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With Hope in the Mail, novelist Wendelin Van Draanen has written an inspirational and practical book for writers—one that would make an excellent supplementary text for a creative writing course or a “cheerleader” for any budding writer!  As both a teacher of writing and a writer myself, I found plenty of moments where I nodded knowingly or smiled wryly.  Despite this being a nonfiction book, Van Drannen brings her trademark humor to her writing. As I read, I collected various tidbits of wisdom, not the least of which is that no matter how young you are, you have experiences, knowledge, feelings, and observations worthy ofRead More →

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Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t wait to recommend to a friend? We’d love to hear about it! Tell us in the comments about your favorite book or (if you can’t pick a favorite) the last great book that you read. Make sure you include the title and author, add the genre and age range, then tell us why you loved it!Read More →

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The always highly anticipated list from Patti Tjomsland “What’s New in Young Adult Literature 2013” is now available!   Phoenix Book Company is excited to be able to share this great list with you. Books are available now and you can download our order form HERE. While you’re on our blog, take a minute and read our reviews of a couple of the books from Patti’s list: Every Day by David Levithan Starters by Lissa Price And don’t forget to add shelf ready processing to your order. Click on the bar code below for more information. Happy Reading!Read More →

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We’ve got some goodies to celebrate the 100th Fan milestone on Facebook – will you be the lucky one to receive this care package in the mail? And who knows, even if you’re not #100, we may have a little something just for #101 or #102… Step 1: Like us on Facebook (Use the Like Button on our right sidebar, or click here) Step 2: Come back to this post and leave us a comment about how you found out about us. Good Luck and Thanks!Read More →

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To Kill A Mockingbird comes up again and again as people’s favorite book of all time, for good reason.  Every person I know who has read this book has at least one “ah-ha moment” (to borrow from Oprah) that resonates with them after the last page has turned. Lee’s book, along with the fantastic movie version, are classics of American literature and cinema and it’s interesting to see them show up again and again.  And it never hurts to be reminded of the life lessons the novel so eloquently conveyed. I thoroughly enjoyed this post and thought you might to: Life Lessons from Atticus Finch by Brett &Read More →

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Recently, a good friend of mine and I took a little road trip to Kartchner Caverns in Southern Arizona.  When we were in the part of the cave where the ground is always wet mud from the water table, the guide had everyone be quiet for just a few moments to hear the “heartbeat of the cave”.  What we heard was the sound of water dropping from the delicate soda straws hanging from the ceiling.  It was an awe-inspiring moment to be inside the earth, quietly existing in a place of natural magic that had been created only by water, minerals, and the passage of time.   This DecemberRead More →

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Seems like forever ago that I had a chance to sit down and write a book review! I’ve got a stack of books that I’ve enjoyed since my last post in April, and notes aplenty to write reviews; I’ve just been sidetracked and busy with end of the year quotes and orders for our customers (thank you!), authors’ visits (Gayle Forman, Patrick Carman, Deb Caletti, Ridley Pearson, & Jenny Han – thanks for coming, you were all great!), and a quick trip to meet my new niece. And PBC’s 5th Birthday was May 18, 2010! So, I promise reviews and more regular posts are coming. WithRead More →