The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (Delacorte, Dec. 26, 2007). From the promotional copy: "It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds."The Order--the mysterious group her mother was once part of--is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for."
Visit Libba's LJ.
Wrath by Gail Giles from The Seven Sins of YA Literature: Presented at ALA PreConference June 2007, Washington, D.C. Here's a sneak peek: "Anger rules the teen years. It's normal and in my opinion it's important. Some teens can climb the steep hill from childhood to adulthood with grace, dignity and poise. My best friend did. I certainly did not. I chewed and stomped and clawed and knuckled my way through every single minute." Gail offers the texts of several additional speeches of interest, including: The Key to Unlocking Mystery and Suspense; Keeping You on the Edge of Your Seat; Reaching Reluctant Readers; Stereotypes in YA Fiction; Getting Out of Your Own Way; Taking Risks; and Why Teens Need Edgy Fiction.Check out the pumpkin photos at David LaRochelle's site. David is the author of Absolutely, Positively Not (Scholastic, 2005).
Mystery Writing Lessons from Kristi Holl.
More Personally
Cheers to Ms. Dorsey's English 9 class in Oxford, NY! I hope you're enjoying the read-aloud of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) and that you like the autographed bookmarks! Keep reading!Attention, JacketFlap subscribers! Oddly, my last news-and-links post doesn't seem to have been snagged by the system. But highlights include the opportunity to bid for manuscript critiques by such luminaries as Julie Larios and Martine Leavitt.
