Kelly Jensen's Blog, page 98

INSPIRE: Toronto International Book Festival, Part 1 - The Quick Highlights

There's not any possible way to boil down the last few days in Toronto for the INSPIRE: Toronto International Book Festival into a single post. Between the tour of bookstores, the festival itself, quality time with fellow book bloggers, and some of my own explorations, this was a really special and exciting experience. For the first time in a while, I walked away feeling refreshed and so excited to talk about books and reading.



Rather than try to cram everything I want to say or think about into one massive post, I'm going to spread it out over the next couple of weeks. I'll hit some of the sites I saw, the events and talks I attended, and wrap it all up with a big post on what INSPIRE did right and what could make it even better the next time around.



Today, though, I thought I'd do a quick run through of the highlights of my trip.



Wednesday 



I've never flown internationally, so it got me a little nervous. I know going to Canada is no big deal, but I got to the airport early and everything worked out just great. Since I had gotten there so early, I stopped into the bookstore at Milwaukee Airport, Renaissance Books. The store is outside the security gates, so you can really only stop in if you plan ahead for it or don't go through security really early. Renaissance is different than most airport bookstores in that it's all used and rare books, rather than new or best seller-y titles. I took a picture of the Cherry Ames nurse novels for girls, which I've only ever heard about and never seen. You'd never find this in another type of bookstore in an airport:







My flight only had 21 people on it, meaning that there was plenty of room to stretch out and actually enjoy the one hour trip to Toronto. When I got to customs, I had my first book interaction -- the customs agent asked what I was doing in town, and when I told her I was covering the book festival, she immediately asked me for book recommendations. I asked her what she liked reading and she pulled out Megan McCafferty's Perfect Fifths from her bag, and we bonded over our shared love of the Jessica Darling series.



My original flight into town was supposed to give me the entirety of Wednesday to myself, but the week before, it got changed. Rather than landing at 10 am, I wasn't getting in until almost 10 pm. I'd booked a room in Chinatown at the Super 8, thinking it would be an ideal spot for wandering, and it would have been, had the flight worked out. But when I got there, the hotel upgraded me to a huge suite. That, coupled with the free continental breakfast, made up for the loss of a day.





Thursday



Part of why I decided to stay in Chinatown was that it's not far from downtown. But the walk from the hotel to the Renaissance, which is attached to Rogers Stadium and next to the CN tower, would have been easier and smarter when it wasn't cold, snowy, and I had a 40 pound suitcase to drag with me. Alas, it was an excellent workout and reason to room service a second breakfast:







Thursday evening was when festivities began, and I got to find out all of the other bloggers who were invited to attend INSPIRE. It was a small and amazing group of women: Ana and Thea from The Book Smugglers, Jane from Dear Author, Liz from Strange Horizons and Tor, and mother-daughter team Mary Ann and Gabi from Chapter by Chapter. We got the chance to meet the founders of INSPIRE and hear why they created the event, as well as what their vision of it was.



After we toasted to it, all of us bloggers were invited to explore the show floor before the event opened. We got to see the booths, as well as enjoy some finger foods. One downside, though, was that our night of exploration involved no complimentary drinks -- free food, but no water or anything to wash it down. When Liz asked how much a cup of pop would be and we heard $6, Ana, Thea, Liz, Jane, and I decided we were going to go grab drinks and food at the Library Bar, just down the street. Interestingly, I read another blogger's take on opening night and discovered people got free drinks when they entered. That wasn't the case for us.



The Library Bar is what it sounds like: a library-themed bar. It was here I enjoyed a Douglas Coupland Pop Culture cocktail, as well as my first poutine. Despite having been to Ontario a few times, it was my first time trying the dish, and it was . . . okay. Maybe if were a bigger fan of gravy, I'd have felt differently, but I am glad I gave it a try.









Friday



It was an early morning on Friday, as we met with Dominique, our hotel representative, as well as Vanessa and Zena from Tourism Toronto, for a welcome breakfast. The breakfast was delicious and included eggs benedict, banana bread french toast, bacon, fruit, potatoes, and more. We got to hear about the restaurant itself, which overlooks Rogers Stadium and from which you could watch a Blue Jays game.







