YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK
Project Cain
by Geoffrey Girard
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Simon & Schuster
Released 9/3/2013
Fifteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson had never heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, the infamous serial killer who brutally murdered seventeen people more than twenty years ago. But Jeff’s life changes forever when the man he’d thought was his father hands him a government file telling him he was constructed in a laboratory only seven years ago, part of a top-secret government cloning experiment called “Project CAIN”.
There, he was created entirely from Jeffrey Dahmer’s DNA. There are others like Jeff–those genetically engineered directly from the most notorious murderers of all time: The Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy . . . even other Jeffrey Dahmer clones. Some raised, like Jeff, in caring family environments; others within homes that mimicked the horrific early lives of the men they were created from.
When the most dangerous boys are set free by the geneticist who created them, the summer of killing begins. Worse, these same teens now hold a secret weapon even more dangerous than the terrible evil they carry within. Only Jeff can help track the clones down before it’s too late. But will he catch the “monsters” before becoming one himself?
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Project Cain?
PROJECT CAIN started as a teen novel about cloned serial killers with a strange first-person-but-not narration that my agents asked me to rewrite into an adult thriller. Which I did (CAIN’S BLOOD), and we all liked, but then they asked: “Hey, we loved this Jeff character. Any interest in doing a YA novel just about him?” Absolutely! In PROJECT CAIN, Jeff Jacobson is the first-person protagonist and teenage clone of the murderer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer at sixteen was a shy midwest kid, book smart, Boy Scout, interested in science and lifting weights, fighting depression alone, not quite sure how to make friends, parents always fighting, realizing he was homosexual in a time/place even way more difficult than it can be today. THAT kid I kinda liked. THAT kid was breaking my damn heart. Fiction is all about What Ifs. My favorite thing about PROJECT CAIN is that I got to get into the head/heart of THAT kid as Jeff Jacobson ultimately became the “idealized” version of what Dahmer could/should have been. Those same frailties, temperament, and promise. What If Dahmer’s parents had simply divorced sooner instead of screaming at each other for a decade? What if a concerned teacher’d noticed he was showing up to school drunk? What if Dahmer were raised in the 2000s and there were a couple more people around to say: “You’re homosexual, huh? You’ll find much love here too and it’s the most natural thing in the world.” What if he’d gotten some therapy, been put on the right depression meds, etc. I’ve rarely written in first-person, but the opportunity to speak as Jeff Jacobson and explore this curious “What If?” and his own search for self was very much welcomed.
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The Uprising
by Lisa M. Stasse
Hardcover Giveaway
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released 8/6/2013
In this dystopian sequel to The Forsaken, Alenna has survived the brutality of life on the wheel–and now she’s going back for more.
Alenna escaped. It was expected that she would die on the wheel, the island where would-be criminals are sent as directed by the UNA–the totalitarian supercountry that was once the United States, Mexico, and Canada. But Alenna and her boyfriend, Liam, made it to safety. Except safety, they will soon learn, is relative.
In order to bring down the UNA, they must first gain control of the wheel. If the mission succeeds, the wheel will become a base of revolution. But between betrayals, a new Monk leading a more organized army of Drones, and the discovery of a previously unknown contingent, Alenna, Liam, and their allies might be in over their heads. One thing Alenna knows for sure: There will be a reckoning. And not everyone she loves will make it out alive.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Uprising?
One of my favorite things about The Uprising is that amazing cover art by my friend Lizzy Bromley. It’s so cool! But in terms of the book itself, which is probably what you really want to know, I think my favorite element is Alenna’s transformation into a real warrior and a leader. At the beginning of The Forsaken, Alenna was a naïve and sheltered girl when she first got banished to Prison Island Alpha. But in The Uprising, she is ready to take control of her own destiny. One of her biggest challenges is figuring out who she can trust—and learning how to stay true to her own instincts. Alenna is forced to question everything and everyone around her. She is also forced to get dirty and fight. Her continued evolution as a character plays a crucial role in the plot, and whether or not she and the other rebels will be successful in their mission.
