Tag Archives: young adult

Author Interview – James Dashner

Today we are joined by James Dasher, author of “The Jimmy Fincher Series.” He’s here to talk with us about the latest developments in his career, his other books, and his really awesome news. James, I had the pleasure of interviewing you in November of 2006. Some really outstanding things have happened in your life since then. Can you tell us a little bit about “The 13th Reality” series? It’s a fantasy/sci-fi series involving everything from alternate realities to creatures called fangen to weird futuristic gadgets like barrier wands and gnat rats. Lots of riddles, humor, and action, too. The … Continue reading →

Sixteen in No Time – BJ Rowley

Celinda and her friend Mandy are looking forward to the junior prom. Celinda has been asked to go by Travis Foxx, the hottest guy in school, and Mandy has her eye on a guy of her own. The dance is just a week away and they’re full of high hopes. . . but there’s a problem. They each have rules in their homes that they can’t date until they’re sixteen, and the prom comes right before their birthdays. Consequently, their parents say they can’t go. Heartbroken, Celinda decides there has to be a way to get around her parents. She … Continue reading →

Interview with the YA and Speculative Fiction Diva Lisa Mantchev

Many of my writer friends have been gracious enough to agree to an interview here about their pets, families, and lives. In case you missed it, my first target was Jay Lake and my second target was Jim C. Hines. Next up is the divine Miz Lisa Mantchev. I had the pleasure of attending a writing retreat with her last spring and she is absolutely a fun, funny, wonderful person. It just so happens that she’s also a phenomenal writer with her first novel (of a trilogy) coming out in 2009. Aimee: What kind of things do you write about? … Continue reading →

The Frog Princess – E. D. Baker

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who kissed a frog, he turned into a prince, and they lived happily ever after. Right? Not in “The Frog Princess.” She kissed the frog, and turned into a frog herself. Princess Esmeralda is not your traditional princess. She has all the grace of a goat, and can’t seem to get control of her yards and yards of skirts. Worst of all, she’s supposed to be spending the afternoon with Prince Jorge, and she can’t stand him. When she finds out he’s coming, she heads out to the swamp behind the … Continue reading →

Makeover – Shannon Guymon

“Makeover” is a new LDS young adult novel by author Shannon Guymon. Sophie Reid has waited faithfully for her missionary and now it’s time for him to come home. She spends hours making the world’s greatest poster and goes to the airport to meet him, sure that her future is set in stone – a diamond, that is. Blake begged her to marry him soon after his return, but for some reason, there’s a gorgeous brunette also waiting at the airport. Turns out, she was a sister missionary serving with Blake, and they wrote to each other after her release. … Continue reading →

The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie Muldoon is an orphan, but he doesn’t feel particularly bad about it because he’s never known anything different. He lives in a large orphanage filled with children who ignore him, and his only friend is his tutor. She’s a kindly older woman who has taken Reynie into her heart, and it’s a good thing, too, otherwise no one would love him at all. One morning while reading the paper, they spy an ad for children of unusual abilities. Just what these abilities are supposed to be, the ad doesn’t say, but Reynie is curious. He decides to go in … Continue reading →

Book of Enchantments – Patricia C. Wrede

The more I read by this author, the more “enchanted” I find myself. She has taken the traditional fairy tale format and tweaked it, even poking at the stereotypical and making it seem funny. You recall the review I wrote on “Dealing with Dragons” –I loved that book and will continue to snap up whatever else I find by the same author. “Book of Enchantments” is a collection of short stories that take place in fantasy worlds in ages past as well as our own world in our own time. I’d like to share with you the highlights of some … Continue reading →

Fairest – Gail Carson Levine

From the author of “Ella Enchanted” comes “Fairest,” the story of a girl who was left at an inn as a small baby. The innkeepers took her in and loved her, despite the fact that as she grew, she was considered ugly by all those around her. In her kingdom, beauty was considered the most important quality, followed closely by the ability to sing. In fact, in their culture, much of their conversation was sung, rather than spoken, and if you could not sing well, you were an outcast, socially. Aza, our heroine, could sing beautifully, which more than made … Continue reading →

The Green Glass Sea – Ellen Klages

I’ve researched the atomic bomb from many different angles, but never from this one. “The Green Glass Sea” is told from the perspective of the children who live in Los Alamos, whose parents are the scientists who built the bomb. Dewey Kerrigan is nearly eleven when she comes to Los Alamos. Her father has been away working for the Army for years, and her mother abandoned them when Dewey was just a baby, so Dewey has been living with her grandmother. But when her grandmother has a stroke, Dewey comes to live with her father on The Hill, as Los … Continue reading →

What I Call Life – Jill Wolfson

“What I Call Life” is a young adult fiction novel set around the Pumpkin House, an orange building filled to the brim with foster children who operate under the care of the Knitting Lady. When Cal Lavender’s mother has another one of her “episodes,” this time in a public library, eleven-year-old Cal isn’t fazed. This is normal behavior for her mother. Soon she’ll snap out of it and everything will be fine, until the next time. But the authorities are called and Betty is taken off for treatment, while Cal is taken to the Pumpkin House. She doesn’t know what … Continue reading →