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Editorial Content for Girl Through Glass

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Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

Near the end of Sari Wilson’s debut novel, GIRL THROUGH GLASS, Kate Rendell asks herself: “Can I stop sabotaging my own ambitions?” That question is as relevant for Kate now, in her 40s, as it was when she was a teenager, known then as Mira. Read More

Teaser

In the summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina whose mentor is 47-year-old Maurice DuPont. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives. In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsize the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she has long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind.

Promo

In the summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina whose mentor is 47-year-old Maurice DuPont. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives. In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsize the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she has long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind.

About the Book

An enthralling literary debut that tells the story of a young girl’s coming of age in the cutthroat world of New York City ballet --- a story of obsession and the quest for perfection, trust and betrayal, beauty and lost innocence.

In the roiling summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina in the romantic, highly competitive world of New York City ballet. Enduring the mess of her parent’s divorce, she finds escape in dance --- the rigorous hours of practice, the exquisite beauty, the precision of movement, the obsessive perfectionism. Ballet offers her control, power and the promise of glory. It also introduces her to 47-year-old Maurice DuPont, a reclusive, charismatic balletomane who becomes her mentor.

Over the course of three years, Mira is accepted into the prestigious School of American Ballet run by the legendary George Balanchine, and eventually becomes one of “Mr. B’s girls” --- a dancer of rare talent chosen for greatness. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, touching dark places within herself and sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives.

In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance at a Midwestern college, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsizes the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she’s long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind.

Told in interweaving narratives that move between past and present, GIRL THROUGH GLASS  illuminates the costs of ambition, secrets and the desire for beauty, and reveals how the sacrifices we make for an ideal can destroy --- or save --- us.

Audiobook available, narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Editorial Content for The Golden Son

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Reviewer (text)

Bronwyn Miller

“Anil Patel was ten years old the first time he witnessed one of Papa’s arbitrations.” So begins THE GOLDEN SON, Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s second novel of family, love and responsibility. Read More

Teaser

Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas. When his father dies, however, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, has trouble adapting to her demanding new husband and relatives. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever.

Promo

Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas. When his father dies, however, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, has trouble adapting to her demanding new husband and relatives. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever.

About the Book

The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of SECRET DAUGHTER returns with an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition and identity, in which two childhood friends --- a young doctor and a newly married bride --- must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts.

The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.

Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena’s romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever.

Tender and bittersweet, THE GOLDEN SON illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves.

Audiobook available, narrated by Sunil Malhotra

Editorial Content for The Illegal

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Reviewer (text)

Jana Siciliano

THE ILLEGAL is a contemporary story about an imaginary land in which immigration policies and experience change and shape the landscape by suffering under unfair laws legislated against undocumented peoples. Keita Ali, the protagonist of this gripping tale, is a runner (no shortage of symbolism there), and his physical prowess proves to be the key in helping him maneuver the labyrinthine craziness of his flawed country.  Read More

Teaser

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people. There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground and learns what it means to live as an illegal. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

Promo

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people. There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground and learns what it means to live as an illegal. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

About the Book

Internationally bestselling author Lawrence Hill returns with an extraordinary, resonant novel about a man on the run.

Lawrence Hill spellbound readers with SOMEONE KNOWS MY NAME (made into the television miniseries, "The Book of Negroes"), hailed as “transporting” (Entertainment Weekly) and “completely engrossing” (Washington Post). THE ILLEGAL is the gripping story of Keita Ali, a refugee --- like the many in today’s headlines --- compelled to leave his homeland.

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland, a fictionalized country whose tyrants are eerily familiar, turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people.

There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground. He learns what it means to live as an illegal: surfacing to earn cash prizes by running local races and assessing whether the people he meets will be kind or turn him in. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

Set in an imagined country bearing a striking resemblance to our own, this tension-filled novel casts its eye on race, human potential and what it means to belong.

Audiobook available, narrated by Gideon Emery

Editorial Content for Noah's Wife

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Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

The titular character in Lindsay Starck’s debut novel has no name. She’s simply known as the wife of a minister, Noah. That seems sexist in today’s society, but this fanciful allegory is presumably set in mid-century America, given references to station wagons, rabbit-ear TV antennae, and a visiting weatherman, not meteorologist. Read More

Teaser

When young minister Noah and his dutiful wife arrive at their new post in the hills, they find a gray and wet little town where it's been raining for as long as anyone can remember. Noah's wife is determined to help her husband revive this soggy congregation, but soon finds her efforts thwarted by her eccentric new neighbors. As the river water swallows up the houses, the telephone poles and the single highway out of town, Noah, his wife and the townspeople must confront not only the savage forces of nature but also the fragile ties that bind them to one another.

Promo

When young minister Noah and his dutiful wife arrive at their new post in the hills, they find a gray and wet little town where it's been raining for as long as anyone can remember. Noah's wife is determined to help her husband revive this soggy congregation, but soon finds her efforts thwarted by her eccentric new neighbors. As the river water swallows up the houses, the telephone poles and the single highway out of town, Noah, his wife and the townspeople must confront not only the savage forces of nature but also the fragile ties that bind them to one another.

About the Book

In the tradition of Daniel Wallace’s BIG FISH and Eowyn Ivey’s THE SNOW CHILD, a gorgeously written, brilliantly introspective, fable-like novel reimagining Noah’s Ark for our modern times.
 
