ISLAND STING by Bonnie J. Doerr

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Leap Books
• Release Date: January 6, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): TBD
• ISBN (paperback): 978-1-61603-002-5

Island Sting is a contemporary eco-mystery set in the Florida Keys. Though it is fiction, details about the natural environment and endangered species are authentic. It’s a tale of intrepid teens who change the effects of disappointment and heartache by taking positive action.

Kenzie Ryan has been forced to move from New York City to Nana’s cottage on an island in the Florida Keys. Talk about culture shock! She’s been torn away from her circle of lifetime friends at St. Joseph’s Academy for girls, her swim and softball teams, and her rapid-fire city life.

On her first day in the Keys, Kenzie rescues a drowning animal with the help of Angelo, a young Cuban-American local, whose rock-star face and savvy attitude are as exotic to Kenzie as her new environment. She learns the animal is an tiny endangered  Key deer that was chased into the canal by a poacher’s hound. But there’s more trouble on the island than the senseless slaughter of an endangered species: trap thefts threaten fishermen’s livelihoods; boaters destroy sea grass habitats; discarded garbage on land and sea kills wildlife. And Kenzie thought this place would be dull…

Kenzie and Angelo make a pact to expose the vicious deer killer and clean up the environment. They recruit a team, organize Keys Teens Care, plan an environmental cleanup crusade, and wage a dangerous undercover operation to solve the Key-deer-killer mystery. Though they work with a team to tackle their mission, each silently deals with traumatic loss. Throughout the investigation, Angelo and Kenzie experience a confusing magnetic attraction while struggling with cultural differences. But bit by bit they learn how much they have in common, and as Angelo and Kenzie work to protect the fragile tropical environment and its wildlife, both begin the slow process of healing.

Book Trailer

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

Release Date: October 1, 2010

NIGHTSHADE CITY by Hilary Wagner

“Fans of Redwall and the Warriors series will love this heroic tale of good versus evil in a subterranean society of rats. The world of the Catacombs is so compelling readers will wonder if it really might exist under our city streets. Expect great adventures in Nightshade City.”
–Rick Riordan, Author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Deep beneath a modern metropolis lies the Catacombs, a kingdom of remarkable rats of superior intellect. Following the Bloody Coup, the once peaceful democracy has become a dictatorship, ruled by decadent High Minister Killdeer and his vicious henchman Billycan, a former lab rat with a fondness for butchery. Three young orphan rats–brothers Vincent and Victor and a clever female named Clover–join forces with Billycan’s archenemy, Juniper, and his maverick band of rebel rats as they plot to overthrow their oppressors and create a new city–Nightshade City. This impossible-to-put-down fantasy explores timeless themes of freedom, forgiveness, the bonds of family, and the power of love.

Author Visit Information

Hilary is willing to travel nationally.

Example presentations and workshops:

• How to hook that agent, tip and tricks:
  • Ways to make your queries better,
  • Do’s and don’ts,
  • Dealing with rejection (after rejection)
  • Find out about Hilary Wagner’s own crazy road to publishing.
• Inspiring children’s writers of tomorrow.

“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.

MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

• Publication Season/Year: February, 2009
• Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: February 5, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0803734-35-7
• ISBN (paperback): 978-0-803732-96-4

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn’t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she’s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste-because, after all, a thin girl can’t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

A hilarious debut featuring friendship, family, mean girls and even celebrity crushes, Celeste’s story is a delicious treat that doesn’t add a pound.

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
• Release Date: April 28, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0061554742
• ISBN (paperback): 978-0061554749

Youngest and boldest of all the faeries of the Oak, Knife fearlessly battles the savage crows and other predators who threaten her dying people. But when she strikes up a forbidden friendship with a human named Paul, she arouses the wrath of the powerful Faery Queen herself. With the help of some unexpected allies, Knife sets out to solve the mystery of the Oakenfolk’s missing magic – but she soon discovers that the truth may cost her everything…

Also available in the UK as KNIFE in January 2009.

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-399-25189-4
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

“When the railroad’s in your blood, it draws you like a pump draws water from the ground.”

Meet a town and a train and a time and a boy – Jimmy Cannon.  And meet his father – as strong as a Mallet locomotive – whom Jimmy simply cannot figure out!  But who, in a dramatic and breathtaking twist, turns out to be so much more than Jimmy ever knew.

In a book that goes to the core of boyhood – its Halloween mischief, its hunting day mystery, its championship game surprise, and nighttime adventures – Fran Cannon Slayton brings her readers to the exhilarating crossroads of an unforgettable West Virginia railroad town and adulthood itself.

Early Praise for When the Whistle Blows:

“When the Whistle Blows is reminiscent of classic tales by Jack London, William Golding and Robert Louis Stevenson, yet carries the remarkable, fresh voice of its author. Fran Cannon Slayton should be extremely proud of this, her debut novel.” —Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Identical and National Book Award finalist

“With wit and warmth Fran Cannon Slayton recounts a steam-driven coming of age story in the last of the real railroad days.” —Richard Peck, author of A Year Down Yonder

“I loved When the Whistle Blows.” —Barbara Keifer, Charlotte S. Huck Professor of Children’s Literature at Ohio State University

“A highly engaging, well-written, really good read.” —Dr. Joel Taxel, University of Georgia, Department of Language and Literary Education

“From its whip-smart opening to its look at the complexity of father/son relationships, Slayton’s loving novel takes a long hard look at the death of people and that intangible idea of ‘home’ . . . ‘When the Whistle Blows’ stopped me in my tracks.” —Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse #8 Production (School Library Journal)

When the Whistle Blows is now available for pre-order at Borders, Amazon, and Your Local Indie Store online!

PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Release Date: June 11, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0399250439
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Twelve-year-old Paris Pan’s life is a mess. She’s just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris’s new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who’s anyone takes the Dare, and now it’s Paris’s turn.

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.