THE OWL KEEPER by Christine Brodien-Jones

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Release Date: April 13, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-385-73814-9
• ISBN (paperback): TBD                         

Maxwell Unger has always loved the night.  He used to do brave things like go tramping through the forest with his gran after dark. He loved the stories she told him about the world before the Destruction — about nature, and books, and the silver owls. His favorite story, though, was about the Owl Keeper.

According to Max’s gran, in times of darkness the Owl Keeper would appear to unite owls and sages against the powers of the dark.

Gran is gone now, and so are her stories of how the world used to be. Max is no longer brave. The forest is dangerous, the books Gran saved have been destroyed, and the silver owls are extinct. At least, that’s what the High Echelon says. But Max knows better.

Max Unger has a secret. And when a mysterious girl comes to town, he just might have to start being brave again.  The time of the Owl Keeper, Gran would say, is coming soon.

THE OWL KEEPER Book Trailer:

Discussion Guide for THE OWL KEEPER

Robbie is convinced his life is over. He is sent to Great Oaks, a school for troubled youth that is run like a prison. To get home, he must follow the rules, face the past, and tell the truth. Otherwise, Great Oaks School will really be the end of the line.

Beth Ann Bauman

This week, we’re celebrating Beth Ann Bauman’s debut! Beth Ann Bauman is the author of a short story collection for adults, Beautiful Girls, and a recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. Beth teaches fiction writing at NYU, The West Side YMCA’s Writer’s Voice, and online at UCLA. Growing up, she spent summers on the Jersey shore, and she now lives in New York City.

Here’s a little bit about ROSIE AND SKATE (Wendy Lamb Books, Random House).

It’s off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly in love, inseparable—until now, when Perry goes off to Rutgers. Rosie is shyer than Skate, but she’s drawn to Nick, a boy in their Alateen group. What happens to Rosie and Skate in a few tumultuous weeks is deftly shaded, complex, and true. Readers will be caught up in each girl’s shifting feelings as the story plays out within the embrace of their warmhearted community.

ROSIE AND SKATE by Beth Ann Bauman

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

PG. There’s some sex and underage drinking.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

I’m interested in the topic of addiction and how it affects everyone in a family. The drunk dad in the story is goodhearted but mostly useless as a parent, and the mom died when the girls were little so they’re basically raising themselves. I’m interested in how the sisters cope, how others help them along the way, and how they handle friendship, boys, love and sex.

I also wanted to set the story on the Jersey shore, a place I love. I wanted to include a boardwalk, arcade, Ferris wheel, walks on the beach in winter, surfing in a wet suit in November. And some dogs! What good is a story without some dogs, though I might be biased…

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Girls 12 and up interested in boy/girl relationships
• Anyone who likes sister stories
• Anyone with a loved one with an addiction
• Anyone who likes stories about unlikely families

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• He went to Walgreen’s in his raincoat and slippers, and shuffled down the aisles, loading the lining of his coat with crazy stuff: a can opener, coconut tanning oil, nail clippers, panty hose, potpourri.
• Free rides tonight. We scramble into [the Ferris wheel], facing each other, and we’re lifted oh-so-gently into the night. On the next go-round we stop at the top of the ride while snow blows around us and into the car. Rosie catches some flakes in her glove.

How can your book be used in the classroom?

While the audience is for tween and teen girls, I can imagine boys liking the book too. It could provide an opportunity to talk about coping with a parent’s addiction, community resources, and patching together a family of people who care.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• Sarah Dessen books (Someone Like You, Lullaby)
• The Rules of Survival, Nancy Werlin
• Dairy Queen, Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

My dad’s a nice drunk. There is such a thing. I know how that sounds, but honestly he’s a good person. My sister, Skate, is going to give you a different story, but I want you to hear my side too.

Before our dad went to jail three weeks ago, one of his favorite places was the old faded couch on the sunporch, where he’d lie with sandy feet, clutching his bottle of Old Crow whiskey, gurgling to himself with a dreamy smile. If he saw me standing above him, staring down at him, he’d give me a little finger wave. “Lovely to see ya, Rosie girl.” Or sometimes he’d look at me and not see me at all, but he’d smile all the same. You see what I mean? Screwed-up, but nice.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes, depending on where and when.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes, depending on where and when.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• How to tell a story.
• Creating characters the reader wants to spend time with.

This concludes our interview with our latest author, BETH ANN BAUMAN. We wish her much success with her debut novel ROSIE AND SKATE.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Beth is giving away a signed copy of ROSIE AND SKATE to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by November 3rd, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

“Of course, in SHINE, I was focused on the issue of post-9/11 discrimination against anyone who was perceived to be Arab, Muslim, or Middle Eastern, but that was an issue I was quite familiar with and had seen around. An issue I was not used to seeing, and that was utterly new to *me* was explored in ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA by Alison McGhee. It’s a lovely, heart-breakingly beautiful novel about the death of a sibling, a mother having to let go, and a family moving forward. It is definitely one of those “quieter” YAs, but one that has left a lasting, indelible imprint on me.”

