Watch for It: Untwine, by Edwidge Danticat

According to the acknowledgments in Untwine, we have our own Lisa Sandell to thank for inquiring whether Edwidge Danticat, award-winning author for adults, might have a YA story to share. With a plot line similar to my own work Hit, I was intrigued and dove straight into the novel.

Watch for this release, readergirlz, and drop into the drama of a teen girl losing her twin sister. Walk with a family looking for answers in the midst of deepest grief. Mourn with Giselle and find hope, beautifully.

Welcome to the YA world, Edwidge!

Untwine
By Eldridge Danticat
Scholastic Press, September 2015

Watch for It: The Lightning Queen

I'm rejoicing in the upcoming release of former readergirlz guest, Laura Resau. In The Lightning Queen there's magic, friendship, truth, and beauty in words calling up a former Oaxaca, Mexico. The modern day accompanying story strings the work together like Esma's own silver-coined necklace. The friendship between her, a Romani girl, and the Mixteco boy, Teo, rises up against impediments and barriers.

Favorite quotes to treasure:

"Give yourself a fortune and make it come true."

"Better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion."

"'You know what you are?'
'What?' I called up.
Through hundreds of sunlit leaves, her coins flashed, and her voice sang out, 'The wings of a bird, my friend! A whole flock of birds! You lift everyone up!'"

Thank you, Laura, for another book of hope and beauty! Watch for it, rgz!

The Lightning Queen
by Laura Resau
Scholastic Press, October 27, 2015

Watch for It: Lawless

Yes, the protag is 12, but I have to post this at rgz! Jeffrey Salane's Lawless is so fast-paced and fun, you will race from the beginning to the end before your sibling has a chance to pick up the book.

M Freeman is an only child, a homeschooled daughter of thieves. Accepted into the boarding school, Lawless, she finds her way through the maze of the institution, first friendships, and her own past. The discoveries fly faster than M scrambling over the roof of a subway train.

Here's an excerpt:

"Ms. Freeman, I'm going to go off-record for a moment, which is why I've excused Ms. Smith from this room. If you repeat anything I say from this moment on, I will deny everything. I knew your father. I knew him very well. You are your father's daughter, and I hope you'll understand in time why I'm telling you this. Forget the Lawless School. Forget everything that just happened. Walk out that door, do not talk to Ms. Smith, get in your car and go home. Do not open that envelope I've handed you. Burn it. And scatter the ashes."

Watch for this page turner, read Lawless, and find you are waiting with me for Book 2!

Lawless
by Jeffrey Salane
Scholastic Press, April 1, 2013

rgz Newsflash: Arthur A. Levine

A definite perk to the business is getting to hang out with editors and authors made of awesome. Last night I attended Plot for Tots orchestrated by former rgz team member, Sara Easterly. Imagine a toddler mosh pit, an amazing musician, and authors reading board and picture books with proceeds going to charity Page Ahead. Sweet!

What an honor to be included in the awesome lineup along with one of the industry's most charming editor/authors, Arthur A. Levine. Are those not the cutest glasses he wears?

While I read Hug Hug! and Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish, he read Monday is One Day. Watch for my review of his picture book on Friday at readertotz!

Do I need say, here is the U.S. editor for the Harry Potter series? *squeeeeeee* Ah, good times!

Winners: Harry Potter Prize Pack!

We've randomly chosen five commenters from this contest who will receive a paperback prize pack of:

Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

And they are....

Tasses!
Well my name's Morgan and...!
FzngWizbee!
Katie!
Readingjunky!

Email your addresses to us at readergirlz AT gmail DOT com, and we'll have Scholastic send off your prize packs! Hooray!

Harry Potter Giveaway!!

The boy wizard is in paperback! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final chapter in Harry Potter’s adventures, will be releases in paperback July 7^th! It all comes down to this - a final face off between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve.

* We're hosting a contest here at readergirlz right on this very blog post. To enter, just be a follower of the blog and comment below to tell us when you read your first Harry book... or admit that you haven't picked them up yet (anyone? anyone?). *

In three weeks, we'll choose five winners to receive a paperback prize pack of:
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Good luck, everyone!

Diva Delight: A Map of the Known World, Lisa Ann Sandell

How lovely is Lisa Ann Sandell? VERY! And not just because I'm partial to verse novelists. :~) Or because her middle name is Ann without an "e," too. Her latest work is prose, and it launches in a few short days!



Cora is dealing with the death of her older brother, Nate. Surviving in a small town while trying to unravel who her brother really was, she dreams of distant places she might one day visit. Her passion is to draw beautiful enhanced maps. When Cora begins to relate to Damian, the boy who survived her brother's car crash, she finds truth, friendship, and her own way through her world.

"They say no land remains to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me. I want to do things-I want to walk the rain-soaked streets of London, and drink mint tea in Casablanca. I want to wander the wastelands of the Gobi desert and see a yak. I think my life's ambition is to see a yak. I want to bargain for trinkets in an Arab market in some distant, dusty land. There's so much. But, most of all, I want to do things that will mean something."

A Map of the Known World is a beautiful contribution to YA lit. The inclusion of art as a means to heal and understand is so well done and uplifting. In keeping with the novel's themes, Lisa has uploaded a virtual gallery. What a marvelous idea! She was kind enough to accept my collage for my latest work in progress. Look for Secrets!

Brava, Lisa! And happy launch to you!

A Map of the Known World
Lisa Ann Sandell
Scholastic Press, 2009