This particular books to read list features forthcoming young adult and juvenile titles. If I read and review an advanced copy, I link the title to my review. At the close of every month, I move that month's remaining titles from this list to my backlist of books to read.

May 2008
Airhead by Meg Cabot (read)
Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
The Debutante by Kathryn Williams
Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega (read, review to come)
Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott (read, review to come)
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Hershey Herself by Cecilia Galante
How I Found the Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood (sequel to Why I Let My Hair Grow Out)
How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt (read, review to come)
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski
A Likely Story by David Van Etten (Chris Van Etten, David Ozanich, and David Levithan)
Love in the Corner Pocket by Marlene Perez (read)
Madapple by Christina Meldrum (read)
Maggie Bean Stays Afloat by Tricia Rayburn
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Moon & Sun: Ruby Key by Holly Lisle
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs (read, review and interview to come)
Penelope by Megan Shull
Picture Perfect by Catherine Clark
Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. by Patrick McDonnell
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury (read, interview to come)
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Take Me There by Susane Colasanti (read, interview to come)
The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando

( Read more... )

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Sometimes, life takes a detour.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Chris and his best friend Win set out on their bicycles, determined to travel across the country before college. Like all good road trip, this trek is bumpy, memorable, and metaphoric. Towards the end of their journey, Win unexpectedly takes off by himself. Feeling abandoned and upset, Chris finishes the trip alone. When Chris comes home without Win, he has to answer to his parents, Win's parents, and the police. Where did his best friend go? Why? What really happened between Point A and B?

As close as he thought they were after ten years of friendship, Chris found himself surprised by some of the things his best friend did during their trip. He learns even more as he unravels the mystery of Win's disappearance. In the summertime sequences, their dialogue is always comfortable, sometimes teasing, sometimes competitive. They are friends who almost act like brothers, but they aren't one in the same. Chris comes from a working class family while Win, whose parents are well-off, obviously has difficulty getting along with his father. Growing up, the boys didn't really think about going their separate ways, but now that they have, Chris must figure out what his friend wanted and what he must do.

Readers will easily navigate through this story. Like a good film noir, Shift unfolds using both the past and the present: the chapters alternate between the here-and-now, with Chris starting his freshman year of college, and the summer, as Chris and Win make their way across the country. Their friendship and the investigation are accompanied by bicycles, patches, jackets, one glove, small towns, campgrounds, diners, and postcards. Though the element of mystery is always there, Shift is not a whodunnit. Instead, it asks: Why did Win leave? Who is he, really? How well do we really know anyone?

My favorite line from the book reads as follows:

Reality had a disappointing habit of not measuring up to my memories.

I also really enjoyed Chris' assessment of his situation:

[E]veryone kept telling me how much fun I was going to have in college, how much freedom I'd have. I was starting to believe that I'd used up my lifetime quota of both on the trip this summer.

Moving to a new town is never easy. Neither is navigating through high school. When a girl befriends both an outcast boy and the popular girls at her new school, she quickly becomes an unwilling player in the game of gossip. Uncomfortable with the situation but glad to finally be part of a group, she must decide what's right, what's wrong, and what's best kept secret.

Read My Lips is the perfect title for Teri Brown's debut novel. The main character, Serena Nelson, is oral deaf, meaning that she able to speak and has some level of hearing. She would rather read lips than use sign language. On her first day at a mainstream high school, without really meaning to, Serena reads someone's lips from a distance - kind of like overhearing something - and accidentally shares that conversation with some of her classmates. When they realize that Serena's ability to lip read may come in handy for their personal gain, they lobby for her friendship. These are the school's social butterflies, the girls everyone likes, the cream of the crop. Initially, Serena loves the feeling of acceptance, but she soon discovers that the price for admittance to their exclusive sorority may be too high for her to pay.

Like all teenagers, Serena has things she loves (like hooded sweatshirts and skateboarding) and things that bug her (like having to move to a new town). She starts crushing on a guy called Miller who is an outcast at school. She finds that she can be herself around him, and he becomes one of her strongest supporters. Even though the popular girls don't like him, Serena does.

Throughout the story, Serena deals with her physical and moral challenges realistically. She is not ashamed of her hearing impairment, but she tends to hide her hearing aids with her hair. She responds well to her own moral compass. When she lip reads private conversations between classmates or teachers at someone else's request, she knows what she's doing is similar to eavesdropping or spying, and she doesn't always tell them everything she sees and hears.

As Serena tries to balance her time with her crush, her family, and her friends, Brown gives each character distinct traits. Rather than the sorority being a clique of clones, each of the main girls has her own personality, and not all of them are gossip hounds. Some prove themselves worthy of Serena's friendship, while others, with their selfish agendas, do not.

For a time, Serena allows herself to look and act like the queen bees by taking out her eyebrow piercing and dressing in trendy clothes rather than comfy hoodies, but thankfully, she comes back to her senses. When the truth comes out in the end, as it always does, Serena is genuinely apologetic. She is a solid, believable character, and this is a solid story. Recommended.