When breakfast ended, we loaded into a small bus for a tour of Toronto's bookstores. The tour guide was writer Michael Kaminer, who wrote about these stores in a piece for the Washington Post last year. I'll talk about this in more depth in a later post, but it was neat to see inside so many stores, though by store 4 or 5 of 8, I reached bookstore burnout.



We were dropped off at the Book Festival after the tour, wherein I went to one panel before deciding it was necessary to crash in my hotel room for a bit. As it turned out, the other bloggers did almost the exact same thing, so we hopped onto Twitter and made some more plans.



That night, Ana, Thea, and I were hitting up the CN tower, then meeting up with Liz and Jane for more drinks afterwards. The trip up the tower was great, and it was absolutely beautiful to see the city all light up on a clean night from that vantage point.



Going back for drinks was maybe one of my favorite parts of the night. I was so exhausted, but listening and talking about blogging, about books, and about what we are doing and thinking when it comes to those things was so nice in such a small group. There's been a lot of strange things going on in the blogging world, and having an opportunity to talk about it in a small setting with knowledgable, thoughtful people was great.





Saturday 



I skipped out on the festival on Saturday to instead take the train to Kingston and see my friend. We had a wonderful day of bookstore shopping (it's hard to be burned out with good company), playing glow-in-the-dark mini golf (I am terrible at it), and enjoying some peanut butter cheese cake after dinner.







It's probably not fair to point to something as my favorite part of a trip, especially when it wasn't part of the trip's purpose, but this was my favorite part of the trip. It's always refreshing and energizing to spend time laughing with people you know well and who know you equally as well.





Sunday



My entire day, sans an hour or two when I went to the tea shop, were dedicated to the sessions and events at INSPIRE. I got to sit in on some really excellent panels and I bought a pile of books, all of which I'll talk about in more depth in the next couple of posts. Here's a peek at what I ended up buying:







After a full day of panels, I went back to my hotel, ordered room service, then fell into a deep sleep after writing down some of the things I walked away thinking about and wanting to think about some more.



My Monday morning, prior to my flight home, involved returning to the hotel restaurant for a full order of banana pancakes, then tracking down a cafe from which I could do some writing.





Interestingly, I did almost no reading while here. I decided before leaving home I would pack only two print titles, as well as my ereader. I knew I'd buy some books, and I didn't want the added weight. This ended up being a smart move, since I had no time or energy to read anyway. The walking, the dining, the conversations, and the event itself zapped me of leftover energy everyday, but in a really good way. The hotel was comfortable and I got solid sleep -- something I tend to have a problem with when I travel.



This was an experience I really appreciated and cannot believe I had the chance to have. It was nice to put faces to names I knew and to do so in a way that allowed us to talk about INSPIRE as much as other book- and book blogger- related things.



Stay tuned next week for an in-depth look at INSPIRE, the bookstores of Toronto, and more.


            Related StoriesToronto Bound: See You At INSPIRE!Good Girls, Bad Girls, Real Girls: WLA PresentationKid Lit Con 2014, Sacramento: The Recap 

Here There Be Dragons

Dragons are perennially popular in young adult literature. When I was a teen, I dove into Anne McCaffrey ( Dragonflight ) and Patricia C. Wrede ( Dealing With Dragons ) for my dragon fix, though both sets of books were published before I hit adolescence. Right around the time I decided I was mostly too old to read YA books, Eragon became a sensation (I've still never read it). 



Today's teens have even more creative material from which to choose. Books about dragons published within the last five years or so put new twists on the legendary creatures, often turning the dragons into shapeshifters or imbuing them with other talents not found in previous incarnations. (Some also seem like poor imitations of Pern's dragons.) Below are nine recently-published titles that should appeal to teen dragon fans (three of which are Cybils nominees). Descriptions are from Worldcat. Are there any others I've missed?





Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey (2012)

In AD 1192 on Wilde Island, Tess, the daughter of a cruel blacksmith, is accused of witchcraft and must flee, but when she meets a handsome and enigmatic warden of Dragonswood who offers her shelter, she does not realize that he too harbors a secret that may finally bring about peace among the races of dragon, human, and fairy.



Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman (2008)

Sixteen-year-old Eon hopes to become an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune and learn to be its main interpreter, but to do so will require much, including keeping secret that she is a girl. Sequel: Eona (2011)

A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn (2013)

Marni, a young flower seller who has been living in exile, must choose between claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her dead, and a life with the father she has never known--a wild dragon. Kimberly's review





Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (2012)

In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.



The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E. K. Johnston

In an alternate world where industrialization has caused many species of carbon-eating dragons to thrive, Owen, a slayer being trained by his famous father and aunt, and Siobahn, his bard, face a dragon infestation near their small town in Canada.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan (2010)

When sixteen-year-old Jacinda, who can change into a dragon, is forced to move away from her community of shapeshifters and start a more normal life, she falls in love with a boy who proves to be her most dangerous enemy. Sequels: Vanish (2011), Hidden (2012)





Talon by Julie Kagawa (2014)

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.



Talker 25 by Joshua McCune (2014)

The fifteen-year-long war between man and dragons seems nearly over until Melissa becomes an unwilling pawn of the government after she--and those driving the beasts to extinction--discover that she can communicate with dragons.



Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn (2010)

In a parallel world where humans and dragons live in a state of cold war, seventeen-year-old Kay and her dragon friend, Artegal, struggle to find a way to show that dragons and humans can co-exist.


            Related StoriesA Few Cybils Reads - Part VIRiddle Me ThisFabulously Diverse YA Book Covers We Should See More Often 

A Few Cybils Reads - Part VI

Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke

Del is a Walker, which means she was born with the ability to travel to parallel worlds, each one formed when a person made a choice. The choice they made belongs to the Key world – the main world. All other possible choices spiral off into infinite echo worlds. When these echoes become unstable, it’s the job of the Walkers to cleave them. Unsurprisingly, the regimented world of the Walkers isn’t as it seems, and Del becomes caught up in a conspiracy that could have ramifications throughout the entire multiverse.



Longtime readers of this blog may know I have a particular fascination with alternate/parallel worlds. Dissonance is a special treat for readers like me, since it focuses so much of the story on the specifics of the parallel worlds – how they’re created, how they relate to the Key world, how Walkers can travel to them, how they can be destroyed. It’s fascinating. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from what looks like a Walker-in-training textbook, and I wish I could read that textbook in its entirety. What’s more, it all makes sense. If parallel worlds exist, they probably look like the ones from O’Rourke’s imagination.



Sometimes in books where world-building is so comprehensive and so detailed, plot and characterization suffer, but that’s not the case here. The plot is smart, complex, and hinges both on this huge concept as well as the unique characters O’Rourke has created – rule-breaker Del, her strict sister Addy, and their senile-but-maybe-not grandfather Monty. Good speculative fiction is still character-driven, no matter how high the concept, and Dissonance fulfills this requirement. While it wouldn’t interest readers who need something fast-paced to stay engaged, I have no doubt it will more than satisfy those who can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to visit an alternate world themselves.



The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

This is such an odd little book, one that doesn’t feel much like YA. It’s short and reads more like a novella, with sketchy world-building, a small cast of (rather thin) characters, and a single, focused storyline. Ceony Twill has just graduated at age 19 from the Tagis Praff school for the magically inclined. She wanted to be a Smelter, a magician who works with metal, but she’s been forced into an apprenticeship as a Folder – a paper magician – under magician Emery Thane. One she’s bonded to paper, she can’t work magic with any other material. Ceony is heartbroken, but it’s a career as a Folder or a career without any magic at all. She decides to make the best of a bad situation.



