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January 2017

Quick Housekeeping Note: This newsletter arrives using our new newsletter mail platform. We’ve tried our best to keep everything as close to the old style as possible, but don’t be surprised if you see changes in the months ahead. Reading on your phone? Our newsletters are now mobile-friendly, so you can easily catch up on all the latest bookish news on the go!

Editorial Content for Dreadnought (Nemesis Book One)

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Katherine Szabo

Fifteen-year-old Danny Tozer has spent the majority of her life trying to hide the fact that she is transgender, but when Dreadnought, the world’s most famous superhero, falls from the sky and dies right in front of her, he passes along his superpower. Danny’s body suddenly transforms itself to match the ideal body of her dreams. Now, there’s no hiding her true self, and Danny must face her abusive father, her best friend and her entire school --- oh, and she has to learn to control her newfound superpowers, too. Read More

Teaser

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl. It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. 

Promo

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl. It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. 

About the Book

An action-packed series-starter perfect for fans of THE HEROINE COMPLEX and NOT YOUR SIDEKICK.
 
Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl.
 
It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father’s dangerous obsession with “curing” her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he’s entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she’s in over her head.
 
She doesn’t have time to adjust. Dreadnought’s murderer --- a cyborg named Utopia --- still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

January 25, 2017

There’s no doubt that a lot of things have been happening in the past few weeks. Social media’s been pretty loud, and for those of us opting to forgo a new year digital detox, we’ve been turning to our favorite kind of media --- entertainment. The Golden Globes gave us a little taste of awards season, and what with the Oscar nominations coming out yesterday morning, our awards fever is at an all-time high. So bust out some Tylenol; we’ve got our minds on movies and movies on our minds.

Editorial Content for The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Killian Walsh

The return of “The X-Files” to broadcast television last winter was an exciting event for series fans, bringing the search for truth into an era awash in information and technology, and showing us that there are still many dark corners left in our otherwise illuminated world. Along with a return to television, X-Files will now also be able to follow the lives of Mulder and Scully before they were agents and learn exactly what made them into the top-notch investigators they would eventually become. Read More

Teaser

While Mulder doesn’t mind the fresh start and not being known as “that kid with the missing sister,” he’s still obsessed with finding Samantha. So when a local boy turns up dead and another child is abducted, Mulder can’t stop himself from getting involved. Could there be a link to his sister’s case? As he uncovers the truth, Mulder and his friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer.

Promo

While Mulder doesn’t mind the fresh start and not being known as “that kid with the missing sister,” he’s still obsessed with finding Samantha. So when a local boy turns up dead and another child is abducted, Mulder can’t stop himself from getting involved. Could there be a link to his sister’s case? As he uncovers the truth, Mulder and his friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer.

About the Book

 In the spring of 1979, seventeen-year-old Fox Mulder has bigger problems than applying for college. Five years ago, his younger sister disap­peared from their home and was never heard from again. Mulder blames himself, and his mother blames his father, who has retreated into his top-secret work for the State Depart­ment. In Fox’s senior year, his dad has moved him to Washington, DC --- away from his friends on Martha’s Vineyard.

While Mulder doesn’t mind the fresh start and not being known as “that kid with the missing sister,” he’s still obsessed with finding Samantha. So when a local boy turns up dead and another child is abducted, Mulder can’t stop himself from getting involved. Could there be a link to his sister’s case? As he uncovers the truth, Mulder and his friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer.

Sucked into a world where conspiracies, the occult, and madness overlap, Fox Mulder starts to believe.

Editorial Content for Frostblood

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Grace P., Teen Board Member

Elly Blake is a library assistant and the debut young adult author of a new series, The Frostblood Saga. FROSTBLOOD is her first novel, releasing in January 2017. The second novel in the saga, FIREBLOOD, is set to release in September 2017. Read More

Teaser

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees.

Promo

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees.

About the Book

The first in a page-turning young adult series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies --- but together create a power that could change everything.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby's powers are unpredictable, and she's not sure she's willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon. All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to fight for her life in tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Editorial Content for The Sweetest Sound

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Audrey Slater

Who has sass, whimsy and enough talent to fill a whole church choir? Ten-year-old Cadence Mariah Jones, the protagonist of Sherri Winston's THE SWEETEST SOUND. Although she is shy and dealing with some difficult family issues, Cadence knows that one day she will be a star, a bestselling author who can sing just like her idol, Mariah Carey. But when Cadence gets her chance to shine, she realizes she may have more to confront than her own shyness. Read More

Teaser

For ten-year-old Cadence Jolly, birthdays are a constant reminder of all that has changed since her mother skipped town with dreams of becoming a singing star. Cadence inherited that musical soul, she can't deny it, but otherwise she couldn't be more different --- she's as shy as can be. She did make a promise last year that she would try to break out of her shell, just a little. And she prayed that she'd get the courage to do it. As her eleventh birthday draws near, she realizes time is running out. And when a secret recording of her singing leaks and catches the attention of her whole church.

Promo

For ten-year-old Cadence Jolly, birthdays are a constant reminder of all that has changed since her mother skipped town with dreams of becoming a singing star. Cadence inherited that musical soul, she can't deny it, but otherwise she couldn't be more different --- she's as shy as can be. She did make a promise last year that she would try to break out of her shell, just a little. And she prayed that she'd get the courage to do it. As her eleventh birthday draws near, she realizes time is running out. And when a secret recording of her singing leaks and catches the attention of her whole church.

