21 Young Adult Fiction Pick and Mix 10/12/13 Edition with BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION Giveaway

I've been on a wonderful vacation this week, taking a cruise with writing friends I met at an SCBWI conference years ago. They have since become best friends, and I think that is a testament to the amazing bonds that we form with our fellow writers when share the same journey and open ourselves about what we put on the page. Years ago, the three of us made a pact: whenever one of us got a book deal, we would take a cruise together to celebrate. It's important to mark goals and victories, however small. So today, I have a challenge for you.

FIND SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE! 

Mark your journey and own what you've achieved. Whether you've written a great paragraph, read a fantastic book, aced a test, or just mastered one concept, take the time to honor the fact that you are not in the same place that you were before.

Thought for the Week

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Young Adult Novel Giveaways This Week

Beautiful Redemption
(Beautiful Creatures)
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Giveaway
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released 10/23/2012

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Purchase Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures) at Amazon
Purchase Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures) at IndieBound
View Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures) on Goodreads

   

Young Adult Novel Giveaways Last Week: Winners

Chasing Shadows
by Swati Avasthi
Giveaway
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Released 8/6/2013

WINNER: Manju

Chasing Shadows is a searing look at the impact of one random act of violence.

Before: Corey, Holly, and Savitri are one unit—fast, strong, inseparable. Together they turn Chicago concrete and asphalt into a freerunner’s jungle gym, ricocheting off walls, scaling buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

But acting like a superhero doesn’t make you bulletproof...

After: Holly and Savitri are coming unglued. Holly says she's chasing Corey's killer, chasing revenge. Savitri fears Holly's just running wild—and leaving her behind. Friends should stand by each other in times of crissi. But can you hold on too tight? Too long?

In this intense novel, told in two voices, and incorporating comic-style art sections, Swati Avasthi creates a gripping portrait of two girls teetering on the edge of grief and insanity. Two girls who will find out just how many ways there are to lose a friend . . . and how many ways to be lost.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Chasing Shadows?

One of the things I love about writing YA is how innovative you get to be -- younger readers seem more amenable to changes in form. Which allows the YA author to play. Thanks to authors like Brian Selznick, combining graphics and prose has opened up a world of possibilities. My favorite thing about CHASING SHADOWS is how the graphic pieces in the book work in relation to the prose.

Purchase Chasing Shadows at Amazon
Purchase Chasing Shadows at IndieBound
View Chasing Shadows on Goodreads

 

Bookish News This Week

Check out these awesome (or should I say smashing?) book sculptures made out of--you guessed it--books!

These 30 cool (and sometimes hilarious) book dedications might even be better than the books themselves.

The New York Public Library revealed their top 100 children's books from the last 100 years! Is your favorite children's book on the list?

Check out the gorgeous cover for Anne Blankman's upcoming book!

Prisoner of Night and Fog

by Anne Blankman

Obey. Smile when Hitler comes closer. And never, never question him.

These are the three rules in seventeen-year-old Nazi Gretchen Müller's life. They've kept her safe since Papa died, protecting old family friend Adolf Hitler during a street fight years ago. Until the night in 1931 when Gretchen meets a young, fearless Jewish reporter she's supposed to despise. But she can't stop herself from listening to his story -- that her father, the adored martyr, was actually murdered. Together, Gretchen and the reporter vow to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth. Even if it means breaking all of Hitler's rules. Especially the most important one of all: don't fall in love with the enemy...

Preorder on Amazon | Add to Goodreads

Young Adult Quote of the Week

Taking no chances means wasting your dreams.

— Ellen Hopkins, Crank

     

Young Adult Reader of the Week:

    

Jemi Fraser

Is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. Life is short - go for the HEA. :)

* Want to be the reader of the week next week? Leave a comment on our Thursday, Friday or Saturday posts!

Blogger of the Week:

   

bittycornwell at "Bitty's Buried In Books"

Bitty's goal is to share what she's reading and help readers find books that they're interested in. Just from looking at her blog, the simple but cute set-up, and the in depth reviews of the books she's read, I'd say she's doing a pretty good job!

* Want to be the blogger of the week next week? To be honest, this is pretty much the only way I have time to discover new blogs, so it's a great way to get into my twitter feed and into these round-up posts if you have great content to share. Leave a comment. I'll pick from among the bloggers who leave comments here on the blog tomorrow through Wednesday.  

    

Writing Tip of the Week 

   

I happened to be at Ernest Hemingway's house this week. This is where he wrote every day:

   

    

With six-toed cats like this one likely slumbering around him:

    

   

And this is just one of his brilliant pieces of writing advice:

All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.

— Ernest Hemingway

Another Writing Tip

 

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Writing (And Every Day) Brain Fuel     

   

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