Articles tagged "Kirkus Reviews"
Spring 2019 YA Romance Roundup
Valentine’s Day might be over, but it’s always a good day for a little romance! Check out these sweet & steamy YA / NA romances coming from Wednesday Books and Flatiron Books this spring!
And keep an eye out for the green download button! If you’re not whitelisted (pre-approved) on Edelweiss for our e-galleys, you can follow these directions to get the process started!
TIN HEART by Shivaun Plozza
Available March 12, 2019 from Flatiron Books
Marlowe just wants her life to go back to normal after having a heart transplant, but her mother is a self-proclaimed vegan warrior and now Marlowe is falling for the hot butcher’s apprentice next door. Marlowe’s “normal” might be a little more complicated than she bargained for…
“Funny and direct, this book by Plozza is capable of balancing heartbreak, first love, mortality, and the absurd.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
YOU’D BE MINE by Erin Hahn
Available April 2, 2019 from Wednesday Books
Annie Mathers is America’s country music sweetheart. Clay Coolidge is a superstar and a troublemaker. The two find themselves playing a summer tour together where they must discover: Can the right song and the perfect summer on the road make two broken hearts whole?
“[The] romance is well-plotted and sweetly drawn: Readers (particularly those listening to the recent A Star is Born soundtrack on repeat) will delight in the story’s rhythm and musical backdrop . . . a good ol’ fashioned love story.”
—Kirkus Reviews
THIS IS NOT A LOVE SCENE by S.C. Megale
Available May 7, 2019 from Wednesday Books
A funny and irreverent #ownvoices YA romance about eighteen-year-old Maeve who has muscular dystrophy and who is also an average teen girl trying to figure out high school and first love with the hot guy starring in her senior film project.
Two stars for TIN HEART!
Shivaun Plozza’s charming and romantic second novel, TIN HEART, has received two starred reviews!
“Funny and direct, this book by Plozza is capable of balancing heartbreak, first love, mortality, and the absurd—or, as Marlowe puts it, “that moment when you’re standing in front of Bert’s Quality Butchers holding a speaker blasting ‘Meat Is Murder.’”” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Without didacticism, the text offers a glimpse into two sets of rare challenges: those faced by Marlowe, grappling with the fact that her life was restored by another’s death, and those faced by Carmen and her father, still grieving over 16-year-old Luis, whose organs were donated after a car accident. Readers will cheer for Marlowe’s bildungsroman—simultaneously unique and universal.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Kirkus Best Books of 2018 – Nonfiction
Kirkus Reviews includes 8 Macmillan titles on their Best Books for 2018 list!
Biography
MR. LEAR: A Life of Art and Nonsense by Jenny Uglow
Popular Science
DARWIN COMES TO TOWN: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution by Menno Schilthuizen
THE CONSCIOUSNESS INSTINCT: Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind by Michael S. Gazzaniga
Crime and (In)Justice
CITY OF DEVILS: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai by Paul French
THE POISONED CITY: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark
Nature, Travel, and Sports
THE WONDERFUL MR WILLUGHBY: The First True Ornithologist by Tim Birkhead
Arts and Entertainment
THANKS A LOT MR. KIBBLEWHITE: My Story by Roger Daltrey
FRYDERYK CHOPIN: A Life and Times by Alan Walker
Kirkus’ Best YA of 2018
Kirkus Reviews just released their Best YA of 2018 lists and three Macmillan titles made the cut!
THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert
Welcome to The Hazel Wood, Melissa Albert’s fierce, captivating contemporary fantasy about a seventeen-year-old girl who must venture into the world behind a pitch-dark, cult-classic collection of fairy tales to save her mother.
“Not everybody lives, and certainly not ‘happily ever after’—but within all the grisly darkness, Alice’s fierce integrity and hard-won self-knowledge shine unquenched.” —Kirkus Reviews
Best YA Mystery and Thriller of 2018:
HOME AND AWAY by Candice Montgomery
Friday Night Lights meets DEAR MARTIN in this thought-provoking coming-of-age story about family, identity, and forgiveness.
“A love letter to the intricacies of family and multitudinous black girlhood.”
—Kirkus Reviews
SADIE by Courtney Summers
A gripping novel about the depth of a sister’s love; poised to be the next book you won’t be able to stop talking about.
“A riveting tour de force.” —Kirkus Reviews
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THE GILDED WOLVES makes the Winter 2019 Kids’ Indie Next List!
The Winter 2019 Kid’s Indie Next List was announced yesterday and includes THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi in the Top Ten!
THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi
Available January 15, 2019 from Wednesday Books
FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!!
Paris, 1889: In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts. Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. readmoreremove
Ling Ma’s SEVERANCE Wins 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction
Congratulations to Ling Ma’s debut SEVERANCE for winning the 2018 Kirkus Prize for fiction!