About the Book

A story of family, faith and following your heart
 
For ten-year-old Cadence Jolly, birthdays are a constant reminder of all that has changed since her mother skipped town with dreams of becoming a singing star. Cadence inherited that musical soul, she can't deny it, but otherwise she couldn't be more different --- she's as shy as can be. 
 
She did make a promise last year that she would try to break out of her shell, just a little. And she prayed that she'd get the courage to do it. As her eleventh birthday draws near, she realizes time is running out. And when a secret recording of her singing leaks and catches the attention of her whole church, she needs to decide what's better: deceiving everyone by pretending it belongs to someone else, or finally stepping into the spotlight.
 
In a story filled with whimsy and hope, Sherri Winston inspires readers to embrace the voice within.
 

Editorial Content for Snowbirds

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Aliza M., Teen Board Member

I have spent my past nine summers at summer camp in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, a town with a high population of Amish people. Each summer I drive down dirt roads alongside horse drawn carriages and work with my neighbors to plant trees, press olive oil, and work the land. Despite my time working with them and living alongside them it wasn't until I read SNOWBIRDS that I really gained a true understanding of Amish life from the inside. Read More

Teaser

Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes.

Promo

Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes.

About the Book

Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes. Wracked by guilt, Lucy knows that she should have been watching out for Alice, but instead, she was kissing Faron, an Older Order boy shunned by his society. Now, Lucy plunges into a search for her best friend --- while also hiding her own secret, which could put her in even more danger.

Editorial Content for Forever, Again

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Shannon C., Teen Board Member

Victoria Laure is a well-known author who has written 30 books and counting. She is known for her two adult mystery series, The Psychic Eye Mysteries and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries. She does venture from adult mysteries to write a children’s fantasy trilogy, Oracles of Delphi Keep. The last book in this trilogy was published in 2012. Victoria Laurie is not new to the Young Adult genre either having written WHEN, released in 2015 and most recently, FOREVER, AGAIN released in December 2016. Read More

Teaser

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school. But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than 30 years before. In 1985, senior Amber Greeley killed her boyfriend Ben --- Cole's uncle --- and took her own life. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole's uncle's death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery --- one that shakes the constraints of the world they've always believed in.

Promo

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school. But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than 30 years before. In 1985, senior Amber Greeley killed her boyfriend Ben --- Cole's uncle --- and took her own life. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole's uncle's death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery --- one that shakes the constraints of the world they've always believed in.

About the Book

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school. But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than 30 years before. In 1985, graduating senior Amber Greeley snapped, killing her boyfriend Ben --- Cole's uncle --- and taking her own life.

Lily feels inexplicably linked to Amber, and she can't help but think that there's more to the girl's story. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole's uncle's death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery --- one that shakes the constraints of the world they've always believed in. Masterfully told by bestselling author Victoria Laurie, this novel alternates voices between Lily and Amber, a generation apart, as decades of dark family secrets and treacherous betrayals are woven into the most epic of love stories.

January 25, 2017

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that releases this winter. Read more about it, and enter our Winter Reading Contest by Thursday, January 26th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of DON'T YOU CRY by Mary Kubica, which is now available in paperback. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

Editorial Content for Teen Hyde: High School Horror

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ashley D., Teen Board Member

There really isn’t all that much I can tell you about TEEN HYDE without giving everything away. I think you will enjoy the book a lot more if you are able to create your own judgements. So I will keep my description short and sweet. Read More

Teaser

Cassidy Hyde is NOT having a good year. Her boyfriend cheated on her, killed her best friend's date during homecoming, and was then murdered in turn by a serial killer, and that's without counting the thing that no one knows about. (But Cassidy doesn't like to think about that.) The point is, anyone would be a little depressed and no one can blame her for looking for a little bit of help. That's where Sunshine comes in. This new experimental drug makes Cassidy feel like everything is good and she's the golden girl once again. A little memory loss feels like a small price to pay to get her life back

Promo

Cassidy Hyde is NOT having a good year. Her boyfriend cheated on her, killed her best friend's date during homecoming, and was then murdered in turn by a serial killer, and that's without counting the thing that no one knows about. (But Cassidy doesn't like to think about that.) The point is, anyone would be a little depressed and no one can blame her for looking for a little bit of help. That's where Sunshine comes in. This new experimental drug makes Cassidy feel like everything is good and she's the golden girl once again. A little memory loss feels like a small price to pay to get her life back

About the Book

Cassidy Hyde is NOT having a good year. Her boyfriend cheated on her, killed her best friend's date during homecoming, and was then murdered in turn by a serial killer, and that's without counting the thing that no one knows about. (But Cassidy doesn't like to think about that.) The point is, anyone would be a little depressed and no one can blame her for looking for a little bit of help. That's where Sunshine comes in. This new experimental drug makes Cassidy feel like everything is good and she's the golden girl once again. A little memory loss feels like a small price to pay to get her life back. And the fact that boys are once again going missing (boys who Cassidy does NOT want to remember) has NOTHING to do with anything! Right?

Thus begins Chandler Baker's contemporary twist on Robert Louis Stevenson's JEKYLL AND HYDE, set in the town of Hollow Pines, Texas, where high school is truly horrifying.