Tim Green

We are so very fortunate - we get to meet so many fabulous authors and hear them talk about their books. Last week we spoke to Tim Green who was here to promote his newest book Rivals.

Eclipse trailer - had to do it

So I had to do it - I had to post this.



What do you think? And will go to see it? First night?

Carnegie Medal shortlist announced

The shortlist for the Carnegie Medal, given yearly to the author of the most outstanding book for children has been announced in England. The 2010 winner will be announced at a ceremony at BAFTA in central London on Thursday 24th June. Here are the shortlisted books:

ANDERSON, LAURIE HALSE CHAINS

GAIMAN, NEIL THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

GRANT, HELEN THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN

HEARN, JULIE ROWAN THE STRANGE

NESS, PATRICK THE ASK AND THE ANSWER

PRATCHETT, TERRY NATION

REEVE, PHILIP FEVER CRUMB

SEDGWICK, MARCUS REVOLVER

Hm - which would you pick from this list? Have to admit I haven't read many on this list but my pick would be The Ask and the Answer

Megan Whalen Turner visits Kepler's

Megan Whalen Turner, author of the wonderful Queen's Thief series, will be visiting Kepler's for a special, book club-style discussion about her newest novel, A Conspiracy of Kings. Every one of the books in this series is a thrilling race to an unexpected, and utterly satisfying ending. I read the first book, The Thief, years ago, and once I started, I could not put it down. It was full of things I liked: a world very much like our own ancient Greece, hints of magic, and a twisty-turny adventure that kept peeling away layers of secrets and cleverness and a really gorgeous con... but what really grabbed me, what sucked me in and made me read the following books as soon as I could get my hands on them, were the characters. How I loved them! They are so real -- heroic, clever, nasty, foolish, good -- they walked right off the page and dragged my imagination along with them.

If you want to see what I'm talking about, you can read The Thief, the whole, entire, awesome book online for free here:

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

I'm reading A Conspiracy of Kings right now and I'm already loving it. So, if you want to meet Megan Whalen Turner, please come on over to Kepler's on Tuesday, the 27th of April, at 5:30 PM. Email megan@keplers.com if you think you'll be coming. We'd love to see you!

In My Mailbox

Sunday again and time to talk about the books in my mailbox this week. With thanks, as ever, to The Story Siren and Pop Culture Junkie who host and inspired this meme.

This week I've been reading adult mystery novels (yes I do) - by Elizabeth George and Lisa Lutz (very very different but both fabulous). Yet I received two fabulous YA reads in the my mailbox - look!

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Joy is used to Hearing Whispers. She's used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people's deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good—to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people's lives—especially Joy's—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica Whisper I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that's what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car, and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.


A Love Story Starring my Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

For months, Cass has heard her best friend, Julia, whisper about a secret project. When Julia dies in a car accident, her drama friends decide to bring the project—a musical called Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad—to fruition. But Cass isn't a drama person. She can’t take a summer of painting sets, and she won’t spend long hours with Heather, the girl who made her miserable all through middle school and has somehow landed the leading role. So Cass takes off. In alternating chapters, she spends the first part of summer on a cross-country bike trip and the rest swallowing her pride, making props, and—of all things—falling for Heather.

This is a story of the breadth of love. Of the depth of friendship. And of the most hilarious musical one quiet suburb has ever seen.

The Necromancer by Michael Scott - Review

The Secrets of The Immoral Nicholas Flamel, Book 4

Dee and Machiavelli seriously underestimated Perenelle in The Sorceress. She managed to escape from Alcatraz and reunite with Nicholas and the twins in San Francisco. She left behind a slew of monsters that she knows Dee and his masters intended to let loose on San Francisco. She knows they have to stop this happening but sadly they are weaker and older every day. To make things worse, Scatty and Joan are lost in the Pleistocene Era and Saint Germaine is determined to find them - at any cost. And the Flamels think it will help in battle if they find someone to teach Josh fire magic. But the twins have so many doubts now about the Flamels and their motives. Should they continue to fight with them?

