YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK
Task Force
by Brian Falkner
Hardcover Giveaway
Random House Books for Young Readers
Released 9/24/2013
The final invasion is coming. . . .
The aliens have massed on the northeast edge of Russia, waiting to attack as soon as the turbulent waters of the Bering Strait turn to ice. Recon Team Angel must act now.
It’s up to them to shepherd a task force upriver and infiltrate the aliens’ stronghold. They must cripple their enemies quickly and quietly. Luckily, Recon Team Angel was made for such missions. The six teens have been modified to look like aliens. They have spent years mastering alien culture so that they can talk, act–even think–like their enemies. But with their target in sight and time running out . . . can they save humanity and themselves?
Brian Falkner, author of The Assault, The Project, Brain Jack, and The Tomorrow Code, delivers the second book in his page-turning military thriller series full of heart-pounding action and unique sci-fi twists.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Task Force?
This is my first series, and so it is the first time I have had the opportunity to extend the world of a book into a second book. I wanted the first book, Assault, to be an action-packed adventure, but in Task Force, although still full of action and dangerous situations, I was able to dig a little deeper into the characters, and the developing relationships between them, as well as looking at how teenage soldiers might actually feel about being placed in life or death situations in a war zone.
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Dare Me
by Eric Devine
Paperback Giveaway
Running Press Kids
Released 9/24/2013
When Ben Candido and his friends, Ricky and John, decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the somebodies they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies that they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school, and the boys are sure that their self-appointed senior year of dares will live in infamy. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, but Ben cannot deny the thrill and sense of swagger that come with it. The stakes become even more complex when a mysterious donor bankrolls their dares in exchange for a cut in the online revenue the videos generate. But at what point do the risk and the reward come at too high of a price? What does it take to stay true to one’s self in the face of relentless pressure.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Dare Me?
Exploring how risking your life for a YouTube stunt could make sense. I was a risk-taker as a teen, and now, as a high school English teacher, I constantly hear stories from my students that echo my past. Except that today, such activities become a form of entertainment for anyone with a phone, and more importantly, for those who want to watch. It’s one thing to dare a friend to do something for the fun of the situation. It’s entirely different when the dare is visible for a worldwide audience. At that point, identity is as much on the line as is the success of the stunt. Therefore, when Ricky, my protagonist, and his friends begin their year of dares, not only does the reader get to watch their ridiculous antics, but gains insight into how this behavior shapes an individual, regardless of whether it is in the way he hoped for.
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The Darkest Path
by Jeff Hirsch
Signed Hardcover Giveaway
Scholastic Press
Released 9/24/2013
USA TODAY bestselling author Jeff Hirsch once again creates a futuristic world with stunning, dramatic realism.
A civil war rages between the Glorious Path–a militant religion based on the teachings of a former US soldier–and what’s left of the US government. Fifteen-year-old Callum Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured and forced to convert six years ago. Cal has been working in the Path’s dog kennels, and is very close to becoming one of the Path’s deadliest secret agents. Then Cal befriends a stray dog named Bear and kills a commander who wants to train him to be a vicious attack dog. This sends Cal and Bear on the run, and sets in motion a series of incredible events that will test Cal’s loyalties and end in a fierce battle that the fate of the entire country rests on.
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A Radiant Sky
by Jocelyn Davies
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
HarperTeen
Released 9/24/2013
Perfect for fans of Lauren Kate’s Fallen series and Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush saga, this darkly romantic story that began with A Beautiful Dark and gathered intensity in A Fractured Light comes to a thrilling conclusion in A Radiant Sky.
Since the night of her seventeenth birthday, Skye has been torn between two opposites: light and dark, the Order and the Rebellion, Devin and Asher. But in a shocking decision, she chose neither.
With the help of her friends, Skye now forges her own path, setting out to gather an uprising of Rogues. The elusive half-angels may be the key to maintaining the balance of fate and free will. But completing the mission her parents left unfinished is more difficult–and dangerous–than she could have imagined. And doing so comes at a cost: her greatest love may now be a lethal enemy. Because it’s not just the Order that sees her as a threat who must be eliminated. The Rebellion does, too.
Dark days lie ahead, and if Skye is to survive, she’ll need to rely on her extraordinary powers and the strength of her will. Because she has a future–and a love–that’s worth fighting for.
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Find Me
by Romily Bernard
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
HarperTeen
Released 9/24/2013
“Find Me.” These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found…dead.
Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target. Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick.
Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?
Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.
But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.
Because it just got personal.
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YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS LAST WEEK: WINNERS
The Clockwork Scarab
by Colleen Gleason
Hardcover Giveaway
Chronicle Books
Released 9/17/2013
Winner: Natalie A.
Two young women of similar age and standing have disappeared: one found dead and the other still missing. The only clue to connect them is a small Egyptian clockwork scarab. Only Miss Stoker and Miss Holmes are well-positioned enough–similar in age and stature as they are to the victims–to investigate. An unlikely pair, the fierce Evaline Stoker and logical Mina Holmes must follow in the footsteps of their infamous families–Miss Holmes has inherited her Uncle Sherlock’s keen investigative skills, while Miss Stoker has accepted her family calling as a hunter of the undead. The partners must find a way to work together, while navigating the advances of a strange yet handsome American, a clever Scotland Yard investigator, and a cunning thief, to solve the mystery of the clockwork scarabs.
