Christina Reads YA

Release Date: January 5th, 2016
Source: ARC via publisher
Published by: Disney Hyperion

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken | Goodreads

passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.

With any book that heavily features cinematic action, there's always the danger (for me) of dissociating from the characters because the focus is more on the plot than their plight. However, this did not happen with Passenger. From the opening pages, I identified with the main characters, Nicholas and Etta, and their character struggles. In the prologue, we are shown a crucial, character-defining moment in Nicholas's life; from that moment on, it's easy to understand his bitterness, his dissociation with the world around him and the privileges and legacy he cannot claim. In the first chapter, Etta is revealed to be a violin prodigy with a competitive, ambitious attitude; she's been waiting a long time for her debut, and she will not back down, a quite refreshing outlook (to me) for a young female character. Both characters are immediately rendered flawed yet sympathetic, with their own struggles to overcome in the duology.

Because Outlander is so successful, it seems like there is an increase in YA time-travel novels (for 2016 and beyond). Honestly, I like this trend, and I want to emphasize how Passenger is different from others in YA that I've read. Perhaps the most key element to this difference is the emphasis in Passenger on travelers not belonging to any one culture. In Passenger, time-traveling has become heavily regulated due to one family bending the others under its heel and a diminished ability to time-travel because of a decline in the population of the genetic predisposition therein. Alex Bracken has imagined several details to accompany the time-traveler "belonging" aspect of her world-building: people being orphaned from their time, shifting timelines because of the actions of certain characters and the war between families for power over the time passages; the discussion of wealth and power inherent to the privilege of time traveling and changing history. In order to survive the trials put by the dominating family with the most time travelers, people have been forced to take desperate action. People from that family, and others, have to learn several languages and the ability to blend in with the tenor and feel of a time period, even when its attitudes are so different from their own. Alex Bracken doesn't seem to skimp on historical detail, even when they're not accepted in our own time but are clearly markers of the struggles faced by characters from their own time period. Altogether Passenger is a fascinating look into history and culture with its well-developed world-building. I once saw that teachers recommended YA historical fiction to their students as a way of encouraging their interest in history; I can see Passenger among these novels, for it is clear that Alexandra Bracken has done her research to make the atmosphere and attitudes realistic.

The romance between Etta and Nicholas is of the slow-burn kind. While the two are indeed instantly attracted to each other, neither knows what to make of and whether to trust the other. Through their shared trials on their quest to retrieve a valuable object, they get to know one another and that attraction is allowed to simmer. However, the romance never takes over the main quest plot or the suspense that Alex Bracken builds about their motives and those of the other characters. In short, Passenger will have a huge audience. Also, it would make for an amazing movie, and I would not be surprised if, in the coming weeks, we hear of a Hollywood studio snatching the rights to this book. Check out the book trailer if you don't believe me.

If you're a The Darkest Minds fan, I do think that you're going like Passenger; there's a similar blend of cinematic action, romance, suspense, and emotionally charged situations. I also would recommend this to fans of A Thousand Pieces of You. Of the time travel YA novels published so far (that I have read!), ATPoY seems the most similar. Cinematic in scope and sharpened by suspense, family drama, flawed, interesting characters, and an intense romantic bond, Passenger is sure to nab its own legion of fans eager for the sequel, especially after that explosive ending.

The Glass Sentence & The Golden Specific are the most inventive MG fantasy novels that I've read since Harry Potter. I don't read a lot of MG, true, but they are also much more inventive than a lot of YA I've read. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended.

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods. Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

The Glass Sentence plunges readers into a time and place they will not want to leave, and introduces them to a heroine and hero they will take to their hearts. It is a remarkable debut.

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOK 1 AND ARE AFRAID OF SPOILERS, DON'T READ THIS NEXT SYNOPSIS.

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove | GOODREADS

The eagerly-awaited sequel to the best-selling The Glass Sentence -- a historical, fantastical adventure perfect for fans of Philip Pullman!

It is the summer of 1892, one year since Sophia Tims and her friend Theo embarked upon the dangerous adventure that rewrote the map of the world. Since their return home to Boston, she has continued searching for clues to her parents’ disappearance, combing archives and libraries, grasping at even the most slender leads. Theo has apprenticed himself to an explorer in order to follow those leads across the country—but one after another proves to be a dead end.

Then Sophia discovers that a crucial piece of the puzzle exists in a foreign Age. At the same time, Theo discovers that his old life outside the law threatens to destroy the new one he has built with Sophia and her uncle Shadrack. What he and Sophia do not know is that their separate discoveries are intertwined, and that one remarkable person is part of both.

There is a city that holds all of the answers—but it cannot be found on any map. Surrounded by plague, it can only be reached by a journey through darkness and chaos, which is at the same time the plague’s cure: The Golden Specific.

And the cover for The Crimson Skew, the third and final book in the Mapmakers Trilogy, was recently released as well. That book will be releasing July 12, 2016. You can read my initial thoughts up to page 85 of The Golden Specific as well.

Note: this is categorized, I think, as middle grade, but the characters are 13-14 years old. You could just as well categorize them as young adult, if you're hesitant to read them because of the label.

WHY YOU NEED TO READ THIS TRILOGY*:
*The Crimson Skew may not have been released yet but yes yes yes it is making my 2016 list...

1) This trilogy is not just for kids. I like to think of the quote I have on my about page: "A children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. The good ones last." (From Lewis, C.S. "On Three Ways of Writing for Children." On Stories: And Other Essays in Literature. New York: Harcourt Inc., 1982: 31-43.). The best kind of MG and YA stories are the ones with themes so resonant that adults can identify with them as well, and with recognizable yet colorful characters, complex world-building and plotting. When I read The Glass Sentence and The Golden Specific, my first thought was that I would recommend these books to readers of all ages. As I stated in my review of The Glass Sentence, the books focus on making of time what you want. The books focus on family, belonging, history, myth, and story-telling.

2) This trilogy is also perfect for kids. The Golden Specific would be excellent to facilitate discussion among kids about immigration policies and the founding of the United States, what happened to Native Americans. The trilogy is, in many ways, a discussion on historical constructs: this is what happened in our past (Age of Verity); need we repeat these events in the future? Who is telling the story - the people we're destined to become or the ones we're choosing to be every day, or the people empowered by their Age? It has these very deep embedded questions that a teacher or parent could use to ask questions of the kid, and for the kid? This series also has all the magical adventure, fun, wit, and sheer imagination that something as famous as Harry Potter does (note: I haven't read His Dark Materials, so I can't speak to the Phillip Pullman comparison). I have the sense that S.E. Grove can do anything; her imagination is truly remarkable.

3) Sophia, and the other characters, are as adorable as ever. I love that these books are clearly led by Sophia. Theo becomes a hero with his own character arc in The Golden Specific, but to me the books are still centered around Sophia, who is one of my favorite heroines for her resourcefulness, loyalty, and determination. I love that S.E. Grove has created a female lead who doesn't give up her willingness to trust other people, even in the face of dangerous and frightening circumstances. I love that she comes across her own realizations in the appropriate amount of time, and I love that her flaw, time and time again, is what helps her to succeed -- in accepting herself, she becomes stronger with each book. As for the other characters, my original complaint from The Glass Sentence was that they didn't pop for me as much as I'd liked. No such complaint for The Golden Specific! Because you get other points of view besides Sophia's, the characters feel more complex. They have their own agendas, and seeing the characters through more than just Sophia's perspective allowed for added shades to their character. Additionally, The Golden Specific did a wonderful job highlighting how the characters are both their own people and defined by the world and Ages in which they live.

4) The world-building is phenomenal. If I expanded on this category, it would be incoherent fangirly rambles in which I praise S.E. Grove's imagination and all the remarkable little details that she adds to make the atmospheres and settings palpable, imaginable, and within our reach. So, I'll just have to curtail my discussion; also check my review of the first book for more on that note.

In comparing The Glass Sentence to The Golden Specific, I'd say that The Golden Specific picks up the stakes; the other points of view (besides Sophia's) allow for additional complexity in the plot but sacrifice a little of the thematic emphasis that The Glass Sentence had on making of time what you want. I think that also hints at how dynamic this series is. While The Glass Sentence had a whole heap of magic and enchanted me with this grand world, The Golden Specific pushed my imagination as a reader, because I could not predict where the plot was headed; there were so, so many details, and the world-building is so expansive that I didn't know where the book would take me next. Reading was an adventure of its own! One last thing I will also say is that if you've read The Glass Sentence, I would suggest rereading before reading The Golden Specific. Because the world-building is so expansive, I had a harder time remembering certain aspects of the plot and world that turned out to be crucial to The Golden Specific.

A wonderfully well-written, timeless adventure through Ages and worlds both marvelous and dangerous, with colorful and developed characters at the forefront. You cannot miss out on The Mapmaker's trilogy by S.E. Grove.

Today I thought that I'd share my favorite reads from 2015. I've been posting these on a Goodreads shelf all year long, but some of them are books I'd also marked as favorites in 2014: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, and The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. Those I read in 2014, though they were officially published in 2015 -- would still recommend reading those! Last year I only made a video as a means of recommending books to people who didn't like YA much, but this year I wanted to make a full list!

Great contemporary reads --

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, and Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Written in the Stars is a heartfelt exploration of an arranged marriage in Pakistan, written simply to maximize its impact and our identification with the main character on her horrific journey. Dumplin' is a romantic coming-of-age about a fat girl who competes in a beauty pageant to regain her confidence and self-love. About a girl trying to break into a men-only secret society, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is another great read from E. Lockhart. And what happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet in Delicate Monsters. Black Iris is Leah Raeder's heart book, sexy, romantic suspense layered with questions about gender identity and sexuality. All are wonderful explorations of growing up in a patriarchal world.

You can read my reviews of: Black Iris, Delicate Monsters, and Dumplin'. I nominated Dumplin' and Delicate Monsters in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for the release of Dumplin'.

Magical realism that takes risks in its narrative --

Chime by Franny Billingsley, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, and The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

YA magical realism is a wonderful expanding genre that's pushing the boundaries of the typical YA narrative. All three of these stories are told in their own cyclical, winding ways, and all three have absolutely gorgeous writing. Chime tells the story of a girl regaining her confidence as she discovers the truth; Bone Gap tells a story about perception and beauty; and The Accident Season tells the story of a family broken by a tragic past. Highly recommended, and can't wait for more magical realism to crop up.

I discussed Bone Gap and The Accident Season here. I nominated Bone Gap in the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Female-led historical journeys --

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Elizabeth Wein is a reigning queen of YA historical fiction, and Rose Under Fire was a gorgeous tale of female friendship tested under terrible circumstances. Walk on Earth a Stranger is about a girl with a fantastical ability to discover gold on an Oregon Trail-like, self-discovery journey to California, and it's as fantastic as that sounds.Daughter of the Forest is loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and "The Six Swans," a fairy tale told by the Grimms and many more. It's gorgeous and I absolutely adore the commingling of tender romance, Celtic atmosphere, and fantastical curses.

You can read my review of Walk on Earth a Stranger. Because of my love for Daughter of the Forest, I wrote a recommendation list of adult fiction for YA readers. I nominated Walk on Earth a Stranger in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for its release.

Er, the only Urban Fantasy recommendation I have is Burned by Karen Marie Moning. A few years ago, I got caught up in adult urban fantasy, which is often sexy and led by kickass heroines. At this point, I'm not reading much adult UF (though feel free to recommend me some books!); only the Fever series remains on my tbr list.

Fantasy! Fantasy! Fantasy!

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, Serpentine by Cindy Pon, Eon by Alison Goodman, Poison Study by Maria Snyder, and A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Goodness, where to start? The Golden Specific is a part of the MG trilogy I said was most inventive MG fantasy I've read since Harry Potter. Shadow Scale is the much anticipated sequel to Seraphina, and is, like its predecessor, a wonderfully written masterpiece. Crown Duel is the most fun I've had with fantasy in a while. As Small Review said: "It's like a fantasy Pride and Prejudice with an imperfect main character who grows throughout the book, a swoony slow burn hate-turned-love romance, and lots and lots of political intrigue." Uprooted has a side plot of slow burning hate-to-love romance, a determined, spirited heroine who learns to wield magic with skill, plenty of plot twists and an absolutely wonderful main female friendship. Plus, of course, a creative fairy tale world, with a cinematically creepy evil Wood. Crimson Bound is very much of the same ilk as Uprooted; enjoyed one, and well, you should read the other. At its core, Serpentine features a wonderful main female friendship which runs well alongside a sweet romance, lush setting inspired by Chinese folklore, and an innately discussable premise about a girl with a power that makes her feel Other. Eon is an epic fantasy inspired by Japanese and Chinese mythology, full of daring adventure and heartbreaking action and romance, and layered with questions on gender identity. I'd definitely recommend Poison Study to fans of Throne of Glass; Poison Study is about the food taster to the Commander of a military regime, and the political intrigue, magic, and romance she unexpectedly finds. A Thousand Nights is a loose epic fantasy retelling of 1001 Nights, and features a heroine who defies the odds in not only surviving the threat of murder from her husband but also in becoming a stronger leader and a goddess in her own right. ALL FANTASTIC FANTASY READS!

You can read my reviews of: A Thousand Nights, Eon, Serpentine, Crimson Bound, Uprooted, Shadow Scale, and the Mapmakers trilogy. I discussed Crown Duel and Poison Study here. I nominated Serpentine and A Thousand Nights in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Science Fiction for your Star Wars craving --

Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

This week probably has fewer links than usual because last week, I posted towards the end of the week and that was two weeks worth of news. But should still be a good showing!

Publishing:
Rights Report

• Replica - Lauren Oliver (The first of the two books, Replica tells the story of Lyra, known by the number 24, a replica – human model – who was born, raised, and observed in a clandestine research facility called the Haven Institute. When Lyra escapes from Haven and meets Gemma, a stranger on a quest of her own, earth-shattering secrets are revealed. Publication is slated for September 2016; HarperCollins).
• The Excavation of Lincoln Malone - Cordelia Jensen (The novel-in-verse tells the story of “virtual” twins: Holly, adopted from Ghana, who fits in perfectly at the sisters' competitive school and at home; and Linc, who struggles to fit in despite her biological connection, and the choices each girl makes, leading them on journeys of self-discovery and identity through a lens of photography, New York City history, and West African culture. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Philomel).
• The Real Marvelous - Samantha Mabry (In it, a young couple working the maguey plantations of the Southwest in a world plagued by water shortages, injustice, and dark superstition, must flee their old home for a new one that may or may not be cursed. Publication is set for fall 2017; Algonquin Young Readers).

Publisher’s Lunch:

• Vesper Stamper's debut THE ORANGE TREE, about two teenage Holocaust survivors who meet in a Displaced Persons Camp in the aftermath of WWII, to Knopf Children's for publication in Spring 2018.

Nothing from last week which didn’t already have a GR link had one this week, so I’m giving up on them :/.

Excerpts: The Winner’s Kiss - Marie Rutkoski, Morning Star - Pierce Brown, Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare, The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle - Rick Riordan, The Hunter’s Moon - Beth Trissel

Awards/Lists: You can check out all of last week’s lists. The NAACP Image Award nominees were announced. So were Book Riot’s Best Books of 2015, NYPL Best Teen Books of 2015, Audible Best YA Book of 2015, Huffington Post’s Best YA Books of 2015, The Guardian’s Best Children’s Books of 2015, The Star’s Best Kid Books of 2015, Booklist’s Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth, 2015, Brain Picking’s Best Children’s Books of 2015, EW’s Gift Guide: 7 Amazing Books for Teens, and Kirkus’s Best Teen Books of 2015.

You can nominate your favorite books for the 2015 Book Shimmy Awards until this Friday, December 18th. You can also nominate your favorite teen reads for the Teen Choice Book of the Year Award until February 2, 2016.

Book Trailers: Embassy Row series trailer - Ally Carter.

Authors/Interviews: The Dreamsnatcher - Abi Ephinstone, Lizzie and the Lost Baby - Cheryl Blackford, I Woke Up Dead at the Mall - Judy Sheehan, Nicola Yoon on how illustrations came to be in Everything, Everything. Nimona - Noelle Stevenson.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is being made into a coloring book, to be published in 2016, coordinating with the release of book 5. If you’re really into coloring books, here are 13 others with stunning art.

Forget all the best-of lists: what were the favorite reads of children’s publishers in 2015? I remember the repeated title last year being Grasshopper by Andrew Smith. This year, it seems to be Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.

The Guardian also asked their authors and editors what they thought their favorite children’s books were from 2015.

Publisher’s Weekly named their seven Flying Starts: Alex Gino (George), Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything), Kevin Sands(The Blackthorn Key), Stephanie Tromly (Trouble Is a Friend of Mine), Ali Benjamin (The Thing about Jellyfish), Nicholas Gannon (The Doldrums), and Guojing.

Courtney Summers is nailing it, as usual, with a discussion on a double standard for girls. (“I will never use my books to perpetuate the idea that a girl’s pain isn’t worthy of anyone’s patience, time, understanding, empathy or love. Ever. Because girls: if you go through awful shit, you do not and should not have to hide your pain to be worthy and deserving of all good things. You are.”).

We Need Diverse Books is launching a campaign called Drum It Up, trying to sell copies of Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music, by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael López. Engle is the first Latin@ author to win the Newberry. (“From November 28 to January 1st, bookstores will be drumming up interest in the book by striving to sell as many copies as possible.”).

Algonquin YR, specifically Workman, has announced a new campaign: I Love MG. On Twitter, they’ll be discussing it January 25-29.

Victoria Schwab, Ashley Hope Perez, and Stephanie Kuehn discussed the state of the YA Novel: 2015. Stephanie Kuehn’s description of “literary ambition” being gendered, and Victoria Schwab’s discussion of expectations for adult vs. YA literature? Love ‘em.

This week in general seems to have a lot of great discussions flowing in the community. Here are two interesting Storifys: first from Tess Sharpe on QUILTBAG YA and the second from Dahlia Adler on m/m Fetishization, the Dearth of f/f Support, and Other Complicated Things in LGBTQIAP+ YA.

