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Erin Entrada Kelly, author of The Land of Forgotten Girls

Two sisters from the Philippines, abandoned by their father and living with their stepmother in Louisiana, fight to make their lives better in this remarkable story for readers of Cynthia Kadohata and Rita Williams-Garcia, and for anyone searching for the true meaning of family.

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Kathi Appelt, author of Maybe a Fox

Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, better than best friends, they’d be identical twins if only they’d been born in the same year. And if only Sylvie wasn’t such a fast runner. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the river they’re not supposed to go anywhere near to throw a wish rock just before the school bus comes on a snowy morning, she runs so fast that no one sees what happens…and no one ever sees her again.

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March 18, 2016

It’s no secret that this week is simultaneously everyone’s favorite and also the most hated of the year. Daylight savings means we’re getting longer hours of light in the evening, but we all lost an hour of sleep, which really did us in. In fact, we’re still feeling the effects. The upside is that those chill rays are giving us some much-needed vitamin D. Once we recover from this grogginess, we’re sure we’ll hit the streets fast and loose. Not to mention this unseasonably warm NYC weather --- no one tell Leo, but global warming is real. We hear street crime goes down during daylight savings time, so we have no more excuses for not getting out there and finding some spring hunnies. Spring got us #sprung, so to speak. (In the spirit of optimism, we are ignoring the snow predictions for Sunday into Monday!)
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Editorial Content for The Way I Used to Be

Book

The Way I Used to Be

Contributors

Grace P.

Reviewer (text)

Grace P., Teen Board Member

THE WAY I USED TO BE is the powerful debut novel written by Amber Smith. This novel approaches the tough topic of sexual assault and walks us through the time after something like this happens. The main character, Eden, is raped by her brother’s best friend during her freshman year of high school. Although she was always a good, "perfect" girl, her trauma changes her entirely, putting her at odds with the people around her. The story follows her journey through her high school years dealing with the aftermath of the assault. Read More

Teaser

 

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved --- who she once loved --- she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Promo

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved --- who she once loved --- she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

About the Book

In the tradition of SPEAK, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved --- who she once loved --- she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts --- freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year --- this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

March 2016

Happy "Day After St. Patrick’s Day"! My name is Rebecca, and I definitely feel like the luck of the Irish has been on my side lately, because I’m the new Editorial Coordinator at Kidsreads. I’ve been here about three weeks, and thus far I’ve been attending tons of really fun previews where publishers present upcoming books so I can plan fun features and reviews (you can see some pictures of these adventures above, along with some St. Patty's Day office treats).

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Editorial Content for The Last Execution

Book

The Last Execution

Contributors

Lauren H.

Reviewer (text)

Lauren H., Teen Board Member

THE LAST EXECUTION by Jasper Wung-Sung is an historical fiction account about the execution of 15-year-old Niels Nielsen. The book recounts the hours leading up to the execution and the differing opinions on the boy and his actions. The reader is even able to experience the last hours with Niels and discover what thoughts might have ran through his mind on his final day. Read More

Teaser

 

Based on the chilling true story of the last execution in Denmark’s history, this award-winning, mesmerizing novel asks a question that plagues a small Danish town: does a 15-year-old boy deserve to be put to death? Niels Nielson, a young peasant, was sentenced to death by beheading on the dubious charges of arson and murder. Does he have the right to live despite what he is accused of? That is the question the townsfolk ask as the countdown begins.

Promo

Based on the chilling true story of the last execution in Denmark’s history, this award-winning, mesmerizing novel asks a question that plagues a small Danish town: does a 15-year-old boy deserve to be put to death? Niels Nielson, a young peasant, was sentenced to death by beheading on the dubious charges of arson and murder. Does he have the right to live despite what he is accused of? That is the question the townsfolk ask as the countdown begins.

About the Book

Based on the chilling true story of the last execution in Denmark’s history, this award-winning, mesmerizing novel asks a question that plagues a small Danish town: does a 15-year-old boy deserve to be put to death?

On February 22, 1853, a 15-year-old Niels Nelson is prepared to be executed on Gallows Hill.
 The master carpenter comes to measure Niels for his coffin.
 The master baker bakes bread for the spectators.
 The messenger posts the notice of execution in the town square.
 The poet prepares his best pen to record the events as they unfold.
 A fly, Niels’s only companion in the cell, buzzes.
 A dog hovers by his young master’s window.
 A young girl hovers too, pitying the boy.
 The executioner sharpens his blade.

