence drops a rung or two on the school’s social ladder.
Then disaster strikes—Homecoming Week. When someone dressed as the school Viking mascot starts destroying the fairy tale–inspired floats, all suspicion falls on Lawrence. Add to the mix a demon Goth girl named Zoe, a Renaissance live action role-playing group, an overzealous yearbook editor, and three vindictive chickens, and Lawrence soon realizes that his situation may be a little out of control. But quiet, brilliant Spencer seems to have some answers. In fact, Lawrence is beginning to realize that Spencer may be the one friend he never knew he needed.
A TAIL OF CAMELOT
Julie Leung revealed the cover for her MG debut A TAIL OF CAMELOT on February 15th on Mr Schu Reads.
Young mouse Calib Christopher dreams of the day when he will become a Knight of Camelot like his father and grandfather before him. For generations, Calib’s family has lived among the mice that dwell beneath the human Knights of the Round Table, defending the castle they all call home. Calib just hopes he will be able to live up to the Christopher name.
Then, on the night of the annual Harvest Tournament, tragedy strikes. The mice suspect the Darklings are behind the vicious sneak attack, but Calib has his doubts, so he sets off on a quest for the truth. Venturing deep into the woods beyond the castle walls, Calib and his friend Cecily discover that a threat far greater than the Darklings is gathering, and human and animal knights alike are in grave danger.
With help from a host of unlikely new allies, including a young human boy named Galahad, Calib must get the Mice of the Round Table and the Darklings to put aside their differences and fight together. Only then will they be strong enough to save Camelot.
IRON CAST
Destiny Soria revealed her cover for her YA Historical Fantasy IRON CAST over on Pop! Goes the Reader on February 15th.
It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths–whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art–captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite.
When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.
NEW PUBLICATIONS
Dee Romito, author of THE BFF BUCKET LIST (Aladdin/S&S 2016), will have two middle grade books releasing next year.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES (Aladdin/S&S) follows A 12 year-old girl, used to flying around the country for her father’s job, who gets a chance to go to middle school for six weeks and sets out to see what she can accomplish without her VIP status.
SEVEN SIDES TO EVERY STORY (Aladdin/S&S) will be co-written with six other Aladdin authors. A middle grade novel in the format of Love, Actually, Seven Sides to Every Story is told from the perspective of seven different, but intersecting, characters. It takes place over the course of one night and is centered around a middle school dance.
You can add them on your Goodreads TBR lists using the links in this announcement!
CONFERENCES
Amy Allgeyer, author of the contemporary YA novel DIG TOO DEEP, will be presenting a workshop on writing for children and teens as part of the Idaho Writer’s Guild Workshop Series in August 2016.
For more information, see http://idahowritersguild.blogspot.com/p/2015-workshop-series.html or www.amyallgeyer.com
MELISSA GORZELANCZYK, author of the YA novel ARROWS, will be appearing at NoVaTEEN Book Festival in Arlington, VA, on March 5, 2016. http://novateenbookfestival.tumblr.com/
Ava Jae (BEYOND THE RED)Janet Sumner Johnson (THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY)
Kathy MacMillan (SWORD AND VERSE)
Laura Shovan (THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY)
are joining forces for a March book tour that includes panels and presentations at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators MD/DE/WV Regional Conference on March 19 and 20 and appearances at several schools, libraries, and bookstores in the area.
REVIEWS
Peter Brown Hoffmeister’s THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU LAUGH earned a starred review from Kirkus on February 1, 2016:
It’s one tough summer in Eugene, Oregon, for Travis and his friends, “good kids with rough lives,” as Travis’ basketball coach calls them. Travis’ friend Natalie says, “This is the part where you laugh. You just have to. When things are so shitty that there’s nothing you can do, there’s no other way to react.” And the problems do pile up. Travis lives in a trailer park with his grandparents, and his grandmother is dying of cancer; his mother is a homeless heroin addict. Natalie has reason not to trust her new stepfather. Travis breaks his ribs jumping off a bridge, and his friend Malik is stabbed during a pickup basketball game. Yet the story never feels heavy or melodramatic. What might seem didactic in lesser hands feels realistic and right here. Messages are delivered in natural dialogue, the well-drawn characters speaking from the heart with wisdom derived from firsthand experience. “We keep working. We keep trying. ‘Cause fuck everyone else, you know? We just do what we do…. We keep trying hard.” And plenty of humor leavens the tale: Travis releases two 4-foot caimans into the local pond and pees on a racist neighbor’s steps, and Malik writes “dirty love letters” that Travis’ grandmother reads and loves. Travis and feisty Natalie are there for each other, and teen readers will identify with them. Travis and Natalie are white; Malik is black; poverty and love connect them. A memorable story of good kids transcending rough lives. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Cheryl Blackford is thrilled that her MG historical fiction novel LIZZIE AND THE LOST BABY received a fabulous review in the Wall Street Journal on the same day that over 70 people attended her launch party at The Red Balloon Bookstore in St. Paul, Minnesota (when the windchill was -25 degrees)! You can read the full WSJ review here.
Robin Yardi had three great recent reviews for THE MIDNIGHT WAR OF MATEO MARTINEZ:
“Hooray! Booklist calls Robin Yardi’s #MGdebut, “an imaginative backyard adventure with light touches of fantasy.” http://www.booklistonline.com/The-Midnight-War-of-Mateo-Martinez-Robin-Yardi/pid=7791989”
“Yes!! @PublishersWkly calls @RobinEggWrites‘s #MGdebut, THE MIDNIGHT WAR OF MATEO MARTINEZ, “an entertaining story!” http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4677-8306-4”
“THE MIDNIGHT WAR OF MATEO MARTINEZ by @TheSweet16s author @RobinEggWrites gets a ⭐ from @KirkusReviews!!! https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robin-yardi/the-midnight-war-of-mateo-martinez/”
WEBSITES & RECOGNITIONS
Laura Shovan has a new website and blog. She’ll be running a daily write-along in February. This year’s theme is Found Objects. Anyone can participate on a drop-in basis. Poetry and prose are welcome.
Diana Gallagher’s contemporary young adult novel, LESSONS IN FALLING, was selected as one of the most anticipated 2016 releases by the Barnes and Noble teen blog.
FOREIGN RIGHTS:
SWORD AND VERSE by Kathy MacMillan will be published in German by Beltz.
CONTESTS
Kristy Acevedo, author of YA sc-fi, CONSIDER has two amazing contests happening now.Goodreads ARC giveaway–10 CONSIDER ARCs available! Win a chance to read it before everyone else. Ends March 6, 2016.
Jolly Fish Press is hosting a Fan Art Contest based on one of three passages of CONSIDER. Fabulous prizes! Ends March 31, 2016.
The Sweet Sixteens 