I also really enjoyed looking through some of the advice 2015 debut authors (#15eradvice) had for authors debuting in 2016. Plus reading the blog post on what said authors learned in their debut year.

Also true is that we’ve seen a lot of articles on diversity focused on US markets. This Guardian article asks of UK publishing:how do we stop UK publishing from being so posh and white?

The Rumpus also interviewed Jennifer Baker, who works with WNDB and runs her own podcast, Minorities in Publishing. Interesting thoughts on diversity as a buzzword, marginalized voices, etc.

We Need Diverse Books Team Members shared their holiday recommendations.

Remember what I just said about great discussion? Here was a Native Voices roundtable: sharing stories & talking back, andpart 2 of that same discussion.

Neil Gaiman started writing out his novels with Stardust - check out what the notebooks look like.

Oh, boys. Apparently ebooks boost boys’ reading ability because they think that reading on a tablet is cool and are more likely to continue reading there vs. a physical.

A lot of people are gifting the illustrated Harry Potter, it seems, and Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid is still going strong.

Cover Reveals:

Discussions & Other Blogger Posts:

Tell these lies, and you can stay home and read, just like you planned.

12 Books With Badass Females: a mix of both YA and adult fiction, and some of the adult is definitely crossover.

16 YA authors recommend their favorite books of 2015 (it’s interesting if you compare this list to the publishing industry list to the best-of lists -- the overlap there). Plus the favorites from the B&N Teen Bloggers as well.

15 anticipated debuts from the first half of 2016 from the B&N team (The Smell of Other People’s Houses looks so good and I hadn’t heard of it before!).

Reading books can do a lot for a child’s reading level.

Donald Trump is worse than Voldemort, according to J.K. Rowling.

5 Romances to Read on your Next Snow Day (yaasss to Grave Mercy!).

Regardless of JKR’s reveals about Harry Potter, I love that you can still get theories about the books years and years later. This one might just blow your mind: Remus Lupin was James Potter in disguise?

If you’re having a hard time choosing 2016 books, let the kittens decide!

For the mystery lover in your life, these books might prove to be a good gift.

Are these children’s books scarier than you remember?

These children’s books have diverse characters.

Sometimes authors take too long between one book and the next.

If you’re eagerly anticipating Glass Sword, here are some quotes from the Red Queen series (not just book 1!).

Gift suggestions for fangirls and fanboys.

Parent-Child book club picks - pair them together for great discussion at home!.

And here are ways to get your kid to read the book before it becomes a movie.

Hello! Did you know that the nominations for the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards are happening NOW until this Friday, December 18th? Normally, I must admit, I don't pay much attention to book awards and lists (aside from Printz/NBA/Morris), but the Book Shimmy Awards are 100% determined by the community. We have agency in what we are going to be voting for, and I hope that you'll join me in nominating your favorites! (I hope that we have some common favorites as well...)

Best of Shelf
Award given to the best overall book published in 2015.

 

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski. This was a really hard book to choose. BEST OVERALL BOOK??! I don't about you, but I like books for very different reasons. Some have excellent romances. Some have beautiful prose. Some have action-packed plots. Maybe I was influenced bythe recently released excerpt of The Winner's Kiss, but the Winner's trilogy reminds me of Kristin Cashore's books, which definitely make my favorite books of all time list. Not one scene is ever unnecessary in The Winner's Trilogy. Masterful plotting, masterful characterization... and how many times have I paused, wondering whether Kestrel and Arin will ever come to an accord of their own making? THAT EXCERPT! I reviewed The Winner's Crime, encouraged people to pre-order the novel, and basically said whenever I could how awesome the book is.

The Pagemaster
Award given to favorite YA author of the year. (Author must have published a book in 2015.)

Nova Ren Suma. At first, I was going to nominate Samantha Shannon, but her books aren't technically considered YA. And then I looked at my list, saw The Walls Around Us and remembered a blog post I'd read from Nova Ren Suma about the surprises she'd had as an author. As someone who is trying to navigate different careers and expectations of life, I really resonated with that post. Nova's dedication in the Walls Around Us is also perfect for the YA community. She seems like an incredibly sweet author, and The Walls Around Us, as I said in my review andanother post, is like a tribute to girls in all our complexity. Yes to Nova Ren Suma.

Award for best debut YA author of 2015.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. In some sense, this isn't fair of me because Chessie and I are good friends, but I really did enjoy Made You Up. I interviewed Chessie on this blog when her deal had recently been announced and when her book was soon to be released. I reviewed Made You Up and encouraged you all to pre-order the book when you could, because it was one of theawesome 2015 books that I'd read. I gave away an annotated ARC of Made You Up. There are only so many ways that someone can say this is an amazing debut novel and Francesca Zappia is an amazing author to watch.

Cover Lust Award
Award given to the YA book with the most gorgeous cover design.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. Made You Up has made Bustle's list for best YA book coversas well as the beautiful covers list from Epic Reads and some categories in the viewer-votedYoung Adult Book Cover Awards. It's actually a cover that also represents aspects of the book well. If I'm not mistaken, the eyes of a pivotal character in the book are described as something like, taking a bunch of blue crayons and melting them together. The umbrella is a great representation of the main character trying to shield herself from things beyond her control. Plus, the emphasis on her red hair, which plays its own role, and the fact that she's illustrated allows you to picture her however you want. Win, Greenwillow Designer. Win.

We Need Diverse Books Award
Award given to the best YA book of 2015 that explores the diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

Serpentine by Cindy Pon. The interesting thing is, when I saw this award, my first thought was towards the excellent selection of diverse contemporary novels that I'd read, like Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. But contemporary generally seems to be where most diverse novels are; fantasy has a serious problem when it comes to including diversity because of some fallacious arguments. I enjoyed and reviewed Serpentine, and included Skybright in various lists about brave heroines. At its core, Serpentine is discussing what it means to be Other; with our patriarchal society marginalizing the voices of those who fit the aforementioned diverse label, well, Serpentine also seemed perfect for this category. Plus, y'know, the exploration of Chinese folklore, and a non Western-centric fantasy: that definitely fits the We Need Diverse Books Award criteria, no?

The Mental Health Matters Award
Award for the best book that shines a light on mental health.

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn. I considered adding Made You Up here as well, but I know that Francesca Zappia is planning on releasing books not focused on mental health, whereas all of Stephanie Kuehn's novels thus far have been about exploring mental health issues. I've reviewed and enjoyed Delicate Monsters, Complicit, and Charm and Strange. Basically, Stephanie Kuehn is a wordsmith, a masterful plotter exploring the complexities of the human mind, and I can't wait to see what she produces next. (The Smaller Evil looks so good!).

The Here and Now Award

Award for the best contemporary YA novel.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Undoubtedly, you've already heard of the awesomeness that is Simon Versus the Homo Sapiens Agenda; it was on the National Book Award longlist and has been making the rounds across various YA best-of lists. I reviewed Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and encouraged people to pre-order the book. Simon was also recently optioned for a book to movie adaptation. Simon is a great YA contemporary, and I can't wait for more from Becky Albertalli.

The Reality Bites Award
Award for the best fantasy / sci-fi YA novel published in 2015.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. This made me feel a little strange because I consider Bone Gap to be more like "magical realism" than SFF, but if there's no magical realism category, sure, Bone Gap, I'll mention you here. I can undoubtedly say that Bone Gap is one of the most unique YA books that I've read, which is probably why it was a National Book Award finalist and has been making the rounds across various YA best-of lists. I love Laura Ruby's writing style; I love her willingness to try something completely different; I love her exploration of perception and beauty. Laura Ruby really does a wonderful job developing the setting and making the people of Bone Gap feel unique to Bone Gap (but also familiar to us). 100% recommended.

Hot Under the Cover
Award for the best romance YA novel. (This also known as the Theo James Award for sexiest novel.)

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. Well, this category was a little strange for me because none of my favorite YA novels are romance novels. They're romantic; the romance is frequently a side plot connected into the coming-of-age. But, ultimately, I still decided to nominate Dumplin'. I enjoyed and reviewed Dumplin', and discussed why people ought to anticipate its release. Willowdean made my list of favorite YA heroines, and I discussed more of the awesomeness of Dumplin' in aCinderella Book tag. I chose to nominate Dumplin' for romance because of all that and more. Julie Murphy has been getting reader emails suggesting that the romance is wish fulfillment because Willowdean is fat. No, ladies. Let's not play into this harmful societal narrative that fat girls deserve less. I enjoyed the romance in Dumplin', and my nominating Dumplin' for this category is also a statement against those reader emails.

World Series Champ

Award for your favorite new, on-going or series that ended in 2015!

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. I was considering nominating The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (book 2 of The Bone Season, which I loved and have encouraged people to read), but it's technically considered adult and ineligible for the Book Shimmy Awards. I enjoyed and reviewed Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman; Seraphina is one of my favorite YA heroines. It's a shame that this inventive dragon duology has ended, but hopefully there will be more Rachel Hartman books to come!

The Blast from the Past Award
Award given to the best historical fiction book published in 2015.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. It was pretty awkward realizing that I hadn't read much historical YA this year; I had planned to read Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee but... haven't yet. Still, Walk on Earth a Stranger fits; its historical, Oregon-trail quest-like elements are more prominent than the fantastical gold hunting magic. Lee/Leah was one of my favorite YA heroines. Walk on Earth made my Cinderella Book Tag list, and I told people to anticipate its release. Of course, I also reviewed Walk on Earth a Stranger. Walk on Earth a Stranger was a great introduction to the Gold Seer trilogy, and I'm looking forward to more from Rae Carson.

The Retelling Award
Award for the best YA retelling published in 2015.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. I considered nominating Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge -- I've loved every one of her dark spins on fairy tales, including her short stories and novellas, and I reviewed Crimson Bound, encouraged people to pre-order the awesome book -- but ultimately I want there to be more Middle Eastern books that actually feel Middle Eastern in the way that A Thousand Nights does. I also considered nominated Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I reviewed here, but it's technically not a YA book (it's like Red Rising, both published by Del Rey as adult fiction but both frequently making YA book lists, which the publisher isn't going to complain about because it wants the crossover crowds). I reviewed A Thousand Nightsand have sung its praises whenever I could, including discussing my love for the main character. As someone with Middle Eastern heritage, I felt that A Thousand Nights was authentic. The atmosphere was wonderful. ATN is an epic fantasy that should not be missed.

The Most Anticipated Award
Award for the book you are most excited to read that publishes in 2016.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. I have a list of 2016 books and 2016 debuts that I need to write up, but I haven't done so yet. The Star-Touched Queen was "pitched as a Hades and Persephone-style romance infused with Indian mythology, about an unlikely princess who must overcome her sinister horoscope and embarks on a quest to unravel her true identity and find the one she loves." A.) We don't have enough YA fantasy that's actually diverse, and very little YA fantasy that aren't Western or European centric. B.) Indian mythology! C.) I don't even like Hades and Persephone that much, but I read The Star Maiden by Roshani Chokshi and her writing IS GORGEOUS. YES PLEASE to this book.

Book Nerd of the Year
Award given to your favorite contributer to the YA community. Nominate your favorite YA book blogger, vlogger, podcaster, Instagramer, Tumblr-er, ect. (Please list their handle and which platform! Example = @EpicReads on Instagram)

Ameriie at the booktube channel, Books Beauty Ameriie. If you're reading this, you might feel offended that I didn't nominate you. I can guarantee you that I considered you, especially if we're (close) friends. But unlike most of you, I've hung out with Ameriie in person several times, and we've been friends for over three years, so I know her book nerd ways intimately. This girl, when we first hung out, I can still remember feeling nervous in the way that you always are when you're hanging out with someone for the first time, but she made our interaction comfortable with her book nerd ways. Sniffing all those books, discussing our favorites, always driving to bookstores at the end of one of our writing days spent together... I mean, even if you forgo my personal experiences with Ameriie, all you need to do is check out her channel and here's a particular book nerd video: How She Reads. If you aren't one of her subscribers yet, you're seriously missing out on a wonderful perspective on both YA and adult books.

Books I almost nominated...

Those were my Book Shimmy Award nominations! Do we have any in common? What have you decided to nominate for each category?

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Reports 1, 2, 3:

• Iron Cast - Destiny Soria (Debut YA; The historical fantasy follows two best friends and illusionists who live and work in a Prohibition-era nightclub and con the city’s elite, only to find themselves entangled with mobsters when a con goes awry. Publication is set for fall 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
• We Now Return to Regular Life - Martin Wilson (about a teen who returns home after disappearing three years earlier, forcing his older sister and childhood friend to deal with their own emotions and questions about what happened. Publication is scheduled for summer 2017; Dial).
• Roll - Darcy Miller (Debut MG in which 11-year-old Ren meets a new neighbor girl who is focused on breaking into the strange world of competitive pigeon rolling; he then discovers that there’s more to life than vintage comic books and video game marathons. Publication is set for summer 2017; HarperCollins).
• Dear My Blank - Emily Trunko and The Last Message Received - Emily Trunko (book projects based on the two popular Tumblrs of the same name. Publication is scheduled for 2016; Crown).
• Storm Chaser - Ginger Zee (First of a middle-grade trilogy starring a storm-chasing girl. The first volume, called Storm Chaser, is set for January 2018; Disney).
• It Didn't Have To End This Way - Shalanda Stanley (a YA Bonnie and Clyde-inspired love story about June and Nick, two teens who are on the run from authorities and running out of time – she from mental illness, and he from a criminal past. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Knopf).
• The Breaking Wheel - Natalie Anderson (debut YA; The novel follows a Congolese refugee, Tina, who is nursing visions of revenge after seeing her mother murdered. Anderson has worked for NGOs and the United Nations toward refugee relief in Africa. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Putnam).
• No More Blues - Lauren Karcz (debut magical realism about a teenage artist whose quest for inspiration leads her to a mysterious studio where her paintings can be perfect, and where the girl she loves possibly loves her back. The book is set for summer 2017; HarperTeen).
• Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism in Children's Literature and Why We Need Diverse Books -Philip Nel (The book looks at structural racism in children's literature as well as within the publishing industry itself. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Oxford University Press).
• That Year in the Middle Row - Lila Quintero Weaver (Illustrated MG set in Alabama in 1970, it tells the story of a girl named Lu Olivera who discovers a love for running and figures out who she wants to be – and what kind of friends she wants to have – against the backdrop of school integration. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Candlewick).
• The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street - Karina Yan Glaser (Debut MG about the five Vanderbeeker siblings who are trying to convince their mysterious landlord not to evict them five days before Christmas. Publication is planned for 2017; HMH).
• A Pig Who Admires Birds - Il Sung Na (about a pig that wishes to fly, and brainstorms a way to do so. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Chronicle).
• Untitled - Danica McKellar (a line of kid-friendly math books by actress and author. The series will focus on basic concepts for toddlers through third graders. Publication will begin in spring 2017; Crown).
• A Line in the Dark - Malinda Lo (The YA novel is a murder mystery about the shifting boundary between young and adult and the half-seen spaces where friendship slides into love, where love twists into jealousy, and where life crosses over to death. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Dutton).
• War Child - Sandra Uwiringiyimana, written with journalist Abigail Pesta (memoir about Sandra's childhood escape from a massacre at a refugee camp in Africa, her journey to a new life in America as a teenager, and her quest to make peace with her past through art. Publication is slated for spring 2017; HarperCollins's Katherine Tegen imprint).
• Alex, Approximately - Jenn Bennett (an edgy teen update of You've Got Mail, in which a reserved girl can't stand the boy at her summer tourist-trap job, while unaware that she's falling for his anonymous online persona. Publication is planned for spring 2017 and will be followed by an untitled novel in spring 2018. Simon Pulse).
• Nowhere Girls - Amy Reed (about three misfit girls who come together to avenge the rape of a girl none of them knew. In the process, they change the misogynist culture at their high school and start a movement that will transform the lives of everyone around them. Publication for Nowhere Girls is scheduled for fall 2017; Simon Pulse).
• How to Be Funny - Lauren Allbright (Debut follows the adventures of a boy who doesn't know how to make friends and decides to use his middle-school science project to learn. Publication is slated for 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• The Orange Tree - Vesper Stamper (debut YA. The illustrated novel is about two teenage Holocaust survivors who find themselves in a displaced persons camp in the aftermath of WWII. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Knopf).
• In a Perfect World - Trish Doller (features an American girl who moves with her family to Cairo, and experiences culture shock and forbidden love when she falls for a Muslim boy. It's slated for publication in summer 2017, and will be followed by an untitled YA novel in summer 2018. Simon Pulse).
• The Inconceivable Life of Quinn - Marianna Baer (about the 16-year-old daughter of a high-profile politician in Brooklyn, who struggles to uncover the mystery of how she – a virgin – could be pregnant, in this novel of family secrets and media scandal-mongering. The book is scheduled for spring 2017; Abrams/Amulet).

From Publisher’s Lunch:

An interesting discussion on how Emily Lindin translated her Wattpad project, The Unslut Project, into a memoir, Unslut.

So, a school was supposed to host a reading of I Am Jazz, a book about transgender teen activist Jazz Jennings, but then canceled because of lawsuit threats from “concerned parents.” However, a bunch of people still showed up to the reading (this time at the library instead of the school).

Pottermore wants to grow its digital footprint. (“Companies that don’t adapt to the rapidly shifting media environment risk losing their audience, according to Pottermore chief executive Susan Jurevics, who laid out the company’s shift towards mobile-friendly content at the FutureBook conference today (4th December)... Jurevics said the average Pottermore user is now a young woman who has grown up with J K Rowling's seven Harry Potter books. She is also a smartphone user who is engaged with social media.”)

Chimamanda, you are awesome. Sweden, you are awesome. Every 16-Year-Old In Sweden Will Read Chimamanda Adichie’s “We Should All Be Feminists.”

A fundraiser for an anthology on race and immigration in the UK reached its target goal in a few days thanks to the help of its donors and prominent authors like JK Rowling helping to spread the word. Sounds like a great anthology!

There are a lot of new Star Wars products coming soon to tie in with the new movie, and it’s helping to drive the book market.