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Awaken
by Meg Cabot
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Point
Released 7/2/2013
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, the dark reimagining of the Persephone myth comes to a thrilling conclusion.
Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.
Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.
But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.
If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die.
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Infinityglass
by Myra McEntire
Hardcover Giveaway
EgmontUSA
Released 8/6/2013
The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.
The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers — have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time travelers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.
With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.
But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn’t an object. It’s a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?
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The Golden Day
by Ursula Dubosarsky
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Candlewick
Released 8/6/2013
When their teacher goes missing during an outing, eleven girls grapple with the aftermath in this haunting, exquisitely told psychological mystery.
The Vietnam War rages overseas, but back at home, in a year that begins with the hanging of one man and ends with the drowning of another, eleven schoolgirls embrace their own chilling history when their teacher abruptly goes missing on a field trip. Who was the mysterious poet they had met in the Garden? What actually happened in the seaside cave that day? And most important — who can they tell about it? In beautifully shimmering prose, Ursula Dubosarsky reveals how a single shared experience can alter the course of young lives forever. Part gripping thriller, part ethereal tale of innocence lost, The Golden Day is a poignant study of fear and friendship, and of what it takes to come of age with courage.
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YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS LAST WEEK: WINNERS
Earthbound
by Aprilynne Pike
Signed Hardcover Plus Swag Giveaway
Razorbill
Released 7/30/2013
Winner: Jessica Wu
Love, fate, and power collide in this new series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike!
Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. Tavia will soon to discover that she’s an Earthbound–someone with the ability to create matter out of nothing–and that she alone holds the key to stopping the Reduciata, an evil society that manipulates global events for its own shadowy purposes. Tavia will ultimately have to make a choice: to come into her powers and save the world from the evil Reduciata or to choose free will and a love of her own.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Earthbound?
My favorite thing about EARTHBOUND is that it changed SO much between idea and publication. I switched editors mid-way through so even after massive changes there were MORE massive changes. But so for the best! I love the statue it turned into after the hunk of rock I started out with.:)
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Brother, Brother
by Clay Carmichael
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Roaring Brook Press
Released 7/30/2013
Winner: meryvamp
The day his grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Billy “Brother” Grace discovers that he has a twin who has recently made headlines by nearly overdosing on drugs. His twin also happens to be the son of a powerful senator. His newly discovered family may not be all that interested in a cheery reunion, but Brother is determined to get answers. When he arrives on the secluded island off the coast of North Carolina where the senator and his family live, sparks will fly, old resentments will be released, and secrets revealed. Part coming-of-age story, part love story, Clay Carmichael’s Brother, Brother is a book about finding out that who you are and where you come from aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Brother, Brother?
This varies, I admit. Some days it’s my main character, Brother, who struggles mightily against passivity and whose deep kindness both serves him and holds him back. Other days it’s his grandmother, Mem, who has died as the book begins, but through Brother and others is very much a presence and the story’s moral center. Or Senator Grayson, who’s powerful, ruthless, and charismatic all at the same time. Sometimes it’s Mamie, Senator Grayson’s sister, who I named for my late godmother and favorite aunt. Often, it’s Trooper, Brother’s prescient Australian-Shepherd mix. I grew up with dogs, but now have cats and miss dog energy in my life. So I gave myself the gift of Trooper and also his Labrador-friend, Frank, who’s named after a wonderful Pointer of my grandfather’s.
Today, though, it’s Kit, who rescues Brother and five-year-old Jack at a rest stop early in the book. I love a fierce heroine, love-interest and muse, and she’s all three and more–just what Brother needs and most desires, even though he may not know it at first. Kit appeared almost fully formed in an early draft, and from the first she was a real firebrand, saying to this author, “I’m here, and this is how things are going to be.” A young woman after my own–and Brother’s–heart.
