Category Archives: News and Fun

Guest Post: Alternative Valentine’s Day Reading List by Renee Watson

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Piecing Me Together Guest Post by Renée Watson

Poetry was my first love.

When I was a child, I wrote poems in a journal and often created hand-made birthday or holiday cards for family and friends with my own poem penned on the inside written especially for my loved one. On Valentine’s Day, more than chocolate—I wanted a poem. I enjoyed the exchange of Valentines with my schoolmates, how we showed care for each other and took one day of the year to make sure each person in our class felt special. By high school, Valentine’s Day was no longer about friendship but more about relationships— was dating, who wasn’t. All of a sudden love was only about romance.

I’m all for romance but I also think it’s important … Continue reading →

Review: City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

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The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrauCity of Ember
Jeanne DuPrau
Yearling Books
Published in 2003

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Lina has only known life in the City of Ember, a settlement built and stocked with all the supplies its citizens might need hundreds of years earlier. Now the shelves of the storehouses grow increasingly bare, and power outages plague everyone. When Lina and her best friend Doon discover a damaged document, Lina wonders if it could be from the Builders themselves. She and Doon work to decipher the message and save Ember before the city’s power supply fails for the last time.

I picked up this book because a friend recommended it, and I’m so glad I … Continue reading →

Author Interview with Madeline Dyer

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Today I have author Madeline Dyer here to talk about her Untamed Series, what inspired her to write such a dynamic post-apocalyptic story and what comes next.

Hi Madeline! When I think about stories, I’m always curious what inspired the author to create them. Was there a question that inspired you to write Untamed or Fragmented?

In writing Untamed, I wanted to get my readers to think about several things:
– If you could, would you choose to never feel anything negative?
– Do you need to experience negative emotions to truly be human?
– And what negative effects do you think choosing to only feel positive emotions would have on you as a person? But would you be aware of these negative … Continue reading →

Author Interview: Kathleen Cook Waldron

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Today I have the pleasure of sharing an interview with author Kathleen Cook Waldron, author of Between Shadows, a middle grade novel about a boy who has recently lost his grandfather and returns to the cabin where they shared memories together. Between Shadows was recently named a finalist for the Silver Birch award. Read my review here.

I met Kathy before I knew she was an author. She and her husband were on a cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary. My husband and I took the same cruise for our honeymoon trip. We really enjoyed spending time with Kathy and Mark, so finding out that Kathy was also a children’s book author was a fun bonus. I’m excited to be able to share more of the story behind the story and the inspiration for Between Shadows.

Kathleen Cook Waldron Continue reading →

Review: The Infinity of You & Me by J. Q. Coyle

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The Infinity of You and Me by J Q CoyleThe Infinity of You & Me
J. Q. Coyle
St. Martin’s Griffin
Available November 8, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Alicia’s hallucinations are only getting worse: more frequent and more intense. Despite that, she doesn’t want to give them up because the hallucinations are the only place she sees her father. Then he shows up in real life, warning Alicia of incredible danger, and suddenly everything shifts. The people Alicia trusted most have been lying to her, and now she’s on the run from them. The hallucinations are real. In them, Alicia journeys to other universes, ones where more than her life is at stake. She must find an … Continue reading →

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your YA Reader

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Books are one of my favorite gifts to give (okay, and to receive!) because there’s something for everyone. There were years where we gave a book to each person on our Christmas list. I enjoyed my holiday shopping that year especially because it was a chance to take all that I knew about a person’s interests and try to match them up with a book. This year we’ve chosen to support a local charity organization for the majority of our gift purchases, but there are a few books that still made it onto our gift list. Here are my top picks for the readers on my Christmas list.

For the Fairy Tale Lover

Traitor's Masque by Kenley DavidsonTraitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson
Page Nine Press
Published … Continue reading →