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Dale Peck’s latest novel, Sprout, is in some ways the antithesis of a novel I read earlier this spring, tales of the MADMAN underground by John Barnes.  Where Barnes’ characters speak, think, and express themselves with the manner of real teens, Peck’s characters (at least filtered via the protagonist/narrator Sprout) have consciously edited their language to reflect their understanding of the fact that the people who will read their story (adults) and decide on its appropriateness for its intended audience (teens) have issues with profanity in books.  Sprout works precisely because it’s so upfront about the fact that it’s being edited for content and language: “it’s easy toRead More →

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The Answer: “I have a secret. And everyone knows it. But no one talks about it, at least not out in the open. That makes it a very modern secret, like knowing your favorite celebrity has some weird eccentricity or other, or professional athletes do it for money, or politicians don’t actually have your best interests at heart.” So begins Daniel Bradford’s, aka Sprout‘s, answer to the question, posed for the Kansas statewide essay contest.  16 year old Sprout’s got lots of potential material in his life to use as inspiration: his mom died of cancer when he was 12; his dad’s a deeply depressedRead More →

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LIAR is the new book from Justine Larbalestier, expected from Bloomsbury Publishing in October 2009. We received ARCs today and based on the sneak peek flyer we received in the mail, I just can’t wait to dive into it. It looks like a deliciously twisted bone-chiller with a fantasticly unreliable narrator.  Bloomsbury is targeting the book to ages 14+, planning for an online teaser campaign, a multi-city author tour, Blog tour, web site pitch, and YA listserv.  Awesome! From the back cover: Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Ove theRead More →

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Action, adventure and an engaging story set deep in the heart of Chinese culture – oh, and it’s all set on Mars in the year 2515. Welcome to the latest book by Chris Roberson, Iron Jaw and Hummingbird. In this engaging book, Roberson continues his development of  The Celestial Empire, where China rose to world dominance in the fifteenth century on Earth and eventually colonized Mars, or Fire Star.  It’s intriguing to imagine and develop alternate world histories (and futures) as Roberson does with his Celestial Empire stories (which remind me of the excellent book by Kim Stanley Robinson, The Years of Rice and Salt) and toRead More →

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Dade Hamilton has just graduated from an Iowa high school and he has 3 months ahead of him before leaving for college in Michigan.  His secret relationship with the popular football player Pablo is coming to an end, he wrestles with coming out to his parents and friends, and he watches as his parents’ marriage unravels before him. He just wants to make it through one final summer in suburban wasteland and then start over in the Fall.  But then he meets mysterious, gorgeous Alex Kincaid – who ignites things in Dade he wasn’t expecting: real love, truth, self-respect and hope. The Vast Fields of OrdinaryRead More →

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We’re celebrating our 4th birthday today!  PBC got started May 18, 2005 when we officially separated from Changing Hands and embarked on this new adventure.  Jade was crazy busy the first 7 months all by himself (with a little extra help now and then) and then I joined him full time in January 2006.  It was exciting and overwhelming to jump in and have to learn so much on the job, but we’ve been figuring it out ever since.  We’ve been fortunate to have some great folks work with us over the last 4 years, making fantastic contributions every day, and we’re so appreciative ofRead More →

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Avery’s got a secret and he doesn’t know how to live with it. Why is this happening to him? How can he control it? What can he do with it? Can he be the only one to have it? It, in Sarah Cross’ smart, quick, and fun first novel, Dull Boy, is superpowers.  In Avery’s case, super strength and the ability to fly.  He prowls around his town trying to find people to help (he’s got a complex about putting his gift to good use); tries to stay under the radar so he doesn’t end up in a test lab; and attempts to figure outRead More →