Book Trailer: Hartlyn Kids Books!

I am consistently reminded and convinced that I have in my possession the most outstanding collection of friends.  They are innovative, expressive, and forward-thinking men and women who truly want to see this world improve by way of reaching out to children and young adults. I'm always amazed and excited to see what they think of next.

Today, I present my friends from Hartlyn Kids!

YA Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Often in my career, I've come across photographs.
Some are left between the pages of donated or returned items. Others still are found on library floors and tables; accidental droppings from the purses and pockets of patrons. I stare at these photographs and am unable to thrown them away because I feel as though I'm discarding the lives found within them. I find myself imagining who the people are, and how they felt during the scenes I'm eavesdropping on, but never have I constructed such an enchanting and haunting tale as this one.

From found and collected photos , Ransom Riggs has pulled together an adventure that appeals to a range of my interests. Multiple times within this story, I found myself feeling as though I'd discovered a land that was the perfect mix of Percy Jackson, Pan's Labyrinth, Through the Looking Glass and others. From the very first chapter, I realized that I wouldn't be able to rest until I'd devoured this tale of loss, love, family, adventure and history.

SPECIAL UPDATE: LA Noire Stories

So one of the major program thrusts I have set for this year is a gaming/literature connection.  I truly feel that games not only increase some young adult interest in reading and math, but that by highlighting the connections, we do more to increase the appreciation of games as a viable genre of entertainment.  With all that being said, Rockstar Games has just made me excited...AGAIN.

Premiering TOMORROW, June 6, 2011, Rockstar Games and Mullholland Books

A Goodbye from Severus Snape

Came across this farewell note by Alan Rickman, the actor who has played Professor Snape for the entire Harry Potter series.  It is a touching goodbye that made me feel really sad about the last movie being almost here.  Will you miss the Hogwarts family as much as me?

Snape's Goodbye:

I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone as Severus Snape for absolutely the last time.

YA Review: Hot Girl by Dream Jordan

Hot Girl by Dream Jordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the first ten pages I knew I would love this book.
Kate is not your average girl from Bed-Stuy. Well, maybe she is, but her past may be decorated a bit more colorfully than most. She is starting on her 14th summer all alone, with a new foster family, a burning crush on her homeboy Charles, and without the guidance of her best friend Felicia who is spending her summer in Africa. Kate is all set to hold things down solo and slowly press up on Charles when in steps Naleejah, a fly girl from around the way who is all about the fast cars, fast boys, and fast life.

Naleejah takes one look at Kate's "bummy" appearance and painfully obvious crush, and then latches herself on as Kate's new best friend. Eventhough Naleejah laces her with a fresh hairdo and eye-catching new clothes, Kate's street smarts tell her that this new "friend" isn't all she says she is and that her "all that" life isn't all that its cracked up to be either. First of all, Naleejah is far too friendly with the boys, jumping into cars with men she's just met, and proclaiming that men are who get her all her fly gear. Then there's the all-talk part of her that Kate can see right through. Finally, the way she presses up on Charles, rubs Kate the wrong way. Pretty soon, Kate has to decide whether being a good new friend has its limits.

Graphic Review: Tales From The Crypt Series

I'm impressed.  I don't get impressed easily, so let's let that tell you how much I liked this series.  They are short reads, so I was able to get about five under my belt this week alone.  The crypt-keeper and his friends have been out of print since the 50's, but gained a HUGE following in the 90's when HBO brought them to the small screen.  I was pretty young when the series came out and so I didn't much like being grossed out so much.  LOL  Now, I'm game for quite a bit of gore.

This series is a great reintroduction to the franchise.  Like I said before, many horror books are good for trying to be scary and missing the mark.  These are not those at all.  I was totally freaked out! 

The horrifics are spruced up a notch because they tie in to very real themes:

• There's the story of the slumlord who lets his tenant freeze to death.
• The crooner who summons a demon to help him win Idol.
• The backwards story of the real "paradise" suicide bombers may wind up in.
• The poor chap who lets his online persona mix a little too closely with his real life.

These stories were frightfully believable and I found myself unable to stop turning the pages.  The comics employ different drawing styles for each story and the pictures work seamlessly with the tales, which may seem like a common sense feat, but is one that many graphic novels fail to accomplish. 

As for the humor and puns, which is also a great staple in Tales from the Crypt history, it is there as well.  As I suspected, the Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid parody was adorably ghoulish, and that volume also had a pretty awesome Twilight spoof called Dielight. 