This one drew me in initially with its oddness. I enjoyed reading about the tricks paper magicians could do, such as making stories written on paper come to life for a time by reading them aloud, or animating folded shapes by commanding them to breathe. Thane is suitably strange, obviously hiding some secrets. It lost me about a third of the way through, when Thane is attacked by his ex-wife, who rips his heart out of his chest. Ceony replaces his heart with a paper version, which will sustain him for a time. All this intrigued me; it’s when Ceony sets off to find his real heart and somehow gets caught inside it that made me scratch my head. From that point on, the book is a journey through the different parts of Thane’s heart (metaphor!) and life. We see flashbacks to his time as a child, marrying his wife, becoming estranged from his wife. We see his hopes, his dreams, his doubts, his fears. I’ve never been one for flashbacks and dream sequences, much less prolonged ones that encompass almost an entire novel. Characters should be built from their actions, not their dreams. Give this one to readers who delight in the odd and don’t share my aversion to flashbacks.



A Girl Called Fearless by Catherine Linka

Avie lives in an America where almost all women who consumed a deadly hormone in beef have died of cancer. Only the very old and the very young lived. It is now ten years later, and America has to come to terms with its decimated female population. The Paternalists have taken power, restricting women’s and girls’ freedoms in order to “protect” them. They can’t go to college, and they’re married off at a young age (such as sixteen) to much older men, told they must dedicate themselves to having a lot of children. Avie’s father has always promised she could go to college – even if it has to be in Canada – but in order to save his struggling business, he sells her to a rising Paternalist star. This man is 35 years old and it quickly becomes clear that Avie will be his prisoner. She decides to run.



This is another dystopia by way of The Handmaid’s Tale, albeit a well done one (though with much less nuance). It’s fast-paced and focuses mainly on Avie’s escape and its aftermath, plus a few scenes clearly meant to horrify (such as when Avie’s intended “sticks his tongue down her throat,” always a phrase guaranteed to elicit shudders). The plot crumbles a bit at the end, with the less-than-surprising revelation/twist that the Paternalists aren’t actually trying to protect women and girls, but rather disenfranchise them. (Most readers will be shocked that the characters are shocked; preventing women from going to college and marrying them off to 35 year old men at age 16 was never about protection in the past.) This would be a good pick for readers who aren’t yet burned out on this particular sub-sub-genre (dystopias where women are subjugated) or who perhaps haven’t read much of it before. Readers who enjoyed Kristen Simmons’ Article 5 would probably enjoy this one as well, as the two seem almost identical in execution.



Dissonance and A Girl Called Fearless borrowed from my library; Paper Magician provided by the publisher.


            Related StoriesA Few Cybils Reads - Part IVA Few Cybils Reads - Part IIIGuest Review: The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers 

Fabulously Diverse YA Book Covers We Should See More Often

There's no big introduction necessary for this post. It's not a post that requires a whole lot more than the title.



It's a round-up of the awesome, diverse YA book covers that will be hitting shelves in 2015 that have been released so far. I'm including descriptions from Goodreads for each of the books, along with a link so you can add them to your to-be-read lists.



In short: I want to see more and more covers like these that embrace diversity right on the front cover. No shadows, no fading-to-black, no hiding, no sunglasses-covering-the eyes, no backs turned. More like this, please! If I'm missing any other recent cover reveals from 2015 that are this straightforward, let me know in the comments. I want to see them and I want to share them.











Endangered by Lamar Giles (April 21): Her name is Lauren, but everyone calls her Panda. What they don’t know is that behind their backs, she also goes by Gray. As in Gray Scales, the photo blog that her classmates are addicted to because of the secrets Gray exposes: a jock buying drugs, a teacher in a compromising position, the richest girl in school shoplifting. But no one knows Panda’s the vigilante photographer behind it all. At least, she thinks no one knows—until she gets a note from the Admirer, who’s not only caught her red-handed acting as Gray, but also threatens to reveal everything unless Panda joins her Admirer in a little game of Dare or … Dare. Panda plays along. Anything to keep the secrets she’s protected for years. But when the game turns deadly, Panda doesn’t know what to do. And she might need to step out of the shadows to save herself … and everyone else on the Admirer’s hit list, including some of the classmates she’s loathed and exposed for years.





Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz (March 3): Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown.



Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself? 







 



Under The Lights by Dahlia Adler (June 30): Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight—on everyone's terms but his own—Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants.

Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.





