Articles tagged "Courtney Summers"

This is Not a Test is Nominated for 2013 Quick Picks!

Courtney Summers' apocalyptic emotional thriller, THIS IS NOT A TEST—which you may recognize as one of the inaugural recommendations on our new SF/F blog, Uncharted Pages—has been officially nominated for YALSA’s 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers List! We wholeheartedly approve!

Four other Griffin titles were previously nominated: THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda, BAD BOY by Dream Jordan, GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan, and I AM A SEAL TEAM SIX WARRIOR by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin.

Again YALSA says, "The Quick Picks list [...] suggests books that teens, ages 12-18, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure; it is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read."

We're running a giveaway to celebrate Uncharted Pages and there's a copy of THIS IS NOT A TEST in the prize pack. Details here!

Reviews and Publicity

The Ultimate #BookBattle2 Webinar Title List

Today at 2pm Talia and Chris (Sterling) are going head-to-head in a reprise of their Oscar-nominated book buzz performance from ALA Annual and you don't want to miss it this time around. Sign up now!

UPDATE: This event is now over. The archived Booklist webinar will be available here soon!

Here's a sneak peek at the books that Talia will be talking about this afternoon (and see her full slide deck here!). WARNING: Major spoilers below!

50 SHADES OF GREY Read-Alikes:

WILD CARD by Lora Leigh
BLUSH by Opal Carew
PANIC SNAP by Laura Reese
TOPPING FROM BELOW by Laura Reese

Adult Titles:

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Louise Penny
A KILLING IN THE HILLS by Julia Keller
ROGUE by Mark Sullivan
YOUNG PHILBY by Robert Littell
CHINESE WHISKERS by Pallavi Aiyar
PAW PRINTS IN THE MOONLIGHT by Denis O'Connor
MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Matthew Dicks
THE FORGETTING TREE by Tatjana Soli
THE ELEMENTALS by Francesca Lia Block
GRACE GROWS by Shelle Sumners
HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN by Kaya McLaren
MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan
STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff
THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS by David Wong
SHAKESPEARE'S TREMOR AND ORWELL'S COUGH by John J. Ross, M.D.
WE KILLED by Yael Kohen

Teen Titles:

WAKE and LULLABY by Amanda Hocking
BENEATH THE GLITTER by Elle & Blair Fowler
ECHO by Alyson Noel
DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Darynda Jones
WHISPERS AT MOONRISE by C.C. Hunter
THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers
SPARK by Amy Kathleen Ryan
GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu
MIDNIGHT CITY by J. Barton Mitchell
THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda

And, of course...

PIPPI MOVES IN! by Astrid Lindgren

Deep Thoughts

Monday Fun Day! (6/18/2012 Edition)

It's a Monday morning Macmillan party and you're invited, my friend!

- Can you believe it? ALA Annual is almost here! Add our events to your schedule now: The Great Non-Fiction Read-Alike! Book Battle II: The Sequel! Author signings! Glitter stars! Tea!

- The Locus Award winners were announced this weekend and we're delighted to see that Ellen Datlow was awarded Best Editor and Tor was awarded Best Publisher—woohoo! See all of the 2012 Locus Award winners here.

- The LA Times published their extensive 2012 Summer Reading Guide including some excellent picks from Macmillan including:

Beach Reads:
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
Monarch Beach by Anita Hughes
The Nightmare by Lars Kepler
The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
History and Biography Reads:
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Our Divided Political Heart by E.J. Dionne Jr.
A Good Man by Mark K. Shriver
James Joyce by Gordon Bowker
Young Adult & Children:
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Lifestyle:
Bring It! by Tony Horton
The Gift of Pets by Bruce R. Coston
Meander by Jeremy Seal
What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz
Audio:
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

- For those of you curious about the inner workings of Macmillan, you may be interested in reading "Reorganization at Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck."

- And finally, can somebody get this pup a sandwich already?!

Reviews and Publicity

Boston Book Buzz: For Teens!

The Boston Book Buzz is currently underway!

For those of us following along at home check out the hastag #bostonbookbuzz and I've listed below all of the teen titles that Talia will be presenting (see her slide show here)!

FIERCE READS

STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth

OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks

MONUMENT 14 by Emmy Laybourne

SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo

Also see: FierceReads.com

MORE TITLES FOR TEENS

WAKE by Amanda Hocking

BENEATH THE GLITTER by Elle & Blair Fowler

WHISPERS AT MOONRISE by C.C. Hunter

ECHO by Alyson Noel

DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Darynda Jones

THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers

SPARK and GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan

GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu

THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda

Reviews and Publicity

Library Journal's Spring Adult Book Buzz!