–Neesha Meminger, SHINE, COCONUT MOON (McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, March ’09)

“THE OUTSIDERS was the first book I read that reflected my neighborhood. I couldn’t relate to fresh-scrubbed, fictional suburbias. It was such a relief to open a book and find the kids I knew. The ones who had to couch-surf to get away from abusive parents; the ones who knew if you had to shut off a utility, electricity was the one to keep. And that’s the world I chose for my first novel- always hoping that perhaps my book would be relief for someone else. There’s power in knowing you’re not alone.”

–Saundra Mitchell, SHADOWED SUMMER (Delacorte, February 2009)

“Prior to reading THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB series by Ann M. Martin, I had never heard of diabetes. In the third book, The Truth About Stacey, the main character struggles as she tries to both control and conceal her condition. In first-person narrative, she describes her treatment and her symptoms. She was often thirsty. Uh-oh. So was I! I momentarily wondered if I too had diabetes. I went to my mother and asked her. She told me I did not have diabetes. I was relieved. I drank some fruit juice.

I read more about diabetes in this book and checked out some fact-based articles about it. I had learned something new and developed a sympathy for those walking in Stacey’s shoes.

I devoured all of Ann M. Martin’s novels, including the single titles that were not related to her famous series. One such novel, WITH YOU AND WITHOUT YOU, detailed the illness and loss of a parent. The title is wholly accurate, as the story shows life for the family before and after the father gets ill, and how their lives change throughout the struggle and after he succumbs to the disease. As the Mouse said in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, “Mine is a long and a sad tale!” Yes, it was sad, but it made me feel for people I knew who had lost family members while also making me appreciate my family’s health and our close ties.”

–Little Willow, bookseller, writer, web designer

“…For me one of those books was ANNE FRANK: DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL. I don’t think it was about suddenly realizing the Holocaust was a terrible thing — I already knew that. But Anne was a real kid, and I felt like I knew her and lost a friend. That made the Holocaust become something more than a historical fact for me. It became immediate and real and horrifying.”

–Kurtis Scaletta, MUDVILLE (Knopf, February 2009)

“A SHELTER IN OUR CAR (Children’s Book Press, 2004) by Monica Gunning, illustrated by Elaine Pedlar, is such a powerful book. It takes you inside the life of a child named Zettie and her mother who live in their car and try to make do. As it explored Zettie’s fear and sadness, it made me think about the many homeless children who long for a safe place to live. The story ends on a hopeful note, but sadly, for too many kids there is no happy ending. I chose that book as the Thanksgiving selection for a girls book club I lead. So often, we take having a home for granted. But this book makes you remember to give thanks for every blessing and reach out to help those in need.”

–Kelly Starling Lyons, ONE MILLION MEN AND ME, (Just Us Books, 2007)

“Two current favorite children books: A COOL MOONLIGHT by Angela Johnson. I love this book for the magic and tenderness of it. What could have been a sad story instead is one about acceptance and joy. FEATHERS by Jacqueline Woodson. Love this for the perceptions of children, for their humanness. Children are not pure innocents. They are complex beings capable of greater understanding and insight than we give them credit for.”

–Susan, Color Online reviews and discourse on books, culture, and literacy of/for women writers of color

For more on children’s lit and issues, check out Susan’s Unofficial List of Great YA by or About Women of Color, Little Willow’s articles on gender bias, and her full article, Books That Opened Your Eyes.

What book changed your perspective, or get you thinking about something in a new or different way? Did it confirm beliefs or ideas that you’d already had? What made it effective? Did you take any action (large or small) as a result of reading the book? Share in the comments below.

ROSIE AND SKATE by Beth Ann Bauman

• Publication Season/Year: Fall 2009
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books, Random House
• Release Date: August 11,  2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-385-73735-7
• ISBN (paperback): TBD                         

ROSIE AND SKATE is about two sisters, ages 15 and 16, in a New Jersey shore town.  When their dad, a “nice drunk,” lands himself in jail, they cope in different ways.  Skate and her boyfriend Perry are inseparable, until he goes off to Rutgers leaving her behind.  Rosie is drawn to a boy in her support group.  Within the embrace of their warmhearted community, the girls find hope for the future.

TELL ME A SECRET by Holly Cupala

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release Date: June 22, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0061766664
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

It’s tough, living in the shadow of a dead girl…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.

AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS' DAY by Tameka Fryer Brown

• Publication Season/Year: Fall, 2010
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: August 1, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-8109-8971-9

It’s a beautiful, cloudless summer day–perfect for the annual neighborhood celebration. Everything is running smoothly…until Momma burns the food!

AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS’ DAY is a lyrical, rhyming picture book; a contemporary story about a young girl’s love for her close-knit, diverse community.

NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE AND OTHER LIES MUSCLE MCGINTY TOLD ME by Nan Marino

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: Roaring Brook
• Release Date: May 12, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 1596434996
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Muscle Man McGinty is a squirrelly runt, a lying snake and a pitiful excuse for a ten-year-old.  The problem is that no one on Ramble Street knows it, but me.

