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New Releases This Week 07/29 – 08/04

by Shelly Zev

Happy Monday! We’re so excited to be featuring so many new releases this week! Make sure to read all about them below.

Happy Reading,

Shelly, Sam, Martina, Erin, Susan, Kelly, Laura, Emily, Anisaa, and Lori Ann

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES THIS WEEK

* * * *

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
by Serena Blasco and Nancy Springer
Hardcover
Random House
Released 7/30/2019

Hiding from Sherlock and her other brother, Mycroft, who want to place her in a boarding school following their mother’s disappearance, Enola has reinvented herself as Ivy Meshle, secretary to the fictitious Dr. Ragostin, specialist in finding missing persons. Her new client? None other than Sherlock’s friend, Dr. John Watson! His mission: to employ Dr. Ragostin to find the missing Enola! She decides to take the case, only so she can keep tabs on Sherlock’s every move to locate her.

Yet Ivy Meshle is just one of Enola’s disguises. In her search for a missing teenager, the Lady Cecily Alistair, she alternately poses as Lady Ragostin, wife of her non-existent employer, and as “Sister,” the kindly nun who braves the dangerous nighttime alleys to bring comfort to the homeless. All the time she and Sherlock play a game of cat and mouse.

Purchase Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady at Amazon
Purchase Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady at IndieBound
View Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady on Goodreads

* * * *

Girlish
by Alana Wulff
Paperback
Random House
Released 7/30/2019

TRUTH BOMB: Being a girl freakin’ rocks! But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

Sometimes you need inspiration, support, and advice to help you find your voice and believe in yourself. Girlish is a fun, feisty, information-packed handbook—part discovery course, part interactive journal—filled with quotes, tips, truth bombs, and profiles of amazing women from all walks of life, from Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Amy Poehler to Malala Yousafzai and Simone Biles.

Embracing all the beauty, chaos, hope, and frustration of being a girl in the twenty‑first century, Girlish explores life topics that include gender equality, body positivity, self-esteem, relationships, friendship, and even dealing with the mixed bag of the internet and social media.
Thought-provoking questions dare you to define your values, set goals, dream BIG, and celebrate everything that makes you you.

Ready to create, inspire, invent, strive, lead, love—and have some laughs along the way?
Read on . . .

Purchase Girlish at Amazon
Purchase Girlish at IndieBound
View Girlish on Goodreads

* * * *

Shatter the Sky
by Rebecca Kim Wells
Hardcover
Simon & Schuster Books for You
Released 7/30/2019

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.

If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…

With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?

Purchase Shatter the Sky at Amazon
Purchase Shatter the Sky at IndieBound
View Shatter the Sky on Goodreads

* * * *

The Merciful Crow
by Margaret Owen
Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co.
Released 7/30/2019

One way or another, we always feed the crows.

A future chieftain

Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.

A fugitive prince

When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses―and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.

A too-cunning bodyguard

Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?

Purchase The Merciful Crow at Amazon
Purchase The Merciful Crow at IndieBound
View The Merciful Crow on Goodreads

* * * *

The Year They Fell
by David Kreizman
Hardcover
Imprint
Released 7/30/2019

Josie, Jack, Archie, Harrison, and Dayana were inseparable as preschoolers. But that was before high school, before parties and football and getting into the right college. Now, as senior year approaches, they’re basically strangers to each other.

Until they’re pulled back together when their parents die in a plane crash. These former friends are suddenly on their own. And they’re the only people who can really understand how that feels.

To survive, the group must face the issues that drove them apart, reveal secrets they’ve kept since childhood, and discover who they’re meant to be. And in the face of public scrutiny, they’ll confront mysteries their parents left behind―betrayals that threaten to break the friendships apart again.

Purchase The Year They Fell at Amazon
Purchase The Year They Fell at IndieBound
View The Year They Fell on Goodreads

Shelly Zev

Shelly is a Toronto-based book professional versed in editing, the publication industry, and the library sector where they currently work part-time as a public-facing librarian.

Shelly reads and blabbers on the internet about books, their expertise being in professional editing as well as library services for children and teens. They occasionally write.

Post © Shelly Zev and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Jul 29, 2019
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: New Releases

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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