This afternoon during Library Journal's Spring Adult Book Buzz (3pm Eastern, #ljadultbuzz), I'll be discussing all of the super fabulous upcoming titles listed below!

Join me, Virginia from HarperCollins, Kelly and Erica from Random House, Elenita from Perseus, and moderator Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal for an hour-long book buzz webinar party today! Register now!

A LADY CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO KASHGAR | Suzanna Joinson | 978-1-60819-811-5

SHINE SHINE SHINE | Lydia Netzer | 978-1-250-00707-0

BENEATH THE SHADOWS | Sara Foster | 978-0-312-64336-2

THE LAND OF DECORATION | Grace McCleen | 978-0-8050-9494-7

A SIMPLE MURDER | Eleanor Kuhns | 978-1-250-00553-3

DEAD SCARED | S. J. Bolton | 978-0-312-60053-2

KILL YOU TWICE | Chelsea Cain | 978-0-312-61978-7

THE OTHER WOMAN | Hank Phillippi Ryan | 978-0-7653-3257-8

BRING UP THE BODIES | Hilary Mantel | 978-0-8050-9003-1

WHERE WE BELONG | Emily Giffin | 978-0-312-55419-4

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND | Matthew Dicks | 978-1-250-00621-9

THIS IS NOT A TEST | Courtney Summers | 978-0-312-65674-4

REDSHIRTS | John Scalzi | 978-0-7653-1699-8

GLAMOUR IN GLASS | Mary Robinette Kowal | 978-0-7653-2557-0

THE WITCH'S DAUGHTER | Paula Brackston | 978-0-312-62168-1

AMONG OTHERS | Jo Walton | 978-0-7653-2153-4

CHINESE WHISKERS | Pallavi Aiyar | 978-1-250-01448-1

PAW PRINTS IN THE MOONLIGHT | Denis O'Connor | 978-0-312-66829-7

Books for Teens

Books for Teens: Class of 2012!

Click here for a printable PDF of the above flier!

Welcome to our list of featured teen titles for 2012.

Here you'll meet time-travelers, trolls, and sirens. You'll trek through deep space, uncover dangerous secrets, and hunt down demons. You'll learn to ride a horse and raise the dead.

Your heart will be broken, you will find courage when there's little hope, and you will come to know your true self.

Join us on a new adventure!

Amanda Hocking is widely considered the exemplar of self-publishing success in the digital age and we are delighted she has joined us at Macmillan! Over the next year you'll see two exciting series from Hocking: the USA Today bestselling Trylle series, which has already been optioned for film, and the never-before-published Watersong series. Each of the Trylle novels will also contain all-new, never-before-seen short stories set in the magical world of the Trylle!

SWITCHED

Amanda Hocking
978-1-250-00631-8 | January 2012 | Trylle Series #1

A couple things made that day stand out more than any other: it was my sixth birthday, and my mother was wielding a knife.

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed--a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

This book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “The Vittra Attacks,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

Read the first pages of SWITCHED on Facebook now!

TORN

Amanda Hocking
978-1-250-00632-5 | February 2012 | Trylle Series #2

Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but now she's caught between two worlds, torn between love and duty, and she must decide what life she is going to lead.

This book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “One Day, Three Ways,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

"Fans of the series will enjoy watching on as Wendy continues to wrestle with issues of belonging, particularly when both the Trylle and the Vittra claim her as their chosen one." -Kirkus Reviews

ASCEND

Amanda Hocking
978-1-250-00633-2 | April 2012 | Trylle Series #3

With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy’s fate seems sealed. But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can’t save the ones she loves. Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it’s all coming to an end.

This book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “Ever After,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

"Hocking sure knows how to bring it." -Kirkus Reviews

WAKE

Amanda Hocking
978-1-250-00812-1 | August 2012 | Watersong #1

Nominated for YALSA's 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults!

Even over the sea, Thea could smell the blood on her. When she breathed in, it filled her with a familiar hunger that haunted her dreams.

Gemma Fisher lives an ordinary life in the quiet seaside town of Capri, but when three beautiful girls arrive and mesmerize her friends and neighbors everything changes. After a chance encounter with the girls, Gemma wakes up alone on the beach with no memory of what occurred. Now Gemma has powers she can’t control, she’s growing more beautiful, and she has a strange effect on men that makes them unable to resist her—especially her voice. Soon she must make a decision: keep the life she no longer fits into or follow the call of the Watersong into a world brimming with dark beauty and secrets.

LULLABY

Amanda Hocking
978-1-250-00565-6 | November 2012 | Watersong #2

The enchanting second book in the Watersong series following the adventures in WAKE. Harper only wanted a safe, normal life. But when her younger sister Gemma runs off with a dangerous clique of magical girls everything changes.

