Hollywood Crush › Book Report

Let's clear up any misconceptions: Maureen Johnson's enjoyable "The Name of the Star" is neither an astronomical guide nor an astrological primer. It will not help you spot the Big Dipper or finally explain the meaning of the phrase "the dawning of the age of Aquarius." It does, however, feature one particular star—what we around these parts like to call a celebrity. But the only red carpet you'd ever meet this star on is a blood-soaked one. It's the famous serial killer Jack the Ripper, who was gifted his catchy moniker by the newspaper The Star.

The Ripper, however, isn't the main character in this fantastical tale. Nope, that would be present-day Louisiana teen Rory Deveaux who's just landed in England to begin classes at her London boarding school. And, boy, did she pick an auspicious day to arrive. The first of a string of murders eerily reminiscent of Jack the Ripper's 1888 tear has just occurred, and the city's on high alert.

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Fall Lit Week, Maureen Johnson, The Name of the Star

After devouring "Anna and the French Kiss" with the kind of fervor I'd usually reserve for a Parisian pastry, I worried Stephanie Perkins' follow-up, the companion novel "Lola and the Boy Next Door," couldn't possibly leave me as deliciously satisfied (or weak in the knees). Boy, was I wrong.

Thousands of miles away from The City of Light, in quirky cool San Francisco, lives 17-year-old budding fashion designer Lola Nolan, who's anything but your typical teen. She dreams of dressing up as Marie Antoinette for her winter formal, dons colorful wigs as casually as you or I would apply lip gloss and has a super-cute (and much older) rocker boyfriend. Oh, and did we mention she also has a pretty sweet summer job at her local movie theater? ("Anna" fans take note!) Besides her two dads' unfavorable feelings towards BF Max, everything's pretty great in Lola's life. That is, until the Bell twins move back in next door.

Read more...

Tags Anna and the French Kiss, Book Report, Fall Lit Week, Lola and the Boy Next Door, Stephanie Perkins

Gayle Forman didn't set out to write a follow-up to her 2009 New York Times bestselling YA novel "If I Stay"—a heartbreaking tale of a teen wrestling with life and death following the tragic car accident that claimed her entire family. But like so many seemingly living and breathing (albeit fictional) stories, Gayle just couldn't shake Mia and boyfriend Adam's destiny from her imagination. Hence, the sequel, "Where She Went," out today.

The novel picks up three years after Mia—prompted by Adam's pleadings—decided to stay. Except, she didn't stay in Oregon. Mia packed her cello and headed for New York City's famed Juilliard School, leaving Adam behind. But Adam's own career certainly isn't hurting. In fact, fueled and inspired by their break-up, Adam penned Shooting Star's hit album Collateral Damage, catapulting the band to meteoric levels of fame and adoration. Yet, despite all outward signs of success, Adam still feels empty and unsettled—nagging emotions that one day prompt him to take a solitary walk through NYC during a short stay. And as you can probably guess, Adam runs into the one person he thought he'd never see again: Mia.

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Gayle Forman, If I Stay, Teen Lit Tuesday, Where She Went

Carrie Ryan's "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" and its sequel, "The Dead-Tossed Waves," both possess titles that quite literally described the location of the zombie infestation plaguing its central characters—girls who face the typical struggle of self-discovery while also just trying to survive in a world controlled by monsters and fear. The name of the trilogy's conclusion, "The Dark and Hollow Places," isn't just about the subway tunnels where the undead lurk. It's about the way protagonist Annah and the other residents of post-zombiepocalypse New York try to clear themselves of emotion and attachment in the face of unfathomable loss.

But though that last sentence makes this book sound mega-depressing, following Annah's efforts to wake up and cherish life after years of walling herself off is actually a surprisingly uplifting experience. Particularly when intercut with riveting action sequences that often involve machetes and crossbows.

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Carrie Ryan, The Dark and Hollow Places, the dead-tossed waves, The Forest Of Hands And Teeth

We love our vampire romances. And our dystopian thrillers. And our reincarnation romps. But sometimes a girl just needs a break from all the supernatural drama! Which is one reason (along with a sparkling recommendation from "The Mortal Instruments" author Cassandra Clare) that I picked up a copy of Stephanie Perkins' debut novel, "Anna and the French Kiss." And just like a banana-Nutella crepe, "Anna" is a warm and tasty treat with just the right amount of gooeyness tucked inside.

The titular Anna is a 17-year-old cinephile and soon-to-be senior who'd love nothing more than to be the female Roger Ebert. She fosters her film fascination by working shifts at the local multiplex—a task made even more enjoyable thanks to a flirtation with co-worker Toph (he's in a band!). But her budding workplace romance is put on hold when her author father (a total poor man's Nicholas Sparks) decides Anna needs some highfalutin edumacation at a Paris boarding school. Sad Anna packs her bags for France, leaving Toph and BFF Bridgette behind in Atlanta.

Read more...

Tags Anna and the French Kiss, Book Report, Stephanie Perkins

"Shiver" author Maggie Stiefvater gave all her fans the perfect Valentine's Day present today: She posted a video on Facebook of herself reading the first two pages of "Forever," the final chapter in her haunting werewolf trilogy. Book two, "Linger," left us feeling pretty hopeless and sad about Grace and Sam's future, so we'd like to think Maggie would try to lift our spirits a bit for the new one, which hits shelves on July 12. Well, not so much. But that's not a bad thing. Here are five things we'd like to note about this little sneak peek.