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Midnight Frost
by Jennifer Estep
Paperback Plus Swag Giveaway
K-Teen
Released 7/30/2013
Winner: RetroLibrarian
Here we go again…
Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.
As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Midnight Frost?
One of my favorite things about writing any of my books is getting to work on the action and fight scenes in the books. I just really enjoy writing action scenes and figuring out how my heroine can use her magic and wits to defeat the bad guys.
In MIDNIGHT FROST, I have an action scene at the Library of Antiquities at Mythos Academy, where my heroine, Gwen Frost, goes to school, as well as several action scenes outside of the academy. I hope that folks enjoy reading these scenes as much as I did writing them. Happy reading, everyone!
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Prep School Confidential
by Kara Taylor
Paperback Giveaway
St. Martin”s Griffin
Released 7/30/2013
Winner: Krystal C.
In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.
Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side–that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.
When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read–even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Prep School Confidential?
I grew up watching a ton of procedural mysteries on television– my dad let me watch Law & Order Criminal Intent when I was young, and while it gave me nightmares at times, it shaped my love for the mystery genre. So my favorite thing about Prep School Confidential is the way Anne investigates her roommate’s murder. Even though she doesn’t have the resources the police do, she’s able to crack the case using non-conventional means, almost becoming a Veronica Mars-esque PI. I love that about Anne, and I hope readers do too!
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The Boy on the Bridge
by Natalie Standiford
Hardcover Giveaway
Scholastic
Released 7/30/2013
Winner: Hong Tran
A new breathtaking novel from Natalie Standiford about love and trust during the Cold War.
Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia–a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she’s been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?
As June approaches–when Laura must return to the United States–Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She’s only nineteen and doesn’t think she’s ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn’t she take it?
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Boy on the Bridge?
THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE is based on an episode from my real life, but it is also highly fictionalized. The first draft was too close to reality and didn’t work at all, but I needed to write all that out before I could free myself from what really happened and transform my memories into a good story. Some of the characters are based on real people, some based on composites of real people, and some completely made up. Once they began to take on a life of their own I knew the novel was working.
So, to answer the question, my favorite thing about THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE is that I was able to use my real experience in my work, and given a chance to shape it, dramatize it, and otherwise make it “better.” It’s like being able to relive a period of my life that shaped me profoundly, and to think deeply about how and why it affected me. That’s one of my favorite things about writing fiction in general, come to think of it: the way that everything that happens can be material for work.
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MORE YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Wise Young Fool
by Sean Beaudoin
Hardcover
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released 8/6/2013
Teen rocker Ritchie Sudden is pretty sure his life has just jumped the shark. Except he hates being called a teen, his band doesn’t play rock, and “jumping the shark” is yet another dumb cliche. Part of Ritchie wants to drop everything and walk away. Especially the part that’s serving ninety days in a juvenile detention center.
Telling the story of the year leading up to his arrest, Ritchie grabs readers by the throat before (politely) inviting them along for the (max-speed) ride. A battle of the bands looms. Dad split about five minutes before Mom’s girlfriend moved in. There’s the matter of trying to score with the dangerously hot Ravenna Woods while avoiding the dangerously huge Spence Proffer–not to mention just trying to forget what his sister, Beth, said the week before she died.
This latest offering from acclaimed author Sean Beaudoin is alternately raw, razor-sharp, and genuinely hilarious.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Wise Young Fool?
Wise Young Fool is the first book I’ve written in which many of the scenes are based on my actual experiences as a seventeen year old. It’s not a memoir, and the scenes are all heavily fictionalized, but before I started writing I made of list of events I wanted to base certain chapters on. So it was a lot of fun to play with particular memories like that, and not always have to worry about creating an entire new world for the characters. Some of that history includes: playing in a punk band, various girlfriends, trips to Manhattan, demented friends, the fear of being stomped, and buying a guitar. Also, untold moments of madness, lust, vandalism, incarceration, euphoria, head-banging, guitar distortion, and sheer embarrassment.
