November 30, 2009
Contest Reminder
Hi everyone this is just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to enter my 100 followers contest! You must enter by 11:30 Central Time so please don't procrastinate! To enter click here and fill out the form! Good Luck!
November 27, 2009
Candle Man by Glenn Dakin
But for Theo, anything that breaks up his ordinary routine is the perfect gift.
A mysterious “illness” and Theo’s guardians force him into a life indoors, where gloves must be worn and daily medical treatments are the norm. When Theo discovers a suspicious package on his birthday, one person from the past will unlock the secret behind Theo’s “illness” and change his life forever.
This book was very interesting. It had a great premise that I have never really seen in middle grade, or any other literature for that matter. Theo was very endearing, his confusion felt really genuine like it was written by some one who had dealt with that kind of confusion before (lets hope not).
All of the characters were very well written and complex, I cannot wait to get to know them better throughout the series! The twists and turns in this novel surprised me, I was not able to guess where the story was going to go. Which I really enjoyed. Even though this is technically a middle grade book I think most everyone who likes action, would enjoy this fast paced novel!
The only slight problem I had was that in the middle it was kind of hard for me to follow where everything was going. Overall a good book and I can't wait for the next two installments!
4/5
*from Goodman Media
November 25, 2009
2010 Debut Author Challenge!
For challenge information go here and to sign up visit this post.
List of completed books!
- Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
- The Mark by Jen Nadol
- Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards
- The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
- The Line by Teri Hall
- Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
- A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
- Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
- The Forbidden Sea
- Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
- Restoring Harmony
- The Beautiful Between
- Forget-Her-Nots
- Birthmarked
- The House of Tomorrow
- Harmonic Feedback
- The Body Finder
- Claire de Lune
- The Dark Divine
- Eighth Grade Superzero
- Everlasting
- I Now Pronounce You Someone Else
- The Karma Club
- Manifest
- Mistwood
- Nightshade
- Other
- The Rise of Renegade X
- Shade
- Being Jamie Baker
- The Canidates
- The Duff
- The Emerald Talisman
- Firelight
- Low Red Moon
- Matched
- Paranormalcy
- Sea
I am really, really excited!
November 24, 2009
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
(Commenting on this post will get you +1 entry in my contest!)
Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning. In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must chose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...
This is the second book in the Immortals series by Alyson Noel. I enjoyed this book significantly more than the first one which i njoyed as well. This book had many more elements that required resaerch by the Author, reaserch that I could tell she did.
The plot was very interesting and had many different twists that I did not see coming, whih I enjoyed. I also liked getting to know more about Ever and Damian as this book went on. The only this I did not enjoy about this book was the fact that the beginning was a little slow, and then it felt rushed at the end. Overall this was a great book and I cannot wait to read the next installment!
4/5
November 14, 2009
Candor by Pam Bachorz
Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them
all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved
teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages
to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to
get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape
Candor, Florida before they're transformed into
cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor,
and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them
all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved
teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages
to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to
get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape
Candor, Florida before they're transformed into
cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor,
and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.
This book has a great concept. It is different and really intersting. The whole idea is innovative and thought out well.
I basically don't like books with male main characters, especially ones that are based in today's society because I cannot relate to their feelings. But many books that i have been reading lately have been slowly changing my mind. This book was one of them. While some parts were slightly awkward for me, being a girl and all, they were overshadowed by the wonderfully written prose and plot. The cahracters were well written and did not seem fake.
The only criticism I would have is that I did not care for the ending. But besides that I was a really good book and a great debut!
4.5/5
This was a 1 ARC Tour
November 7, 2009
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
However, at the cloisters, all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to — perhaps most dangerously of all — her growing attraction to a handsome art student... and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.
I have been so excited to read this book ever since I heard of it! I mean really "Killer Unicorns" Whats not to like?
Rampant did not disappoint! Full of action, drama, romance, tension, and the occasional gruesome scene, this book was everything a fantasy lover could hope for! Astrid was a strong character who knew what she wanted (or did not want, as was sometimes the case) She was very relate able as a person. I really liked the tension between her and her cousin throughout the book.
Rampant was a great novel and kept me guessing throughout the night (yes I pulled an all niter to read it!) Great plot, characters, and setting. Overall a wonderful book, and I cannot wait for the next one!
5/5
November 5, 2009
YAY! Contest!
Hi everyone! So NaNoWriMo started a couple of days ago and I am so excited for my book! (hopefully I will stay that way!)(if you are doing it also friend me I'm AnidoriKiladra)
Ok moving on, when I logged on to my computer I saw that I have... 102 Followers! Thanks so much! So in honor of this occasion I'm going to have a contest!!!!
Here is what you could win:
Ok moving on, when I logged on to my computer I saw that I have... 102 Followers! Thanks so much! So in honor of this occasion I'm going to have a contest!!!!