Read My Lips by Teri Brown will be available in June 2008.

Read my interview with the author.

Some people may not understand or be fully aware of the differences between hearing impairments. There are those who are deaf since birth, those who are hard of hearing, late deafened people, oral deaf... Serena, the lead character in the upcoming novel Read My Lips, is an oral deaf teenager who is able to speak and has some level of hearing, but prefers to communicate by reading lips rather than using sign language. (Read my full-length book review.)

Teri Brown wrote the novel in tribute to near and dear family members with hearing impairments.

What prompted you to write Read My Lips?

The fact that Read My Lips exists is due to my mother in law, Judy Brown. After her granddaughter was diagnosed as profoundly deaf, Judy became an advocate for deaf children everywhere. We spent hours discussing her work and I was overjoyed as she was when Oregon passed the Newborn Hearing screening law she worked so hard for. She was a force! She would show up at legislative meetings carrying a plate of cookies and then blow them away with her knowledge. She was also on the board for the Oregon Chapter of The Alexander Graham Bell Association. The seeds for Read My Lips were sown during that time. Unfortunately, she passed away before the book was bought. I dedicated the book to her.

( Read more... )

Looking up to its big brothers and sisters of the Class of 2k7, here comes the Class of 2k8! Fittingly, 2k8 is made up of 28 debut authors whose juvenile or teen novels are hitting the shelves throughout 2008. Visit their website and blog.

( Read more... )

In Daphne Grab's debut novel, Alive and Well in Prague, New York, teenage Matisse feels like a city mouse forced into the life of a country mouse - so, naturally, the first question I asked the author was:

Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?

I grew up in the country but I am all city! The country is wonderful and I love to visit, but, like Matisse, I need bustle and noise around me, and concrete under my feet.

( Read more... )

Visit Daphne's website.

Read my review of Alive and Well in Prague, New York.

How do you miss a person who is still there with you?

When Matisse moves from New York City to the small town of Prague, New York, she feels like a city mouse forced into the life of a country mouse. She misses the sights and sounds of the metropolis, especially after she is chased by a crazy goose and woken by a rooster. Most of all, she misses her father. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease six years ago, and his severe decline in the past year prompted his family move. Theoretically, a change of scenery could be good for them, but the family barely speaks about his disease. Matisse is embarrassed and uncomfortable when her new neighbor mistakes her parents for her grandparents, and she is determined to keep her father's condition a secret from her classmates. She'd rather ignore the emails and phone calls from her concerned life-long best friend and make new friends who don't know what's going on at home. Instead, these interesting acquaintances - tell-it-like-it-is Violet, ultra-popular Marco, "rebel without a cause" activist Dylan, and hopeful young farmer Hal - surprise her with their reactions to her home life.

As the child of artists - her mother is a painter and her father a sculptor - Matisse is named accordingly. Because of that, I kept wishing that she would discover an artistic talent and express herself on canvas or on paper somehow. A physical manifestation of her emotions would have been a great climax. Without spoiling the book's conclusion, I'll say that I wouldn't mind seeing another book with Matisse as she comes to term with her father's illness and reconnects with her parents and maybe even with her old friend Cesse, all the while growing more into the person she will become.

Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab will be available in June. This is the author's debut novel.

Read my interview with Daphne Grab.

Colleen of Chasing Ray asked bloggers to name some books they are looking forward to reading this year. I have my eyes set on many forthcoming releases. (Check out the entire list.) Below are some highlights, including some titles I was fortunate enough to read in advance and others I can't wait to read:

January 2008
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley - Recovery and self-discovery. (Read my review.)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder - This verse novel, Schroeder's debut, sounds literally haunting.
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher - Growing up doesn't have to mean growing apart. (Read my review.)

February 2008
Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy - Quirky-funny, like her previous novel Lost It, but more of a dark comedy.
The Squad: Perfect Cover and The Squad: Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Spy cheerleaders = bring it on!

March 2008
42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer - I adored her 2006 release Reaching for Sun.
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti - I was truly fortunate to read this early. (Read my review.)
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian - I read it, loved it, and passed it to my most discerning teen customers, who loved it as well. (Read my review.)

April 2008
Feathered by Laura Kasischke - Utterly captivating and engrossing. I want to put this in the hands of adults and teens alike. (Read my review.)
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - A girl lost and found. (Read my review.)
Wish You Were Here by Catherine Clark - An unexpected and unusual road trip. (Read my review.)
Zibby Payne & the Party Problem and Zibby Payne & the Trio Trouble by Alison Bell - The third and fourth books about a headstrong sixth grader that would become fast friendswith Ramona Quimby. (Read my reviews.)