It’s the book I tried to write, and actually came out the way I wanted it to, which is a very rare thing indeed.
My favorite thing about Wise Young Fool is that it exists!
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Chasing Shadows
by Swati Avasthi
Hardcover
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Released 8/6/2013
Chasing Shadows is a searing look at the impact of one random act of violence.
Before: Corey, Holly, and Savitri are one unit–fast, strong, inseparable. Together they turn Chicago concrete and asphalt into a freerunner’s jungle gym, ricocheting off walls, scaling buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
But acting like a superhero doesn’t make you bulletproof…
After: Holly and Savitri are coming unglued. Holly says she’s chasing Corey’s killer, chasing revenge. Savitri fears Holly’s just running wild–and leaving her behind. Friends should stand by each other in times of crisis. But can you hold on too tight? Too long?
In this intense novel, told in two voices, and incorporating comic-style art sections, Swati Avasthi creates a gripping portrait of two girls teetering on the edge of grief and insanity. Two girls who will find out just how many ways there are to lose a friend . . . and how many ways to be lost.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Chasing Shadows?
One of the things I love about writing YA is how innovative you get to be — younger readers seem more amenable to changes in form. Which allows the YA author to play. Thanks to authors like Brian Selznick, combining graphics and prose has opened up a world of possibilities. My favorite thing about CHASING SHADOWS is how the graphic pieces in the book work in relation to the prose.
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MORE YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK
Maybe Tonight?
by Bridie Clark
Paperback
Roaring Brook Press
Released 8/6/2013
Maybe Tonight? opens as the reader is getting ready for the most exciting party of the year–Midwinter’s Night Dream, set in the frosty woods just off campus–with her roommates and best friends Annabel Snow, Spider Harris, and Libby Monroe. Choices unfold quickly and the reader must decide which risks to take in pursuit of social status, adventure, success, and love.
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Second Impact
by David Klass and Perri Klass
Hardcover
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Released 8/6/2013
Kendall is a football town, and Jerry Downing is the high school’s star quarterback, working to redeem himself after he nearly killed a girl in a drunk driving accident last year. Carla Jenson, lead reporter for the school newspaper’s sports section, has recruited Jerry to co-author a blog chronicling the season from each of their perspectives. When Jerry’s best friend on the team takes a hit too hard and gets hurt, Carla wonders publicly if injury in the game comes at too high a cost in a player’s life—but not everyone in Kendall wants to hear it…
David Klass and Perri Klass’s Second Impact is an action-packed story will resonate with readers who have been following recent news stories are football injuries.
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TMI
by Patty Blount
Paperback
Sourcebooks Fire
Released 8/6/2013
Best friends don’t lie.
Best friends don’t ditch you for a guy.
Best friends don’t post your deepest, darkest secrets online.
Bailey’s falling head-over-high-heels for Ryder West, a mysterious gamer she met online. A guy she’s never met in person. Her best friend, Meg, doesn’t trust smooth-talking Ryder. He’s just a picture-less profile.
When Bailey starts blowing Meg off to spend more virtual quality time with her new crush, Meg decides it’s time to prove Ryder’s a phony.
But one stupid little secret posted online turns into a friendship-destroying feud to answer the question:
Who is Ryder West?
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Charmed Vengeance
by Suzanne Lazear
Paperback
Flux
Released 8/8/2013
In the Faerie realm, Noli Braddock’s relationship with her best friend V has grown into something more. But V’s mother, Faerie Queen Tiana, has ruled that they are forbidden to see each other. Returning to the mortal realm, Noli joins the crew of her brother’s air-pirate ship, the Vixen’s Revenge. There she discovers that her brother has hired the scallywag Faerie huntsman, Kevighn Silver. While serving as shipmates, Kevighn and Noli learn that the Earth Court King plans to find a forbidden artifact–one that will bring destruction to everyone Noli loves.
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