Here is what you could win:
1 person will win
an ARC of Candle Man by Glenn Dakin
an ARC of Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith
Desolation Angels #3 The Big Empty by J.B. Stephens
and 1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark
and 1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark
Another Person will win a swag pack containing
1 signed My So-Called Death Magnet
1 Heritic's Queen Bookmark
1 Cleopatra's Daughter Bookmark
1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark
1 Sucks To Be Me Bookmark
1 signed The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Bookmark
1 The Kindling of Greenfyr Bookmark
Finally 4 other people will win 1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark each!
To Enter Fill out this form!
all of the different ways you can earn extra entries are on there!
1 signed My So-Called Death Magnet
1 Heritic's Queen Bookmark
1 Cleopatra's Daughter Bookmark
1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark
1 Sucks To Be Me Bookmark
1 signed The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Bookmark
1 The Kindling of Greenfyr Bookmark
Finally 4 other people will win 1 Give Up the Ghost Bookmark each!
The first winner will get the Books and bookmark, if you don't want the books let me know in the comments so if you win first you will get the swag and #2 will get the books!
Ok rules!
U.S. Only (or if you have someone who can send it to you)
Followers Only
Ends December 1!
To Enter Fill out this form!
all of the different ways you can earn extra entries are on there!
November 3, 2009
Gringolandia
Today is my tour stop for Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Though haunted by memories of his father’s arrest in Pinochet’s Chile, Daniel Aguilar has made a new life for himself in the United States–far from politics. But when his father is released, Daniel sees what years of prison and torture have done. Trying to reach his father, Daniel, along with his “gringa” girlfriend, finds himself in the democracy struggle of the country he thought he left behind.
This books was very different, it dealt with aspects of life that are not usually brought up in Young Adult literature. I believe that it is very important that we are educated about different aspects of life, because you never know, maybe a book like this will bring freedom to a kid who has had a similar experience or it could help prevent this from happening to someone else.
Author Bio: Lyn Miller-Lachmann is the Editor-in-Chief of MultiCultural Review, the author of the award-winning reference book Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide to Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers (1992), the editor of Once Upon a Cuento (2003), a collection of short stories for young readers by Latino authors, and the author of the novel Dirt Cheap (2006), an eco-thriller for adult readers. For Gringolandia, she received a Work-in-Progress Grant from the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrator.
I had the pleasure of having the author do a guest post about her book!
Why I Write Young Adult Fiction
I was taping a map of the New York City subway system to my classroom door, in preparation for the American history field trip in a few weeks, when one of my eleventh graders came to apologize for missing class that day. He gazed at the map and then pointed to a station in the West Village.
“That's where I'm going,” he said. “I'm running away.”
Questioning him further, I found out that he planned to move in with his sister. “Does she know you're coming?” I asked.
“No.”
I don't know if my student ever did run away and, if he did, whether his sister took him in. I ended up leaving this private school in Connecticut at the end of the school year and the next fall began teaching high school in the New York City Public Schools. But I couldn't get my former student's story out of my head. Soon after, I combined it with my own experiences of leaving Connecticut for New York City to write my first young adult novel, Hiding Places, a “riches to rags” story of a 17-year-old runaway in New York. Its main character surprises a family member when he shows up at her door, and when she can't take care of him, he ends up in a shelter and then on his own, trying to put his life back together.
Even when I stopped writing young adult fiction to write other kinds of book-reference books, textbooks, and a novel for adult readers-I kept coming back to it. Of all the areas in which I write, it is definitely my favorite!
I've taught full-time or part-time at the middle and high school levels for nearly 30 years. I enjoy teaching and being with young people. It's such an exciting time of life. You're trying things for the first time, trying to figure out who you are and where you fit into the world. And it's a time of rebellion against what your parents and society want you to be, as you get to decide what you want to do with your life.
People have always considered me a troublemaker, and rebellion lies at the heart of my writing. That is certainly true of my new young adult novel, Gringolandia. The main character, Daniel Aguilar, has a father who's a rebel. Daniel and his family life in a country that's under a military dictatorship (Chile in the 1980s), and Daniel's father, Marcelo, drives a taxi by day but at night writes, prints, and distributes an illegal newspaper that describes the crimes of the military government. For that, he's arrested in front of Daniel and sent to prison, where he's tortured. The rest of the family flees to the United States. There, Daniel rebels against his parents by wanting to become a U.S. citizen and to have nothing to do with the country where he was born. So when Daniel's father is released and rejoins his family, there's a huge problem between father and son. And how Daniel solves the problem will determine the person he will become and the life he will have.
Papá coughs and turns toward my mother in the back seat. “Has the other one adjusted this well?”
