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Some words from the YA Books Goddess…
Well, boy have I got a lot of stuff to report! I hope you'll bear with me as I relate all this news...
First off, I'm very, very happy to report that I sold my first book. It will be coming out next year in Fall 2008 from Mirrorstone (lovely people, btw). The title is Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Adventures of Mina Hamilton, teen vampire (maybe). It's about a girl who just so happens to have vampires for parents and, due to the paper-pushing local vampire Council, now has to decide whether or not she wants to be one too -- in a month. Meanwhile, she's dealing with high school...and boys...and finding a prom date. I think it's a lot of fun and I hope you'll like it. So, look for it next year!
In other big personal news, we recently found out we're pregnant! Okay, just me, not my husband (why do people say "we", anyway?). It's our first (and probably only) and we're excited, though also freaked out. There's about 6 months to go, so I imagine I'll have more to tell you next year. But don't worry, I won't bore you with details.
I'd also like everyone to please welcome a new reviewer to the YABC family:
Julie M. Prince - julie@yabookscentral.com - Julie M. Prince considers reading and reviewing books more than just fun-which it is! It's also research for her writing career. She has published two biographies for kids, in addition to several nonfiction articles in kids' magazines. She's currently working on her first middle grade novel and keeps an active blog at: www.juliemprince.com. She's a wife, mother, and multiple pet owner, living in the middle of the desert. In her spare time-ha-she works full time at a rehabilitation hospital, where she gets to watch miracles every day. People learning to walk and talk again after strokes and severe accidents is inspirational and amazing to witness. But more than that, it's great fun. There's singing and dancing in the hallways,
graduation ceremonies for patients being discharged, and people rolling through the hallways on skates…all in the name of therapy! It's a good life, and one worth celebrating-so she does, every day!
The Winner of the SIGNED copy of My Alien Penfriend.
Is…Erin McIntosh (miss_erin)! And the rest of you, good luck in this month's giveaway…keep reading to find out what it is.
Guyaholic Survival Kit
 Be sure to check out this month's special Guyaholic Survival Kit giveaway! One lucky winner will receive your own fabulous tote bag! Included inside are SIGNED copies of Carolyn Mackler's books Guyaholic, Vegan Virgin Valentine, and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, a 2007 Road Atlas (perfect for planning your own road trip), and a Pizza Hut gift card!
Extra Entry Opportunity: e-mail
me with your favorite type of Pizza Hut pizza!
GLBT Month Giveaways
 And there's another super special giveway this month: GLBT Month! I have over 150 (!) books to give away, including some teacher guides. There are 5 different giveaways and you can enter each one separately for more chances to win. At least 16 prizes will be awarded, with around 10 books in each prize pack!! These are some really great books too.
Extra Entry Opportunity: e-mail me your favorite teacher's name
(can be a past teacher; you don't have to be in school now)!
Site Highlights
An absolute ton of new stuff has been added to the site this month, especially stuff for GLBT Month. I hope you've been keeping track, but it's never too late...just check the blog for a list of the latest.
Hero by Perry Moore
A hero is made
a review by Kimberly Pauley, YA Books Goddess
Thom’s father is a disgraced superhero and his mother has (literally) disappeared. He’s a basketball star at school, but everyone keeps their distance because of his family situation and, perhaps, because they sense that something is different about Thom. There are actually a lot of things that are different about Thom. For one thing, he’s got superpowers of his own (to start off with, he can heal people by touching them). For another, he’s gay…Read more
The Girl with the Broken Wing by Heather Dyer
An Angel Who Isn't Angelic
a review by Terry Miller Shannon
Twins James and Amanda are sleeping one rainy night when they hear something crash onto the roof above them, followed by someone knocking at their skylight. Imagine their amazement when a girl enters, barefoot and wearing a white dress--and long white wings. The girl's name is Hilary, and one of her wings is broken.... Read more
The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
Can One Young Girl Bring Peace to the World?
a review by Amber, 2007 Demi-Goddess
The Shadow Speaker is a mythical science-fiction story taking place in Africa. Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu spins a tale all her own, incorporating magic, politics, and vibrant characters that readers of all ages will adore. Ejii lives in the peculiar world of Kwamfa in the year 2070. After The Great Change, flying carpets in the marketplace and open portals to other worlds are not uncommon...Read More
An Interview with Lisa Jahn-Clough
What book or author has influenced you the most?
So many--this question is hard to answer and my answer changes depending on what I am currently working on. My range is extensive. A few of the plethora of authors I admire are (in no particular order): Isabel Allende, John Irving, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Ron Koertge, Jack Gantos, Nancy Garden, Lois Lowry, Stephen King, Louise Fitzhugh, Marcus Zusac...
Read more!
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Powerful Story
a review by Jocelyn (Reader Review)
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY focuses on the set of audiotapes made by a girl named Hannah Baker right before she killed herself. There are thirteen sides to the tapes recorded. And they’re going to be heard by thirteen people. Thirteen of the reasons why Hannah ended her life....Read more
Newsletter Contest: Win a SIGNED copy of Firegirl by Tony Abbott
Enter to win a SIGNED copy of Firegirl, a book by Tony Abbott. All you have to do is visit Tony Abbott's site and then e-mail me at kim@yabookscentral.com and tell me…what book challenged Tony to become a lover of books? (Hint: check the Parents & Teachers page)
About the author, Tony Abbott: Since 1994, Tony Abbott has published over sixty books of fiction for younger readers, including the popular Danger Guys series, Cracked Classics, and the ongoing fantasy sequence, The Secrets of Droon. His hardcover novel Kringle was called by School Library Journal "a delightful explaination of the origins of our present-day Santa Claus. Fantasy readers will enjoy this tale year-round." His realistic novel Firegirl appeared from Little, Brown in Spring 2006 and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. While specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, all of Tony's work, including his realistic fiction, displays a strong element of humor. In addition to writing, Tony speaks at library
and writing conferences, visits and speaks widely in schools, and has taught writing workshops for all elementary grades....Find out more...
And a few more words...
I sincerely hope that you will take a look at all of the inspiring essays and interviews that have been posted this month for GLBT Month. Authors like Alex Sanchez and Brent Hartinger and Ellen Wittlinger and David Levithan and Julie Anne Peters and...(you get the idea) have contributed their stories and I feel like I've learned a lot. I'm not gay and can never truly understand what it's like to grow up gay (or lesbian or bi-sexual or transgendered), but I am a human being who can appreciate other people's hopes and fears and dreams. Whatever your personal views on GLBT issues are, it is a fact that more and more kids are finding the courage to come out every day. In fact, kids as young as 10 have come out. That means that GLBT issues are very important in today's schools
-- whether you are a student, a parent, a teacher, a librarian, an administrator...everyone is involved; everyone knows someone who is gay.
I've really been astounded this month by both the support and the hatred that has been pointed at me (and at GLBT people in general) for sponsoring a GLBT month. You can read about the hateful things said by some teachers on the blog. And I'm sure there are some people reading this newsletter that will be angry at me as well. If you are one of those people, let me just say a few things:
- I support your right as a person and/or as a parent to restrict what you read and/or what your kids read. But I will never support you in trying to control what other people read. I don't agree with censorship at any time, even if I personally don't agree with the author and/or book.
- Many people wrote to say that they don't believe these books belong in schools. I have to disagree based on the fact that "these kids" are in schools. While actually studying the books as part of the curriculum may or may not be appropriate (every school and situation is different), I believe that they should at least be available to those that need them.
- And finally, you don't have to be a GLBT teen/person to read these books. You just have to be a person...with hopes and fears and dreams. And who knows, reading them might help expand your world a little bit.
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