P.J. Hoover's Blog, page 39
October 12, 2011
BOYS THAT BITE by Mari Mancusi
BOYS THAT BITE by Mari Mancusi (Berkley, April 4, 2006)
Mari was one of the first onto the Teen Vampire scene, and the popularity of this book has spawned into an eight book series that is widely popular. I made it by Mari's signing a couple weeks ago at The Book Spot in Round Rock, Texas, and picked up the first two books in the series. I'd just finished reading a somewhat serious realistic story, and Mari had promised me her books were light and funny.
BOYS THAT BITE was a joy and a hoot to read. From the first page, the voice of the characters shines through. I laughed. I rooted for the main character Sunny first to not become a vampire and then to become one. I yearned for the romance, and Mari delivered. She held off, keeping me reading and hoping, and then...
...you'll have to read it to find out what happens!
Anyway, I can't recommend BOYS THAT BITE enough for fans of PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White. It does a great of adding much-needed humor to what is a dark world of paranormal young adult literature.
Source of book: Purchased
From Amazon:
Two sisters--as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for. But for the other, getting out could be lethal...When Sunny McDonald gets dragged to Club Fang by her twin sister Rayne, she doesn't expect to find anything besides a bunch of Goth kids playing at being vampires. But when some guy mistakes Sunny for her dark-side-loving sister and bites her on the neck, she finds out that his fangs are real--and deadly.
Now, Sunny has less than a week to figure out how to reverse the bite, or else she's going to end up as the perpetually undead. And not only will she be a vampire, she'll also be bonded to Magnus--the bloodsucker who bit her--forever. And forever is a really long time...
My Very First Kidlit Friend!
Now Carla is an amazing fitness blogger (The fabulous MizFit) and she needs your vote! She is one of twenty finalists picked by SHAPE Magazine for their fitness blogger award.
So please take two seconds, click this link right here, and vote for MizFit!
[image error]
Thank you!
October 10, 2011
GALAXY GAMES: THE CHALLENGERS BLOG TOUR!
GALAXY GAMES: THE CHALLENGERS by Greg R. Fishbone (Lee & Low, September 2011)
So let's see...my son is 10 years old and digs sci-fi and fantasy. He also loved Greg's previous book, SEPTINA NASH AND THE PENGUINS OF DOOM (loved it as in read it multiple times).
So his recommendation...BUY IT NOW!
But before Greg's guest blog (below), here is the blog tour puzzle piece! And the link to the blog tour information!
*****
Stuff Edited Out of The Challengers
by Greg R. Fishbone
In the process of writing a book like The Challengers, a lot of material gets discarded over a number of drafts. Here are some things you might have found on the cutting room floor...
Chapter Zero Dream Sequences
What do aliens dream about? Apparently, humans are their nightmare fuel--who knew? These scenes were cut because the recent movie, Inception, has already filled our cultural quota of dream sequences at least until 2014.
"What is going on here?" M'Frozza demanded.
"What, indeed." At the front of the room stood a type of creature M'Frozza had never seen before. Two legs supported its body on a pair of feet wrapped in leather shoes, two arms were folded across its chest, and a single head sprouted from the top of its torso. Strangest of all was the creature's skin, which hardly seemed slimy or sticky at all.
"Mr. Smith?" M'Frozza guessed.
"Take your seat, Miss M'Frozza. You now have less than five minutes in which to complete . . . this hour-long exam!"
M'Frozza remained on her foot-tentacles. "Even if I understood those measurements of time, I am not a member of this class."
"You are. You merely forgot. Very embarrassing, wouldn't you say?" Mr. Smith's pink mouth widened to display two rows of white teeth.
"My father-parent employs a private tutor for me," M'Frozza explained. "I have never attended a formal school."
"Oh." Mr. Smith's grin vanished. "But you still must be embarrassed . . . since you came to class completely naked!" He pointed an accusing finger and looked around the classroom, as if signaling for a session of taunting. Instead, the other students merely blinked in confusion.