As for Dee, having failed his masters he is now being hunted by all the creatures who were formerly looking for the Flamels. Yet he still plans to let the creatures from Alcatraz loose on San Francisco just as his masters wanted. And he has a new ally in the form of Virginia Dare. He thinks that if he can raise the mother of all gods he can control the world (can you hear the crazy laughter from here?). I'll add that he isn't crazy enough to raise the mother of all gods himself - he will need a necromancer of course, someone who will be in her path when she awakens with a terrible hunger.

I am absolutely addicted to this series. I read this in two days, barely pausing for breath. It goes from strength to strength, introducing new characters, unusual mythology, gods and goddesses of every stripe, and nonstop action at every turn. You simply have no idea where Michael Scott is leading you although with every addition to the series you see a path ahead. This is full of duty and love, complex relationships and twisted ambition. Do not miss this.

New Beastly Movie Trailer

Have you seen the new Beastly movie trailer?



What do you think? I loved the book and think this actually looks good too.

Win a Copy of Movers and Fakers by Lisi Harrison

Lisi Harrison will be at Kepler's on May 1st at 4:00 to promote her newest book MOVERS AND FAKERS. We are so very excited about this. There will be sparkling "mocktails" served by our very own butler, a chance to win a gift certificate for a manicure, and a chance to win a copy of the book.

Here's all you have to do to win the book. Find us on facebook - we're Keplers Teens. Befriend us if you haven't already. Then ask all your friends to befriend us. Tell your friends to write and say who asked them to befriend us. We'll keep track. The person who sends the most people to us wins a copy of the book. EASY. To find us on facebook, click here.

Which books are you destined to read?

Found this great quiz and had to share it here. TeenNick 's point of view presents, Which books are you destined to read. Click here to take the test.

It includes questions like:

Choose something you're in the mood to do (or try for the first time)

Choose a place where life makes sense

Pick something that relaxes you

Trust your instincts, and choose one thing from this list

Choose someone you'd like to get to know better

Pick a sensory experience

Choose a sentence that draws you in

I got If You Stay - what did you get?
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In My Mailbox

Sunday again and time to explore the contents of my mailbox again. Of course I only mention things like books. With thanks, as ever, to The Story Siren and Pop Culture Junkie who host and inspired this meme.

I raced through both The Necromancer by Michael Scott and The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and will post reviews later in the week. Needless to say, I loved them both but in very different ways.

And I received:

Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Sailing aboard her father's ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a lady in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn't love in order to preseve her social standing. On her last voyage before the wedding, Camille learns the mother she has always believed dead is in fact alive and in Australia. When their Sydney-bound ship goes down in a gale, and her father dies, Camille sets out to find her mother and a map in her possession - a map believed to lead to a stone that once belonged to the legendary civilization of the immortals. The stone can do exactly what Camille wants most: bring someone back from the dead. Unfortunately, her father's adversary is also on the hunt for the stone, and she must race him to it. The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar - a handsome young sailor and her father's first mate - who is in love with Camille and to whom she is drawn despite his low social standing and her pending wedding vows.

With an Australian card shark acting as their guide, Camille eludes murderous bushrangers, traverses dangerous highlands, evades a curse placed on the stone, and unravels the mystery behind her mother's disappearance. But when another death shakes her conviction to resurrect her father, Camille must choose what - and who - matters most.

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura's dad left them. Convinced that "creative" equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr - Review

I'll start by thanking the lovely Nancy, the Ravenous Reader, for lending this book to me. I am a huge fan of the series and she kindly loaned me her copy and I just want to say many many thank yous.

Do you remember Seth leaving Faerie for the mortal world at the end of Fragile Eternity? Well, Radiant Shadows opens with Sorcha, the High Queen, mourning Seth’s absence, while Faerie starts to fall apart around her. She is so worried about Seth’s safety that she sends Devlin, her brother and High Court assassin, to check on him and keep him safe.

Devlin has been loyal to Sorcha for an eternity, disobeying her orders only once. Years ago Sorcha ordered him to kill Ani, Gabriel’s daughter, and he was persuaded to keep her alive. But this time when Devlin comes face to face with Ani, he feels connected, drawn to her, and ultimately knows he’ll do anything to keep her alive, despite his Queen’s wishes.

