Mid May 2015

Selfie! Jason Reynolds, Adam Silvera and me inside the limo at Authors Unlimited in Long Island on April 25

Hi Teenreaders,

I have a confession to make: this month, I haven’t felt particularly professional. As a journalist in the young adult book world, it’s my job to know about books, read books, write about books…and, sometimes, meet people who write books. And since it’s my career, I have to act composed when that happens --- smile, nod and be a normal, non-shrieking human.

I gave it a valiant effort this April and May, but I’ve got to be honest…I was holding myself together --- a lot. When I saw Emily St. John Mandel, the author of the bestselling (and beautifully written) adult book STATION ELEVEN, get off at my subway stop in Brooklyn, my heart started beating at record levels as she neared my street. Could someone so famous be my neighbor?! (Shamefully, I slowed my abnormally fast walking pace on my block to see if she’d enter an apartment before I entered mine…she didn’t).

At Authors Unlimited, an author festival run by the Suffolk County Library system in Long Island, New York, I took selfies with Adam Silvera (see the photo on the right), shared Altoids and crackers with Elizabeth Kiem and helped Jason Reynolds navigate the confusing Long Island Rail Road...and then told everyone I knew about it.

And at The Children’s Choice Book Awards, which happened to fall on my birthday, I talked to Matt de la Peña about his baby, Brooklyn neighborhoods and how awkward it is to get out of conversations at these kinds of events (oh my God, was he hinting at something?!). And, a couple of hours later, National Book Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson told me she noticed my dress from across the room and asked where I got it. Squeal! What could be a better birthday gift than that? (Admittedly, my co-workers got me this amazing t-shirt, which is pretty close).

So, right --- not super professional, even if all of the freaking out was in my head. But this got me thinking about the nature of fandom, especially in 2015, when social media is booming and YA events are popping up all over the country. With the advent of Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, authors (and musicians, actors, celebrity chefs and all of the Kardashians) are a lot more accessible than they used to be; we can talk with YA stars every day (er, second) about their books…or the merits of French fries over tater tots or why “Daredevil” is so addictive. It takes away the pedestal and makes authors seem “just like us” (yes, I’m channeling Us Weekly here).

As far as in-person events go, I watched this humanization process happen before my eyes at the previously mentioned Authors Unlimited event (which I go into more detail about in this blog post). Teens were able to chat with Adam Silvera about Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling inspired him to become an author and he has a riddikulus tattoo on his arm) and show Olympians author George O’Connor their own comics rather than just fawning over his. And in Adam’s and Elizabeth Kiem’s second breakout session of the day, they didn’t give writing advice --- instead they fostered a discussion about the merits of altering memories, acting more like cool substitute teachers than famous authors.

So, as authors become more and more humanized, whether online or face-to-face, what’s the effect on fan culture? Are you less likely to faint in an audience if you know they’re not “high and mighty authors” but just people who love giant Jenga as much as you do? Or will you become an even bigger fan, because now you know that they not only composed the most riveting plotline you’ve ever read, but they also have a great personality?

I’m honestly not really sure, but I'm wondering if it brings fandom from the "screaming, drooling, convulsing" category to the plain and simple "respect" category. You can respect authors --- people who also are afraid of cockroaches and tell off-color jokes --- for spinning breathtaking sentences and creating unforgettable characters, just as you respect any other deserving, real life human, like your best friend for his or her ability to swim the perfect backstroke or your biology teacher for making enzymes interesting. Getting to know authors on a more personal level lets us see them in a fuller light, but it doesn't mean we can't still admire their talent.

Do you guys have strong opinions on whether increased interaction with authors has an effect on fandom? Let me know at shara@bookreporter.com!

As for the rest of the newsletter, you’ll learn more about the intersection of literary culture and social media in our new REAL TALK Publishing interview with Rachel Fershleiser, the Head of Outreach for Tumblr; see the winners of the Children’s Choice Book Awards; celebrate prom with some of your favorite authors; and take a thoughtful look into Mental Health Month.
Enjoy, and have a lovely Memorial Day!

--- Shara Zaval (shara@bookreporter.com)

P.S.: Are any of you in a teen book club? If so, please email Carol Fitzgerald at carol@bookreporter.com and put “Teen Book Club” in the subject line. She’d love to talk to you about it!