"We are all Mrendarians here," M'Frozza stated. "Clothing would interfere with our natural skin secretions."
El Gatito's Story
While the world seemed to be coming to an end. we might have caught one last wrestling match between El Gatito and La Araña. Of course, our cat-eared hero would have come out on top. Was there ever any doubt?
El Jaguar nodded. "All right, then let's begin. Your first opponent is a little younger and smaller than you but also more experienced, so it should be a fairly even match. Her name is La Araña."
El Gatito looked over at the other corner of the wrestling ring, at a girl who wore a furry brown mask with spider legs dangling from the sides of it. The girl smiled at him and waved.
"El Gatito can not fight a girl," the masked boy stated.
El Jaguar scowled in annoyance. "Listen up, Kitten Boy. Do you think it was easy for me to find anyone to spar with a skinny cat-head like you? Especially one day before the end of the world? That girl is the daughter of a famous luchador. She has been training in Lucha Libre for almost three years. She has mastered many holds and techniques, and she deserves your respect."
"You did not let El Gatito finish his sentence," said the masked boy. "El Gatito can not fight a girl when her right shoelace is untied. It would not be sporting."
Felix's Story
In a world without hope, a lone reporter files an uplifting piece about the power of the human spirit. It's hard to do justice to Felix Hoffmann in scenes with so many other kids, but on his own he really does shine.
"What could your team mascot have possibly said to keep all your players from giving up?"
Coach Hoffmann laughed. "If you'd really met him, you'd know. Not even the end of the world can dampen that boy's enthusiasm, and he tends to rub off on others. Felix gave the players a speech about how they should go out in a blaze of glory while doing something they loved. Then he did the same thing for the other team, just in case they were thinking of quitting as well. Now all the players' families are flocking to Munich as if this were the game of the century."
A new story began to form in Frau Schreiber's brain: "In a time of crisis and uncertainty, one young boy dared to stand up and defy the forces of death and devastation. Felix Hoffmann, team mascot of the Monarchs, rallied the boys of Frankfurt for one final time in a game where victory was achieved by merely taking the field. When young Felix grows up—"
Frau Schreiber frowned and tried again: "When young Felix grows up...if young Felix grows up...had young Felix been allowed to grow up..." She sighed and rubbed her throbbing forehead. Felix would never grow up, because of the killer asteroid hurtling toward Earth.
Ling-Wa's Story
Ling's red boots are legendary in the annals of kid sports, but what's the story behind the famous footwear? In these deleted scenes, Ling took a long road trip across China with a girl who, at first, absolutely hated her guts.
"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself," said Ling.
"How else should I feel?" Mei shot back. "The world is about to end and I'm stuck in a train station with you! I'm tired, I'm hungry, my nose is runny, and I can't even afford a pack of tissues!"
Ling sat up and stretched her arms. Then she stood and stretched her legs. Then she bent down to touch her toes.
"What are you doing?" asked Mei.
"You wanted money, didn't you?" Ling straightened up, put her arms above her head, and started humming one of the songs used for floor routines at Master Wan's.
"You can't do a tumbling routine here," said Mei. "There are no springs or pads—if you fall, you'll break your neck!"
Ling was beyond listening. She launched into a double twist which flowed into a forward roll. She ended up back on her feet without missing a note of her hummed melody. Train passengers moved back to give her room. Men, women, and children watched with rapt attention as Ling performed more and more complicated combinations.
Mei held out her hat again. "Who wants to help a pair of stranded gymnasts?" she asked. This time, people dropped bills and coins into the hat until it overflowed.
Weez's Story
Looking back on these scenes, part of me really wishes Weez could have been the first one to meet M'Frozza instead of Tyler. What a wacky universe that would have been!
On the radio, an astrophysicist at the University of São Paulo told an interviewer that the alien ship's arrival was the greatest moment of his life. His voice choked up as he spoke.