Set in steam punk London, steeped in Egyptian mythology and literary references, with a surprising time travel twist and compelling romantic triangles, Colleen Gleason has crafted a fast-paced and romantic debut young adult novel.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Clockwork Scarab?
My favorite thing about The Clockwork Scarab is the fact that it’s a mishmash of my favorite things…Sherlock Holmes, female superheroes, time travel and alternate history. I just loved being able to pull all of these things into one story…and have it make sense. 🙂
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3:59
by Gretchen McNeil
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Balzer + Bray Books
Released 9/17/2013
Winner: Marie H.
Josie Byrne’s life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she’s betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can’t get worse.
Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time–3:59 a.m.
Jo’s life is everything Josie wants: she’s popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they’re just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror — Jo.
Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgangers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo’s perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.
But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo’s boyfriend, he hates her. Jo’s mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.
By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?
From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had — and how they just might kill you.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about 3:59?
I loved being able to create two versions of every character.
Okay, it was a daunting task. What was similar about them? What was different? What were the subtleties of their relationships with each other? It took a LOT of work, but it’s such a unique opportunity, not just to create parallel story lines, but to have them interact with each other! It was awesome. And scary.
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The Burning Sky
by Sherry Thomas
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Balzer + Bray
Released 9/17/2013
Winner: Joni P.
It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning.
Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation–or so she’s being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.
Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he’s also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family–even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.
But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Burning Sky?
My favorite thing about the book is that it depicts a true partnership.
The two protagonists in the story, Iolanthe and Titus, are both the lone wolf type. Each is used to doing everything by him/herself. They do not trust easily and they do not form a team easily. But during the course of the story, they must work together and rely on each other, in order to survive and then to make headways toward their objective of bringing down a terrifying tyrant.
I enjoyed the process of taking them from mutual wariness to a state of tremendous closeness and affinity.
(And, of course, they find each other hot.) 🙂
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Dead Girls Don”t Lie
by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Advance Reader Copy Giveaway
Walker Childrens
Released 9/17/2013
Winner: Melinda G.
Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue–starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.
In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.
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MORE YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Steelheart
by Brandon Sanderson
Hardcover
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Released 9/24/2013
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.
But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.
Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart–the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning–and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Steelheart?
The pacing. There are certain things that I was able to do with a single first-person viewpoint in a fast-paced action-oriented story that I haven’t been able to do in any other story that I’ve written. I feel like the awesome pacing just tears you through the book and reads like a really fun action movie. I’m quite proud of how that worked.
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The Paradox of Vertical Flight
by Emil Ostrovski
Hardcover
Greenwillow Books
Released 9/24/2013
What happens when you put a suicidal eighteen-year-old philosophy student, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, and his newborn baby in a truck and send them to Grandma’s house? This debut novel by Emil Ostrovski will appeal to fans of John Green, Chris Crutcher, and Jay Asher.
On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, philosophy student and high school senior Jack Polovsky is somewhat seriously thinking of suicide when his cell phone rings. Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Jess, has given birth, and Jack is the father. Jack hasn’t spoken with Jess in about nine months—and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. The new teenage father kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend, Tommy, and the ex-girlfriend. As they head to Grandma’s house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates about Homer, Troy, Aristotle, the real Socrates, and the Greek myths—because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one. Funny, heart-wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love, friendship, fate, fatherhood, and myth.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Paradox of Vertical Flight?
I started writing THE PARADOX OF VERTICAL FLIGHT halfway through my time at college, when it dawned on me that I would not be a student forever. That, eventually, I would have to enter the so-called “real world” I was so suspicious of. So, in the same way that the main character of the novel, Jack, is at a crossroads, I too was at a crossroads. His search for meaning was, in a way, my search for meaning. His attempt to say goodbye to his childhood, to the friends that he may very well lose touch with sometime between getting a diploma and getting a funeral plot, was my attempt to say goodbye. That’s why this book is meaningful to me. That’s why I’ll always remember it. That’s why I didn’t lose interest in it, no matter how many revisions I did, no matter how unlikely publication often seemed. So, in answer to your question–my favorite part of the novel is the spirit behind it, the existential angst and uncertainty that Jack feels in the beginning, that sets him off on his quest. Because it is that same existential angst and uncertainty that propelled me as a writer.
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The Fallout
by S.A. Bodeen
Hardcover
Feiwel & Friends
Released 9/24/2013
In this long-awaited sequel to The Compound, Eli and his family can run but they can’t hide.
After barely escaping from the compound where Eli’s dad kept his family for six years, they’re learning to acclimate to “normal” life–whatever that is for them. It seems like the entire world wants to know what happened to this high profile family.
Slowly they begin to make their way back into the world, but Eli can’t escape the creeping feeling that they’re being watched everywhere they go. But by who?