Cover Reveals:

 

The Killer in Me - Margot Harrison*

*previously had been “cover not final;” now confirmed

The Girl in the Picture - Alexandra Monir

The Return: The Legacy of Secrets - Ridley Pearson

Sticks & Stones - Abby Cooper

The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan

Under Rose-tainted Skies - Louise Gornall

The Nethergrim - Matthew Jobin, pb redesign

It Wasn't Always Like This - Joy Preble

Local Girl Swept Away - Ellen Wittlinger

The Darkest Magic - Morgan Rhodes

Listen to Me - Kristen Proby, NA

Against All Silence - E.C. Myers

The Long Game - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl - Melissa Keil

This Is Not the Abby Show - Debbie Reed Fischer

Your Presidential Fantasy Dream Team - Daniel O'Brien

Secret of the Time Tables (Cleopatra in Space) - Mike Maihack

Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom - David Neilsen

Avenging the Owl - Melissa Hart

Zoe in Wonderland - Brenda Woods

Teddycats - Mike Storey

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright - Christopher Edge

The Trouble with Twins - Kathryn Siebel, illus by Julia Sarda

Ever the Hunted - Erin Summerill

Thornghost - Tone Almjhell*

*note: the author’s name is currently misspelled on the Goodreads book page

The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn - Tania Unsworth

As You Breathe Again - Molli Moran, NA

Facsimile - Vicki L. Weavil

A Gatlin Wedding - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Golden (Heart of Dread) - Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

The Fate of the Tearling - Erika Johansen*

*note: this is on Goodreads, but it says cover not final.

Chasing Spring - R.S. Grey, NA

Dead Girls Society - Michelle Krys

The Crimson Skew - S.E. Grove

Janae (Blacktop #2) - LJ Alonge

Warrior Witch - Danielle L. Jensen

Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella, UK pb redesign

Market Street Cinema - Michele Machado, NA

The Map of Bones - Francesca Haig

Dan vs. Nature - Don Calame

Remake - Ilima Todd, new publisher design

This Is My Brain on Boys - Sarah Strohmeyer

Beware That Girl - Teresa Toten

Fjord Blue - Nina Rossing

Love Charms and Other Catastrophes - Kimberly Karalius

Blood Passage (Dark Caravan Cycle) - Heather Demetrios, redesign

Exquisite Captive (Dark Caravan Cycle) - Heather Demetrios, pb redesign

Never Ever - Sara Saedi

And I Darken - Kiersten White

Flirting with Fame - Samantha Joyce, NA

Unplugged - Donna Freitas

Incriminated - M.G. Reyes

Not Okay Cupid - Heidi R. Kling, NA

The Baller - Vi Keeland, NA

Stars Above - Marissa Meyer

738 Days - Stacey Kade, NA

The Wrong Side of Right - Jenn Marie Thorne, pb redesign

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman

Rise - Jennifer Anne Davis

Into Deep Space (The Galahad Archives, #2) - Dom Testa

Wonderboy - Nicole Burstein

Discussions/Other Blogger Posts:

10 YA books worthy of adult readers.

Some YA novels to get you into the holiday spirit (I am def a fan of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology recommendation.). Similarly the LA Times recommended 24 wonderful new books for kids for the holidays.

8 Overlooked Yet Awesome YA Series (“with over 30,000 books published for juveniles every year, it’s no wonder that the majority of them go unnoticed and overlooked.”). Along that note, I actually hadn’t heard of some of those series. And sadly, these 21 amazing YA series ended in 2015.

The 30 Best YA Book Covers of 2015 - do you agree? I hadn’t even SEEN some of these! And similarly, the Epic Reads Design Team judged what they thought were the Best YA Book Covers of 2015.

Do we honor girls’ stories in YA lit? (“We’ve all read claim after claim about how women “dominate” young adult fiction. But rarely do we reward and celebrate girls’ stories written by women in the same capacity that we do boys’ narratives, or men who write girls’ stories.”). According to this reader, these historical YA novels put girls’ stories at the front. And here are some morehistorical YA fiction recommendations.

Lots of recommendation articles! 11 Books We’re Thankful For (love seeing how these different books impact other readers!),15 YA Authors Share Their Bookish Gift Lists, 10 Best New Books to Give Your Fantasy YA Addict, 5 Must-Reads for Jessica Jones Fans Suffering from Post-Binge Withdrawal (okay, I need to watch Jessica Jones at some point…), 6 Chanukah Gifts for Teens, The We Need Diverse Books Team Picks 10 2015 Must-Reads (“Of course, one of the most important ways you can help increase the number of diverse books on shelves is by buying diverse books.”), 10 Authors Discuss Asexuality, Immigration, and More on December’s YA Open Mic (“YA Open Mic is a monthly series in which YA authors share personal stories on topics of their choice.”), 16 of Our Most Anticipated December YAs (“This month’s must-reads include heroines shouldering their families’ burdens, a proud band geek who will NOT go down quietly, an epic battle between evil and the damned, and the follow-up to a dishy political thriller”), YA Recs for the Gang at Sweet Valley High (Another thing to watch at some point…), 8 Books To Give the Adventure Seeker in Your Life, 7 Books to Give the Romantic in Your Life (as a romantic, I can definitely agree with most of those!), 5 Books about Second Chances as recommended by Lauren Oliver, The ESSENTIAL 2015 YA Book Buying Guide (Epic Reads, always killing it with their infographics!), 3 YA Books to Read if You Loved The Handmaid’s Tale, 17 YA Novels You Should Read Based on Your Favorite Classics (Jane Eyre → An Ember in the Ashes), 7 YA Book Recs for Netflix Fans, 25 Best Ever Sci-fis for YA (It’s strange to me that Twilight is considered Sci-fi? Speculative Fic, yeah, but not sci fi??).

Some serious book nerd problems ahead: when there’s no one you can discuss a book with (!!!) and when you’re waiting for your new book to be delivered.

I want more disabled characters in books. And more books that break the gender binary.

Katniss is a hero for boys too.

Wow, did you know the word taser came from a young adult sci fi novel?

Reading the same book repeatedly is supposedly good for your kids. (“The more a child reads, the larger their vocabulary becomes. When a child reads or hears the same book multiple times, they become familiar and comfortable with a greater number of words…”)

Do you think that J.K. Rowling is ruining Harry Potter with her various reveals? Here are 19 new things JKR taught her readers about Harry Potter in 2015.

You can start a lot of Harry Potter holiday traditions this year, and make a very Harry (Potter) Christmas tree, because Harry Potter is so much more than an average children’s book.

Book series that parents and teens should binge read.

The time is now for YA speculative fiction.

The best opening lines in YA fiction vs. the best closing lines. I think that I personally pay a lot more attention to opening lines than closing lines. How about you?

Every bookworm needs a bookwormy scarf among many other, wonderful gift ideas.

Do you like it when characters in books love reading as much as you do?

If you’ve ever wanted to read a Madeleine L’Engle book, here is her canon ranked (“from “you absolutely must read it if you missed it” to “read it only if you’re obsessed with the author’s work.””). After all, L’Engle’s books are for “the oddball in everyone.”

Literary "ugly" sweaters: whaaa-- if I knew these existed, I would’ve gotten one to win those annual holiday “best ugly sweater” contests.

NYPL’s 12 YA Books “I Can’t Wait to Read in 2016.” (Currently, I kinda love lists like these because I feel like I don’t know much about what’s coming out in 2016.)

Like YA Genre Benders? This one’s for you.

If you don’t know what happened in the Scott Bergstrom affair (an excerpt from a different interview, another interview, etc.),The Daily Dot wrote a summary of various reactions & excerpts.

The Obamas have great taste in books. I love features that show high profile people buying kidlit. Yes please!

Unlikely friendships in children’s literature (from John Boyne).

A book gift guide from Parade for tweens.

Have you read any of these popular YA books releasing in December? Or perhaps one of the 12 most anticipated books releasing in December?

I wrote a discussion post with some of my random thoughts on Mockingjay Part II, if you’re interested.

Movies & TV Shows:

The 5 Stages of Watching a YA Movie. Lol, yes.

I compiled 6-7 months worth of news from THIS SECTION in my bookish rounds here → YA Adaptation (Movies & TV Shows) Round-up. It doesn’t include what I’ll mention now, but it’s a running list of things optioned, things with actors attached, things released next year, etc.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be a Broadway play.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is going to be awesome.

The Between Shades of Gray movie looks to be moving up → checking out and planning for the Siberian sets.

The Little Prince has a new trailer.

If you want a round-up of Shadowhunters TV stills from episode one, promotional photos, and more, check out that link (Harry Shum Jr. looks awesomeeee!!) plus here’s one for the character posters. You can also now officially watch the Beyond the Shadowhunters: the Making of the TV Show video. You can also see the new art and Clary+Jace together.

The Disney teaser trailer for The BFG (by Roald Dahl) was released.

TOTALLY UNRELATED TO YA but did ya see the Outlander teaser trailer for season two? Ahhhhh, I need to watch the last three episodes soon.

Some promotional images for the 5th Wave: Ringer & Sammy. And some coverage of the movie from Publisher’s Weekly.

So, whoops. I seem to have missed any news related to The Shannara Chronicles, which looks to be a series that was published ~2000 and is now an MTV show (most of the genre labels seem to be SFF, with only a few YA & it is pubbed by Orbit, so keep that in mind)! Here’s the opening MTV title sequence and the official trailer that had been shown at NYCC.

So, it was once reported that Lionsgate was looking to keep The Hunger Games franchise open with prequels. That has come about again, especially in light of the release of Mockingjay Part 2.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman was acquired by Chernin Entertainment. (“Shusterman will adapt his own novel and co-produce the film, with Chernin and Underground's Trevor Engelson producing.”).

Oops, another YA adaptation that I hadn’t heard much about / covered here: Cecilia Ahern’s Flawed and Perfect, which is apparently coming out in March.

!!! Look at Daniel Radcliffe’s audition for Harry Potter. So adorable!

The ABC Family/Freeform TV show for Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle has cast more people: Georgie Flores (playing Cassandra), Perrey Reeves (playing Nina, Rainer’s mother), Pepi Sonuga (playing Tangey) and Mark Valley (playing Grant Devon, Rainer’s father).

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 12/07/15! Win TWO of the great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 12/13/15; Win a book pack of popular or recent YA titles, plus swag to help reward readers, for underfunded classrooms, schools, or libraries. Know a school or library who needs books? Nominate them!. Ends 1/1/16.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases:

November 29 - December 5: Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Not If I See You First by Eric Windstorm, All We Left Behind by Ingrid Sandberg, Hawthorn (Blythewood #3) by Carol Goodman, Gateway to Fourline by Pam Brondos, Nexus by A. L. Davroe, Tarnished (Perfected #2) by Kate Jarvik Birch, Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith, Forbidden by Eve Bunting, Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame.

December 6 - 12: Wandering Star (Zodiac #2) by Romina Russell, The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill, Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Cain, Come Back to Me by Mila Gray.

Recent Recommended Reads: You can read my review of Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith. I also discussed what I was currently reading: Eon by Alison Goodman and The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, though I actually finished Eon & ended up mostly reviewing it in the post.

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

I don't usually write posts about books that I haven't read ALL the way through, but sometimes I think that it's actually helpful to see how your initial impressions match with your whole reading experience. Also, it's helpful to see what a person thinks of the beginning - I mean, will this book capture you from start to finish? Anywho, today I thought that I'd share with you my current reads, Eon by Alison Goodman and The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove.

I also really liked how romance was handled in the duology. Since Eon is actually Eona and Eona is pretending to be a 12 year old boy, there's not much opportunity for romance; if Eon did have a romance with someone at 12, it probably would've been a different book. But the relationships between characters are set for the next book, which then allows for a gradual development of the romance. I loved how gender identity was discussed in Eon. There are a lot of books with cross-dressing girls; rarely is it actually discussed why that girl has to hide herself as a boy and the repercussions of that. Here we got to have Eon(a) unpack how her culture treats her differently as a boy vs. girl, and her own biases about what it means to be female, male, etc. And that's especially challenged in some of the side characters: Ryko, a Shadow Man (aka eunuch) who takes steroids that enhance Sun energy (masculinity), and Lady Dela (a twin soul; a man who dresses as a woman and is accepted to be both - probably simplifying this). It's the rare fantasy that actually discusses the cross-dressing instead of using it to make the character seem more "badass" or give the character the opportunity to have traditionally masculine characteristics.

Wow! This is getting to be long. Okay, well, other things I liked: the cinematic feel of the book (there's a reason why Rites of Passage are what we focus on in so many different books - choosing ceremonies and the like - and man, this book doesn't disappoint on the climax and the dragon choosing ceremony and so many other extremely visual scenes) and the side characters and development of the characters (the emperor can't be touched because of rank; actual development of class rank, and how class rank affects each character! and side characters who have their own stories!). I didn't like the ultimate villain (the quickest way to make a villain is to have them hate difference or be cruel, etc. but the most fascinating villains, to me, are the ones most like the protagonist), the Dillon side plot, and how Eon's disability was handled. But otherwise, wow, I read those books so quickly and just ATE THEM UP.

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove | Goodreads
Release Date: July 14, 2015
Published by: Viking

You can read my review of The Glass Sentence (book 1) here. You can also read my discussion of Sophia (main character) as a great heroine to follow.

I'm reading this along with Mel at The Daily Prophecy. I've stopped at around page 85. If you haven't read book 1, The Glass Sentence, it's based on the premise of The Great Disruption, a worldwide event that slid the different continents into different ages. We're following Sophia, who lives in New Occident (sort of New England) in the nineteenth century with her explorer uncle, Shadrack, because her parents went on an expedition and never return. Shadrack is kidnapped in The Glass Sentence, and Sophia goes searching after him. In The Golden Specific, Sophia is searching for her parents.

First off, just as Eon had AWESOME world-building and definitely fulfilled the Cultural Iceberg premise, so does The Glass Sentence/The Golden Specific world. SO MANY INVENTIVE DETAILS. For instance, S.E. Grove has created this religion called Nihilimanism (sp.?). Believers think that the world which Sophia and co. live in is the Age of Delusion, and they are trying to restore the Age of Verity, the time from before The Great Disruption. So much love for that creation. In general, I love Grove's discussion of different religions and different ways in which people cope with this HUGE event, and I love how she develops the cultures of each individual place.

I love the characters. Sophia is this wonderful, determined heroine who is often left by herself because the adults around her are dealing with other things or have to work late nights (in The Golden Specific, the latter is true). It actually feels realistic - it's not parents being neglectful, more that jobs can be really demanding and sometimes there isn't time for the kids. So Sophia is forced to be resourceful. The character relationships established from The Glass Sentence are really getting developed in this second book, and the inventive details also apply to the characters. For instance, there's this fixation on a potential villain as having REALLY WHITE TEETH. Has anyone ever seen the episode in Friends with Ross and his white teeth? It's this small detail, yet it's also again something that I think a lot of people would relate to. Teeth can totally creep people out. I don't even know the full details behind the teeth at page 85, and I'm creeped out.

In short, The Golden Specific is promising to be every bit as awesome as its predecessor, The Golden Sentence.

What are you all currently reading? Have you read either of these books? Would love to discuss!

If you follow my bookish rounds, you know that among other YA book news, cover reveals, publishing articles and more, I cover Movie & TV show adaptation news. Well, sometimes it's hard to keep track of all the things that have been optioned week after week. So (!!!) I looked through the past six-seven months of my bookish rounds posts and sorted all the links I'd had for movie & TV show adaptations. It created a fairly concise look at things that were at the "lower" stages in development (i.e. news focused on the option, screenwriter, or director attached), things that were slightly higher in development (i.e. news that included an actor or actress now attached), things that now have a release date (i.e. actually coming soon!!), and things that have been recently released and we can obtain on DVD. I hope you find this helpful! If you ever make a list of movies or TV shows that you'd like to see, maybe this list can help you (though, also, if so, can you link back here?).

NOTE: THESE ARE NOT ALL THE YA BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN OPTIONED, etc. These are only the ones withnews that I managed to cover in the past six-seven months (undoubtedly, I’ve missed some news articles, and also, many books that have been optioned prior to my arbitrary six month date still have news going for them – like when Wicked Lovely was assigned a director? I think it was…). Point being: just because this is a six-seven month period, doesn't mean older projects won't soon have news articles about their recent developments.

Young Adult (YA) Adaptations (Movies & TV Shows)

OPTIONED / DIRECTOR OR SCREENWRITER OR PRODUCER/OVERSEER CHOSEN:
By far the largest “category” of all the news--

Here's the format: MOVIE + LINK TO OPTION (Who has optioned the movie/tv show; any other relevant information)

• The Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary Pearson (Dolphin Films; screenplay by Garry Williams; producers Bill O'Dowd and Julia Pistor). GOODREADS.

• Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (Fox 2000's Erin Simonoff and Molly Saffron; produced by Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Isaac Klausner of Temple Hill, and Pouya Shahbazian and Chris McEwen of New Leaf Literary & Media; script by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger). GOODREADS.

• His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (BBC commissioned Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema for an initial eight-part TV series; executive produced by Pullman, Tranter and Gardner for Bad Wolf, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema, and Deborah Forte for Scholastic). GOODREADS.

• John Connolly's MG Trilogy (The Gates, The Infernals, The Creeps) (Dreamworks; franchise attempt).GOODREADS.

• The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom (Paramount; Jerry Bruckheimer on project). GOODREADS.

• Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout (financed by Sierra Pictures; produced with Mr. Mudd's Russ Smith and Lianne Halfon; script by Ava Dellaira). GOODREADS.

• The Descendants 2 / sequel (Disney; writers Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon). GOODREADS.

• The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (2017 HarperTeen; ABC; series development by Greg Berlanti and Maggie Friedman; script by Friedman; produced by Berlanti, Berlanti Prods, Sarah Schecter, Leslie Morgenstein, Girolamo). GOODREADS.

• The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole (TV show by Warner Brothers; Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot from Offspring; written by Seamus Kevin Fahey). GOODREADS.

• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (TV show by ABC Signature Studios; Mafi as a consulting producer). GOODREADS.