"He wouldn't be so happy about it if aliens had taken his brother," Weez remarked. "Everyone's acting like this is the first time aliens have visited us, but it's so obvious they've been here before."
"Right. When they abducted your brother."
"No, not just then. Do you know how many people have seen mysterious lights in the sky? How many claim to have been abducted? How many lose track of hours or days and then find tracking devices implanted in their necks?"
"Not very many," Matheus answered.
Weez sat up straight. "What's the matter with you? I thought you were a believer!"
"I believe you," said Matheus. "That doesn't mean I have to believe all those other stories too."
As fun as these deleted scenes can be, I think you'll also enjoy the stuff that actually did make it into the book!
*****
From Amazon:
Things are looking up for Tyler Sato (literally!) as he and his friends scan the night sky for a star named for him by his Tokyo cousins in honor of his eleventh birthday. Ordinary stars tend to stay in one place, but Ty's seems to be streaking directly toward Earth at an alarming rate. Soon the whole world is talking about TY SATO, the doomsday asteroid, and life is turned upside down for Ty Sato, the boy, who would rather be playing hoops in his best friend's driveway.
Meanwhile, aboard a silver spaceship heading for Earth, M'Frozza, a girl with three eyes and five nose holes, is on a secret mission. M'Frozza is the captain of planet Mrendaria's Galaxy Games team, and she is desperate to save her world from a dishonorable performance in the biggest sporting event in the universe.
What will happen when Ty meets M'Frozza? Get ready for the most important event in human history--it's off the backboard, around the rim, and out of this world!
Source of book: From publisher at ALA
Thank you Austin SCBWI...
me convincing everyone in the audience they need to buy Photoshop :)
October 9, 2011
GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan Giveaway!
GLOW (Sky Chasers Book 1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan (St. Martin's Griffin, September 13, 2011)
From Amazon:
If a violent battle destroyed the only world you've ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there's no turning back.
The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he's the best choice. Still, there's a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
Suddenly, Waverly's dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon's leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.
Pulse-pounding and addictive, GLOW begins the most riveting series since The Hunger Games.
Source of book: From publisher by request
This contest will run through Friday, October 21, 2011.
For your chance to win GLOW, you have to follow this blog. That gets you one entry.
+1 entry - Follow this blog
Extra entries are here:
+1 entry - Follow me on Twitter
+ 2 entries - Tweet about this contest. See button at the top of post for an easy tweet!+ 2 entries - Blog about this contest. + 2 entries - Tell me how much you want this book :)
Okay, that's it! Fill out the form below. And good luck!
Loading...
STICK by Andrew Smith—Winner
The winner of STICK by Andrew Smith (Feiwel & Friends, October 11, 2011)
is...
DANIELLE!
Look for another giveaway this week!
October 7, 2011
SEE YOU AT THE SCBWI DIGITAL SYMPOSIUM!
I'll be talking about making SWAG and book trailers and showing the awesomeness that is Adobe products.
See you all there (I hope)!
(my first slide...)
YA INDIE CARNIVAL: My Favorite Character to Write in SOLSTICE
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER TO WRITE
Honestly, I love so many of the characters in SOLSTICE mainly because I feel like they are all so different. I posted on my main characters last week, so just for something different, I'm going to pick my favorite minor character to write.In SOLSTICE, the main character Piper spends a bit of time in the Underworld, and if you know anything about the Underworld from Greek mythology, not all parts of it are sweet, green pastures. In fact some of these places are downright scary, and the people that have been damned to live in these places are rotten.
So Piper heads to Tartarus, the worst of the worst places in the Underworld. She meets some bad guys. And of these bad guys, the one I adored writing was Tantalus. If you don't know the story of Tantalus*, it's one not to miss. See, Tantalus offered a sacrifice by killing his son, cutting him up, and boiling him into soup. And then, when the gods came to dinner, he served the soup. And Demeter, being a bit distraught and scatterbrained, ate the soup. Yuck.