1. Shelby, the white wolf who was Grace's nemesis in "Shiver" and the member of Sam's pack who didn't like being human (before Cole, that is), is the narrator here. If she is, in fact, permanently a wolf now, this is the first time we've heard from someone in only their wolf form, and she's pretty articulate for an animal.

2. Maggie is a master of suspense: I was holding my breath waiting to see if Shelby would snap a twig on the ground during her hunt of an injured animal that turns out to be a girl.

3. Shelby still doesn't give a crap about humans, though she does kind of fear them. Clothing on the ground freaks her out, like the "skin of some dangerous animal, shed and left behind."

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Forever, Linger, Maggie Stiefvater, Shiver

Every once in a while, it's nice to feel like an expert, rather than an overgrown fan—the line is thin, you know! Tonight, I'll be moderating a panel of five New York Times best-selling authors at the famed New York children's bookstore Books of Wonder. Ally Condie ("Matched"), Andrea Cremer ("Nightshade"), Kirsten Miller ("The Eternal Ones"), Beth Revis ("Across the Universe") and Brenna Yovanoff ("The Replacement") are embarking on their Breathless Reads tour, and I get to be the first one to help fans pick their brains about writing young-adult fiction.

It's pretty unusual of their publisher, Penguin, to group together books that are about (in the above order) an oppressive dystopian society, werewolves, reincarnation, space travel and fairies. But we readers don't discriminate, right? All five novels are action-packed adventure/love stories, and I'm dying to know what else they have in common and how they manage to keep us glued to their pages.

If you're in the area, swing by and say hello. If you're not, share your questions and comments for the authors here before 6 p.m. and I'll try to ask them tonight. Then I'll share whatever scoop I get from the event later in the week. They'll also be tweeting with the hashtag #breathlesstour throughout the tour, so all of us can keep up with their whirlwind journey.

What questions do you have for these authors?

Tags Across the Universe, Ally Condie, Andrea Cremer, Beth Revis, Book Report, Books, Brenna Yovanoff, Kirsten Miller, Matched, Nightshade, The Eternal Ones, The Replacement

Maybe it's my memories of Shere Kahn from "The Jungle Book" and Siegfried and Roy's unfortunate incident, or maybe it's the stigma of crazy cat ladies, but I never would have considered a tiger to be a natural fit for a fictional romantic lead. Sookie Stackhouse's sometime-weretiger boyfriend Quinn (in the Charlaine Harris novels, not yet in "True Blood") made the idea a little more palatable. But brothers Dhiren and Kishan in Colleen Houck's "Tiger's Curse" make a pretty good case for themselves.

The first in Colleen's "Tiger Saga," which was pretty popular when she self-published it last year before its official print version came out last week, "Curse" follows Kelsey Hayes, a 17-year-old orphan who lands a two-week temp gig at a traveling circus in her Oregon hometown. (Sign me up with that temp agency!) In addition to running the concessions stand, one of her duties is to feed the white tiger (naturally). She feels sorry for the majestic Dhiren as she watches him go from his small cage to his mundane tricks in the ring, so she begins to visit him at night and read him "Romeo and Juliet" (!).

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Colleen Houck, Tiger Saga, Tiger's Curse, Young Adult Novel

Whether I'm visiting with family or chilling on a tropical beach somewhere, the holidays are when I make sure to set aside time to escape into a good handful of books. And because I can't handle anything too heavy this time of year, it's a great opportunity for me to tackle the stack of young-adult paranormal romances and dystopian adventures on my desk. Here's what I've got packed for winter break:

"Torment": I included Lauren Kate's "Fallen," the first in a four-part series, on last year's winter reading list, so this is for symmetry—and also because I can't believe I've waited so long to find out what will happen to Luce now that she's learned that her boyfriend, Daniel, whom she met at a boarding school for troubled kids is actually a fallen angel whose been her boyfriend for quite a few lifetimes, each ending in her untimely death. Now, as he goes off to battle those who want her dead for good, she's sent to yet another boarding school, this one meant for Nephilim. Should be interesting!

Read more...

Tags Ally Condie, Book Report, Books, Catherine Fisher, Fallen, Incarceron, Lauren Kate, Lisa McMann, Matched, Miley Cyrus, Sapphique, Taylor Lautner, Torment, Wake

It was probably no coincidence that on Tuesday, the day Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's new novel, "Dash & Lily's Book of Dares," was released, it was announced that megaproducer Scott Rudin had optioned it for a movie. But the authors were super-excited about the news anyway, especially after having so much fun watching their first collaboration, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," turned into a movie starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings.

"The first time we were on set, it was on Ludlow Street, on the Lower East Side," Rachel recalled. "And we turned a corner and there were these huge trucks everywhere and lighting being brought down from a crane, and it's just surreal to think of this little thing that we kind of started as a joke; for this one moment, there's 50 people running around doing all kinds of things. I was like, 'We are gods! We made this happen!'

"Dash & Lily," their third book together (after "Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List"), is a kind of treasure hunt through New York that begins when normally cautious, sweet Lily leaves a puzzle in a notebook on a shelf of the Strand bookstore in a ploy her brother devised to help her meet boys. Dash, a much more cynical, "snarly" type, finds the book and sends Lily his own puzzle. The two traipse around the city during Christmas break, sharing secrets and hopes without ever meeting each other.

Read more...

Tags Book Report, Books, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, David Levithan, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn, young adult