• Fear Street by R.L. Stine (Sony; reportedly in development for the sequel to Goosebumps). GOODREADS.

• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (The Weinstein Company; Channing Tatum & Rein Carolin as directors; Tatum also acting and producing; written by Mike Vukadinovich). GOODREADS.

• Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene (TV show by CBS, but Nancy aged into a super-sleuth NYPD detective in her 30s; produced by Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and Dan Jink; written by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan). GOODREADS.

• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Focus Features; produced by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith's KatzSmith Productions and Jay Ireland; directed by Matt Sobel; written by Jack Thorne). GOODREADS.

• Upside-down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins (Disney Channel, for TV).GOODREADS.

• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers (director, maybe, Rob Marshal; not many details). GOODREADS.

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Mark Gordon Company, for TV; no further details). GOODREADS.

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Jo Bamford and Piers Tempest at Tempo Productions).GOODREADS.

• The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Warner Brothers and Di Novi Films; produced by Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan, Nelson executive producer). GOODREADS.

• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Paramount; produced by Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Cory Kaplan).GOODREADS.

• The Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate (Universal; no further details because it’s sort of rumored, I guess?).GOODREADS.

• The Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (Warner Brothers television, Simon Helberg and his wife’s company, Wildline Entertainment; also produced by Cora Olson). GOODREADS.

• Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. (Fox; Carter Blanchard overseeing, along with Will Rack for 21 Laps).GOODREADS.

• Way Down Dark by James Smythe (Studio 8; Chris Goldberg overseeing). GOODREADS.

• (Not really adaptation --> John Green signed a first-look producing deal with Fox 2000 for whatever he writes.GOODREADS.)

• Looking for Alaska by John Green. (Paramount; new news => directed by Becca Thomas). GOODREADS.

 

• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (MGM; produced by Les Morgenstein and Elysa Dutton; adapted by J. Mills Goodloe). GOODREADS.

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Disney; developed & directed by Kenneth Branagh; produced by Harvey Weinstein, Branagh, Judy Huffland; Julie Oh, Tendo Nagenda, Jessica Virtue overseeing; potentially to be written by Conor McPherson). GOODREADS.

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (old news: financed and produced by Demarest Media; also produced by Paula Mazur and Mitchell Kaplan; directed by Miguel Arteta; Elle Fanning starring as Violet; Lily Lillehaugen and Ally Israelson overseeing; new news: Jennifer Niven writing the screenplay; production to begin in Spring 2016). GOODREADS.

• Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston (Shorelight Pics - not many details). GOODREADS.

• The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (DreamWorks Animation; written and directed by Jason Reitman; developed by Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria; Damon Ross and Gregg Taylor overseeing).GOODREADS.

• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Universal; produced by Jake Weiner, Chris Bender, and JC Spink of Benderspink, and Pouya Shahbazian, and co-produced by Christopher Cosmos; script written by Gennifer Hutchison; new news: potentially directed by Elizabeth Banks). GOODREADS.

• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (Fox Animation; directed by Patrick Osborne; attached to write - Marc Haimes; produced by Roy Lee and Adam Stone of Vertigo Entertainment, and John Powers Middleton; Gabriel Chu, Vanessa Morrison, and Darlene Caamano Loquet overseeing). GOODREADS.

• Trinkets by Kirsten Smith (MTV; created by Kirsten Smith & Andrea Seigel; written by Andrea Siegel; produced by Kirsten Smith, and Morgan Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage of 11th Street Productions). GOODREADS.

• Liberty by Andrea Portes (acquired by Fox 2000 and Temple Hill's Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen; adapted by Andrea Portes & Joel Silverman). GOODREADS

• The Fever by Megan Abott (MTV; developed (and first episode written) by Megan Abott, with Sarah Jessica Parker's Pretty Matches Productions; produced by Karen Rosenfelt). GOODREADS.

• 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (Alloy Entertainment, New Line Cinema; adapted by Harper Dill; Richard Brener, Andrea Johnston overseeing; produced by Les Morgenstein & Elysa Dutton) GOODREADS.

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Imperative Entertainment; produced by Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Zak Kadison; Justin Catron overseeing and co-producing; new news: screenplay to be written by Stephanie Shannon).GOODREADS.

• Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (EveryWhere Studios and the Gotham Group, partnered with Starlight Children's Foundation as an adviser on the project; produced by Dan Angel, Tom Mazza, Goldsmith-Vein, Lindsay Williams, and Brian Gott). GOODREADS.

• The Selection by Kiera Cass (Warner Brothers; produced by DiNovi Pictures' Denise DiNovi and Alison Greenspan + Pouya Shahbazian; screenplay to be written by Katie Lovejoy). GOODREADS.

• The Altered series by Jennifer Rush (Michael Preger and Jillian DeFrehn (from Vampire Academy), with DeFrehn as production executive for Preger Entertainment). GOODREADS.

• The Young Elites by Marie Lu (Fox & Temple Hill; produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey).GOODREADS.

• Just One Day/Just One Year by Gayle Forman (Universal; produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and Lis Rowinski and Gayle Forman as executive producers; new news: screenplay to be written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger). GOODREADS.

• This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (in development at Sony TV). GOODREADS.

• Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi (Fox and Temple Hill; produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey). GOODREADS.

• The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (Bron Animation; adapted by Kris Pearn; directed and co-written by Adam Wood; produced by Aaron Gilbert and Lewis Carroll). GOODREADS.

• Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon (Disney; produced by Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman at A Very Good Production; Sam Dickerman overseeing). GOODREADS.

• Dissonance by Erica Rourke (Envision Media Arts; produced by Jennifer Quintenz, Lee Nelson, David Buelow, and David Tish and Beaux Carson as executive producers; screenplay to be written by YA author Jennifer Quintenz). GOODREADS.

• Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (optioned/to be adapted by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B).GOODREADS.

• The Merlin saga by T.A. Barron (Disney; screenplay to be written by Philippa Boyens). GOODREADS.

• 13 Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman (Bold Films financing and producing; screenplay to be written by Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan; developed and produced by Trevor Macy at Intrepid Pictures, and Michel Litvak producing for Bold Films, and Gary Walters and Marc Evans executive producing). GOODREADS.

• The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (Movie from Universal Studios, produced by Joe Roth and Jane Startz; launched, EverNeverTV, a Youtube channel as well). GOODREADS. IMDB. Suggested 2016 by the author's twitter & book trailer article on MTV.

• A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (A Netflix series; directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; executive produced by showrunner Mark Hudis). GOODREADS. IMDB. Netflix poster for A Series of Unfortunate Events. Article suggests late 2016.

• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (written and developed by Todd Haynes, who has been joined by Julianne Moore; produced by Christine Vachon, Pam Koffler, and John Sloss). GOODREADS. IMDB.

CASTING:
--> These are the adaptations where at least one actor has been tapped. To me, this is probably an indication that these are further along in the stage than those listed above (though, certainly, I imagine that's not always the case).

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Breakthrough Entertainment; script written by Susan Coyne; executive produced by Kate Butler; Martin Sheen to play Matthew Cuthbert while Ella Ballentine plays Anne Shirley, and Sara Botsford plays Marilla Cuthbert). GOODREADS. IMDB (& the article) suggest an early 2016 release date.

• Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Septys (which is called Ashes in the Snow for the movie -- Bel Powley is going to play Lina. Directed by Marius Markevicius. Produced by Markevicius, Jonathan Schwartz of Super Crispy Entertainment and Zilvinas Naujokas of Taurus Films; adapted by Ben York Jones). GOODREADS. IMDBsuggests 2016.

• Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters (Gold Circle Films; adapted by Jason Fuchs; directed by Scott Speer; and Hailee Steinfeld cast as the lead). GOODREADS. IMDB (maybe?).

• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith (Dustin Lance Black executive producer, director, and screenplay writer, Bruna Papandrea, Caroline Kaplan, and Steve Hutensky producers; Robert Sheehan and Hailee Steinfeld to play Oliver and Hadley). GOODREADS. IMDB.

• 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (13-episode, straight-to-series order from Netflix; Selena Gomez is executive producing along with Mandy Teefey, Kristel Laiblin, and Anonymous Contest; pilot written by Brian Yorkey).GOODREADS. IMDB.

• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (other article here, here, and here; Awesomeness Films. cast includes: Zoey Deustch (Samantha), Jennifer Beals (Sam's mom), Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, and Liv Hewson (Anna Cartullo); and also Diego Boneta and Elena Kampouris; directed by Ry Russo-Young; script by Maria Maggenti, and revised by Gina Prince-Blythewood; produced by Brian Robbins, Matt Kaplan, and Jon Shestack.). GOODREADS. IMDB suggests 2016; article said production started last month.

• Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (Johnny Depp, Edgar Wright, and Bret McKenzie adapting; collaborators to make live-action/animation hybrid movie; Depp as producer and maybe actor; Wright directing; McKenzie writing the script). GOODREADS. IMDB

• Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle (Warner Horizon Television -- ABC Family/Freeform; casting includes: Bella Thorne (Paige), Carter Jenkins (Rainer), Jesse Henderson (Jake), Keith Powers (Jordan), and Niki Koss (Alexis). TV pilot directed by Miguel Arteta; executive produced by Arteta, Marlene King, and Dan Farah, and co-executive produced by Rebecca Serle; written by Rebecca Serle and Marlene King). GOODREADS. IMDB.

• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (directed by Catherine Hardwicke; screenplay written by Kristin Hahn; produced by Gotham Group, Hahnscape Entertainment, and BCDF Pictures; starring Joey King & Charlie Plummer as the leads, Stargirl and Leo.). GOODREADS. IMDB suggests 2016.

• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Kate Maberly's and Chester Semel's Hetherwood Productions, and Doug Liman's and Dave Bartis's Hypnotic production company; Maberly adapting, directing, and producing with Liman (also a producer); Maisie Williams is attached as the lead, Mary). GOODREADS. IMDB. Article suggests sometime in 2016.

• Death Note, a Japanese manga series (Warner Brothers; script by Jeremy Slater; directed by Adam Wingard; Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs, and Masi Oka producing; Doug Davison and Brian Witten executive producing; casting: Margaret Qualley and Nat Wolff as the female and male leads). GOODREADS. IMDB.

 

Also organized according to release date; soonest is first.

• The Shadowhunters TV show (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare). GOODREADS. IMDB. The first episode will be on January 12, 2016 on Freeform (previously ABC Family). Among the cast: Katherine McNamara (Clary), Dominic Sherwood (Jace), Alberto Rosende (Simon Lewis), Emeraude Toubia (Isabelle Lightwood), Matthew Daddario (Alec Lightwood), Harry Shum Jr. (Magnus Bane), Isaiah Mustafa (Luke Garroway), Alan Van Sprang (Valentine Morgenstern), Stephen R. Hart (Brother Jeremiah), Jon Cor (Hodge Starkweather), Alaric (Joel Labelle), Nicola Correia-Damude (Maryse Lightwood). (for others: Jocelyn, Camille Belcourt, Raphael Santiago,Meliorn, Captain Vargas, Ragnor Fell, Robert and Max Lightwood, Lydia Branwell). Also: character posters, main cast poster, Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters, first look at pictures, the first teasers, the second trailer, first promo video, meet Magnus Bane, the 4 minute clip, Directed by McG.

• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (<-- one of the trailers, which you can access at the IMDB link). GOODREADS.IMDB reports that it's being released January 15, 2016. It was written by Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman, and Jeff Pinkner, and it's directed by J Blakeson. Among the cast: Chloë Grace Moretz (Cassie), Nick Robinson (Ben Parrish), Liev Schreiber (Colonel Vosch), Maika Monroe (Ringer), Maria Bello (Sergeant Reznik), Ron Livingston (Oliver/Cassie's dad), Maggie Siff (Lisa/Cassie's mom), Tony Revolori (Dumbo), Alex Roe (Evan Walker), Terry Serpico (Hutchfield), Nadji Jeter (Poundcake), Zackary Arthur (Sammy Sullivan), and more.

• The Divergent Series: Allegiant (part I) by Veronica Roth (<-- one of the trailers that'd been released, but you can also access on IMDB). GOODREADS. IMDB reports that it's being released on March 18, 2016, and it's been written by Noah Oppenheim, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Stephen Chbosky, and directed by Robert Schwentke. In terms of new main cast, they have: Jeff Daniels (David) & Bill Skarsgård (Matthew). Returning are Shailene Woodley (Tris), Theo James (Four), Zoë Kravitz (Christina), Naomi Watts (Evelyn), Miles Teller (Peter), Ansel Elgort (Caleb), Maggie Q (Tori), Jonny Weston (Edgar), Keiynan Lonsdale (Uriah), and more. They’ve changed the title of the final Divergent movie from Allegiant to Ascendant. You can read Veronica Roth’sthoughts here.

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (optioned for Broadway; cast includes Broadway veterans Carolee Carmello, Fred Applegate, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Terrence Mann. Newcomer: Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie Foster). Opening in April at the Broadhurst Theatre under "the direction and choreography of Casey Nicholaw." Story by Claudia Shear, music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen. GOODREADS.

• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (<-- the international trailer; you can find on IMDB too). GOODREADS.IMDB reports that it's being released April 15, 2016. It's directed by Jon Favreau, and is written by Justin Marks. Among the cast: Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), Jamie Dornan (Colonel Hathi), Idris Elba (Shere Khan), Bill Murray (Baloo), Giancarlo Esposito (Akela), Christopher Walken (King Louie), Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha), Hannah Tointon (Winifred), Emjay Anthony (Gray), Ralph Ineson (Rama), Neel Sethi (Mowgli), Ritesh Rajan (Mowgli's father), and more.

• The BFG by Ronald Doahl (<-- the news there had been that Disney was joining Steven Spielberg).GOODREADS. IMDB reports the movie as slated for July 1, 2016. The screenplay has been written by Melissa Mathison, and it's directed by Steven Spielberg. Among the cast: Rebecca Hall (Mary), Bill Hader (Giant), Mark Rylance (The BFG), Penelope Wilton (the Queen), Marilyn Norry (Matron), Ruby Barnhill (Sophie) & more.

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany (London play July 2016; 8th Potter story told in 2 parts; all the set details and synopsis here). Not much information is available yet!

• Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson (& other here. CBS Films, Participant Media, and James Patterson Entertainment. Directed by Steve Carr; screenplay by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Kara Holden. Leopoldo Gout and Bill Robinson producing; executive producers include James Patterson and Steve Bowen for James Patterson Entertainment, Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King of Participant Media, & Michael Flynn; Robert Kessel and Scott Shooman overseeing; distributed by Lionsgate as well. Cast includes: Robb Riggle (Jules's boyfriend), Lauren Graham (Rafe's mother Jules), Jacob Hopkins (Rafe), Thomas Barbusca, Andrew Daly, Adam Pally, and Efren Ramirez). GOODREADS. IMDB (& the article) reports that it's being released October 7, 2016.

• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (<-- the new news was the teaser trailer). GOODREADS. IMDB reports A Monster Calls as coming out October 14, 2016. It is starring: Liam Neeson (The Monster), Felicity Jones (the mother), Sigourney Weaver (the grandmother), Toby Kebbell (the dad), Lewis MacDougall (Connor), Frida Palsson (Lily's mum), Jennifer Lim (Miss Kwan), James Melville (Harry), Lily-Rose Aslandogdu (Lily), Max Gabbay (Steven), Joe Curtis (Peter), Oliver Steer (Sully), and more. It has been written by Patrick Ness, and it's being directed by J.A. Bayona.

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (<-- the plot of the movie). GOODREADS. IMDBreports that it's being released on November 18, 2016. It's written by J.K. Rowling (screenplay debut), and directed by David Yates. Among the cast: Eddie Redmayne (New Scamander), Ezra Miller (Credence), Colin Farrell (Graves), Samantha Morton (Mary Lou), Katherine Waterston (Porpentina Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein), and more (Gemma Chan, Carmen Ejojo, and Jon Voight; Jenn Murray). More: first look at Fantastic Beasts, more photos here!. The equivalent of Muggle in the States is No Maj).

• Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, and John Green (Release date of December 9, 2016; coming from Universal, & the script written by Kay Cannon). GOODREADS. IMDB (watch that space for more info).

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Peculiars) by Ransom Riggs (<-- teaser trailer; movie changed 'Peculiar Children' to 'Peculiars). GOODREADS. IMDB reports that the release date is December 25, 2016. It's being directed by Tim Burton, and is written by Jane Goldman. Among the cast: Eva Green (Miss Peregrine), Samuel Jackson (Barron), Allison Janney (Dr. Golan), Judi Dench (Miss Avocet), Asa Butterfield (Jacob Portman), Chris O'Dowd (Franklin/ Jacob's dad), Ella Purnell (Emma Bloom), Milo Parker (Hugh), Terence Stamp (Abraham/Jacob's Grandpa), O-Lan Jones (Shelley), Pixie Davies (Bronwyn), and more.

WHAT ALREADY CAME OUT:
*I got rid of the individual links for these, and instead linked to IMDB. Since they've been released, you can find information about the trailers, posters, and so on there.

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 1, 2:

• The Bone Witch - Rin Chupeco (YA follows a young necromancer who recounts the dramatic story of her exile on a desolate beach to a bard who begins to suspect her of sinister motives. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Sourcebooks Fire).
• Waking in Time - Angie Stanton (a YA novel about a time-traveling college student who wakes in the same dorm room throughout different decades meeting a mysterious professor who wants to help, her young grandmother who harbors a secret, and a college boy who becomes the love of her life. Publication is set for spring 2017; Capstone).
• Bug Girl - Benjamin Harper and Sarah Hines Stephens (MG series follows insect-obsessed Amanda and her best frenemy as they overcome social awkwardness, mall mishaps, and a slew of mutant crawlies in order to save their mothers and rescue the town of Oyster Cove. Publication of book one, Bug Girl, is scheduled for spring 2017; Macmillan's Imprint).
• The Prince's Bane - Alexandra Christo (It tells the story of a killer siren with a taste for royal blood, banished from the ocean to the surface to hunt down the one prince who has sworn to end the war between land and sea by any means possible. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017. Feiwel and Friends).
• The Neptune Cipher - Deborah Hopkinson (a mystery set during World War II about coded messages, espionage, danger, and friendship, featuring an American girl and a British boy. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Knopf).
• Clivo Wren and the Fall of Phoenix - L. Fisher (Debut about a boy who is forced to step into his father's shoes as a top-secret tracker of legendary creatures to save the world from a ruthless organization harnessing Nessie, Bigfoot, and others for organic warfare, all with the help of the world's youngest group of basement-dwelling conspiracy theorists, plus a sequel. Publication is set for fall 2017; FSG).
• Busted - Gina Ciocca (This romance follows Marisa, whose reputation for sniffing out cheaters makes her the reluctant queen of busting two-timing boys at her high school. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Sourcebooks Fire).