TEMPEST

Julie Cross
HC: 978-0-312-56889-4 | January 2012 | Tempest Trilogy #1
TP: 978-1-250-01120-6 | December 2012

Okay, so it's true. I can time-travel. But it's not as exciting as it sounds.

Jackson Meyer spends most of his time in 2009, but he can travel back through time. It’s not like the movies--nothing changes, there are no space-time-continuum issues--it’s just harmless fun. That is until dangerous strangers arrive at his dorm and shoot his girlfriend. In his panic, Jackson jumps to 2007, but this time he can't get back. Now he must find a way to return to 2009 and save the girl he loves.

Film rights for TEMPEST have already been optioned by Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the Twilight movies!

"With standout and welcome details and a fresh plot, Tempest is an amazing book." —Claire V., 13 for School Library Journal's Book Reviews by Young Adults

"It is equal parts adventure, romance, science fiction and touching family drama; readers will turn the last page and find themselves wishing they could 'jump' to the future and read the sequel." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Watch the book trailer for TEMPEST here and read the short story prequel on Facebook now!

GLOW

Amy Kathleen Ryan
HC: 978-0-312-59056-7 | September 2011 | Sky Chasers #1
TP: 978-1-250-00783-4 | July 2012

Nominated for YALSA’s 2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers!

The other ship hung in the sky like a pendant, silver in the ether light cast by the nebula. Waverly and Kieran, lying together on their mattress of hay bales, took turns peering at it through a spyglass.

This 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults-nominated title will take your teens into deep space. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived on the space ship Empyrean, 15-year-old Waverly and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. But a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship will change everything. Waverly and Kieran are separated and each find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions.

School Library Journal gave GLOW a starred review and Booklist said, "Fans of the Hunger Games series will zip through and clamor for the next installment."

Watch the book trailer for GLOW here.

Deep Thoughts

On #YASaves: Darkness in YA More Help Than Harm

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who logged into Twitter over the weekend to find a new trend dominating the bookish conversations: #YASaves. I don't read many Young Adult novels, but I went ahead and read the desputed article on how YA has become too dark, I also read a rebuttal or two, then I decided to read some YA.

Back when I was reading YA regularly, I'll admit, it wasn't contemporary. I was reading YA of the wizards, knights, and spaceships variety. But this time I picked up something from 21st Century Earth, Courtney Summers' FALL FOR ANYTHING, in which our protagonist, Eddie, is coping (and sometimes not coping) with her father's suicide. Is this story dark? Yes. Is it written with care, sensitivity, honesty, and confidence that things can get better for Eddie? Absolutely.

As I read, three things became very clear to me very fast:

1. It's easy to forget that the day-to-day life of a teenager is erratic, immediate, frustrating, and thrilling without additional adversity.

2. Tragedy and abuse are isolating. Only fellow teenagers can truly empathize with highly-visceral reactions to difficulty, but they may not know how to empathize with tragedy. Books offer a non confrontational form of support, normality, and a way to see past the confusion to the healing.

3. YA books dealing with issues like grief, self-harm, substance abuse, domestic violence, bullying and so on are invaluable tools for adults trying to understand someone younger dealing with difficult issues.

Sure, sometimes in YA the death of a parent is replaced with the death of a wizard guardian or substance abuse is told as addiction to time-traveling, but regardless of genre, the issues and the emotions are the same. These stories offer empathy, compassion, understanding, and shed light on difficult issues.

If you feel inspired to do some reading and decide for yourself whether dark issues in YA are helpful or harmful, I have a few authors to suggest:

Courtney Summers (FALL FOR ANYTHING, SOME GIRLS ARE, CRACKED UP TO BE)
Carol Lynch Williams (THE CHOSEN ONE, MILES FROM ORDINARY)
Rachel DeWoskin (BIG GIRL SMALL)

Deep Thoughts

Top YA Picks for Winter 2011!

Spring is just around the corner so here's one last look at some of our favorite YA Winter titles!

Miles from Ordinary
Carol Lynch Williams

It's the first day of summer and Lacey has a new job at the library. Her mom, who seems so much better these days, has a new job, too. But hope of a normal life is too much to ask for as memories of the past rush in and Lacey's day turns from a new beginning to a desperate scramble to stay afloat.

Born at Midnight
C. C. Hunter

Welcome to Shadow Falls: a camp for vampires, shapeshifters, witches, and Kylie Galen. Shadow Falls is a place for teens to learn skills that will help them harness their supernatural powers, but Kylie has enough trouble balancing the affections of Derek the half-fae and Lucas the werewolf.

Reviews and Publicity