About A Girl by Sarah McCarry (July 14): Eighteen-year-old Tally is absolutely sure of everything: her genius, the love of her adoptive family, the loyalty of her best friend, Shane, and her future career as a Nobel prize-winning astronomer. There's no room in her tidy world for heartbreak or uncertainty—or the charismatic, troubled mother who abandoned her soon after she was born. But when a sudden discovery upends her fiercely ordered world, Tally sets out on an unexpected quest to seek out the reclusive musician who may hold the key to her past—and instead finds Maddy, an enigmatic and beautiful girl who will unlock the door to her future. The deeper she falls in love with Maddy, the more Tally begins to realize that the universe is bigger—and more complicated—than she ever imagined. Can Tally face the truth about her family—and find her way home in time to save herself from its consequences?













The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler (August 4): The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.



Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life. 



When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them.



This Side of Home by Renee Watson (February 3): Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins.





 

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (May 19): Meet Scarlett, a smart, sarcastic, kick-butt, Muslim American heroine, ready to take on crime in her hometown of Las Almas. When a new case finds the private eye caught up in a centuries-old battle of evil genies and ancient curses, Scarlett discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks -- and that cracking the case could lead to solving her father's murder.



The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds (January 6): Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.





 



Bright Lights, Dark Nights by Stephen Emond (August 11): Walter Wilcox has never been in love. That is, until he meets Naomi, and sparks, and clever jokes, fly. But when his cop dad is caught in a racial profiling scandal, Walter and Naomi, who is African American, are called out at school, home, and online. Can their bond (and mutual love of the Foo Fighters) keep them together?



With black-and-white illustrations throughout and a heartfelt, humorous voice, Bright Lights, Dark Nights authentically captures just how tough first love can be...and why it's worth fighting for.



Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (March 24): This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?



Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.









 



The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell (May 5): Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future.



Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older (June 30): Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra's near-comatose abuelo begins to say "No importa" over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep.... Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.



Sierra soon discovers a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers, who connect with spirits via paintings, music, and stories. Her grandfather once shared the order's secrets with an anthropologist, Dr. Jonathan Wick, who turned the Caribbean magic to his own foul ends. Now Wick wants to become the ultimate Shadowshaper by killing all the others, one by one. With the help of her friends and the hot graffiti artist Robbie, Sierra must dodge Wick's supernatural creations, harness her own Shadowshaping abilities, and save her family's past, present, and future.

* While this isn't a final cover concept, I love it and hope whatever the final choice is, it's in this direction. 


            Related StoriesGet Genrefied: YA in TranslationHardcover to Paperback Makeovers: Backlist YA Covers To ConsiderBuzz-worthy Covers: Bees All Around Us 

This Week at Book Riot

Over at Book Riot this week...


For "3 On A YA Theme," I wrote about 3 books featuring teens who are writers. I haven't written a "Beyond the Bestsellers" post in a bit, so I decided it was time. For readers who love Robin LaFevers's "His Fair Assassin" trilogy, here's a pile of books worth reading next. 


            Related StoriesThis Week at Book Riot 

Toronto Bound: See You At INSPIRE!

By the time this post goes live, I'll be wandering through the streets of downtown Toronto. It'll be my third time in the city and the second time this year alone. Thanks to the folks at Knot PR, I've been selected to attend the Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair as an international blogger, which kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday evening.  

I'm really excited to check out this book festival, and the panels I'm going to be attending look pretty excellent. There's a really nice array of different topics and a huge range of speakers attending, which you can check out here. Here's a peek at what I am looking at going to and who will be talking:

Human Rights Books for Young Readers with Karen Levine, Rosemary McCarney, and Margie Wolfe

I Don't Give A Damsel: Writing Strong Young Women with Gayle Forman, E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Meg Wolitzer (If ever a panel sounded like one that was up my alley, here it is)

Love to Read: How Reading Programs Lead to Success with the Ontario Library Association and Toronto Public Library

The Haunting: The Legacy of Shirley Jackson and the Authors Who Came After with Chizine Publications

Books By Their Covers: Redesigning Classics with Elly MacKay, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Cybele Young

I've got a few other interesting panels and programs on my need-to-attend list, including seeing Leonicka Valcius talking about diversity. I've been reading her writing for a while now and so appreciate her perspectives on diversity. 