None from last week had GR links so I’m giving up on them.

Awards/Lists: Don’t forget to vote in the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. SLJ’s Best MG Books of 2015 & Best YA Books of 2015 were announced. Here are also their Best Adult Books for Teens. Check out the nominees for the Andre Norton award. I linked to this late last week, so I’ll link again: the National Book Award winners and finalists (another article here). Chapters Indigo has named their Best Books of 2015. David Almond won the Guardian Children’s Book Prize.

Book Trailers: As I Crawl Through It - A.S. King. Steamy stills from the Blood and Salt trailer. Truthwitch - Susan Dennard

Excerpts: Lady Midnight - Cassandra Clare, The Last Time We Were Us - Leah Konen, Oblivion - Jennifer Armentrout, The Love That Split the World - Emily Henry, My Sister Rosa - Justine Larbalestier, Places No One Knows - Brenna Yovanoff,Hear - Robin Epstein, Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys

Authors: Adam Silvera opened up on his struggle with suicidal thoughts. Ruby Reinvented - Ronni Arno, The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez - Robin Yardi, Gena/Finn - Kat Helgeson, The Rosemary Spell - Virginia Zimmerman, Veronica Roth & Amy Lukavics on horror, Thicker than Water - Brigid Kemmerer, Light of Day - Allison Van Diepen, Minna’s Patchwork Coat - Lauren A. Mills, The Iron Warrior - Julie Kagawa

The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom took Frankfurt by surprise, has been sold in multiple countries, and has been optioned, with Jerry Bruckheimer attached. However, Scott Bergstrom upset a lot of readers and authors by suggesting (in the linked article) that not a lot of YA was morally complex. So, check out: #MorallyComplicatedYA. (Also, I'm simplifying a lot of this. Which is why I'm linking to the hashtag, where people much smarter than me have already deconstructed the shit-storm that is such an assertion.)

Do books for children try too hard to be politically correct today? (“The debate over A Fine Dessert reminds us that children’s literature – since what children must read continues to be decided for them – can be complicated, and contentious. “)

Junot Diaz discussed social activism in academia. Particularly relevant, given what’s been happening across the U.S. in colleges and universities. (Though maybe less relevant to kidlit bookish news - but hey, if you’re interested).

Which books are YA authors most thankful for? Authors also give thanks in this video.

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is December 5th. Don’t forget! And potentially you could take them to the awesome indie bookstore near you?

(P.S. Yasss to this New York Times Article -> The Gift of Reading.)

Fans are not happy with the way The Hunger Games theme park has turned out (or at least in this case, concept art) and are fighting to take back the narrative.

Will you be gifting YA this year?

Rick Riordan will be publishing a new series called The Trials of Apollo.

Lauren Oliver will be releasing a free e-novella on the Book of Shhh from Delirium.

Last week I reported that Otto Frank was being added onto Anne Frank’s Diary as a co-author. This week, I’ll link you to an article about people challenging the copyright extension of the book.

Since November is Native American Heritage month, Publisher’s Weekly looked at the current representation of American Indians in Children’s Publishing. (“Furthermore, popular titles derived from traditional stories of American Indians are often shelved in different sections from similar titles from other religions. “Rather than shelve them with world religions,” Reese said, “they’re put in the folktale section, which marginalizes us as a people whose religions are no more superstitious than Christianity. Other things that sell? Bogus stories about Thanksgiving, that, like A Fine Dessert, sugarcoat history.”)

Yikes! The children’s book version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens may have given away key plot points in the movie.

Were you sad to have missed YALLFest? Here’s a recap in photos. Same for the 2015 National Book Awards.

Pope Francis is releasing his first children’s book (see cover below).

Some international publishers have stopped whitewashing RIck Riordan’s Kane Chronicles covers, per his criticism.

Ninja Day is coming - and these authors have organized Story Time for their books.

A brief recap of author and industry events from last week.

Hunger Games Mockingjay Part II is a hit yet some people are disappointed - why? Here are the biggest book to movie changes… and some hilarious tweets about The Hunger Games. There’s going to be a huge gap now that THG is finished;studios are looking to fill that post-THG.

How YA books first became a category.

Goosebumps are getting a new kind of adaptation -- they’re being presented in abandoned railway tunnels beneath the Waterloo station in London.

Cover Reveals:

South of Sunshine - Dana Elmendorf

Where You'll Find Me - Natasha Friend, redesign

The Skeleth - Matthew Jobin

Gris Grimly's Tales from the Brothers Grimm - Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, illus by Gris Grimly

School of the Dead - Avi

The Drake Equation - Bart King

Curiosity House: The Screaming Statue - Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester

The Ballad of a Broken Nose - Arne Svingen

Argos - Ralph Hardy

You Can Fly - Carole Boston Weatherford, illus by Jeffery Boston Weatherford

The Inside of Out - Jenn Marie Thorne

The Executioner's Daughter - Jane Hardstaff, new publisher design

Of Better Blood - Susan Moger

Into the Wild - Doreen Cronin

Trouble the Water - Frances O'Roark Dowell

The Requiem Red - Brynn Chapman

Dig Too Deep - Amy Allgeyer

The Reader - Traci Chee

The Seventh Wish - Kate Messner

Give Up the Ghost - Megan Crewe, redesign

The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee - Erin Petti

An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir, pb redesign

Never Missing Never Found - Amanda Panitch

Wild Swans - Jessica Spotswood

Places No One Knows - Brenna Yovanoff

 

The cover for Dear Pope Francis - Pope Francis was also revealed.

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

What your favorite YA novel says about you - with 12 popular YA titles for examples.

10 of the best Literary TED Talks from 2015. I want to watch that Laura Boushnak talk now.

The most beautiful book covers of 2015. No YA on there that I saw but really interesting book covers!

Does the way you read compare to the way everyone else does?

Beautiful bookstore photos from around the world - always welcome.

Life problems solved by Harry Potter quotes. This made me laugh and think of a friend who claimed not to like Harry Potter because she didn’t believe its contents discussed anything relevant to real life.

Quotes on what it’s like to have a crush.

If you’re looking to read more historical YA, perhaps you should read these novels. If you’re waiting on Glass Sword, check out these fantasy YA recommendations. And if you loved the Babysitters Club, these recommendations are made for you.

Make sure to always have a back-up book in hand.

Some quotes from YA authors from YALLFest on writing, haters, fantasy & its importance.

The five senses of a book lover. Definitely to the beautiful cover alert -- see the reveals above.

After watching Mockingjay Part II, you might want to read these books.

One day, I will get back to linking to other bloggers's discussion posts. Today is not that day.

Movies and TV Shows:

According to the producer, Harry Potter & the Cursed Child will be like “Goblet of Fire.”

!! Check out the teaser trailer for the adaptation of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.

YA author Jennifer Quintenz is writing the screenplay for the adaptation of Dissonance by Erica Rourke.

Brad Pitt’s production company has optioned Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.

Harry Potter theme park in California Harry Potter theme park in California Harry Potter theme park in California Harry Potter theme park in California AAAAAAAAAH YASSSSSSSS

Debby Ryan will be executive producing the adaptation of Megan McCafferty’s Jessica Darling’s It List. Chloe East is playing Jessica Darling, and Blair Fowler is playing Bethany.

Carter Jenkins, Jesse Henderson, Keith Powers, and Niki Koss have been cast in the adaptation of Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle.

An interview with James Dashner, author of the Maze Runner series, since the DVD for the Scorch Trials will be released soon.

Liv Hewson has been cast to play Anna Cartullo in the adaptation of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

Check out the newly released character posters for Shadowhunters the show (and its main cast poster). You can also watch the video Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters.

Jacob Hopkins has been cast in the adaptation of Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson.

Philippa Boyens has signed on to write the screenplay for the adaptation of the Merlin saga by T.A. Barron.

Patrick Carman’s 13 Days to Midnight was optioned by Bold Films.

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 11/23/15! Win one of the great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 11/29/15.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases: Queen (Blackcoat Rebellion #3) by Aimee Carter, Promises I Made by Michelle Zink, Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern, Light of Day by Allison van Diepen, Reckless Hearts (Wicked Games #2) by Sean Olin, Undeniable by Liz Bankes

Recent Recommended Reads: I’ve just finished reading Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith, so you can expect a review from me next week. I also just remembered that I need to review The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows. Also just finished Passenger by Alex Bracken, which I’ll hopefully be reviewing soon as well.

Happy reading to you all :)

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Published by: Roaring Brook
Source: ARC via publisher
Release Date: October 6, 2015

Dreamstrider - Lindsay Smith | Goodreads

A high-concept, fantastical espionage novel set in a world where dreams are the ultimate form of political intelligence.

Livia is a dreamstrider. She can inhabit a subject's body while they are sleeping and, for a short time, move around in their skin. She uses her talent to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. But her partner, Brandt, has lately become distant, and when Marez comes to join their team from a neighborhing kingdom, he offers Livia the option of a life she had never dared to imagine. Livia knows of no other dreamstriders who have survived the pull of Nightmare. So only she understands the stakes when a plot against the Empire emerges that threatens to consume both the dreaming world and the waking one with misery and rage.

A richly conceived world full of political intrigue and fantastical dream sequences, at its heart Dreamstrider is about a girl who is struggling to live up to the potential before her.

I'm surprised that Dreamstrider didn't catch more in the YA blogosphere-- it's got such a beautiful message, and should overlap with fans of Shadow and Bone as well as fans of Lindsay Smith's previous novels.

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 1, 2:

• Rebound - Kwame Alexander (The deal includes Rebound, a prequel toThe Crossover, as well as an untitled trilogy. The trilogy will chronicle one boy's epic quest for freedom after being taken from his home in Ghana, and will cover the Middle Passage, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and beyond. Publication ofRebound is scheduled for spring 2018; the world rights deal was brokered by Arielle Eckstut of Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency. … other agent policies: how did you know you were almost finished?
• Frostblood Saga - Elly Blake (The first book, Frostblood, follows a 17-year-old girl who must hide her powers from the ruling class. LBYR's acquisition also follows on the heels of strong foreign sales; in the U.K. the series was preempted by Hodder & Stoughton, and in Germany it was bought for six figures by Ravensburger. Publication will start in January 2017, with book two set for fall 2017 and book three for summer 2018. Little, Brown).
• Welcome to Hotel Monster - Gwenda Bond and Christopher Rowe (Monster is the first in a new series about a trio of mystery-solving kids living in a luxury hotel whose clientele includes bigfeet, vampires and fairies, among other “supernormals.” Publication of book one is slated for summer 2017; Greenwillow).
• Wait for Me - Caroline Leech (and an untitled second book, in an exclusive submission. The novel is a historical romance set in Scotland during WWII, in which a teenage girl falls in love with a wounded German POW sent to work on her father's farm. Publication is set for winter 2017; HarperTeen).
• Defy the Stars - Claudia Gray (about a young soldier, Noemi, who is in an intergalactic war, and the robotic enemy warrior forced by his programming to obey her. When Noemi realizes that destroying him could save her world, she's torn between her duty and her growing belief that he may be far more than just a machine. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Little, Brown).
• Perijee & Me - Ross Montgomery (US debut; It's a comic middle-grade novel about a lonely girl who discovers a tiny alien on the beach, Perijee. He becomes her secret friend – but he's growing like mad, and Caitlin can't hide him forever. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Random House).
• Like Vanessa - Tami Charles (MG debut. The story features 13-year-old Vanessa, who struggles with an absent mother, a disengaged father, and her sense of self in 1983 Newark. On the heels of Vanessa Williams's historic Miss America win, a reluctant Vanessa enters her school's beauty pageant even though her father and the coolest girl in school are sure she doesn't belong on stage. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Charlesbridge).
• The World's Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops - R.K. Sager (MG debut about a 12-year-old girl chef who opens her own restaurant inside a San Francisco trolley car. Publication is set for summer 2017; Disney-Hyperion).
• The Mighty Odds - Amy Ignatow (a new series about a group of mismatched middle-schoolers who gain oddly limited powers (super strength but just in the thumbs; teleportation but only four inches to the left), and who reluctantly band together to combat dark forces. Publication will begin in fall 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
• Heartless - Sarah Henning (YA debut fantasy, tentative title, and pitched as the never-before-told origin story of the sea witch from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" told in the vein of Wicked – from the villainess's point of view. Publication is set for fall 2017; HarperCollins's Katherine Tegen Books).

Last week: nothing is up on GR, so I'm giving up.

Awards: Don’t forget to vote in the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. USA books announced its winners. Last week, I added this kind of late so here it is again: the Winter 2016 Kids’ Indies Next List. Check out the RT Choice Award nominees in YA & NA. The winners of the National Book Award were announced.

Excerpts: You Know Me Well - David Levithan & Nina LaCour, Stars Above - Marissa Meyer, The Great Hunt - Wendy Higgins, Strange Girl - Christopher Pike, The Seventh Miss Hatfield - Anna Caltabiano

Authors: Just Visiting - Dahlia Adler, Tell Me Three Things - Julie Buxbaum, All We Left Behind - Ingrid Sundberg, Ten Thousand Skies Above You - Claudia Gray, Color Me Creative - Kristina Webb, Calvin - Martine Leavitt

If you’re looking to read more Jewish books this month to celebrate until the 6th, here are some more recommendations.

Don’t judge authors by their covers.

Trans representation in YA is only the beginning - “Because while including transgender and gender nonconforming characters is an important shift in contemporary young adult fiction, I believe it also matters how such representation is handled, what messages accompany that representation, and what readers see through the course of character development, plot development, description, and subtext, and priorities in the narrative.” And if you’re interested in reading more books with trans characters, here are books with trans characters written by trans authors.

Lee and Low had its staff undergo diversity training and then posed the question: was it worth it? Based on the answers from the staff, it sure sounds like it.

Remember that feminist anthology Kelly Jensen was organizing? Joining its ranks are Mindy Kaling and Roxane Gay among others. You can add it here on Goodreads.

Stephenie Meyer recommended a bunch of books, if you’re interested. (I do always love when famous authors discuss what they’ve been reading).

Taylor Swift has partnered with Scholastic to donate 25,000 books to New York City public schools.

In its first week, Jeff Kinney’s tenth Wimpy book sold over one million copies. The 5th Wave is also selling really well.

A brief summary of author and industry events last week.

Check out photos from the Savannah Book Fair, and a recap of Woodstock 2015 and the Shanghai fair (& what it means for the industry).

Anne Frank’s Diary is getting a co-author (Otto Frank)

Here are some other famous teenage authors.

Can you guess which publisher has put forth the most books that won the Caldecott? The result surprised me.

Do you feel like book blurbs are so recycled, you could play mad libs with them? I loled at the John Green/Rainbow Rowell meets ____ aspect for the YA contemporary novel.

Do gendered book lists have any place in a reader’s advisory?

Thanksgiving is approaching, and this post highlighted some unfortunate tendencies in American culture to portray the mythology of our holiday.

Libraries can change lives.

Agents addressed authors and illustrators, answering questions about pitches, social media, and more. Similarly, a group of YA authors also addressed these kind of questions.

YALLFest was this past weekend. You can read about YALLCrawl, which involved author signings around the city. You’ll see more summary posts, probably, next week.

A handful of Youtube stars have recently become NYT bestsellers.

Cover Reveals:

The Neverland Wars - Audrey Greathouse

Three Wishes - Lisa T. Bergren

One Week - Shana Norris

The Truth about Boys - Shana Norris

You Know Me Well - Nina LaCour & David Levithan

Dark Shadows - Toni Vallan

Ruler of Beasts - Danielle Paige

Judged - Liz De Jager, UK

So Much More - R.C. Martin, NA

Ascendancy (The Van Winkle Project) - Karri Thompson

Red Witch - Anna McKerrow (UK?)

Inflict - Cora Carmack, NA

Inspire - Cora Carmack, NA, redesign

Rising (New World) - Jennifer Wilson

Future Shock - Elizabeth Briggs

Uprooted - Naomi Novik, UK pb redesign

Unhooked - Lisa Maxwell, redesign

Even When You Lie to Me - Jessica Alcott, pb redesign

Earth's End - Elise Kova

Autumn's Kiss - Bella Thorne, pb redesign

Tripping Back Blue - Kara Storti

The Lie Tree - Frances Hardinge, US

The Left-Handed Fate - Kate Milford

Fallout (Lois Lane) - Gwenda Bond, pb redesign

The Ministry of Suits - Paul Gamble

Drag Teen - Jeffery Self

When They Fade - Jeyn Roberts

One Silver Summer - Rachel Hickman

Goldfish - Nat Luurtsema

The Dark Talent (Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians) - Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson, illus by Hayley Lazo, new publisher redesign

Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon - Rena Rocford

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

I don’t remember if I posted this earlier, but I hope that you’ve had these YA books releasing in October through December on your radar.

Serious question: are you dying in a Victorian YA novel?

How would you survive a YA Apocalypse? Several authors chose Veronica Roth as their protector/companion.

It’s recommendation time! You should read these books with popular bands, unconventional family ties, super heroines who have attitude, and spectacular speculative fiction.

If you’re looking for a book lover's gift this holiday season, look no further. I WANT THAT MUG WITH THE CAT NAMES. You can also Gift YA.

You should read or reread I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. (I’m so awful, I STILL haven’t read this! ARGHHHH)

You should also reread these classics now that you’re an adult. Also maybe these - everything seems more profound.

