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Showing posts from September, 2010

Follow that Mouse

Follow that Mouse is the newest release by YA sci-fi author Henry Melton. Ranch Exit is a town that is too small to really be classified a town. It gains its name by the highway sign and is home to a one-room schoolhouse and a small spattering of residents. One of these residents is teenager Dot Comal, who personally loves her home and is quite defensive of it. But in a place where nothing ever really happens, besides the continually odd signs that the town's enigmatic and strange billionaire hires Dot's father to put up around Ranch Exit, unusual occurrences are easily spotted. So when the animals begin to act erratically and more violently than ever before, Dot and her best friend Ned notice. However, it's when Dot's own father and other residents of Ranch Exit start acting out of character, resorting to hostility and physical combat when they were previously known for their easygoing manner - Dot and Ned start to get really concerned. The old Paiute shaman that w

The Society of Dread

The Society of Dread is the second Candle Man book, the sequel to The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance , a middlegrade/YA fantasy novel written by Glenn Dakin. Do not read the summary or review of this book if you have yet to read the first Candle Man book!!! Avoid spoilers and read my review of The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance instead, here . Now that Theo Wickland is free of his greedy, secretive, horrible guardian Dr. Saint and has a better understanding of his Candle Man powers, Theo looks forward to a happier, normal life. Yet it looks like anyone with the original Victorian crime fighter's powers is destined to lead anything BUT a normal, happy life, because soon enough he is called upon to help solve and fight a new mystery. Odd, malicious creatures are stealing bones from graveyards with nothing but bad intentions, and a legendary place called the Great Furnace has been kindled by a new villain. A new villain without any discernible face, at that! So, Theo must com

How I Made it to Eighteen

How I Made it to Eighteen is a YA graphic novel written by Tracy White. Stacy Black in the (barely) fictional version of author Tracy White. Stacy is only seventeen years old but has had a nervous breakdown. She can no longer feel happy, and she wants to change that. So she checks into Golden Meadows Mental Hospital to get better. It's told in comic book style squares and cartoon drawings. I've never read a graphic novel that dealt with such personal, serious issues - I immediately was intrigued by the interesting, unique idea of it, and that never changed as I read through it quite quickly. The drawings have a blunt, movie-like quality to them - though that sounds odd since the drawings aren't necessarily true-to-life and have a more cartoon feel. It's just the way Stacy curls up on her chair during therapy, the way only the eyes of a character move between two squares, and other noticeably realistic details cause the entire graphic novel to feel, well, real. It

Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy

To everybody that entered the Werelove contest: I'm planning on picking the winners randomly today and notifying y'all as soon as possible! So keep your eyes on your email inbox for the news, and your discount code!!! Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy is a futuristic YA paranormal by the author who provided me so kindly with the opportunity of my last contest, Lakisha Spletzer. By the way, winners will be selected and notified sometimes within the next few days - then the rest of you will get your discount code! :) Laylah Le Croix is seventeen with a wealthy father, luxurious mansion, and servants that cater to her needs. Thing is, she never sees her father. In fact, he seems to purposely stay away from her and sleep at his office - where he works on his experiments as a brilliant scientist. This leaves Laylah feeling neglected, abandoned and forgotten by the only parent she has. Having been treated this way since her mother's death when she was four-years-old, Laylah is now a qu

What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader

What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader is a middlegrade novel by Adrianne Ambrose. Now that Elaine Rewitzer is in middle school, she can't help but want to try out for the one thing she has always secretly wanted to do: cheerleading. But as a comic-book-loving, sitting-far-from-the-popular-crowd-at-lunch girl, how could this dream ever work out the way it is supposed to in her mind? Not to mention still have time for her friends. And somehow get the cutest boy in school to notice her. Written in first-person, diary form, this is Elaine's story of how her life gets way more complicated once she makes it onto the cheerleading squad. Though the main character, Elaine, is only 11-years-old and in 6th grade, she is easily likable and relatable. After all, don't we all remember middle school? Right away What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader shocked me with how much it reminded me of MY diary back in middle school. One thing I really, really liked about What I Learned From

Contest Alert!!!

Well, hopefully you all know now about my own personal contest (if not, you can scroll down to find it and enter!) - but here is another opportunity to WIN that I thought all you bibliophiles should know about! Here's all the details: And if that isn't too easy for all you squinty eyed readers (and aren't we all starting to lose our eyesight? I know I am, lol) - Three grand prize winners will each win a $100 Visa gift card to celebrate Gena Showalter's new release in her YA series, UNRAVELED . She's hosting a scavenger hunt on her and other awesome authors' blogs. Plus Gena's giving away signed copies of UNRAVELED to five lucky runner-ups. All you have to do is find all eight letters, unscramble them and email the word to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net. To find out where the letters are hiding in the great internet universe, click here for a contest road map and rules. This contest runs from Monday, August 30th to Thursday, September 2nd. All entries must