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In the latest Haunted Mystery, The Smoky Corridor, Chris Grabenstein delivers another spooky mystery that deftly combines creepy ghost story with humor and a perfectly captured portrait of middle school life. Picking up not long after the ending of Zack Jenning’s chilling adventure in The Crossroads, Zack is about to start sixth grade at the Horace P. Pettimore Middle School in North Chester, Connecticut.  He’s got no friends, is already the target of the school bully, is on the bad side of the Assistant Principal, and he has a creepy feeling about the old school.  All too soon, Zack again starts seeing ghosts who warn him about danger everywhere: aRead More →

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In: Action & Adventure, Action & Adventure (YA), Middle Grade Reviews, Mystery & Suspense (YA), Sci Fi & Fantasy, Supernatural & Horror, Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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On a dark night when he was 12 years old, Jacob Reckless laid his hand on the gilded mirror in his missing father’s study as was instantly, magically transported into a strange world where fairy tales have come to life.  And from that first visit, Jacob becomes addicted to the escape, the freedom, and the forgetting that the Mirrorworld provides him.  Until the day, 12 years later, when his younger brother Will follows him through the mirror and is attacked by the stone-warriors and infected with their poison.  Now it becomes a race against time as Jacob and Will must search throughout Mirrorworld to findRead More →

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Publisher’s Weeklyreports:  Last week, 21 YA authors debuted “The Contemps,” a web site dedicated to promoting realistic teen fiction to readers, librarians, and booksellers. “As much as we love other genres, the marketplace can feel dominated by paranormal, fantasy and dystopian novels,” said Contemps cofounder Lisa Schroeder in a statement. “We want to celebrate the unique way that contemporary stories help teens feel they’re not alone in this real world.” The site will feature posts by the participating authors (each of whom has a book being published within the coming year), contests, and other activities.Read More →

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In: Romance (YA), Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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Within the first few pages of debut author April Lindner’s Jane: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre, I closed the book and thought: “it’s been too long since I read a classic romance full of brooding, tortured men, innocent but likeable young women who struggle against adversity and yearn for their own independence, all set in some dark mysterious circumstance or place, full of danger, foreboding, or mystery.  Ah, I miss the Brontes! I’d forgotten how much I loved them!”  With unbridled delight I plowed through Jane in one weekend afternoon. Curious how the classic could be updated with modern characters, situations, and sensibilities, I was pleasantlyRead More →

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In: Author Appearances, This is interesting, What's Happening at PBC
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It’s your chance to meet some great YA authors, including Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely Series), Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Power Series), Alyson Noel (The Immortals Series), and more!  Here’s what the Smart Chicks say about their tour: Our Tour, Our Way Author tours are usually organized by the publisher. All we have to do is show up, which is great, but we started thinking maybe we’d like to try something different. Organize our own tour, just the way we want it. Pick the cities. Pick the authors. Organize the events. So, in Sept 2010, we’ll do just that. Where & When: September 17th, 2010 7PM @ Scottsdale CivicRead More →

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I love fairy tales! Who hasn’t thought about what they’d wish for if they had 3 magic wishes or dreamed of finding Prince Charming? Alex Flinn, once again, weaves real life and fairy tale magic together to take us on a fun and sometimes funny romp. Johnny and his mom own a shoe repair store in an expensive hotel. Business is not so good and teenage Johnny has to spend 12-18 hours a day there. When a guest at the hotel, an exotic princess, notices him and his work ethic she asks him to help find her brother. The twist? The prince has been cursed by a witch and turned intoRead More →

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In: Middle Grade Reviews, Romance (YA), Sci Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (YA), Supernatural & Horror, Supernatural & Horror (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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  Lingerby Maggie Stiefvater Lingeris the sequel to Stiefvater’s romance, Shiver.  In Linger, Sam and Grace can now be together, but their life is too complicated: Sam’s the guardian of the pack and there’s trouble when wolf Beck changes a guy name Cole.  As it turns out, Cole is famous rock star so it becomes much harder to keep the pack a secret. Later in the story, Grace start to get sick, which leads to a big surprise at the end. I liked this book because it’s a lot like Romeo and Juliet. I think Linger is a good book for people to read because shows that people will do crazy thingsRead More →

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Are you eagerly counting down the days and minutes until the final episode in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy is released next week?  If it seems like time is dragging, maybe School Library Journal’s interview with Suzanne Collins will tide you over.  In it she talks about her inspiration for The Hunger Games Trilogy, her writing style and influences, and some background and analysis of Katniss’ character. Great stuff!  Check it out: The Last Battle: With ‘Mockingjay’ on its way, Suzanne Collins weighs in on Katniss and the Capitol by Rick Margolis.Read More →

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In: On the Edge, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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In a country ruled by the iron grasp of a fanatical, paranoid, cruel despot, people are either cowed into submission or so desperate for freedom they turn to guerilla warfare and terrorism.  To strike closest to the ruler’s inner circle and cause the most upset to the veneer of a “peaceful” society, young women are indoctrinated to sacrifice their lives in a fiery blast.  Innocents die on both sides and few question the madness or the methods or if there’s really any difference between the tyranny of the ruler or the ruthlessness of the freedom fighters. No one until Grace. At 17, she has lived her life amongRead More →