Have you ever been guilty of the cover buy?

Penguin Teen is running its own YA book club now, if you’d like to join.

Some authors are plain awesome to follow on twitter.

Have you ever accidentally started a series with book 2? I know I’ve done this at least twice. I read Frostbite by Richelle Mead before reading Vampire Academy. Also Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen. Oh, I accidentally bought book 2 of Susan Dennard’s series and same with A.G. Howard’s novels…. I fail.

I also fail at keeping up with my TBR pile.

Lovely collection of quotes from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and classic YA from the 1990s.

I did not know this until now: there are a lot of YA books with “Shadows” in their title.

Which of all the Selection cover dresses do you like best? I like The Heir dress the most, but I am definitely not edgy and in charge :). I wonder how the Epic Reads team decided on dress/personality type?

Movies & TV Shows:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 cast paid tribute to the victims of the Paris Attacks on premiere day. Reviews have also been coming in for the movie; some positive, some negative. (Lol, at this venture, will the reviews matter? It’s the fourth movie in the series.). You can also see the Victor posters they designed of Augustus Braun, the 67th winner of the Hunger Games. Also, per Suzanne Collins’s letter, please thank the filmmakers.

Cate Blanchett may be starring in the Where’d You Go, Bernadette adaptation.

You can watch the new Allegiant trailer and check out the new character posters as well.

A new poster was revealed for the 5th Wave adaptation.

Bella Thorne posted a picture of herself as Paige, the character she plays in Famous in Love.

Margaret Qualley is in talks to play the female lead beside Nat Wolff in the Death Note adaptation.

Josh Hutcherson, in collaboration with Indigenous Media, will be looking for young adult screenplays on The Black List.

Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes are teaming up for the adaptation of Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick.

Robb Riggle and Lauren Graham have been cast in the MG adaptation of James Patterson’s “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.”

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 11/16/15! Win one of the great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 11/22/15

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases: The Game of Lives (Mortality Doctrine #3) by James Dashner, Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler, Strange Girl by Christopher Pike, Everything But the Truth (If Only #6) by Mandy Hubbard, Calvin by Martine Levitt, Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

Recent Recommended Reads: Y’all, I got nothing. I’m still reading Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. When I’ve had time to read, I’ve not been in the mood.

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Slightly shorter rounds today - my computer decided to randomly shut down on me, and I don’t remember what articles I had pulled up. But there should still be plenty to look through.

Publishing
Rights Report 1, 2:

• Fragments of the Lost - Megan Miranda (a YA psychological thriller in the vein of 13 Reasons Why. As a girl packs up her dead boyfriend's room, each item reveals a pattern of deception that leads her to wonder if you can ever really know another person. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Crown Books for Young Readers).
• Heart of a Dolphin - Catherine Hapka (MG novel; When 11-year-old Annie Reed frees a dolphin trapped in a fishing line, it seems like a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. But then the dolphin returns the next day, striking up an unlikely friendship with Annie, and ultimately saving her life in more ways than one. Publication is set for spring 2016; Scholastic).
• The Black Hole Who Lives in Our House - Michelle Cuevas (MG novel about an isolated child who befriends a black hole – one that is unpredictable, capricious, and kind of cute. It's scheduled for summer 2017; Dial Books for Young Readers).
• Motley Education - S.A. Larsen (MG debut in which a class assignment sends two friends on the journey of their lives battling creatures from Norse mythology to find a relic that is vital to saving both the spirit world and themselves. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Leap Books Seek).
• The Shaw Confessions - Michelle Hodkin (will pick up where Hodkin's Mara Dyer trilogy left off, this time from Noah Shaw's point of view, as he is forced to face the fact that the love of his life might turn out to be his worst enemy. The first book will be released in summer 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Sing - Vivi Greene (YA debut in which the world's most famous, unlucky-in-love pop star flees the spotlight to recover from her latest break-up, only to fall for a local boy and be faced with an impossible decision: her new guy, or her music. Publication is scheduled for June 2016; Harper).
• Geeked Up! - Obert Skye (illustrated MG series about a band of geeks, set in a post-apocalyptic world. The first book is scheduled for 2017; Henry Holt's Christy Ottaviano Books).
• Mia and the Emperor's Treasure - Kat Zhang (MG debut in which a Chinese-American girl on a summer trip to China embarks on a hunt for a long-lost treasure while searching for her eccentric aunt who has gone missing. Publication is slated for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• Carmer & Grit - Sarah Jean Horwitz (MG debut fantasy adventure about a one-winged fairy and a magician's apprentice who team up to solve a conspiracy that could change both their worlds forever. Publication is set for spring 2017; Algonquin).
• Molly in the Middle - Ronni Arno (tween novel about a girl who feels invisible in the middle of her parents' divorce, her sisters, her class, even the alphabet. As she sets out to be noticed, she must decide exactly how far she's prepared to go to be popular. Publication is planned for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• The Pomegranate Witch - Denise Doyen (The story tells of the friendly battle between a witch who protects her prized pomegranate tree and the group of kids who are determined to taste its fruit.Eliza Wheeler is set to illustrate. The book will publish in fall 2017; Chronicle).
• Walk Your Dog - Elizabeth Stevens Omlor, illustrated by Neesha Hudson (debut for both author & illustrator. In the story, a girl and her dog discover there's no better place to find the courage to face your fears than beside a loyal friend. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Putnam).
• Empress of a Thousand Skies - Rhoda Belleza (read more here; two sisters — sole survivors of a murdered royal lineage – must reunite from opposite ends of the galaxy to salvage what’s left of their family dynasty and save the universe from a greater threat.” The publisher has set the release date for Spring 2017. Razorbill).

From last week:

Authors: My Kind of Crazy - Robin Reul, For the Record - Charlotte Huang, Winter - Marissa Meyer, a bunch of personal stories from nine awesome authors, Dangerous Lies - Becca Fitzpatrick, Until We Meet Again - Renee Collins, A Blind Guide to Stinkville - Beth Vrabel, Sugar Skulls - Lisa Mantchev and Glenn Dallas, Traffick - Ellen Hopkins, Devil and the Bluebird - Jennifer Mason-Black, The Trilogy of Two - Juman Malouf

Awards/Lists: Jacqueline Woodson will be receiving the Langston Hughes medal. A lot of awards were announced last week. Don’t forget to vote in the Semifinals round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. Paste Magazine announced its list for the 10 most exciting YA books of November. Amazon announced its list for the Best YA Books of 2015, with An Ember in the Ashes being named the best of them all. The Telegraph announced its Best YA Books of 2015 as well. The Winter 2015-2016 Indies Next list was also announced.

Excerpts: Thanks for the Trouble - Tommy Wallach, Highly Illogical Behavior - John Corey Whaley, The Darkest Corners - Kara Thomas, Until We Meet Again - Renee Collins

Book Trailers: Stills from the trailer for Passenger - Alexandra Bracken.

Abrams bought an award-winning Finnish trilogy (“The feminist, folkloric work is the start of a trilogy known as the Red Abbey Chronicles, in which a girl finds a small island inhabited only by women during what is known as the Hunger Winter. The abbey is threatened after they take in a girl who is being pursued by violent men.”). You can add the book to your GR shelf here.

The literary world should not romanticize rejection; talent isn’t hiding--it’s being ignored.

Walter Dean Myers taught Sofia Quintero to stop writing white. It is so important for everyone of all ages to find their mirror books. We need to redefine heroism so that everyone can see themselves as a hero. Diversity is magic; and in the words of one of the authors in that roundtable discussion, “a lack of cultural diversity can lead to the stagnation of society, the death of intellect.”

National Jewish Book Month is running from now until December 6th. And here are some YA books with Jewish protagonists.

If you wanted to read Twilight Reimagined without buying the book because you were curious about the changes, well, here are 36 examples of sentences that have been changed, comparing them to those in Twilight. However, if you are interested in reading or are a fan of Twilight Reimagined, you can check out the “answertime” Stephenie Meyer hosted on tumblr with Little Brown for the book.

The Dork Diaries # 10 is selling well. The top-selling juvenile fiction of 2015 was Melissa De La Cruz's Isle of the Lost, which sold more than 381,000 copies as of the beginning of October.

A brief summary of author and industry events last week.

Penguin Teen’s marketing campaign, “Wicked Reads,” has been focusing on YA with thriller elements (the tagline is about being devoured by the books, but they’re hesitant to call them horror o.O).

Did you see how publishers celebrated Halloween?

If you live in New York, meet the NYC Reads 365 Challenge. Even if you’re not, reading daily is beneficial for you!

Did you join the resistance in support of the Lunar Chronicles? (Gah, I can’t wait for Winter to arrive. I wasn’t that excited but then seeing everyone else so excited -- oh, the glorious ways of fandom).

Do you think that Rainbow Rowell embodies YA’s past and signals its future?

Stephen Colbert thinks that JKR needs to stop with the Harry Potter revelations, lest we find out that Snape is actually pronounced Snapple.

Cover Reveals:

 

Spirit - Brigid Kemmerer, redesign

Storm - Brigid Kemmerer, redesign

Secret - Brigid Kemmerer, redesign

Sacrifice - Brigid Kemmerer, redesign

Girl About Town - Adam Shankman & Laura L. Sullivan

The Iron Tomb (Pyramid Hunters) - Peter Vegas

The Shadow Hour - Melissa Grey

Stars So Sweet - Tara Dairman

In a World Just Right - Jen Brooks, pb redesign

The It Girl - Katy Birchall, new publisher design

Survive the Night - Danielle Vega, pb redesign

Life Is Funny - E.R. Frank, new pub design

The Crown - Kiera Cass

Firstlife (Everlife,#1) - Gena Showalter

Soldier – Julie Kagawa

Thanks for the Trouble - Tommy Wallach, redesign

Out of Frame - Megan Erickson, NA

Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) - Michelle Madow

The Girl from Everywhere - Heidi Heilig, UK

Run - Kody Keplinger

Night Flower - Kate Elliott

The Smaller Evil - Stephanie Kuehn

The Darkest Hour - Caroline Tung Richmond

Forever Doon - Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

The Maypop Kidnapping - C.M. Surrisi

The Prizewinners of Piedmont Place - Bill Doyle, illus by Colin Jack

Not as We Know It - Tom Avery

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal - Jeffrey Brown

The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel - Susan Hill Long

Big Wish - Brandon Robshaw

Horus and the Curse of Everlasting Regret - Hannah Voskuil

The Merciless II: The Exorcism of Sofia Flores - Danielle Vega

Wicked Heart - Leisa Rayven, NA

Sing - Vivi Greene

Highly Illogical Behavior - John Corey Whaley

The Sidekicks - Will Kostakis, AUS

Out of the Ashes - Holli Anderson

Shadows of the Dark Crystal - J.M. Lee

Heart of a Dolphin - Catherine Hapka

 

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

Lol this is great -> If YA Book Titles Were Honest. The Judy Blume book? 100% true for me back in the day.

Check out these great recommendations with PoC main characters. That’s only a starter’s list - you can find many more of those books elsewhere, such as Serpentine by Cindy Pon.

Black Girls Matter: a YA Reading List. If you want to read more diverse books, there are countless lists like this (and I know that this coming year, I need to take charge and read more diversely -- I’ve been a bad ally). Also, I’d second the recommendation of Brown Girl Dreaming.

And if it’s weird YAs you’re looking to read, here are some recommendations.

Buzzfeed is calling for feedback: what do you think is the most romantic line in YA literature?

Can you kick ass in a corset? These YA heroines certainly can. And so can these strong YA heroines, both pre and post Hermione Granger.

Problems that only we book lovers understand.

In honor of Veterans Day, perhaps you’d like to check out these military themed YA books.

Have you been to any of these literary landmarks?

Do you think that these YA books would make for great web series?

iBooks wants to know which YA characters you’d want as your book bestie; they’ve recommended several books they think have characters who’d make for great friends.

This is a really cool article about Rue’s importance in The Hunger Games -- and how she’s a mockingjay, how she starts the revolution.

Quotes from YA heroines that’ll inspire you. I really like this effort to encompass traditionally classic novels within YA. Like Jane Eyre. Let’s get rid of those older, outdated labels.

Standalones > Series. Yes, no, maybe so?

Trying to determine which books to be excited for this coming spring? Here are five of Penguin’s most anticipated books.

How do you find books for a kid who wants to read up?

Love can transcend space and time according to these 8 YA novels.

Philip Pullman draws an interesting parallel between the daemons of his novels and loneliness.

Movies/TV Shows:

Check out pictures from the Fantastic Beasts set. In case you didn’t know, here is the plot of that movie. One thing you might also notice… look at all the white people in that movie. There is a serious lack of diversity in Fantastic Beasts, and that’s unacceptable -- even if the entire trilogy hasn’t been cast yet, look at the main characters for the first movie. It’s not exactly promising.

Bron Animation will be adapting Lois Lowry’s The Willoughbys into an animated feature.

Fox 2000 will be developing Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi into a movie.

Chloe Grace Moretz has been cast as the lead in the live-action Little Mermaid movie.

The cast of the Baby Sitters Club movie recently reunited and the internet is all agog.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas was optioned for film by Jo Bamford and Piers Tempest at Tempo Productions.

Jennifer Beals has been cast as Samantha’s (Zoey Deutsch) mom in the Before I Fall adaptation.

Check out the first trailer for Disney’s Through the Looking Glass.

Stephenie Meyer is looking to adapt The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, along with Lionsgate, for Hulu.

Check out the official trailer for The Little Prince adaptation.

Johnny Depp, Edgar Wright, and Bret McKenzie will be adapting Neil Gaiman’s MG novel, Fortunately the Milk.

Ellen DeGeneres and Disney will be adapting the MG fantasy, Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon.

Giveaways:

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, US, ends 11/14/15.

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 11/9/15! Win SEVEN great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 11/15/15

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases: Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer; Soundless by Richelle Mead; Autumn's Kiss (Autumn Falls #2) by Bella Thorne; Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick; Unforgiven (Fallen #5) by Lauren Kate; Triple Moon by Melissa de la Cruz; For the Record by Charlotte Huang; DaVinci's Tiger by L. M. Elliott; Serendipity's Footsteps by Suzanne Nelson;Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts; All the Major Constellations by Pratima Cranse; If Only by Richard Paul Evans;Darkness Hidden (Name of the Blade #2) by Zoe Marriott; The August 5 by Jenna Helland; Consent by Nancy Ohlin; This Way Home by Wes Moore and Shawn Goodman.

Recent Recommended Reads: You can check out my recent audiobook recommendations - three wonderful books.

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

In October, you didn’t see a lot of reviews from me. This is in part because things got hectic with a lot of deadlines and in part because of my reading slump. But, along with deadlines came a lot of monotonous work that was well suited to me listening to audiobooks on the side. So today, I’ve got a bunch of audiobook recommendations for y’all!

First, before I get into my recommendations, I showed on the video a really beautiful art piece I’d received from Cindy Pon, and I’d like to urge all of you to read Serpentine by Cindy Pon again. I’ve talked about why I really enjoyed that book, and I hope that you’ll give it a chance. I also received an updated ARC of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, so that is something I will be reading this month along with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (which has been on my TBR for yeaaaaaars). If you want to read Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, I’m also currently hosting a giveaway, so be sure to check that out!

Audiobook recommendations –

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier was on offer from audiobooksync (another reason why you should really mark that program in your calendar!) in 2014. I believe it’d been paired with Beautiful Creatures. In the face of monotonous work, I was searching for something to listen to, and voila. I played the audiobook aloud so that my friend could also listen. The narrator is SO TALENTED. There’s this character introduced in the beginning who’s supposed to be a snooty gossip elitist (Mrs. Van Hopper) and the VOICE the narrator used to imitate this character (and really all her voices for all the characters!) was AMAZING. My friend was doing her own thing, her own work, but at the sound of the narrator’s voice for that character, she turned to look at me and was like, “Wow, that is a great voice.” I highly enjoyed the audiobook because of the narrator’s prowess and ability to match the characterization, which was already done well.

Rebecca is about a young, inexperienced woman who had been training to be a companion but who falls in love with and marries a mysterious, brooding gentleman instead. At his giant estate, she finds their new marriage overshadowed by the one he'd shared with his dead wife, Rebecca.

However, it reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre, and I think that was a bad thing for me. I LOVE JANE EYRE. One of my favorite books of all time. This book... I couldn't understand the supposed charm of Mr. De Winter; how on earth was this supposed to be a man in love and ugh the verbal abusiveness, the condescension! (he's calling his wife "child." I'm sorry--what?). The main character also doesn't have Jane's spirit; it's lovely to see her gain confidence once she stops being afraid of everyone, but it's not the same as Jane declaring to Rochester that she is his equal in every way. I have no problem with the main character remaining nameless--rather I have a problem with how that reflects her characterization. It's easy to connect with her feelings of insecurity, jealousy, and shyness, but she also fades away as the only character without a name and she really does have less power and agency than anyone else in the book.

But the atmosphere, the writing, the characterization of Mrs. Danvers and Mrs. De Winter (the first) are all excellent. If you like Wuthering Heights, you'd probably enjoy this.

Set in the seventies, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng is a close character portrait of a mixed-race family beset by tragedy. The first line has to do with Lydia dying (Lydia is the daughter of James and Marilyn Lee, and the sibling to Hannah & Nathan). The book goes through the perspectives of each of these characters in the wake of her death, along with past timelines (i.e. how Lydia ended up dying, how James and Marilyn met). Ng explores the different character relationships and how the characters got to be who they were when Lydia died. Really fantastic – they felt real and completely alive, fears, worries, insecurities, joys and all. And the narrator for the audiobook has this soft voice that worked well with Ng’s writing style and subtle characterization; the voice lent an extra transcendence to the story. It’s no wonder this has been getting a lot of praise. I’m really looking forward to what Ng writes next.