She hesitates as if she too is surprised by the way he's asked the question. I think he should be proud of how we've done. Except for poor Tina.
“It's been hard,” Mamá says. “Daniel's helped a lot, especially with his sister. I thought he'd have the worst time, being older.”
“It wasn't that bad,” I mumble. I don't like to think about the first few months, when I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. I had no friends and sat alone in my bedroom playing the guitar my favorite uncle, Tío Claudio, had given me before I left Chile. My first soccer team changed all that. After a year or so, I learned enough English to avoid being a complete social and academic zero, and now I speak it with an accent that makes girls go wild.
“Well, don't get too comfortable,” Papá says. “We're going back to our country.”
My mouth drops open. “Marcelo,” my mother says in a low voice, almost a growl.
“As soon as I convince the rest of you to come with me.”
You're crazy, I want to say. After all they did to you, you want to go back? And what about our lives here? But I wait for Mamá to answer first, the way I've been raised to do.
“They gave you three days to leave. I assume you're banned from returning.”
Papá takes a final puff of his cigarette, drops it on the floor of Willie's van, and grinds it out with his good foot. “I have my ways.”
“Forget it. It's too dangerous.”
Papá glares at her, like she's not supposed to backtalk him either. I press my lips together as tight as I can and ease the van onto the interstate. I can't go back to Chile. Not even Mamá knows this, but I've written for the papers to get my U.S. citizenship, and when I turn eighteen, it's going to be official. I glance at Mamá through the rear view mirror. She looks helpless, confused, and small.
I turn the radio on low while Mamá and Papá talk about the situation in their faraway country. On the sports station they're still rehashing the Bulls game that finished a couple of hours ago. I listen until the station begins to crackle and fade. (from Gringolandia, pp. 27-28)
That post really inspired me. It is really nice when an author has a great reason for writing a book.
Remember to check out all of the other posts in the tour for more chances to win!
Oct 29 Kelsey The Book Scout http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/
Oct 30 Lilibeth ChicaReader http://lilibethramos.blogspot.com
Nov 1 Reggie The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really) book http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/
Nov 2 Melaine Melaine’s Musings book reviewNov 3 Mariah A Reader’s Adventure! http://mariah-readingadventure.blogspot.com/
Nov 4 Erica The Book Cellar http://thebookcellarx.blogspot.com
Nov 6 Sarah Sarah’s Random Musings http://sarahbear9789.blogspot.com/
Nov 9 Faye Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm http://fayeflamereviews.blogspot.com
Nov 10 Melaine Melaine’s Musings http://melanies–musings.blogspot.com
Nov 11 Hope Hope’s Book Shelf http://www.princess2293.blogspot.com
Read this book it is very influential!!!!!
Book Tour Info
This tour was hosted by the wonderful!!!! Jo Ann Hernandez at BronzeWord Latino Authors http://authorslatino.com/wordpress organizes YA Book Tours for authors. If you are interested in having a tour or being a blog host contact her at BronzeWord1 AT yahoo com
Though haunted by memories of his father’s arrest in Pinochet’s Chile, Daniel Aguilar has made a new life for himself in the United States–far from politics. But when his father is released, Daniel sees what years of prison and torture have done. Trying to reach his father, Daniel, along with his “gringa” girlfriend, finds himself in the democracy struggle of the country he thought he left behind.
This books was very different, it dealt with aspects of life that are not usually brought up in Young Adult literature. I believe that it is very important that we are educated about different aspects of life, because you never know, maybe a book like this will bring freedom to a kid who has had a similar experience or it could help prevent this from happening to someone else.
Gringolandia
Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Curbstone Press 2009
ISBN: 978-1-931896-49-8
Author Bio: Lyn Miller-Lachmann is the Editor-in-Chief of MultiCultural Review, the author of the award-winning reference book Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide to Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers (1992), the editor of Once Upon a Cuento (2003), a collection of short stories for young readers by Latino authors, and the author of the novel Dirt Cheap (2006), an eco-thriller for adult readers. For Gringolandia, she received a Work-in-Progress Grant from the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrator.
I had the pleasure of having the author do a guest post about her book!
Why I Write Young Adult Fiction
I was taping a map of the New York City subway system to my classroom door, in preparation for the American history field trip in a few weeks, when one of my eleventh graders came to apologize for missing class that day. He gazed at the map and then pointed to a station in the West Village.
“That's where I'm going,” he said. “I'm running away.”
Questioning him further, I found out that he planned to move in with his sister. “Does she know you're coming?” I asked.
“No.”
I don't know if my student ever did run away and, if he did, whether his sister took him in. I ended up leaving this private school in Connecticut at the end of the school year and the next fall began teaching high school in the New York City Public Schools. But I couldn't get my former student's story out of my head. Soon after, I combined it with my own experiences of leaving Connecticut for New York City to write my first young adult novel, Hiding Places, a “riches to rags” story of a 17-year-old runaway in New York. Its main character surprises a family member when he shows up at her door, and when she can't take care of him, he ends up in a shelter and then on his own, trying to put his life back together.