I'm also looking forward to some time to explore the city a little more than I have in the past. Both times I've been to Toronto in the past have been pretty quick. This time, I have almost a week, which includes a 3-hour city-wide bookstore tour that I'm really looking forward to. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be writing a bit about the book festival, as well as about the city, both here on Stacked and over on Book Riot. I'm also hoping to talk a little more about it on Tumblr (you can follow me over there, if you want) and I'll be posting pictures on Instagram. 



If you've ever wondered what Toronto looks like from the top of the CN tower, here you go. At least that's what it looked like in summer 2011.  



I'm looking forward to this writing vacation, though I'm thoroughly prepared for some snow and cold. It is mid-November in Canada. That's...pretty much the exact same expectation I have for Wisconsin this time of year.








            Related StoriesGood Girls, Bad Girls, Real Girls: WLA PresentationKid Lit Con 2014, Sacramento: The RecapOn Girls, Girl Reading, and Girls in YA Fiction Beyond STACKED 

Riddle Me This

I love a good riddle in a book, even if I can't ever figure it out before the characters do. (Of course when I do, I feel extra smart.) Reading is always a participatory act, but when there are riddles involved, it's even more so. Below are a few YA and middle grade books - recent and not so recent - that feature riddles (or similar puzzles) prominently. Descriptions are from Worldcat, plus links to reviews here at Stacked when applicable. Which of your favorites have I missed?





Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. First book in the series featuring art sleuth friends Calder and Petra.



The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing. Kimberly's review | The sequels, Independent Study and Graduation Day, have some great riddles/puzzles too.



Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

A math-whiz from a trailer park discovers she's the only student capable of unravelling complex clues left by a serial killer who's systematically getting rid of her classmates. Kimberly's review





The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip

In seeking the answer to the riddle of the three stars on his forehead and the three stars on the enchanted harp and sword, Morgon, Prince of Hed, goes ultimately to the High One himself.



Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision-making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she's accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Kimberly's review



The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.





Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter joins the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, then enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.



When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world forever. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for an emergency is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Kimberly's review



The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.





The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The adventures of the well-to-do hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who lived happily in his comfortable home until a wandering wizard granted his wish. (Really, no description needed here.)



Impossible by Nancy Werlin

When seventeen-year-old Lucy discovers her family is under an ancient curse by an evil Elfin Knight, she realizes to break the curse she must perform three impossible tasks before her daughter is born in order to save them both.


            Related StoriesA Few Cybils Reads - Part V"For the Girls" in DedicationYA Review Round-up: 100 Sideways Miles, Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel, and Press Play 

A Few Cybils Reads - Part V

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Horror filmmaker Justin Blake has invited people from all over the country to enter a contest to get an inside look at his latest project - all they have to do is write about their worst nightmare. Seven lucky teenagers, each with their own POV chapters, were selected based on their entries, and they've been flown to a creepy hotel staffed by people who are dead ringers for killers from Blake's many movies. Immediately upon their arrival, strange things start to happen: one of the girls flees the hotel; the others find writing on her closet wall in what appears to be blood warning them to get away. But it's all part of the fun, right? These horror-lovers (with the notable exception of Ivy, who entered the contest in hopes it would help her face down her real life horror) want to be scared. Then they're all taken to a carnival and told that in order to meet Blake, they must survive the rides that are their nightmares come to life - and things take a turn for the deadly.



This is a great pick for fans of campy horror films. The book itself is pretty much a version of one of those films anyway, right down to a perspective told mostly in screenplay format. It doesn't try to do anything new, but rather embraces the tropes that make those films fun for viewers: a creepy carnival, a remote location, no cell phone signals, mostly one-note participants being picked off one by one. Readers will be able to see how it will end, but the ride is fun nonetheless.