Muscle Man McGinty can certainly tell some whoppers, but this time he’s done the unthinkable.  He bragged he can beat the entire block in a game of kickball!   On Ramble Street, tough talk about kickball cannot be ignored.  For Tamara Ann Simpson this is great news. Now she’ll finally be able to prove to everyone what a wormy little runt Muscle Man really is. Of course things would be a lot easier if her best friend Kebsie Grobser were here to help her…

It’s the summer of 1969 and the world is getting ready for a man named Neil Armstrong to make history by taking the first step on the moon. But change happens a bit more slowly in Massapequa Park, and it’ll take one giant leap for Tamara to understand the likes of Muscle Man McGinty.

MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Harcourt
• Release Date: April 1, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): TBD
• ISBN (paperback): 978-0152066437

It’s the end of junior year, and summer is about to begin. The Summer of Passion, to be exact, when Jory Michaels plans to explore all the possibilities of the future–and, with any luck, score a boyfriend in the process. But Jory has a problem. A big problem. A curvy, honking, bumpy, problem in the form of her Super Schnozz, the one thing standing between Jory and happiness. And now, with the Summer of Passion stretched before her like an open road, she’s determined for Super Schnozz to disappear. Jory takes a job delivering wedding cakes to save up for a nose job at the end of the summer; she even keeps a book filled with magazine cutouts of perfect noses to show the doctor. But nothing is ever easy for accident-prone Jory–and before she knows it, her Summer of Passion falls apart faster than the delivery van she crashes. In her hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel, Sydney Salter delivers a story about broadening your horizons, accepting yourself, and finding love right under your nose.

“Complex, likeable, believable characters and a fresh, appealing fictional voice pull together this very agreeable summer romance.” –Kirkus Reviews

EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Release Date: January 1, 2010
• ISBN: 0-545-09676-6

Reginald Garvey McKnight created a superhero character in kindergarten; now he dreams of being a real-life leading man: The Guy who’s got game and gets The Girl. Instead, he threw up on the first day of school. In front of everyone. Eighth grade has gone downhill ever since.

In EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO, Reggie wonders why things are so bad if God is so good; his faith at all levels is challenged by his friendships, his work at a homeless shelter, and a pair of “Dora The Explorer” shoes. Reggie’s involvement in a school election leads him to the superhero within; he learns that sometimes winning big means living small.

MY INVENTED LIFE by Lauren Bjorkman

• Publication Season, Fall 2009
• Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: September 29, 2009
• ISBN 13: 978-0-8050-8950-9

Roz and Eva are sisters, friends, and rivals. Roz fantasizes about snagging the lead in the school play and landing sexy skate god Bryan as her boyfriend. Sadly, a few obstacles stand between her and her dream. For one, Eva is the more talented actress. And Bryan happens to be Eva’s boyfriend. But does Eva have a secret life with her cheerleading partner? Inquiring minds need to know.

Roz, who prides herself on random acts of insanity, hatches a scheme to get Eva to open up. The plan backfires, and Eva is furious. Roz finds herself neck deep in her invented life. When Roz meets a mercurial boy with a big problem, she begins to understand the complex feelings beneath the labels. And she gets a second chance to earn Eva’s trust.

Fan trailer by Fausto Umanzor:

REVIEWS and BLURBS:

Roz’s voice is witty and genuine as she moves through the ups and downs of coming out (and eventually coming clean). Evocative of Boy Meets Boy and Dramarama, this makes for fun, thought-provoking reading. Publisher’s Weekly

This novel is particularly good at evoking teenage confusion about sexual preference and identity, and Bjorkman’s depiction of the drama-club crowd is absolutely spot-on, especially the characters’ trading of Shakespearean insults online and the practical jokes they play on one another. Narrator Roz is funny, well intentioned, and likable despite her cluelessness, and she is surrounded by a realistic cast of adult and teen characters representing a wide variety of viewpoints and sexual preferences. School Library Journal

Interspersing Shakespearian references and themes, Roz’s narrative is humorous and heartfelt as it intimately explores issues from sibling relationships to sexual identity. Booklist

I knew I was going to like this book the second the main character asked a Ouija Board if her sister was a lesbian. My Invented Life does a great job capturing the confusing alternate reality of teenage sexuality, and does it in a refreshingly authentic and honest teen voice. Brent Hartinger, author of Geography Club

Shakespeare would be proud to be included in this smart, funny, cheeky book. Ellen Wittlinger, author of Hard Love

Lauren Bjorkman’s My Invented Life is a hilarious, thoughtful, and engaging novel about the power of perception. My Invented Life … is ultimately an uplifting story that offers insight and hope with a nice dash of humor. Highly recommended. Heather Aimee O’Neill, AfterEllen.com

My Invented Life is a fantastic look at sisterhood, drama geeks, and the far-from-simple subject of sexual identity. Funny with depth = my idea of pure reading delight. Shelf Elf

My Invented Life is a smart, honest novel that is not only refreshing in it’s depiction of teens coming to terms with their true selves, but it’s also really fun! The Book Butterfly