Even when I stopped writing young adult fiction to write other kinds of book-reference books, textbooks, and a novel for adult readers-I kept coming back to it. Of all the areas in which I write, it is definitely my favorite!
I've taught full-time or part-time at the middle and high school levels for nearly 30 years. I enjoy teaching and being with young people. It's such an exciting time of life. You're trying things for the first time, trying to figure out who you are and where you fit into the world. And it's a time of rebellion against what your parents and society want you to be, as you get to decide what you want to do with your life.
People have always considered me a troublemaker, and rebellion lies at the heart of my writing. That is certainly true of my new young adult novel, Gringolandia. The main character, Daniel Aguilar, has a father who's a rebel. Daniel and his family life in a country that's under a military dictatorship (Chile in the 1980s), and Daniel's father, Marcelo, drives a taxi by day but at night writes, prints, and distributes an illegal newspaper that describes the crimes of the military government. For that, he's arrested in front of Daniel and sent to prison, where he's tortured. The rest of the family flees to the United States. There, Daniel rebels against his parents by wanting to become a U.S. citizen and to have nothing to do with the country where he was born. So when Daniel's father is released and rejoins his family, there's a huge problem between father and son. And how Daniel solves the problem will determine the person he will become and the life he will have.
Papá coughs and turns toward my mother in the back seat. “Has the other one adjusted this well?”
She hesitates as if she too is surprised by the way he's asked the question. I think he should be proud of how we've done. Except for poor Tina.
“It's been hard,” Mamá says. “Daniel's helped a lot, especially with his sister. I thought he'd have the worst time, being older.”
“It wasn't that bad,” I mumble. I don't like to think about the first few months, when I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. I had no friends and sat alone in my bedroom playing the guitar my favorite uncle, Tío Claudio, had given me before I left Chile. My first soccer team changed all that. After a year or so, I learned enough English to avoid being a complete social and academic zero, and now I speak it with an accent that makes girls go wild.
“Well, don't get too comfortable,” Papá says. “We're going back to our country.”
My mouth drops open. “Marcelo,” my mother says in a low voice, almost a growl.
“As soon as I convince the rest of you to come with me.”
You're crazy, I want to say. After all they did to you, you want to go back? And what about our lives here? But I wait for Mamá to answer first, the way I've been raised to do.
“They gave you three days to leave. I assume you're banned from returning.”
Papá takes a final puff of his cigarette, drops it on the floor of Willie's van, and grinds it out with his good foot. “I have my ways.”
“Forget it. It's too dangerous.”
Papá glares at her, like she's not supposed to backtalk him either. I press my lips together as tight as I can and ease the van onto the interstate. I can't go back to Chile. Not even Mamá knows this, but I've written for the papers to get my U.S. citizenship, and when I turn eighteen, it's going to be official. I glance at Mamá through the rear view mirror. She looks helpless, confused, and small.
I turn the radio on low while Mamá and Papá talk about the situation in their faraway country. On the sports station they're still rehashing the Bulls game that finished a couple of hours ago. I listen until the station begins to crackle and fade. (from Gringolandia, pp. 27-28)
That post really inspired me. It is really nice when an author has a great reason for writing a book.
Contest!
Ok I know you really want to get your hands on this book! Am I right? Well at each of the tour stops the Author is giving away a signed copy of the book! Each contest only lasts a day so get your entries in! To enter mine just leave a comment with your email (No email no entry)Remember to check out all of the other posts in the tour for more chances to win!
Oct 29 Kelsey The Book Scout http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/
Oct 30 Lilibeth ChicaReader http://lilibethramos.blogspot.com
Nov 1 Reggie The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really) book http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/
Nov 2 Melaine Melaine’s Musings book reviewNov 3 Mariah A Reader’s Adventure! http://mariah-readingadventure.blogspot.com/
Nov 4 Erica The Book Cellar http://thebookcellarx.blogspot.com
Nov 6 Sarah Sarah’s Random Musings http://sarahbear9789.blogspot.com/
Nov 9 Faye Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm http://fayeflamereviews.blogspot.com
Nov 10 Melaine Melaine’s Musings http://melanies–musings.blogspot.com
Nov 11 Hope Hope’s Book Shelf http://www.princess2293.blogspot.com
Read this book it is very influential!!!!!
Book Tour Info
This tour was hosted by the wonderful!!!! Jo Ann Hernandez at BronzeWord Latino Authors http://authorslatino.com/wordpress organizes YA Book Tours for authors. If you are interested in having a tour or being a blog host contact her at BronzeWord1 AT yahoo com
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