May 2008
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt - A solid story that will hopefully move others into action.
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski - Tom's first solo adult novel!
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon - It's like Neverwhere, but with Golden touches and Tim trimmings. (Learn more.)
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson - A family tries to keep up a hotel that's been passed down through the generations. This book has burnt food, fresh bagels, unicyclists, Hamlet, a former actress, and shiny things. What more could you want? (Read my review.)
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando - Perfect title for a story set in Vegas. (Read my review.)

June 2008
A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis - I'm so excited for Tanita, I could burst. (Read my review.)
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - I've been reading this series for decades.
House of Dance by Beth Kephart - The slow-quick-quick movement of life and loss. (Read my review.)

July 2008
Poison Ink by Christopher Golden - A new Golden thriller means a new chance to introduce him to teen and adult readers. Start thirsting for it now, people. It's worth it.

August 2008
The Brimstone Network by Tom Sniegoski - The start of a juvenile action-adventure/fantasy series.

September 2008
living dead girl by Elizabeth Scott - I've read two of Scott's novels and am anxious for more. She has three coming out this year: Perfect You comes out in March, Stealing Heaven in May, then ldg. The title has me, and you can thank Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel for that.

October 2008
My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel - Debut novel for middle schoolers.

November 2008
Dog and Bear: Two's Company by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - This is the second book about these fun friends. The first book, simply titled Dog and Bear, had three adorable stories, one of which was meta-fiction. That's right - META-FICTION in a picture book! Loved it!

December 2008
I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy - Mysteries and ghosts and rhinos, oh my!

For more titles, check out my entire list of books to read.

Blogs participating in today's highly anticipated round-up include:
Abby (the) Librarian
Angieville
Archimedes Forgets
Bildungsroman
Bookshelves of Doom (Post 1)
Bookshelves of Doom (Post 2)
Bookwyrm Chrysalis
Charlotte's Library
Chasing Ray
Confessions of a Bibliovore
Finding Wonderland (Post 1)
Finding Wonderland (Post 2)
Fuse #8
HipWriterMama
Interactive Reader
Jen Robinson's Book Page
Marlene Perez
Miss Erin
Not Your Mothers Book Club
The Reading Zone
S.A. Harazin
Sarah Miller
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Shaken & Stirred
Teen Book Review
Wizards Wireless
Writing and Ruminating
The YA YA YAs

Some girls have journals. I talk to my poster.

So begins The Opposite of Invisible, an absolute gem of a story.

Alice and Jewel have been best friends since the age of three. They have never had any romantic feelings for one another, always acting more like sister and brother without the sibling rivalry. They are more comfortable with each other than with anyone else in the whole world. Alice feels like she's invisible to everyone except Jewel, and though he's also under the radar at school, she considers Jewel to be "the opposite of invisible" to her.

Then, unexpectedly, Alice gets a boyfriend: Simon, a popular boy at school, her secret crush. Just as unexpectedly, Jewel starts to take notice of Alice in a new way. Along the way, an art class coaxes Alice out of her shell, just a little, just enough, as art gives her something that is hers and hers alone.

The Opposite of Invisible should be given to hopeful young artists along with a sketchpad, a journal, or an art print to inspire them as Picasso's Le Visage de Paix (The Face of Peace) inspires Alice. Le Visage de Paix is "Dove Girl" to Alice; this is the poster on her wall that she talks to and tells her deepest secrets, the things she can't even tell Jewel.

Alice is truly sweet sixteen, full of questions and confusion, with a hint of naivety that is endearing rather than disenchanting. She narrates the story in first person present tense, in a voice that is honest and refreshing. She finds solace in the silence and beauty in the little things.

The Opposite of Invisible is all about friends, first crushes, art and young artists. A quick read, this story will definitely appeal to fans of Cecil Castellucci's books. It will also interest those who liked Bringing Up the Bones by Lara M. Zeises but are seeking something lighter, happier. A notable debut by Liz Gallagher.

( More bits and pieces )

Read my interview with Liz.

Take a peek at Liz's journal and website.

Last fall, I got to know Liz Gallagher when she gave me the opportunity to design her website.

Next week, Liz will officially become a published author when her debut novel The Opposite of Invisible hits the shelves on January 8th. I'm so happy for her. The book is delightful, and I just know it is going to find its way into a lot of hearts.

Liz and I both like to talk - to others or to ourselves - so here we are, talking to each other, and letting you listen in!

Your book begins with the line:
"Some girls have journals. I talk to my poster."
How about you?

I talk to myself! There's a pretty constant dialogue going on in my head, between me and . . . some other version of me. My conscience? Maybe, but it's more like a best friend in my brain.

( Read more... )

Read my review of The Opposite of Invisible.

Visit LizGallagher.com

See what Liz has to say at her LiveJournal.

Attend Liz's upcoming signings:

Saturday, January 12th
Chester County Book Company
975 Paoli Pike (West Goshen Center)
West Chester, PA
@ 1:00 PM

Saturday, January 19th
THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE release party!
All for Kids Books & Music
2900 NE Blakeley St
Seattle, WA
2:00 PM -- 5:00 PM
with live music by Rachel Harrington