B- Reviews
dystopian, Harper-Teen, Young-Adult
1 Comment
Dear Ms. Zhang, When I first saw the premise for your debut YA novel, I was intrigued. Everyone is born with two souls but one gains dominance until finally, the other vanishes in childhood? Interesting yet twisted – my kind… more
C+ Reviews
steampunk, World War I, Young-Adult
10 Comments
Dear Mr. Westerfeld, Your steampunk YA, Leviathan, was recommended to me on Twitter by one of The Book Pushers. I believe it was Lou. Lou loved the book so much that I decided to put it on the list of… more
Interviews
Contemporary, dogs, Harlequin Love Inspired, Harlequin Teen, Interviews, William Morrow, Womens-Fiction, Young-Adult
31 Comments
Three diverse books sharing one common thread: that’s the idea behind the DA³ Interview. All of today’s books include characters who are, or have been, part of the foster care system. First, meet the books: Picture This is Jacqueline Sheehan’s… more
Publishing News
ereader device, paid reviews, Young-Adult
24 Comments
Gartner predicts raft of fake online reviews by 2014 — Tech News and Analysis – One research company suggests that the negative reviews on social media sites will drive companies to hire reputation defenders to put pressure on reviews to… more
C+ Reviews
California, Delacorte Press, murder, Paranormal, psychic powers, Young-Adult
7 Comments
Dear Ms. Littlefield, Your name’s been on my radar for a while now. Alas, I’m teetering on burnout when it comes to post-apocalyptic novels so I’ve consistently given your Harlequin Luna series a pass. This is no fault of your… more
B+ Reviews/ Recommended Reads
black comedy, Paranormal, SourceBooks, Young-Adult
3 Comments
“When your best friend is just a tiny bit psychotic, you should never actually believe him when he says “Trust me, this is gonna be awesome.” Of course, you probably wouldn’t believe a voodoo doll could work either. Or that… more
B- Reviews
Contemporary, Paranormal, Young-Adult
4 Comments
Dear Ms. Kemmerer: I was excited that I found Spark at NetGalley the day after I finished Storm, the first your Elemental Series. The four Merrick brothers are Elementals, individuals born on the point of a Pentagon which gives them power… more
D Reviews
first person present tense, Harper-Teen, post-apocalyptic, Young-Adult
26 Comments
Dear Ms. Redwine, There’s been an influx of female-led traditional fantasy in the YA genre. If you had told me last year that this was going to become a thing, I would have been ecstatic. I’ve been getting bored with… more
B Reviews
coming-of-age, medieval, Young-Adult
16 Comments
Dear Ms. Cushman, The title of this book rang a bell when I saw it for sale. Since it has such a positive reputation and was a Newbery Honor book, I felt confident that it would be worth my time… more
B- Reviews
Contemporary, Paranormal, Young-Adult
9 Comments
Dear Ms. Kemmerer: Sarah Wendell told me about your book when it was chosen for the Smart Bitches Sizzlin’ Book Club. I admit some trepidation because I am not a huge fan of YA and the YA I do read… more
Publishing News
book prices, Fair Use, genre critique, Intellectual Property Issues, value, Young-Adult
13 Comments
A prestige-free zone – Last week, I posted an article by Meghan Hewit at Atlantic about how YA literature has become dominated by women. Salon attempts to argue that the reason YA literature is not seeing the JD Salinger’s of… more
B Reviews
Contemporary, sports romance, Young-Adult
11 Comments
“Darcy Bennet lives to be on the ice. When the other little girls were watching the Olympics and dreaming of figure-skating, she was dreaming of representing her country not with skates but with a broom. At seventeen, Darcy still has… more
B- Reviews
Contemporary, sports romance, Young-Adult
4 Comments
Dear Ms. Kenneally: I can’t recall how this book came to my attention. It may have been Elyssa Papa who sends me links to books that feature football. It may have popped up on Goodreads. I’m not a huge YA… more
Film Reviews
coming-of-age, Friday Film Review, New York City, Young-Adult
7 Comments
Little Manhattan (2005) Genre: Coming of Age Romance/Comedy Grade: B I’ll be honest and say I took a chance on this one. I didn’t recognize any of the actors or the director and frankly given the subject matter, it could… more
D Reviews
Harper-Teen, Historical Fantasy, necromancer, Young-Adult, zombies
10 Comments
Dear Ms. Dennard, It seems like steampunk books are all the rage these days. I admit I’ve yet to find a steampunk YA that I can really get behind but I keep hoping. And if there’s one thing that steampunk… more