P.P.S: Curious about the photos on top? The two on the left are from the Children's Choice Book Awards --- you can see me posing with Matt de la Peña and get a glimpse at one of our delicious dinner options! On the right I'm posing with Jennifer Donnelly and her forthcoming novel, THESE SHALLOW GRAVES --- be sure to look out for it this October!

 

We honored independent bookstores on May 2nd --- Independent Bookstore Day --- but that doesn't mean that we can't love these treasure troves all month long! Your favorite YA authors share their favorites in this special feature --- check out their answers, and, if you live near any, the stores themselves!
 

As mentioned in the opener, Teenreads had the chance to attend the Teen and Children's Choice Book Awards. It was, in a word, awesome. Below are the nominees and winners for the teen categories. Make sure to check out their books if you haven't already!

Teen Choice Book of the Year:
Winner: THE ONE by Kiera Cass

Finalists:
I AM MALALA by Malala Yousafzai with Patrick McCormick
CRESS by Marissa Meyer
CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

Teen Choice Debut Author
Winner: Jennifer Mathieu for THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE

Finalists:
Jason Reynolds for WHEN I WAS THE GREATEST
Leslye Walton for THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER
Sally Green for HALF BAD
Don Mitchell for THE FREEDOM SUMMER MURDERS
 

Learning How to Be Human --- Guest Post by Georgia Lyon: The 17-year-old author shares her experiences with autism and her decision to reveal her true identity to her readers.

Mermaids are Real --- Guest Post by Michael Buckley: Bestselling author Michael Buckley shares the inspiration for his newest book, UNDERTOW.

Authors, They're Just Like Us! --- Behind the Scenes at Authors Unlimited 2015: Teenreads Editor Shara Zaval breaks down the coolest parts of the April 25th Authors Unlimited Festival in Long Island.

Teen Board Question: This month we asked our Teen Board members what single question they'd ask if they got to spend three minutes with their favorite author. We got a lot of great answers! Maggie L. wants to ask Wendy Mass how she gets inspiration for her books, and Sydney L. would ask Rainbow Rowell what happens after the final page of ELEANOR AND PARK. Click here to read all of their answers!

Reviews: The Teen Board members loved their recent round of books. Cassandra H. said CRIMSON BOUND by Rosamund Hodge was "a page-turner with the unpredictability of a rollercoaster," and Katherina T. said THE COST OF ALL THINGS by Maggie Lehrman was "enticing, unique and downright riveting."
 

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas (Fantasy)

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin --- one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it...or doom Tamlin --- and his world --- forever.

Click here to learn more about the book.
Click here to read the review of the book.

LOIS LANE: FALLOUT by Gwenda Bond (Young Adult)

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over --- and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won't be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They're messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it's all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy...

Click here to learn more about the book.
Click here to read the review of the book.

Our May roundup includes CUCKOO SONG by Frances Hardinge, the story of two sisters who have to band together against a world where nothing is as it seems; WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES by award-winning author Susin Nielsen, where two complete opposites are forced to move in together; and beloved young adult romance author Sarah Dessen’s latest book, SAINT ANYTHING, which is more psychologically probing than anything she’s written before.

Among the paperback titles released this month, we have IN REAL LIFE, an uplifting memoir from 23-year-old YouTube star Joey Graceffa; BATTLE MAGIC, in which legendary fantasy author Tamora Pierce returns to the world of Winding Circle; and THE WEIRD WORLD OF WORDS: A Guided Tour by Mitchell Symons, which bursts with truly oddball facts about words and language.

Centuries after a shifting of the Earth's poles, the Sunken City that was once Paris is in the grips of a revolution. All who oppose the new regime are put to the blade, except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal? --- Reviewed by Kate F., Teen Board member.

New! AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Laia is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars, who claim that they will help save her brother from execution. Elias is the academy’s finest soldier --- and secretly, its most unwilling. When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself. --- Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.

New! THE SECRETS WE KEEP by Trisha Leaver (Youth Fiction)

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. When --- after a heated argument --- Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options --- confess her deception or live her sister's life. --- Reviewed by Christi Sheehan.

New! NONE OF THE ABOVE by I.W. Gregorio (Youth Fiction)

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes. Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s world completely unravels. --- Reviewed by Aimee Rogers.

New! UNDERTOW by Michael Buckley (Dystopian)

Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is changed forever when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha on her beach on Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly, paranoid and violent. Lyric’s small town also becomes a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. But the Alpha may not actually be the enemy --- they might be humanity’s best chance for survival. --- Reviewed by Kate F., Teen Board Member.

New! SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen (Fiction)

Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world. --- Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.

New! STONEWALL: BREAKING OUT IN THE FIGHT FOR GAY RIGHTS by Ann Bausum (Nonfiction)

In 1969, being gay in the United States was a criminal offense --- people went to jail, lost jobs and were disowned by their families. There were few safe havens, and the Stonewall Inn, a Mafia-run, filthy, overpriced bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was one of them. When the police raided Stonewall, nothing went as planned. Ann Bausum explores the Stonewall Riots in this history, and the national Gay Rights movement that followed. --- Reviewed by Anita Lock.

New! EDEN WEST by Pete Hautman (Dystopian)

Twelve square miles of paradise surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. The world beyond is doomed to destruction from the apocolypse. This is all 17-year-old Jacob knows. But something is rotten in paradise. A new boy arrives from outside and his scorn and disdain threaten to tarnish Jacob’s contentment. Then, while patrolling the borders of Nodd, Jacob meets Lynna, a girl from the adjoining ranch. Jacob’s faith, his devotion and his grip on reality are tested as his feelings for Lynna blossom into something greater and the End Days grow ever closer. --- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

New! THE NOVICE by Taran Matharu (Young Adult Fantasy)

Fletcher is working as a blacksmith's apprentice when he discovers he has the rare ability to summon demons from another world. He is soon chased out from his village for a crime he did not commit. As a result, he must travel with his demon, Ignatius, to an academy for adepts, where the gifted are taught the art of summoning. Fletcher also learns painful lessons that will prepare him to serve as a Battlemage in the Empire's war against the savage Orcs. But sinister forces infect new friendships and rivalries grow. With no one but Ignatius by his side, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of the Empire is in his hands. --- Reviewed by Christa O., Teen Board Member.

New! EXPIRATION DAY by William Campbell Powell (Science Fiction)

Tania Deeley has always been told that she's a rarity: a human child in a world where most children are sophisticated androids called teknoids manufactured by Oxted Corporation. Though she has always been aware of the existence of teknoids, it is not until her first day at The Lady Maud High School for Girls that Tania realizes that her best friend, Siân, may be one. Returning home from the summer holiday, she is shocked by how much Siân has changed. Is it possible that these changes were engineered by Oxted? And if Siân could be a teknoid, how many others in Tania's life are not real? --- Reviewed by Pranshu A., Teen Board Member.

When Rachelle was 15 she was good, training to protect her village from dark magic, but she was also reckless, straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat. --- Reviewed by Cassandra H., Teen Board Member.

New! GALGORITHM by Aaron Karo (Fiction)

What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That’s the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice. When the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance do not go as he planned. As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart and ignore his own advice in the quest for true love. --- Reviewed by Aliza M., Teen Board Member.

New! WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES by Susin Nielsen (Fiction)

Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed “It” girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds come together when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be happy about it but Ashley is horrified and has to hide the real reason her dad moved out. While they are complete opposites, they have one thing in common: they are made of molecules. --- Reviewed by Pranshu A., Teen Board Member.

New! THE COST OF ALL THINGS by Maggie Lehrman (Young Adult)

What would you pay to cure your heartbreak? Banish your sadness? Transform your looks? When Ari's boyfriend Win dies, she gets a spell to erase all memory of him. But spells come at a cost, and this one sets off a chain of events that reveal the hidden --- and sometimes dangerous ---connections between Ari, her friends and the boyfriend she can no longer remember. --- Reviewed by Katherina T., Teen Board Member.

May 6th is National No Diet Day (seriously!). In honor of pigging out, which literary feast would you most like to participate in?

• A Hogwarts feast --- No way to welcome the first years like chocolate frogs and treacle tarts!
• A CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY tour --- I’ll take the everlasting gobstopper with a side of chocolate waterfall, please
• An ALICE IN WONDERLAND tea party --- You’d get some Earl Gray AND fascinating company
• CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS Weather --- Food falling from the sky? Most convenient (and surprising) meal ever
• A JULIE AND JULIA-style dinner --- Who would ever say no to the incomparable Julia Child?

Last month, we asked which kind of poetry would you rather read. A novel in verse took the top spot with 33% of the votes, followed by a clever rhyme with 22% and a Shakesperean sonnet with 15%. To see the full results of the April poll, click here.