Scintillate by Tracy Clark

After an illness where Cora was hospitalized for a high fever, she's able to see auras around people. They vary from person to person, depending on their personality and their mood, but Cora's own is always pure silver. She tries to talk to her dad about it (her mother is long out of the picture), but he won't answer any of her questions. The proprietor of a local bookshop tells her that auras are real, that Cora has a special ability to see them, and that pure silver auras are very rare - right before she's threatened into silence and refuses to see Cora again. When Cora begins to notice a man following her around, a man with a pure white aura who can somehow suck out the auras of others around him, killing them, she knows she must find out what's going on. She learns it's tied somehow to her mother's disappearance in Ireland, so she travels there hoping to puzzle it out, encountering danger, romance, and long-lost secrets.



I started this one thinking I may not finish it, but it surprised me with how compelling it was. The way Clark wrote about auras was interesting; it's a topic that I haven't read much about in fiction. But what really makes this stand out from the sea of other paranormal light fantasies is the way Clark handles the romance. I wasn't at all surprised to encounter what's often called "insta-love" between Cora and her school's exchange student hottie. But there's a plot and a character reason for it, which is fully revealed near the end of the story and makes such head-over-heels instant attraction an inevitability. Clark knows what she's doing with her story - she recognizes the cliches inherent in her genre and works with them in a clever way. The writing is solid, with a great voice in Cora and an exciting climax, and the mythology is interesting, too, making this a good pick for paranormal romance fans.



Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

There's a serial killer on the loose at Nearly Boswell's high school, and it seems that he (or she) is doing everything he can to make it look like Nearly is the culprit. It started with an innocent-seeming personal ad in the Classifieds section of the newspaper, a section Nearly combs through every day hoping to read a message from her father who abandoned her and her mother when she was a little girl. The first victim is merely humiliated; when the second victim dies, Nearly knows the second personal ad referring cryptically to the location where the body was found wasn't merely strange; it was targeting her specifically. She goes to the police, but they either don't believe her or think she's in on it. She feels like she has no choice but to stop the killing on her own - with the help of the school's bad boy, a former juvenile delinquent who's now agreed to keep tabs on Nearly for the police in case she's the killer. 



This is a fantastic, smart mystery/thriller that's plotted to perfection. The riddles in the Classifieds are really fun to puzzle out, and Cosimano sprinkles a lot of red herrings and potential motives throughout the book. There are subplots galore; any one of them could point to the serial killer. The name "Nearly" is a little too cute for my liking (oh, the puns Cosimano uses!), and Nearly's ability to sense others' emotions by touching them seems completely extraneous. Unlike a book like Kim Harrington's Clarity, where the protagonist's ability is integral to solving the crime, Nearly's ability doesn't do much for her (or against her). There's one scene where she's at a rave and is overwhelmed by the emotions present within the drug- and adrenaline-fueled participants, but that's as much as her ability ever bears on the plot. Aside from these things, though, this is one of the best teen mysteries I've read. I especially liked that the riddles focused on math and science, areas where Nearly excels. It's a fun workout for the reader's brain and nice to see a girl protagonist who loves those subjects.



All books borrowed from my local library.




            Related StoriesA Few Cybils Reads - Part IVA Few Cybils Reads - Part IIIYA Review Round-up: 100 Sideways Miles, Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel, and Press Play 

"For the Girls" in Dedication

I don't pay a lot of attention to dedications in books. Most of the time, those are personal to the author, naming people in their lives who are important to them -- family members, friends, someone who helped them significantly while writing the book. I find acknowledgement pages far more interesting to read.



But that's changed a little as I've noticed a small trend in YA dedications. It's a trend I love, and it's one that I hope I keep stumbling upon. These are dedications to girls. Not just one girl, but to girls more broadly, offering them a piece of advice, a word of kindness, or a piece of hope. A lot of these dedications make perfect sense in context with the book too. If the book's about strong girls or about a girl who learns what it means to be a girl, that sort of dedication feels like a sweet message from the author to the reader holding the book. 



Here's a round-up of recent dedications I've seen "for the girls." This is incomplete, as it's something that I've only just started to notice. If you can think of others, let me know in the comments so I can track down those books and include a shot of the dedication. I'd love to have enough to do another big round-up of them, and I know they're out there. 