Eli’s anxiety is heightened as unnerving information continually surfaces about Eli’s dad’s company. Not to mention the sketchy new friend his twin brother Eddy has. Nothing seems to be “normal” anymore. New people are entering their lives–but who can Eli and his family trust?
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Fallout?
The Fallout is a book I was never going to write. I felt that The Compound ended in a good place. But it had ended. However, I spent so much of the next few years doing school visits and Skypes, and readers always asked, “What happens next?” I would say, “Nothing, the story is done.” But after getting asked the question so much, I began to wonder myself. And I came up with an idea, and told my editor, thinking she would think I was crazy. But she liked it, and the sequel was a go. The thing I like most about The Fallout is that I wrote it solely with the readers of The Compound in mind. I wanted to make them happy with where the story went. And I hope the book makes them happy.
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Battle Magic
by Tamora Pierce
Hardcover
Scholastic Press
Released 9/24/2013
On their way to the first Circle temple in Gyongxi, mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy pay a visit to the emperor’s summer palace. Although treated like royalty when they first arrive, the mages soon discover that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxi, posing a fatal threat to the home temple of the Living Circle religion. Accompanied by one of the emperor’s prize captives, the three mages rush to Gyongxi to warn its citizens of the impending attack. With the imperials hot on their trail, Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy must quickly help the country prepare for battle. But even with the help of new allies, will their combined forces be enough to fight the imperial army and win the war?
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Battle Magic?
This is tricky, because I don’t want to do any spoilers! Well, one
thing isn’t a spoiler for anyone who has read MELTING STONES or THE WILL
OF THE EMPRESS, which are actually sequels to BATTLE MAGIC that I
happened to write first (long story). In those books readers met the
living heart of a mountain, an 18 inch tall flourite (green, purple, and
clear crystal) creature that looks a bit like a water-worn animal that
is sitting on his hindquarters. His name is Luvo, and this is the book
in which Evvy, my young stone wizard, meets Luvo for the very first time.
I knew that they would meet in this book. I did not know how many other
interesting encounters that Evvy, Briar, and their teacher Rosethorn
would have as they race through the highest mountains in the world,
fleeing ahead of a powerful army in the hope that they can save a tiny
country in its path. I can honestly say that I had no idea some of the
creations they encounter were in my head at all!
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MORE YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK
Inhuman
by Kat Falls
Hardcover
Scholastic
Released 9/24/2013
In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.
America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.
Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts–he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding–until he’s caught.
Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb–and her very DNA–in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.
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Inheritance
by Malinda Lo
Hardcover
LBYR
Released 9/24/2013
The triangular spaceship hovered motionless in the sky above Reese Holloway’s house, as inscrutable as a black hole. It had seemed like a good idea when they were inside: to tell the truth about what happened to them at Area 51. It didn’t seem like such a good idea now.
Reese and David are not normal teens–not since they were adapted with alien DNA by the Imria, an extraterrestrial race that has been secretly visiting Earth for decades. Now everyone is trying to get to them: the government, the Imria, and a mysterious corporation that would do anything for the upper hand against the aliens.
Beyond the web of conspiracies, Reese can’t reconcile her love for David with her feelings for her ex-girlfriend Amber, an Imrian. But her choice between two worlds will play a critical role in determining the future of humanity, the Imria’s place in it, and the inheritance she and David will bring to the universe.
In this gripping sequel to Adaptation, Malinda Lo brings a thoughtful exploration of adolescence, sexuality, and “the other” to a science fiction thriller that is impossible to put down.
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Untold
by Sarah Rees Brennan
Hardcover
Random House
Released 9/24/2013
Free from bonds, but not each other
It’s time to choose sides. On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways.
But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?
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A Spark Unseen
by Sharon Cameron
Hardcover
Scholastic
Released 9/24/2013
The thrilling sequel to Sharon Cameron’s blockbuster gothic steampunk romance, THE DARK UNWINDING, will captivate readers anew with mystery and intrigue aplenty.
When Katharine Tulman wakes in the middle of the night and accidentally foils a kidnapping attempt on her uncle, she realizes Stranwyne Keep is no longer safe for Uncle Tully and his genius inventions. She flees to Paris, where she hopes to remain undetected and also find the mysterious and handsome Lane, who is suspected to be dead.
But the search for Lane is not easy, and Katharine soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of political intrigue. And with unexpected enemies and allies at every turn, Katharine will have to figure out whom she can trust–if anyone–to protect her uncle from danger once and for all.
Filled with deadly twists, whispering romance, and heart-stopping suspense, this sequel to THE DARK UNWINDING whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.
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Where the Stars Still Shine
by Trish Doller
Hardcover
Bloomsbury Children”s
Released 9/24/2013
Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She’s never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love–even with someone who seems an improbable choice–is more than just a possibility.
Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.
*
“Trish Doller writes strong, gutsy characters that you can’t help caring for and Callie is no exception. Her journey is heartbreaking and powerful.” Melina Marchetta, Printz Award winning author of Jellicoe Road
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