Ani is complicated – she’s strong and dangerous, wild yet overprotected by her father. She feels trapped and is desperate to know how she fits into the Hunt. And as she can feed from both mortals and faeries, on emotions and touch, that makes her very different. Thus when Bananach notices her differences she wants Ani's blood and commands her to kill both Seth and Niall, hoping to cause as much destruction as possible. So what can Ani do but run? Can she outrun and outmaneuver War? And while Devlin and Ani try to save themselves, their friends and family, and Faerie, of course, they run the risk of losing each other.

I love this world, love the Dark Court especially, and so was swept up into this book, surfacing only to gasp at some of the twists in the plot. Again, nothing is straightforward, no plot predictable, no choice easy. And there is always a price to pay. It’s dark, dangerous, sinister, and troubling. We see people walk away from relationships we think them tied to and betray trusts we believe sacrosanct, leaving a world on the brink of collapse. Full of secrets, heartbreak, and betrayal, this is probably the best in a very good series. I hardly slept, let alone breathed, while I read and wish I didn’t have to wait to find out where Melissa Marr is leading these characters. (It's so much better than Fragile Eternity! Trust me.)

Heidi R. Kling and Sea

I've talked about Heidi R. Kling's debut novel Sea a lot, I know, but it is very very good (review here). She now has an official book trailer that I'd like to show you



Isn't it fabulous?

Of course Kepler's also has a trailer for the book (have I posted it before?)



And you can come and hear her talk on a panel with Jandy Nelson (The Sky is Everywhere - review here) and Nina LaCour (Hold Still) on June 10. For more detail click here.

ALA most frequently challenged books of 2009

The American Library Association (ALA) has just posted it's top ten list of most frequently challenged books in 2009 and this year it's topped by Lauren Myracle’s ttyl series (written in instant messaging format).

Oh and there are two new books books added to the list this year: the Twilight series (really!) My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

And here's the list:

1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle

2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky

4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee

5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer

6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger

7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult

8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler

9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker

10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier

Seven titles were dropped from the list this year:
His Dark Materials Trilogy (Series) by Philip Pullman
Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Gossip Girl (Series) by Cecily von Ziegesar
Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper

Also new this year is an updated list of the top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of the Decade (2000 – 2009). Topping the list is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. A complete listing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/top100fcb.

I'm happy to say that I've read most of the top ten challenged books this year and will certainly read the two others. What about you?

Waiting on Wednesday

Lauren Kate has just unveiled the cover art for Torment, which is the second book in her Fallen series. The book is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2010. And I couldn't find a blurb for this title anywhere. But what a fantastic cover, don't you think? Every bit as beautiful as Fallen. Again, I'm simply waiting...

Teaser Tuesday

This meme originated with MizB of Should Be Reading and anyone can play along. Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
-Open to a random page.
-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

This week I'm reading The Necromancer by Michael Scott and oh, my teaser's are different this week. Michael has been releasing his own video teasers (3 so far) so I'm happy to repost them here

teaser 1



teaser 2



teaser 3



Oh, I love this series.

In My Mailbox

Sunday again and time to explore the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention things like books! And here's my collection of books this week with thanks, as ever, to The Story Siren and Pop Culture Junkie who host and inspired this meme. Oh so excited this week (I do so love Michael Scott's series).

1. The Necromancer by Michael Scott
I am a HUGE fan of this series and could be found dancing around with it clutched to my chest in glee.

Josh and Sophie are back in San Francisco but they've lost Scatty and don't know whether they can trust Nicholas Flamel. Perenelle escaped from Alcatraz but left behind Dee's menagerie of monsters who could be set loose on San Francisco. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight to protect the city, but the effort will probably kill them both. Dee is now an outlaw and the new prey of all creatures formerly sent to hunt down Flamel. But Dee thinks that with the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. For his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. And for that, he'll have to train a necromancer. And the twins will make the perfect pupils. . . .

2. The Beautiful Between by Alyssa Sheinmel
I met Alyssa on Friday and she brought me a copy of her book to try. Can't wait to start it.