I'm including a description of the book and, for some, the publication date, since these aren't all released yet. Descriptions are from WorldCat.









Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson



Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily receives special protections from the spiritual forces of Neverland, but then she meets her tribe's most dangerous enemy--Peter Pan--and falls in love with him.













Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez chronicles her senior year in high school as she copes with her friend Cindy's pregnancy, friend Sebastian's coming out, her father's meth habit, her own cravings for food and cute boys, and especially, the poetry that helps forge her identity.











Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A. S. King

As her high school graduation draws near, Glory O'Brien begins having powerful and terrifying visions of the future as she struggles with her long-buried grief over her mother's suicide.









The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma (March 24, 2015)

Orianna and Violet are ballet dancers and best friends, but when the ballerinas who have been harassing Violet are murdered, Orianna is accused of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together.









The Devil You Know by Trish Doller (June 2, 2015)

Exhausted and rebellious after three years of working for her father and mothering her brother, eighteen-year-old Arcadia "Cadie" Wells joins two cousins who are camping their way through Florida, soon learning that one is a murderer.




            Related StoriesAdvocating for and writing about girls is a radical actWrapping Up "About the Girls"Links of Note: March 22, 2014 

This Week in Reading: Volume IX

I'm heading to Toronto this coming week for the INSPIRE!: Toronto International Book Fair. I've got a post set up for later this week talking a bit more about the trip and what I'm looking forward to seeing. Before that, though, here's a look at this week in reading. 





For review:

Love & Profanity edited by Nick Healy (March 1): Carrie Mesrobian gave this to me, and it's an anthology of real life stories from a wide variety of YA authors about being teenagers. It looks really great. 

Gone Too Far by Natalie D. Richards (January 6): This mystery looks pretty good! A viral sex tape and a burn book? Sign me up. Breaking Sky by Cory McCarthy (March 3): They're selling this as a "debut thriller." It's not McCarthy's debut novel nor her first YA. But it's her first thriller. That "debut" word needs to stop. 



Undertow by Michael Buckley (May 5)A List of Things That Didn't Kill Me by Jason Schmidt (January 6): "Debut memoir." This looks pretty interesting. I'm not sure about likening it to The Glass Castle, though. 

Read this week/currently reading:



 

As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka: This YA novel in translation is quite similar in tone and execution as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which it was compared to. I mean this in a good way. I quite liked it, and more, I liked that it's part of a series, but the entire story was self-contained. There's a lot going on in the main character's backstory we don't get to know . . . but that leaves those sequels an opportunity to give us more about Lumikki. I will definitely pick up book two. I plan to write more about this book soon.

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer: I thought the voice was funny, but then I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters. I quit this one half-way through. It felt a little like the author's voice came through too much and that got in the way of some authenticity. 

The Good Sister by Jamie Kain: I'm reading this one right now and am being optimistic that some of the things I don't like -- the magical dead sister who knows everything and the two other sisters who feel a little cardboard -- end up changing and surprising me. I'm enjoying the story itself. The writing is nice and tight, which I appreciate. 



Around the web:

A great round-up of YA novels that have POC-centric romancesSarah Rees Brennan talks about the risk involved in writing girls' stories, and Malinda Lo notes that same risk exists in telling lesbian story lines.  I love this short interview with Amy Poehler, where she's asked if she's a feminist and what she thinks about the feminist question more broadly. So good. Since I'll be traveling next weekend, I can't take part in the 24 in 48 Read-a-Thon, but you should. Leila at Bookshelves of Doom highlights 7 YA books featuring the suffragist movement. 







I debated for a long time whether or not I'd do another contemporary YA week this year -- putting the series together takes a lot of work and energy, and I wasn't sure I had it in me -- but it will be happening. December 1-5, it'll be all contemporary YA here at Stacked, featuring 5 really exciting guest posts from voices who we've never had here before. In addition, there will be a big series of book lists, interesting discussions, and more. 


            Related StoriesThis Week in Reading: Volume VIIIThis Week in Reading: Volume VIIThis Week in Reading: Volume VI