“Smart, funny, humane, and superbly well-written.” —Kirkus, starred review
“Embracing the [apocalyptic fiction] genre but somehow transcending it, Ma creates a truly engrossing and believable anti-Utopian world… [An] extraordinary debut.”—Booklist, starred review
“A clever and dextrous debut.”—Publishers Weekly
“A smart, searing exposé on the perils of consumerism, Google overload, and millennial malaise.”—Library Journal
Two Stars for ECHO NORTH!
We’re thrilled that Joanna Ruth Meyer’s YA fairy tale, ECHO NORTH, has received two starred reviews!
“In this reimagining of ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon,’ a young woman ostracized for the facial scars she received from a wolf attack finds new purpose when she bargains with that same wolf to save her father . . . A compelling, satisfying romantic adventure with metafictional undertones.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Echo’s story is epic and engrossing. Magic pulsates through every page; every landscape in this alternate Siberia lives and breathes. Echo is fierce, and her love for the wolf is hard-earned and true. Readers will ache when it’s over and want to start all over again . . . A lush, captivating new twist on beloved fairy tales.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review readmoreremove
Book Club Picks from Our Pals Reese and Kirkus! (10/10/18)
We’re thrilled that Reese Witherspoon selected Laurie Frankel’s THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS as her October Hello Sunshine Book Club pick, and Kirkus Reviews named Ling Ma’s SEVERANCE and James Miller’s CAN DEMOCRACY WORK “Excellent Fall Reads for Your Book Club!
YA Nonfiction Round-Up
Strong girls. Social media. Special ops. Syrian refugees. Our Fall 2018 YA nonfiction is spectacular!
TEEN TRAILBLAZERS: 30 Fearless Girls Who Changed the World Before They Were 20 by Jennifer Calvert, illustrated by Vesna Asanovic
Available now from Castle Point Books
Ages 12 to 18
“In this superb, concise collection of 30 mini-biographies of little- to well-known historical teenagers, a quote introduces each girl. Quick, interesting facts and an eye-catching design will engage readers and make them eager to read more about these women, who impacted the world at a young age . . . Ultimately, readers will enjoy rediscovering the subjects in this diverse collection of girls who had major positive impacts on their worlds.” —Booklist
SELFIE MADE: Your Ultimate Guide to Social Media Stardom by Meridith Valiando Rojas
Available October 16, 2018 from Wednesday Books
Ages 12 to 18
“Debut author Rojas draws on her experience as the co-founder and CEO of DigiTour to put together a book of practical advice for teens aspiring to become social media stars . . . The book’s voice is clear and easy to read, balancing her serious, no-nonsense wisdom with wit and enthusiasm; the stern but nurturing tone makes it clear why social media stars sometimes call her ‘mom.’”—Kirkus Reviews
NEVER QUIT: How I Became a Special Ops Pararescue Jumper by Jimmy Settle and Don Rearden
Available October 30, 2018 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Ages 12 to 16
“A remarkable, inspiring story of steadfast courage and irrepressible determination.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An intriguing and fascinating story . . . Those seeking a thrilling real-life adventure story similar to Brandon Webb’s THE MAKING OF A NAVY SEAL will not be disappointed with this exciting read.” —School Library Journal
A HOPE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SEA (Young Readers’ Edition): One Teen Refugee’s Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming
Available December 21, 2018 from Flatiron Books
Ages 10 to 17
“This poignant tale of survival and loss gives immediacy to the plight of Syrian refugees. In a spare, unobtrusive style, Fleming, head of communications for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, profiles Doaa Al Zamel, who as a teenager fled her homeland of Syria . . . Fleming should be congratulated for bringing Al Zamel’s inspiring and illuminating story to the page.” —Publishers Weekly
Stars for THE GILDED WOLVES!
We’re thrilled that Roshani Chokshi’s newest YA fantasy, THE GILDED WOLVES, has received four starred reviews!
“A thrilling, gritty new fantasy set in an alternate nineteenth-century Paris, where old secrets and even older magic reside . . . Chokshi shines as a master storyteller in her newest novel; the setting, world building, plot, and conflict are all staggering.”
—Booklist, starred review
“Chokshi has created an inclusive and authentic cast with obvious chemistry and affection for one another and infuses the tale with witty banter and twists . . . A delectably intriguing adventure for all teen shelves.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Leigh Bardugo’s SIX OF CROWS and Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCI CODE converge in this dazzling new fantasy . . . Chokshi creatively reimagines history, weaving fantastical elements with symbology and broadening the scope of her narrative by integrating multiethnic worldviews. An opulent heist adventure that will leave readers voracious for more.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Evocative writing, sumptuous set pieces, and vividly sketched, authentically flawed characters distinguish this immersive tale of found family and star-crossed romance. Kaleidoscopic narration complements the intricate, high-stakes plot and allows Chokshi to showcase numerous aspects of her richly imagined universe all the way to the closing cliff-hanger.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
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