If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how. If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.

3. Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson

When Adrianne comes face-to-face with the mermaid of Windwaithe Island, of whom she has heard terrible stories all her life, she is convinced the mermaid means to take her younger sister. Adrianne is determined to protect her sister from the mermaid, and her family from starvation, but the mermaid continues to haunt Adrianne in her dreams and with her song. Yet, when the islanders find out about Adrianne's encounters with the mermaid she is scorned, for this community believes the mermaid will bring devastation to the island if Adrianne does not give herself to the sea.

4. Wolves, Boys, and Other Things that Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
KJ Carson lives an outdoor lover’s dream. The only daughter of a fishing and wildlife guide, KJ can hold her own on the water or in the mountains near her hometown outside Yellowstone National Park. But when she meets the shaggy-haired, Virgil, KJ loses all self-possession. And she’s not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that they’re assigned to work together on a school newspaper article about the famous wolves of Yellowstone. As KJ spends time with Virgil, she also spends more time getting to know a part of her world that she always took for granted . . . and she begins to see herself and her town in a whole new light.

Alyssa Sheinmel

I was lucky enough to meet Alyssa Sheinmel this morning, author of the upcoming novel The Beautiful Between (which looks SO good!).

Here's the back cover copy: If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how.

If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince, son of a great and rich New York City family. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. Together they form a council of two, helping each other with their homework and sharing secrets. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.

And here's Alyssa talking about the book:



Sounds great, doesn't it?

The Line by Teri Hall - Review

Just read this great review of Teri Hall's The Line by my colleague, Vivian, and had to share it here:

Threatened by a hostile force, the US government, overnight, without warning, sets up an unbreachable border that left those on the other side stranded forever in a toxic wasteland. Families were divided; communication ceased. Now "Away," the land on the other side of The Line and the "Others" who may have survived there have become irretrievably foreign to those inside the new totalitarian post-war state the former United States has become. Few even dare live close to The Line. But for some like Rachel and her widowed Mom, the less supervised zones close to the border are a refuge from the authorities. They live on a large estate, The Property, owned by the curt and strict Mrs. Moore, a place where everyone has secrets.

Rachel's life is quiet and lonely. She cares for Mrs. Moore's orchids, studies with her Mom, and goes on infrequent trips for supplies to the nearest town. Daily she gazes across the Line and wonders what lies on the other side. From her home-school lessons Rachel understands that her parents held dangerous views on civil rights and government propaganda. But when a woman in town is brutally picked up by the security forces, and Rachel finds a recorded appeal for help by the stream that runs onto The Property from Away, she can no longer stand and watch on the margin. She is determined to help, determined to cross the Line.

The first in a new series, this suspenseful and tightly scripted adventure about an all too possible future echoes the urgent issues of our time: where lies the line between our collective security and individual rights?

Oh, this looks good. OK, another one to add to my ever expanding TBR pile.

Rules According to Carrie Bradshaw

Before Sex and The City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small-town girl who knew she wanted more. She's ready for her real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Here are the rules according to Carrie:

Rule 1 Why is it that the one time a cute guy talks to you, you have a best friend in crisis?

Rule 2 Humiliated best friend always takes precedence over cute guy

Rule 3 Best friends think you always deserve the best guy even if the best guy barely knows you exist

Rule 4 Best friends can also be full of surprises

What do you think? Ready to find out all about Carrie in high school? Come and meet Candace Bushnell on May 12th at 7 at the Menlo-Atherton Center for the Performing Arts, 555 Middlefield Rd., Atherton if you are in the area. Should be fun - and benefits the Global Fund for Women

Teaser Tuesday

This meme originated with MizB of Should Be Reading and anyone can play along. Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
-Open to a random page.
-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

This week I'm reading Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr and here's my teaser:

The High Queen hadn't moved; she remained crouched at the mirror.
"My queen?" Rae tried to keep the tremble from her voice.
"How long has it been?"
"Your court needs you. I think it's time to awaken."
"YOU think?" Sorcha laughed. "No. You are to only interrupt if there is a crisis."
"There is." Rae knelt beside the queen. "Faerie seems to be ...falling apart. Parts of it are vanishing." (arc, p 217)

It is SO so good. Trust me.

Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen - Review

Here's another of my colleague's reviews. This is Penelope's pick for the week and I can't wait to pick it up myself.

The quest for 'normality' is ever-present for Elizah Rayne. In a new town with her mother, living in a centuries old house bordering a cemetery Elizah can't be bothered to lead the social life her mother and school counselor hope for. Instead Elizah privately retreats to a nearby river and the memories of her estranged and troubled gambler father.

While out by the river one day, Elizah stumbles on what she thinks is an animal bone. After showing some sketches to her biology teacher, a closer examination and rinse she discovers it is a human jaw bone.

Shortly after, caught between her mother's own struggle to lead a normal life (marathon baking, hosting ghost walks, etc.), a persistent school psychologist's nephew, and random visits from her father - Elizah meets Nathaniel. And for the first time since moving to town, she feels a connection. Through brief encounters on the river and near the cemetery Nathaniel cautiously imparts Elizah with the guidance that could lead her closer to finding out the truth about the jawbone she has felt the duty to protect.

Spollen has written a witty, smart, fearless and at times hilarious young protagonist that is wise beyond her years. I could not put this one down and you won't want to either.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis (and oh, last week simply flew by). Of course I only mention things like books! And here's my collection of books this week with thanks, as ever, to The Story Siren and Pop Culture Junkie who host and inspired this meme. Only two this week but so, so good.

1. Other by Karen Kincy

Gwen Williams is like any other modern teenager with one exception: she's a shapeshifter. Never having known her Pooka-spirit father, Gwen must struggle with the wild, wonderful magic inside of her alone—and in secret. While society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in Klikamuks, Washington, who don't care for her kind.

Now there's a new werewolf pack in town, and Others are getting killed, including Gwen's dryad friend. The police are doing zilch. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen meets a cute Japanese fox spirit who's refreshingly comfortable with his Otherness. Can Gwen find the courage to embrace her true self and find the killer-before she becomes the next victim?

2. For the Win by Cory Doctorow

I mentioned this in my Waiting on Wednesday post this week and found it in my mailbox. Magic. I am a huge fan of Little Brother and am very excited about this. For details of the book, see my WoW post below. For the Win is about the online gaming community and how the "black gold" virtual economy of the gaming world could bring down the real economy. Fascinating - no?

So that's my week in books. What did you get?

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta - Review

Here's my colleague, Antonia's review of Finnikin of the Rock, her pick for this week's best read.

Once upon a time three young boys make a pledge to each other and their land. Balthazar, heir apparent, swears to give his life for his country of Lumatere. Finnikin, son of the Captain of the King's Guard, swears to be his protector and guide to the Royal House. Lucian, cousin to the heir, swears to be the light to whom they would go in times of need. At nine years old, these three boys swear, not knowing the horror that is to come.

Then come the five days of the Unspeakable. The king is murdered; the queen and elder princesses raped and slaughtered; the youngest Princess torn to shreds in the forest, and Balthazar is presumed dead. Finnikin's father is proclaimed a traitor and sent to rot in a foreign prison. Lucian escapes the land of Lumatere with his mountain people, Finnikin with his Father's men. Years pass until one night a messenger comes to Finnikin whispering the name "Balthazar" and summoning him to the shrine of the Goddess Lagrami. There, the high priestess passes into his care a young novice by the name of Evanjalin. He is to escort her through the lands of Skuldenore in search of the Heir of Lumatere. In a journey full of horror and anguish, Finnikin and Evanjalin see first-hand the atrocities perpetuated upon their people in exile. Together they search for the pieces that must be in place for the return of the Heir and stir hope in the hearts of those who can see none.
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Printz Award winner Marchetta has created a brilliant work of modern fantasy, laced with such realism as to make it a truly gut-wrenching read. In a world full of hope and devastation, amidst acts of unparalleled courage and base depravity, both the bold action of men and the quiet fury of women blaze as they try to avenge their fallen. Truly, a tour de force!