This remarkable, wrenching story is told with the alternating perspectives of 11 different bystanders --- one per hour --- as the clock ticks ever closer to the moment when the boy must face his fate. Niels Nielson, a young peasant, was sentenced to death by beheading on the dubious charges of arson and murder. Does he have the right to live despite what he is accused of? That is the question the townsfolk ask as the countdown begins. With strong social conscience, piercing intellect, and masterful storytelling, Jesper Wung-Sung explores the age-old question: who determines who has the right to live or die?

The National Book Critics Circle Awards 2015

The winners of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced on March 17, 2016 at the New School in New York.

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Jeff Rich

If you don't have anything nice to say... dead silence creates a lot awkwardness.

Attribution

Jeff Rich

March 2016

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! My name is Rebecca, and I definitely feel like the luck of the Irish has been on my side lately, because I’m the new Editorial Coordinator at Kidsreads. I’ve been here about three weeks, and thus far I’ve been attending tons of really fun previews where publishers present upcoming books so I can plan fun features and reviews (you can see some pictures of these adventures above, along with some St. Patty's Day office treats).

Read More

Editorial Content for Beatrice Bunson's Guide to Romeo and Juliet: A Novel

Book

Beatrice Bunson's Guide to Romeo and Juliet: A Novel

Contributors

Janine Chouinard

Reviewer (text)

Janine C., Teen Board Member

Paula Marantz Cohen’s new novel, BEATRICE BUNSON’S GUIDE TO ROMEO AND JULIET, chronicles the life of Bea Bunson, a freshman learning to navigate the challenges of high school. Bea struggles with her daily life like any teenager, as she grows apart from her best friend, Nan, and deals with the dramatics of her older sister, Jen. Bea also begins to find first love, as she meets a cute boy while visiting her grandmother at her retirement home. Read More

Teaser

High school begins, and it seems to Beatrice Bunson that nothing is the same, not even her best friend, Nan. The "new" Nan doesn't hang out with Bea after school; instead she's running for Student Council and going to parties and avoiding Bea at lunchtime. On the bright side, there's English class with Mr. Martin, where Beatrice discovers that Shakespeare has something to say about almost everything --- and that nothing in life is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet. But when Nan gets in over her head in her new social life, it's up to Beatrice to restore her reputation --- and she may need to make a few new friends to pull it off. One of them, the slightly brainy guy that Beatrice meets at her grandmother's retirement home, is definitely kind of cute, and probably dateable.

Promo

High school begins, and it seems to Beatrice Bunson that nothing is the same, not even her best friend, Nan. The "new" Nan doesn't hang out with Bea after school; instead she's running for Student Council and going to parties and avoiding Bea at lunchtime. On the bright side, there's English class with Mr. Martin, where Beatrice discovers that Shakespeare has something to say about almost everything --- and that nothing in life is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet. But when Nan gets in over her head in her new social life, it's up to Beatrice to restore her reputation --- and she may need to make a few new friends to pull it off. One of them, the slightly brainy guy that Beatrice meets at her grandmother's retirement home, is definitely kind of cute, and probably dateable.

About the Book

High school begins, and it seems to Beatrice Bunson that nothing is the same, not even her best friend, Nan. The "new" Nan doesn't hang out with Bea after school; instead she's running for Student Council and going to parties and avoiding Bea at lunchtime. The boys who were gross in middle school have become surprisingly polite, while the "cool" kids are still a mystery. Bea's older sister, meanwhile, acts like she's living in a soap opera.

On the bright side, there's English class with Mr. Martin, where Beatrice discovers that Shakespeare has something to say about almost everything --- and that nothing in life is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet.

But when Nan gets in over her head in her new social life, it's up to Beatrice to restore her reputation --- and she may need to make a few new friends to pull it off. One of them, the slightly brainy guy that Beatrice meets at her grandmother's retirement home, is definitely kind of cute, and probably dateable. (Fortunately, nothing is the same in high school.)

As Beatrice and her classmates tackle Romeo and Juliet, they unveil the subtleties of the play as well as broader lessons of love, family, honor, and misunderstandings. Guided by Mr. Martin, these ninth-graders help us to understand Shakespeare, as Shakespeare helps them begin to understand themselves.