And my last audiobook: The Rose Society by Marie Lu. If you haven’t already heard of The Young Elites, the book has been described as X-men meets Game of Thrones in an alternate fantasy version of Renaissance Italy. It chronicles the character arc of a villain, who is, as Marie Lu said, a sort of female Darth Vader. The Rose Society is the sequel to TYE. I hadn’t expected to listen to this on audiobook, but I’m glad I did. I usually like reading fantasy stories in print because I need time to imagine the worlds and characters etc. on my own, but the audiobook narrators for TRS captured the atmosphere and the emotions of each character so well. When the action and tension were rising, their voices matched the increasing pace. This one, I highly recommend in audio. And as for the actual story, there seemed to be a lot more action in TRS and the plot veered in unexpected directions. There’s more world-building and epicness to the sequel, since you get to explore other countries. So, if you liked TYE, check out the sequel for sure.

So that’s what I listened to last month! I’ve got some other audiobooks lined up along with the print books I mentioned earlier.What will you be reading in November? What did you read in October? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Let me know!

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 0, 1, 2

• The Black Hole of Broken Things - Scott Reintgen (debut sci fi YA trilogy; In the novel, a Detroit teen accepts an interstellar space contract only to realize the promised millions must be won in a brutal competition where winners face the ultimate choice – take the money and become pawns in the corporation's sinister plans or find a way to fight that won't compromise their humanity. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Crown).
• The Romantics - Leah Rowan (a YA romantic comedy told from the perspective of Love as a character, about a teenage boy who is hapless in love until Love steps in to help him, only to find that her meddling yields unexpected results. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
• Borderlines - Mitali Perkins (YA; The book links 15 stories about a Bengali family in Queens. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
• The Valiant - Lesley Livingston (The book tells the story of 17-year-old Fallon's journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire. Publication is set for spring 2017; Razorbill).
• The Memory of Things - Gae Polisner (a YA novel about two teenagers finding friendship, comfort, and first love as their fractured city tries to put itself back together in the days following 9/11. It is slated for publication in fall 2016; St. Martin's).
• The Loser's Club - Andrew Clements (The Loser's Club tells of a resourceful boy figuring out how to survive sixth grade and bullying by using what he's learned from books to become the hero of his own story. Publication of the first book is planned for fall 2017; Random House).
• The Castle in the Mist - Amy Ephron (The middle-grade novel follows siblings Tessa and Max, who discover a magical key that gives them access to the ancient castle, and gives the indecisive Tessa a chance to have a single wish granted. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Philomel).
• A Small Zombie Problem - K.G. Campbell (Debut MG series which he will also illustrate. The story follows the adventures of a boy who accidentally unearths a family curse – and raises a lot of zombies in the process. Publication will begin in summer 2017; Knopf).
• We Are (So Not) the Trevors - Jake Burt (MG debut; The book is about a 13-year-old pickpocket in the foster-care system who longs for her own family. When a clan called the Trevors offers to take her in, it seems like she's gotten exactly what she wanted – until she learns that the family is being pursued by a killer and is about to enter the witness-protection program. The book is set for spring 2017; Feiwel and Friends).
• The Art of the Swap - Jen Malone (l.) and Kristine Carlson Asselin (When two teen girls living in the same Newport, R.I., mansion, but in different centuries, accidentally switch places, they must solve a 100-year-old art heist in order to return to their proper time periods. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• Untitled - Jan Greenberg (l.) and Sandra Jordan (Middle-grade biography of Cindy Sherman, widely celebrated as one of the world's most significant contemporary artists. It will be illustrated with the artist's work. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books).
• Bad Guy - Hannah Barnaby, illustrated by Mike Yamada (about a boy who relishes playing the villain and his kid sister, who must endure his antics. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Sci-Fi Junior High - John Martin (l.) and Scott Seegert (In the illustrated novel, Kelvin Klosmo, a 12-year-old boy whose parents' jobs take the family to an intergalactic space station on the far side of the galaxy, must learn to deal with alien teachers and classmates of all types – and an evil plushy bunny who wants to rule the universe. The book is scheduled for February 2017; the new Jimmy Patterson imprint).
• The Dragon in the Leaves - Emily Arsenault (debut YA novel about a teenage girl who reads tea leaves for fun until a classmate asks her to do a reading about his missing friend, drawing her into a world of dark secrets and possibly murder. Publication is slated for June 2017; Soho Teen).
• Fever Dreams - Maurene Goo (a YA novel about a girl who decides to take control of her lackluster love life by following the “love rules” found in Korean dramas – staging her own perfect romance. Publication is planned for 2017; Farrar, Straus, & Giroux).
• Teddycats - Mike Storey (a middle-grade debut that was inspired by the 2013 discovery of an elusive mammal species that lives high up in the cloud forests of South America. This jungle adventure novel follows Bill Betancourt, a wily young Teddycat who becomes an unlikely hero after accidentally exposing his previously hidden species to the most dangerous predator of all: humans. The first title is set to publish in July 2016; Razorbill).
• The Duke of Bannerman Prep - Katie Nelson (debut; a YA retelling of The Great Gatsby in which a teen is recruited to an elite prep school to bring their debate team a victory at Nationals, and is drawn into a glittering world of parties and after-curfew bonfires, only to discover that the thrill-seeking playboy who has taken him under his wing is more conman than caviar. Publication is tentatively scheduled for spring 2017; Sky Pony Press).
• Kiss/Kill - Amy Rose Capetta (the story of Zara, a teen who wins her dream role in a Broadway show and the love of the young female lighting designer – only to find herself surrounded by mysterious deaths that are hastily blamed on the theater's curse even though everyone on stage has a motive or two. Publication is set for fall 2017; Candlewick).
• Ultimatum - K.M. Walton (two teen brothers, whose father's health is deteriorating rapidly, must come face to face with their demons – and each other – and set aside their differences if they are going to survive an uncertain future. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Sourcebooks Fire).
• The Wood - Chelsea Bobulski (YA debut; Winter is the guardian of the woods behind her house, rescuing travelers from madness and death. When a mysterious boy shows up, knowing more than he should, it's up to the two of them to learn the truth about her father's disappearance and to stop a killer from striking again. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Feiwel and Friends)
• A Flag for Harvey - Rob Sanders (the story of Harvey Milk and the creation of the gay pride flag. Steven Salernowill illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2018. Random House).
• Karma Khullar's Mustache - Kristi Wientge (contemp MG debut; It tells the story of a biracial Indian-American girl who must navigate big changes in her friendships and family life as she starts sixth grade, all while trying to rid herself of an unexpected problem: 17 hairs that have sprouted on her upper lip. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Simon and Schuster).
• Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe - Jo Hackl (debut which combines a quirky southern ghost town, survival in the woods, and an art history mystery. Publication is set for fall 2017; Random House).
• The Gravedigger's Son - Patrick Moody (MG debut in which an 11-year-old boy must reluctantly embrace his ability to speak to the dead after awakening the inhabitants of the graveyard his ancestors have spent centuries tending. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Sky Pony Press).
• Untitled YA - Adi Alsaid (the story of Carlos, a wealthy Mexican teen who is struggling to come to terms with his older brother's death – and unbeknownst to his family, is hearing and seeing messages from that brother. Convinced by his brother's spirit to risk everything to pursue his dreams, Carlos runs away from his sheltered life in Mexico City and apprentices himself to a famous American chef, finding love and a sense of purpose along the way. Publication is slated for 2017; Harlequin Teen).
• Of Blood and Shadow - Kerri Maniscalco (The debut gothic thriller, inspired by the Ripper murders, is about a Victorian-era lord's daughter who defies society expectations by secretly apprenticing as a forensics examiner, and soon finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a serial killer who is stalking London's East End. The book is scheduled for fall 2016; Jimmy Patterson Books).
• Keep Me in Mind - Jaime Reed (Contemp YA about a girl who doesn't remember and the boy who can't forget her. Publication is planned for April 2016; Scholastic).
• Bad Romance - Heather Demetrios (about a 16-year-old girl who tries to reclaim her life from bad relationships with three men: her father, an alcoholic ex-Marine; her stepfather, who would rather she didn't exist; and her dangerously abusive boyfriend. A publication date has not yet been set; Henry Holt).
• Queen of the Sea - Dylan Meconis (debut; a hybrid graphic novel/historical fantasy inspired by the early life of Queen Elizabeth I, about a girl raised in a convent on a small island, whose happy life is shattered when she discovers the convent is actually a political prison... and she herself one of its most dangerous prisoners. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Abrams).
• Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo - Ben Costa and James Parks (graphic novel series about a walking, talking, singing skeleton bard who embarks on an epic quest with his gelatin sidekick to discover his origins in a world of ogres, gnomes, haunted woods, and a kick-butt knight who is not all she seems. Publication will start in summer 2017; Knopf).
• For the Love of Double Dutch - Doreen Spicer-Dannelly (debut MG tells the story of a girl who must salvage her double-dutch dreams after her parents' rocky relationship takes her away from Brooklyn – and her beloved team – to spend the summer with her cousin in North Carolina. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Random House).
• Lifeboat 12 - Susan Hood (MG debut; The story, based on true events, follows six boys who survived a major naval disaster in September 1940. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• The Sun Race - Wesley King (a middle-grade novel told in three voices about a school field trip to the Carlsbad Caverns that goes horribly wrong. Publication is set for fall 2017; S&S /Paula Wiseman).
• The Mortification of Fovea Munson - Mary Winn Heider (debut MG; a 13-year-old girl is forced to spend her summer vacation working at her parents' cadaver lab, where friendships form under the most unlikely circumstances. Publication is scheduled for summer 2018; Disney-Hyperion).
• The Glittering Court - Richelle Mead (a romantic fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds, which follows three girls as they embark on a journey in search of empowerment and love. Publication is planned for April 2016; Razorbill).
• Hour of the Bees - Lindsay Eagar (debut; part of a previous two-book contract, is slated to publish in March 2016. Candlewick has bought these two additional titles to make Eagar a staple of Candlewick lists through 2019. The books for this latest deal are untitled and will publish in 2018 and 2019; Candlewick).
• Untitled - Peadar Ó Guilín (The as-yet-untitled books tell the story of a girl, ravaged by a childhood disease, who fights to defend herself against an evil that targets the children of Ireland. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Scholastic).
• Spurt - Chris Miles (debut about Jack Sprigley, an eighth grader and former reality TV star who decides to fake puberty to avoid embarrassment. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Words in Deep Blue - Cath Crowley (about two teens who find their way back to each other while working in an old bookstore full of secrets and crushes, love letters and memories, grief and hope. Publication is set for spring 2017; Knopf).
• Thornhill - Pam Smy (a dark yet ultimately uplifting novel that explores themes of bullying, identity, and friendship. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Roaring Brook).
• Far from Over - April Lindner (a digital original novella and spinoff of her novel Love, Lucy, about restless traveler Jesse Palladino as he leaves behind his summer romance in Rome and must decide where his heart lies. Publication is slated for May 2016; Poppy/NOVL).
• Blobby Blobson - Evan Kuhlman, illustrated by Merrill Rainey (first in an illustrated middle grade series. It features the adventures of a blob boy from the sewer who tries to fit in at a suburban middle school. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Razorbill).
• In Darkling Wood - Emma Carroll (In the story, a girl named Alice is shipped off to her estranged grandmother's house when her brother receives the chance for a heart transplant, and finds herself entangled in a battle to save the magical woods next to her grandmother's home. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Delacorte).
• Nana in the Country - Lauren Castillo (This was part of a previously unreported deal that encompassed Caldecott Honor book Nana in the City. Nana in the Countryfinds Nana visiting her grandson, who sets out to share with her all the lovely things the country has to offer. Publication has not yet been set; Clarion)

From Publisher’s Lunch:

• Ross Welford's TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER, when young a boy is given a letter from his dead dad, it leads him to something extraordinary: a time machine; but his dad has a mission for him too: go back in time and prevent the accident that eventually killed him, to Schwartz & Wade.

From last week:

• Feathers Like Rain - Sharlee Glenn (MG novel; The book is a coming-of-age tale set on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation. Publication is set for 2017; Charlesbridge).
• The rest weren’t on Goodreads, so I’m leaving them now.

Awards: Publisher’s Weekly announced its list of the best books from 2015. The winners for the Woodcraft Circle Awardswere announced. We Need Diverse Books announced the recipients of the Walter Grant. The YALSA Top Ten was announced. The Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees were announced. Jacqueline Wilson is being presented with the JM Barrie Lifetime achievement award. The NYT released its list of the best illustrated children’s books of 2015. The Guardian children’s fiction prize shortlist was announced.

Authors/Interviews: Persuasion - Martina Boone, Upside-Down Magic - Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins, Sarah Mlynowski,Save Me Kurt Cobain - Jenny Manzer, Liars and Losers Like Us - Ami Allen-Vath, Anne & Henry - Dawn Ius, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here - Anna Breslaw, Life Before - Michelle Bacon, Underneath Everything - Marcy Beller Paul, Consider - Kristy Acevedo, Ruby Reinvented - Ronni Arno, Unforgiven - Lauren Kate, Traffick - Ellen Hopkins, Need - Joelle Charbonneau, A Madness So Discreet - Mindy McGinnis, Jeff Kinney, Anna Bond

Book Trailers: How to Be Brave - E. Katherine Kottaras, Bleeding Earth - Kate Hart, Manners & Mutiny - Gail Carriger, The Awakening of Sunshine Girl - Paige McKenzie

Excerpts: The Forbidden Wish - Jessica Khoury, Outrun the Moon - Stacey Lee, Their Fractured Light - Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman, The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Don’t Get Caught - Kurt Dinan, Truthwitch - Susan Dennard, My Kind of Crazy - Robin Reul

Eric Smith’s INKED is getting a sequel, RISE OF THE UNPRINTED. (“...introduces a class of characters that get brought up in book one, but aren’t really explored. The Unprinted, the citizens without the magic, moving tattoos that define one’s place in society, who have opted to live off-the-grid and away from the mandatory practice of magical Ink…”)

Alexandra Bracken has sold four more books to Disney. “She’ll start a new middle-grade series, pen a stand-alone YA novel and write a fourth to-be-determined book. The new series is called The Last 13 Nights of Prosperity Redding. The story follows a 13-year-old New England boy who must rid himself of the demon sharing his body and break the family curse.”

Michelle Hodkin has sold the spin-off series of Mara Dyer called The Noah Shaw Confessions. (“The series will be told from the point of view of character Noah Shaw, and will explain “what happens after the happily ever after,” according to the publisher. Noah’s father is murdered in the first book of The Shaw Confessions, and while Noah inherits both knowledge and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he also has a chance to find others like himself. As Noah and Mara begin their search for others, it becomes clear that they have vastly different goals — and Noah must choose between the girl he loves and world peace.”)

Super cool stop-motion animation on Hogwarts, all built from the pages of a Harry Potter book.

If you’re interested in reading The Girl on the Train, the publisher recently hosted a tumblr Q&A with the author.

Benjamin from the booktube channel Benjamin Of Tomes has created a book publishing imprint, oftomes.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a sequel. No more epilogue - things may not be as happy and idealistic as they were left.More details here. Are you one of the people who wishes JKR would leave Harry Potter alone, or will you be seeing the play (if you can)?

President Obama on reading: “fiction helps us to find truth in a complex world.” And kids talk about the impact of reading.

Diversity in publishing is not where it should be. A storify with the perspective of several authors from September but still highly relevant. Related-ish article: what should editors be doing?

Scholastic and We Need Diverse Books are teaming up to create a poster with over seventy-five diverse recommendations for younger readers. I’d love to see more publishers do something similar.

Lee & Low and Simmons College have created a diversity scholarship to help solve the “pipeline” problem of getting more people of color into the publishing industry.

Several authors discuss romance in YA Lit, with diverse themes. And for intersex awareness day, Gregorio some great tweets into a Storify.

Latino authors weighed in on reaching readers for a NYPL panel. (I liked getting to read about what they related to & also how that ended up influencing their own writing-- like Silvera’s comment on women being the heroes of his life & novels).

I really liked what I’d read of the Reading While White posts I’ve seen so: on creating safe spaces & what they mean (safety vs. comfort); on “be kind” and other BS; and a guest post from Brendan Kiely on his presentations with co-author Jason Reynolds (“But I’d never thought that the book might do danger to the very people I claimed to be working with in the Black Lives Matters movement. I had to take a breath. I’m so glad I did, because if I’d just answered straight from the gut, I’d have said something dumb, no matter how factually correct, and I would have done exactly what he was warning me about.”)

Has “Diversity” Lost Its Meaning?

At SCIBA, diverse books were the focal point. (The education sessions included a financial session on the economics of publishing, a panel on how to sell high-end gift books, a panel on diversity in YA books, and a session on Independent Bookstore Day.)

James Dawson has come out as transgender.

Here’s a summary of the EW fest for YA books & five things the writer learned from the panel.

I wish I was going to YALLFEST. 60 YA authors. All so soon.

J.K. Rowling is writing a new children’s book! No plans yet but AAAAHHH

The Hunger Games theme park keeps expanding.

A panel to discuss the latest trends in YA from the editors -- what do you think? (But the new trend is a style of books that Julie Strauss-Gabel is championing now, and always has been, is contemporary realistic fiction. “There are also a lot of readers interested in a new genre that could be called ‘heightened contemporary,’” she said... “Also, sci-fi is gaining ground again.”)

Another panel - Think That I saw It - this time discussing a variety of topics, from middle-grade, YA, and picture book authors and illustrators.

Another panel discussing the hell that is Middle School (When kids are reading past middle grade, which is typically considered for ages 8-12, and aren’t quiet emotionally ready for the heavier themes of YA suggested for 14-18 year olds, where do readers, booksellers, and librarians turn?).

Youtube authors are all over the NYT Bestsellers list.

Twilight Reimagined is still selling really well (24k copies/week).

Amazon opened its first brick and mortars bookstore.

Teen Book Festivals are a win-win for all. Check out the photos from the Texas Book Festival.

A brief summary of author and industry events this last week and the one before.

I am so interested in this book - it maps famous literary locations (and the maps look so gorgeous!).

Cover Reveals:

You can vote for the cover for Night Flower by Kate Elliott.

Discussion & Other Blogger Posts:

One of the best costumes… sexy Gandalf. Oh la la.