Tantalus was guilty of cannibalism, human sacrifice, and infanticide, and was sentenced to eternity in Tartarus. And there in Tartarus, his punishment was to always be within close reach of food and water, but when he reached for either, they receded. So he eternally starved.
Now Piper is in Tartarus, and she gets to meet Tantalus (yes, I realize the two names are very similar...I didn't create them). So he's this crazy hungry guy who wants to nibble on her shoulders and lips (or even a little finger should she place one too close). But he never can, and so he begs and pleads for just a little snack. Very fun to write! But it seems like many times the bad guys are :)
* You can read all about Tantalus on Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge :)
For a list of all posts, visit all the blogs!
Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Courtney Cole
Nicole Williams
Fisher Amelie
Laura A. H. Elliott
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Alicia McCalla
Heather Cashman
Abbi Glines
Cheri Schmidt
Lexus Luke
Suzy Turner
K. C. Blake
Gwenn Wright
Kimberly Kinrade
Darby Karchut
Madeline Smoot
M. Leighton
Cidney Swanson
October 6, 2011
DARK OF THE MOON by Tracy Barrett
DARK OF THE MOON by Tracy Barrett (Harcourt, September 20, 2011)
It's funny because not too long ago I read a fabulous article theorizing about the myth of the minotaur and what it really might have been. I mean, sure, you can hold onto the belief that there really was a scary monster eating teens. Or you can open your mind and try to come up with a rational explanation, which is what Tracy did in DARK OF THE MOON.
So what did I love about this book? Let's start with the mythology. Yes, there was still death and crazy god rituals. It was sprinkled in enough to keep me hooked. Next, there was the character of Theseus. I kind of loved that he was so not perfect. From his motivation to his mistakes, he's totally deserving of the hero status he achieves. And the last thing I'll point out is the monster. Because yes, there is a monster. But he's not all that bad (even though he might kill people).
I definitely recommend DARK OF THE MOON for fans of mythology, girls or boys alike.
Source of book: From publisher by request
From Amazon:
Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.
So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don't know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won't be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.
Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne's brother . . .
October 5, 2011
READY PLAYER ONE by ERNEST CLINE
READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline (Crown, August 16, 2011)
I managed to pick this book up at ALA with zero clue what it was about and never having heard of it. I was actually standing in line waiting for an ARC of THE NIGHT CIRCUS. This one had a cool title and looked a bit like the 80s. But it wasn't until I saw it in the Audible recommendations that I decided to read it. What pushed me over the edge was the fact that it was narrated by Wil Wheaton :)
So I started listening on audio, and I could not stop. This is the kind of audio book I found myself making excuses of places to drive so I could listen to it. I listened when my kids were in the car (which I never do). I looked forward to folding laundry because I could listen while I folded. And even though the book ended nicely with all ends tied, I still wanted more because I enjoyed it so much.
Set in a future where the energy crisis has hit big time, lots of people are calling this the next 'SNOW CRASH,' and sure, I do see 'SNOW CRASH'-ish elements in the story, but overall it's a story about the virtual world the characters live in, and not so much about the real world (though world development is done well...don't get me wrong).
The author (who happens to live in Austin) does an amazing job of creating tension, worrying the reader, and then assuaging the situation. I love this. I want to reach a point of worry and frustration, but I don't want to stay there too long. And READY PLAYER ONE delivers.
Who would I recommend this book to? Everyone :)
Okay, seriously, if you
love the 80slove video gameslove MMO games (like World of Warcraft or Wizard 101 is that is more your speed)love science fiction and enjoy books like SNOW CRASHwant to see what Wil Wheaton is up to these days (listen to audio in this case)
Wait, does that cover everyone? My recommendation: AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at ALA, Audio purchased from Audible.com
From Amazon:
At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.
It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.
And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.
Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?