There aren't any over-the-top sexual themes or the like, but I'm sure there are some that probably find the books to be gruesome or racy due to the murder scenes.   However, the redeeming quality of these stories is very much like that of classic folktales.  The "victims" in these stories are always vindicated and the bad guys always get their comeuppance.  I really did enjoy this series and will be adding it to my horror files.  I believe they will draw in tons of readers who like chills and thrills.
 Check out the series website at: http://www.papercutz.com/tc/tc.html

YA Review: This Book Isn't Fat, It's Fabulous

Read this book in two hours! It was THAT good. So many times I found myself literally laughing out loud. Ms. Beck is either a plus-sized fabulous diva herself, or she surely knows how to get into our heads because Miss Riley Swain was awesome-sauce.

A classic tale of misdirected young love, slipped effortlessly into the frenemy drama we've all grown accustomed to. What I loved about the sub-plot of this book, was that Riley was content and happy with her body. Even while being at "fat camp", she never once let on that she hated her body, and actually spoke more of being quite aware of her shape and size. Her being aware never came off as being ashamed, just aware.

There were some deliciously vile portions where the girls were positively vicious to one-another, but the author found a way to tie up all these ends in a style that wasn't forced or phony. Each person in this fairly quick novel had some variance of personality and depth, and some hidden redeeming quality. While the male characters were few, and somewhat clueless, they were also generally likeable. If there was one thing that I did NOT like, it was the ease with which the author allowed Riley to become "okay" with the idea of mile Myspace and Internet stalking. Not sure that's the right message for girls in this intended age audience.

Other than that, this book was hilarious and sweet, in that "You're my best frenemy and I want your boyfriend", kind of way. ;)

I'm also PSYCHED to see that there is a spin-off featuring the characters in this book with a focus on one of Riley's friends, Samantha. Can't wait

YA Review: Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M. T. 2002. Feed.Candlewick, 234p. c2002. $16.99.  978-0-763-61726-4

In the futuristic world where Titus lives, normal adolescents willingly succumb to purchasing suggestions from their Feeds, ignore the lesions appearing on people everywhere, and are oblivious to the reputation their country has developed with the rest of the world for its hedonistic ways. While lunar-vacationing, Titus, his friends, and fellow club-goer Violet are traumatized when the feeds implanted into their brains are a hacked into. Titus and his friends seek to block the unpleasantness from memory, but Titus soon learns that for Violet, who has been home-schooled and sheltered from the life his friends all share, the act of forgetting is not easily accomplished.  As her life slowly unravels from the effects of her feed malfunctioning, Titus begins reexamining his feelings about his world, his friends, and his actions, while experiencing the trials of teenage love and loss.

In this gripping tongue-in-cheek depiction of where society could be headed, Anderson exposes consumerism and superficiality with humor and chilling realism. Anderson does an excellent job of creating believable teens and situations without the characters feeling forced or fake.  Interested teens will love the audiobook because of the dynamic feature of being able to hear the feeds performed by full cast.  The story is crafted perfectly to reach the intended audience, who will surely enjoy the glimpse into future fads and slang.  This book will appeal to teens who do not fit on either side of the fence, but are willing to explore both. A cautionary tale with a fresh voice.

Mrs.Tiye's Thoughts: Well-Written, Thoughtful, Engaging characters, AMAzING AUDIOBOOK, Great plot.

And check out this awesome FEED Display !

Drama, Drama, Drama

So, I've read most of the Drama High books.  I don't know if I'm pleased or not. They were good, and had a lot of real things going on, but sometimes the author gets a bit out of order with adding things like magic and voodoo.  They come out of nowhere and throw me off while I'm reading. BUT, for all intents and purposes, the storylines are good and they keep me engaged. There is a lot of talking about who's dating who, trying to handle school, and falling out with friends, so I think it is very realistic of high school.  So if you're looking for something to read this summer, check out Drama High by L.Divine.  From the covers, they seem to be only for girls, but I think young men would like these stories too.
The first book in the series is The Fight.  It talks about Jayd, the main character and how she is being pressured into fighting her ex's new girlfriend.  There's some mild violence, drug and profanity.

These books also remind me of the book I LOVED in 9th grade, Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree.  I would DEFINITELY recommend that one too.
This one was one of my FAVORITES because it dealt with the pressure of being more comfortable being different than how you may have been raised.  Story of my life.  Tracey, the main character is the daughter of two successful parents, but is just more comfortable with the kids from the street and the fast-money people of the neighborhood.  While dealing with her parents' separation and her boy-crazy attitude, Tracey takes you along on a CRAZY ride.  There's also the talk of that FIRST TRUE love, (who you know is probably bad for you).  Anyway, there are some themes in this book that may be a bit racy for some, but like I said, I read it in high school myself, and the moral of the story is a good one.