As is usual when I’ve not done one of these posts for a long time, there are a ton of recommendation posts. You can read books with haunted houses, adventure books, YA books with multiple narrators, books for Gilmore Girls fans, diverse horror reads,amazing YA books by Latino authors, book recommendations from YA Highway, YA books to keep you warm in the chilly weather, for fans of the Scream Queens, books that prove you should be afraid of the dark, 9 fantasies to make your fall more magical, 7 books that will help you win your book club. And if you’re looking for NaNoWriMo inspiration, these books might help. These books started as NaNo projects. Of course, you can always reread Harry Potter for inspiration.

On one end: the 15 most anticipated November YA books. On the other: November’s top picks for young readers.

You can also use an emoticon chart to determine which horror book is up your alley.

Do you recognize these YA novels from the 2000s?

How many of these YA books have you read across the states?

17 Beautiful Rooms for the Book-loving Soul. CAN I LIVE THERE???

Have you read any of these popular November books?

6 Ghostly YA book quotes & 18 stories you should not read in the dark.

Can you read a book to death?

How often do you read over people’s shoulders?

27 excuses to use when you want to stay home & read. I use #1 a lot.

YA authors who also rock middle grade. This list will only be increasing as the years pass...

An open letter to those who give kids banned books: rarely, too rarely, do we talk about the good things that come when you share dangerous books with teens.

Movies & TV Shows:

Dolphin Films has optioned The Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary Pearson.

I missed this and technically it’s not YA, but I’m sure there are a lot of crossover fans -- did you see the Magicians trailer from NYCC?

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda was acquired by Fox 2000.

Check out your first look from Fantastic Beasts… and did you know the equivalent of Muggle in the States is No Maj?

The BBC will be adapting His Dark Materials into a TV show.

Selena Gomez and Jay Asher are working on a 13 Reasons Why show to be picked up by Netflix.

They released the second tv spot for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II.

Halston Sage, Logan Miller, and Kian Lawley have been cast for the Before I Fall adaptation.

Dreamworks has optioned John Connolly’s MG trilogy (including the Gates) for a possible movie franchise.

Jerry Bruckheimer & Paramount optioned the rights to YA novel, The Cruelty by S. Bergstrom (self-published).

Johnny Depp is in talks to join the Neil Gaiman adaptation, Fortunately, The Milk.

Giveaways:

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, US, ends 11/14/15.

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 11/2/15! Win TWO great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 11/8/15; Win one of SEVEN packs of FIVE popular or recent YA titles, plus swag to help reward readers, for underfunded classrooms, schools, or libraries. Know a school or library who needs books? Nominate them! This month's donations from Martina Boone, Maggie Stiefvater,Danielle Paige, Laurie Halse Anderson and Maria Dahvana Headley. Ends 11/1/15; Win signed, personalised copies of COMPULSION and PERSUASION, plus signed copies of Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases:

October 25th - 31st: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, The House by Christina Lauren, What We Left Behind by Robin Talley, Persuasion (Heirs of Watson Island #2) by Martina Boone, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Kraus, Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul, Gabriel (Styclar Saga #2) by Nikki Kelly, Diamonds are Forever (Secret Diamond Sisters #2) by Michelle Madow, The Winter Place by Alexander Yates, Placebo Junkies by J. C. Carleson, Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep, Unspoken (Shadow Falls After Dark #3) by C.C. Hunter, Fathomless (Redemption's Heir #2) by Anne Pillsworth, Frosted Kisses (Cupcake Queen #2) by Heather Hepler

November 1st - 7th: Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young, Traffic (Tricks #2) by Ellen Hopkins, Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray, NEED by Joelle Charbonneau, The Conjurer's Riffle (Inventor's Secret #2) by Andrea Cremer,Manners and Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger, All In (The Naturals #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett, Hollow Girl (Twinmaker #3) by Sean Williams,The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey, Girl with the Wrong Name by Barnabas Miller, The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens, The Revolution of Ivy (Book of Ivy #2) by Amy Engel, Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn, Captive by A. J. Grainger,How to Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras, Fearless (Arena #3) by Marianne Curley.

Recent Recommended Reads: I will be filming a booktube video tonight about the three audiobooks I have recently read!

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Are you all excited for Passenger by Alexandra Bracken? I definitely am. The only other book I've read that combines time travel and historical romance is Outlander, and I enjoyed the book and the show quite a bit (though I've still got to finish watching the last three episodes! ack!). Oh, wait, I also read Lisa Bergren's River of Time series. But it's been so long since I read some of those books, and there's always room for more. More YA + time-travel + romance + historical speculative fiction, please! More Alexandra Bracken please!

"You are my passenger, and I will be damned before I let any harm come to you." -back cover on the ARC of Passenger. Could this be the mysterious Nicholas from the synopsis?

If you're as excited as I am, check out the giveaway below!

Release Date: January 5, 2016
Published by: Disney-Hyperion

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken | Goodreads

passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.

First: if you are really excited for this book, you can actually download the ebook sampler on either Amazon, Nook, or iBooks.

I love reading samplers before adding books to my TBR. They really help determine whether I'd jive with the writing style. I highly encourage you to check those links out!

Second: even if you don't win this giveaway, please consider pre-ordering the book. Pre-order sales can be vital to the success of a book. And look, handy links ahead: Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million,  Indiebound, Indigo, iBooks.

Third: While waiting for Passenger to hit shelves, be sure to check out the newly released Darkest Minds collection, Through the Dark. Don't miss this breathtaking collection of stories set in the world of the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds trilogy. Featuring ebook original novellas, In Time and Sparks Rise, available in print for the first time, and a gripping, brand-new novella, Through the Dark is a must-have for fans of The Darkest Minds. This collection contains three novellas: In Time, Sparks Rise, and Beyond the Night, as well as a sneak peek at the first novel in Alexandra Bracken's new series, Passenger.

Fourth: You can enter the giveaway below -- and it's easy! Just tell me why you're excited to readPassenger. Have you read one of Alexandra Bracken's books before? Do you like the sound ofPassenger? Did you read the sampler?

 

Prizing and samples provided by Disney-Hyperion.

Please note prizing will ship early January following release of the book.
Giveaway ends 11/14/15.

RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM IS AT THE ORIGINAL LINK

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alexandra Bracken is the New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds andNever Fade. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study history and English at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Alex now lives in New York City, where you can find her hard at work on her next novel in a charming little apartment that's perpetually overflowing with books. Visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com and on Twitter @alexbracken.  

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 1, 2:

• Untitled - John Corey Whaley (2 books; the projected publication dates are summer 2018 and summer 2020. Dial).
• Untitled YA - Meg Medina (The YA novel follows siblings, one of whom has intellectual disabilities, as they navigate their first year of high school, and will publish in 2017. Candlewick)
• Untitled MG - Meg Medina (The middle-grade novel is about an interfering, multigenerational family living under the same roof in Queens, and will publish in 2018. Candlewick).
• A World Without You - Beth Revis (In the book, a teenage boy suffering from delusions is convinced that he can travel through time to save the girlfriend he suddenly and unexpectedly lost. The book is scheduled for summer 2016; Razorbill).
• We Come Apart - Brian Conaghan & Sarah Crossan (tells the story of Nicu and Jess, whose paths cross when they meet while on probation. Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home, while Jess's home life is overshadowed by violence; friendship and romance grows between them. The book will publish globally in winter 2017. Bloomsbury U.K.).
• Star-Crossed - Barbara Dee (is about a girl with a crush on another girl, who is playing Juliet in a middle-school production of Romeo and Juliet. The first book is slated for fall 2016; S&S/Aladdin).
• Stuff I Know About You - Barbara Dee (hinges on a tween girl's suspicions during a field trip to Washington, D.C. that her roommate has an eating disorder...with the second to follow in spring 2017. S&S/Aladdin).
• Camp So And So - Mary McCoy (a YA mystery with a supernatural twist pitched as Cabin in the Woods meets Wet Hot American Summer with the interlocking mystery structure of The Westing Game. At a summer camp for girls, each cabin is trapped into acting out a warped version of a different classic camp story; they must find out how their stories connect and who is pulling the strings. Publication is set for spring 2017; Carolrhoda Lab).
• Garden of Blood and Dust - K.K. Pérez (a YA fantasy inspired by the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, the world's first female serial killer, pitched as a cross between Maleficent and American Horror Story. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Simon Pulse).
• A Boy Called Christmas - Matt Haig, illus by Chris Mould (interior art) (a middle-grade Santa Claus origin story, in which a young St. Nick goes on a journey to find his father and discovers a hidden world of magic, mystery, and surly reindeer. Publication is scheduled in time for Christmas 2016. Knopf).
• Birds of Prey - Terry Lynn Johnson (It's a middle-grade survival story about 12-year-old Karma's quest to rescue her dad after a car accident leaves him trapped in the desert. Karma has only the help of her trained falcon and a troubled runaway boy, who may or may not be a friend. Publication is slated for 2018; Charlesbridge).
• Feathers Like Rain - Sharlee Glenn (MG novel; The book is a coming-of-age tale set on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation. Publication is set for 2017; Charlesbridge).
• Disaster Diaries - R. McGeddon (Featuring survival tips and sketches from a comic perspective, the middle-grade novels follow three unlucky but resourceful 12-year-old friends as they work to save their town, Sitting Duck, from outlandish disasters. The first two books, Zombies!and Aliens!, are scheduled for spring 2016; the third is scheduled for fall 2016. Macmillan's Imprint).
• You Know Me Well - Nina LaCour & David Levithan (is the story of an unlikely friendship that evolves between two teens over the course of Pride Week in San Francisco. Kate, an artist, has just run away from a chance to finally meet, in the flesh, a girl she has been in love with from afar for months. Mark is hopelessly in love with his best friend, who may or may not feel the same way. When the two meet on the first night of Pride, little do they know that each is exactly who the other needs – a true friend. Publication is slated for June 2016; St. Martin's Press).
• Speak of Me as I Am - Sonia Belasco (YA debut; The story is told in the alternating perspectives of two teens who, in the aftermath of loss, learn how to grieve, how to love, and how to find their true selves through the literal lens of a camera and the figurative lens of Shakespeare. Publication is set for summer 2017; Philomel).
• Fire Color One - Jenny Valentine (It tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who struggles to find her way out of her mother's game of greed and revenge, and connect to the father she never knew she had through a mutual love of art. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Philomel).
• Closer to Fine - Carrie Mac (U.S. debut from CA author. The contemporary YA follows the story of Maeve, who is struggling with severe anxiety, and who falls in love with a girl who is not afraid of anything. Publication is set for spring 2017; Knopf).
• Hitchcock, Grandma, and the First Kiss - Ellen Wittlinger (centers on 12-year-old Maisie's dream of becoming a movie director, her relationship with her forgetful grandmother, and a complicated best-friend love triangle. The first book is scheduled to publish in 2017; Charlesbridge).
• Be Always Tender - Ellen Wittlinger (focuses on three unlikely friends – Izzy, Ben, and Oliver – who become for each other the family they all need...with the second to follow in 2018; Charlesbridge).
• Holly Farb and the Princess of the Galaxy - Gareth Wronski (debut; MG sci fi about a schoolgirl kidnapped by alien space pirates who mistake her for the missing princess of a far-away galaxy. She must join with her eccentric science teacher and a mysterious new student to escape the pirates, locate the princess, and find her way back to Earth. Publication is slated for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• Army Brats - Daphne Benedis-Grab (When their mother accepts a post at an army base, siblings Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie find that life on base is full of new friends, rules, and challenges – including solving the mystery behind the creepy abandoned building. Publication is planned for 2017; Scholastic).
• Once Upon a Cruise - Anna Staniszewski (about a 12-year-old girl who lands a summer job on a cruise, only to find her magical vacation quickly turning into a titanic mess. Publication is set for fall 2016; Scholastic Press).

From last week:

• The Magic Misfits - Neil Patrick Harris (an illustrated debut middle-grade series. Little, Brown; Publication is slated for spring 2017).

Authors: Illuminae - Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, The Rose Society - Marie Lu (and another), Romancing the Dark in the City of Light - Ann Jacobus, Beyond the Red - Ava Jae, Unscripted Joss Byrd - Lygia Penaflor, Snow Like Ashes - Sara Raasch, An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes - Randy Ribay, Wolf by Wolf - Ryan Graudin, The Edge - Roland Smith

Excerpts: Outrun the Moon - Stacey Lee, Winter - Marissa Meyer, Soundless - Richelle Mead, Salt to the Sea - Ruta Septys,My Lady Jane - Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand

Book Trailers: The League of Unexpected Children - Gitty Daneshvari

Awards: The winner of the Kirkus Prize for YA was Echo Munoz Ryan. The list of “Indies Introduce New Voices for Winter/Fall 2016” was announced. The Carnegie Medal nominees were announced. I announced this last week, but again: theNational Book Award finalists were announced (my prediction: Bone Gap). You can get to know the finalists here. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial longlist was announced.

If you are an independent bookseller employee or know one, consider filling out this form to nominate him/her for James Patterson’s holiday bonus of $250k by November 1st.

Even though the publishing industry has a younger workforce, it’s still predominantly white (89%). Women are paid less than men even though they make up the majority of the industry (77%). Low salary was the biggest complaint among industry professionals. There is actually a lot more in that article in way of facts; check it out if you have the time.

Where do Jews fit in the diversity movement?

And on that note, here’s a really interesting blog post on the many faces of diversity and perspectives across different topics (diversity and racism; diversity in diversity, etc.).

In its first week of publication, Twilight Reimagined: Life and Death sold 66k copies; the illustrated Harry Potter 44k copies; the first Magnus Chase book 69k copies; and Carry On 12k copies. (These are “print units”).

If you’re headed to YALLFest, here is the list of panels you can attend.

In previous posts, I wasn’t sure who created #StoriesForAll: Bloomsbury! Read more in the CBC summary.

Kids are apparently reading more than adults, according to a new study, even if adults apparently make up the majority of YA readers. Similar results can be found in the Nielsen scan in the UK.

The printed book will last another 500 years.

A win for John Green & anti-censorship: a NJ school district is no longer banning Looking for Alaska. The same happened for the historic New Zealand YA book, Into the River.

A brief summary of author and industry events last week. Along that line, you can read up on New York Comic Con and the2015 New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Fall Discovery Conference.

HarperCollins will be simultaneously releasing Alyson Noel’s new novel, Unrivaled, in sixteen languages come next May.

Cover Reveals:

The cover for Beth Revis’s new YA book will be revealed today.

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

If you like the Night Circus, you should read these books.

You can treat your Game of Thrones withdrawal with these fantasy books. Plus some recommendations from YA authors.

If you like the rich boy/poor girl dynamic, you should read these books.

Looking for a YA book that is different from others? Here are some that think outside of the box.

Cameras play a big role in these YA books.

Badass women in literature.

There’s more to fame than glitz and glamour in these YA novels.

Are you anticipating reading these November releasing YA novels? (I wonder why October seemed to have so many more of the “big” titles. Or maybe it was split between September/October? Is Nov/Dec too close to holiday season?)

Want to get into fall? Check out these books that’ll give you the fall feeling.

And if you don’t want to fall into fall but rather would like to get away, here are some recommendations.

Quotes from The Rose Society by Marie Lu & 9 Dreamiest YA pick-up lines.

24 Pictures that express what it really means to be a book nerd.

And #booknerdproblems: Being Patient with New Book Nerds.

A list of YA books that deal with abortion: surprisingly small.

On sex in YA and positive representation, from author Carrie Mesrobian.

34 YA book gifts (dude, the underpants? What.).

If you like Taylor Swift, here are her songs paired with YA books.

Hilarious tweets about Harry Potter and if the Harry Potter titles were honest: seriously, there will be at least one HP article per bookish rounds post.

This article. The Children’s Book Guy: An Ideal Crush Object.

These three new books are helping children cope with traumatic events.

How many of these musicals did you recognize as having been based off a children’s book?

Will you be using children’s books as inspiration for your Halloween costume?

Movies/TV Shows:

If you were curious about the Goosebumps adaptation, here’s an interview with R.L. Stine. Goosebumps opened to the #1 spotwith about $23 million.

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout has its screenwriter: YA author Ava Dellaira.

The big news - though not really related to adaptations per se - is that Netflix is reviving Gilmore Girls.

Disney has ordered a sequel for The Descendants.

The Thousandth Floor, a book not being published until 2017 by HarperTeen, has already been optioned.

Famous in Love was optioned, with Bella Thorne as the main star in the TV pilot.

Some interviews with the Paper Towns cast: Justice Smith, Jaz Sinclair.

Shadowhunters TV show: you can meet Magnus Bane and watch the 4 minute clip introduced to fans at NYCC.

Giveaways:

ARCs & Hardcovers, INT, ends 11/01.

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: …New Releases 10/19/15! Win FOUR great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 10/25/15 …; …Win $50 American Express Gift Certificate, one of 5 beautiful Tiffany-style Key necklaces, Compulsion for Reading T-shirts, a What I'm Reading chalk mug, Fictionista Notepads, and much more in the PERSUASION pre-order celebration. Also TONS of free downloads, including stickers, bookmarks, magnets, door hangers, and wallpapers.….; ….Win signed, personalised copies of COMPULSION and PERSUASION, plus signed copies of Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.....; ... Win one of SEVEN packs of FIVE popular or recent YA titles, plus swag to help reward readers, for underfunded classrooms, schools, or libraries. Know a school or library who needs books? Nominate them! This month's donations from Martina Boone, Maggie Stiefvater,Danielle Paige, Laurie Halse Anderson and Maria Dahvana Headley. Ends 11/1/15.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin; Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff; Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall; Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown; The Distance From Me to You by Marina Glessner; Confessions of a Murder Angel by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro; If You're Lucky by Yvonne Printz; Dead Investigation by Charlie Price; The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley Archer; Losers Take All by David Klass; Red Girl, Blue Boy by Lauren Baratz-Logsted; Willful Machines by Tim Florin

Recent Recommended Reads: Slightly falling behind! And might be this week! An abstract for an important conference I’d like to attend is due the 30th and I haven’t finished writing my coding script or the data analysis. Ack!

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.