When young minister Noah and his dutiful wife arrive at their new post in the hills, they’ve reached a gray and wet little town where it’s been raining for as long as anyone can remember. Noah’s wife is determined to help her husband revive this soggy congregation but soon finds her efforts thwarted by her eccentric new neighbors, among them an idiom-wielding Italian hardware store owner, a towering town matriarch, and a lovelorn zookeeper determined to stand by his charges. Overwhelmed, Noah’s wife fails to realize that Noah, too, is battling his own internal crisis.

Soon the river waters rise, flooding the streets of the town and driving scores of wild animals out of the once-renowned zoo. As the water swallows up the houses, the telephone poles, and the single highway out of town, Noah, his wife, and the townspeople must confront not only the savage forces of nature but also the fragile ties that bind them to one another, all before their world is washed away.

Full of whimsy and gentle ironic humor, NOAH'S WIFE is a wise and poignant novel that draws on the motifs of the biblical flood story to explore the true meaning of community, to examine the remarkable strength of the human spirit, and to ask whether hope can exist even where faith has been lost.

Audiobook available, narrated by Kirsten Potter

Editorial Content for The Poison Artist

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Kate Ayers

It’s almost Christmas, which, in San Francisco, can be very romantic. So Caleb Maddox should’ve been spending happy evenings with his girlfriend Bridget, but they had a big fight and she chucked a water glass at him. There’s a big gash on his forehead, and things don’t look very good at this point. He knows he should’ve told her what he’d done, but now it might be too late. Can she forgive him? He’ll spend the night at a hotel to give her time to cool off. Maybe they can work things out tomorrow. Read More

Teaser

Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. He’s out drinking after a bad breakup when a hauntingly seductive woman sits down at his side. He talks to Emmeline over absinthe, but their encounter is fleeting. She brushes her lips on his ear and disappears. He must find her. As Caleb scours the city, he begins helping the city’s medical examiner with a serial-murder investigation. Soon the search for the killer entwines with Caleb’s hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes.

Promo

Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. He’s out drinking after a bad breakup when a hauntingly seductive woman sits down at his side. He talks to Emmeline over absinthe, but their encounter is fleeting. She brushes her lips on his ear and disappears. He must find her. As Caleb scours the city, he begins helping the city’s medical examiner with a serial-murder investigation. Soon the search for the killer entwines with Caleb’s hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes.

About the Book

Caleb Maddox is a San Francisco toxicologist studying the chemical effects of pain. He’s out drinking after a bad breakup when a hauntingly seductive woman sits down at his side. He talks to Emmeline over absinthe, but their encounter is fleeting. She brushes her lips on his ear and disappears. He must find her. As Caleb scours the city, he begins helping the city’s medical examiner with a serial-murder investigation. Soon the search for the killer entwines with Caleb’s hunt for Emmeline, and the closer he gets to each, the more dangerous his world becomes.

“A wicked mix of Poe, The Silence of the Lambs, and Vertigo” (William Landay), THE POISON ARTIST spins a thrilling tale of obsession, damage, a man unmoored by an unspeakable past, and a woman who offers the ultimate escape.

Audiobook available, narrated by Luke Daniels

Editorial Content for The 8th Circle

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Christine M. Irvin

Danny Ryan is a lost soul. His life was shattered a year ago when his wife and young son were both killed in what appeared to be a car accident. Now his friend, Michael Cohen, has been shot and dies after plunging his car into a pond in front of Danny’s house. Before drawing his last breath, Michael utters a single word: “inferno.”

"THE 8th CIRCLE will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and how the situation can possibly get more dangerous for Danny."

Teaser

A year ago, Danny Ryan lost his wife and son in a car accident. He's still reeling from the tragedy when Michael Cohen, his friend and fellow journalist, drives into the pond in front of his house with a bullet through his gut. With Michael's death ruled a murder, Danny must work to get his name crossed off the list of suspects, and that means digging into Michael's last article, an exposé of the twisted side of Philadelphia politics. But powerful people are ready to kill to protect what Michael was about to uncover. If Danny isn’t careful, he'll be next.

Promo

A year ago, Danny Ryan lost his wife and son in a car accident. He's still reeling from the tragedy when Michael Cohen, his friend and fellow journalist, drives into the pond in front of his house with a bullet through his gut. With Michael's death ruled a murder, Danny must work to get his name crossed off the list of suspects, and that means digging into Michael's last article, an exposé of the twisted side of Philadelphia politics. But powerful people are ready to kill to protect what Michael was about to uncover. If Danny isn’t careful, he'll be next.

About the Book

A year ago, Danny Ryan lost his wife and son in a car accident. He's still reeling from the tragedy when Michael Cohen, his friend and fellow journalist, drives into the pond in front of his house with a bullet through his gut.

With Michael's death ruled a murder, Danny must work to get his name crossed off the list of suspects, and that means digging into Michael's last article, an exposé of the twisted side of Philadelphia politics. But powerful people are ready to kill to protect what Michael was about to uncover, and if Danny's not careful, he'll be next.

The dark heart of the city is on display in Sarah Cain's gripping debut thriller, THE 8th CIRCLE.

Audiobook available, narrated by Ray Chase

Editorial Content for River of Ink

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Carly Silver

Over the years, my love of historical fiction has transported me to a lot of locations: ancient Rome, World War II-era Japan, Renaissance Scotland. But I’ve never before visited 13th-century Sri Lanka, a time of incredible political turmoil for the people of that island.

However, thanks to Paul M.M. Cooper’s RIVER OF INK, I can now say I’ve immersed myself in that fascinating time and place. Cooper’s debut beautifully evokes the emotional upheaval that massive political change wreaks and the many forms that active and passive protesting can take. Read More

Teaser

In 13th-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life and a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka's role as court poet dramatically alters. Although a cruel and calculating king, Magha --- a lover of poetry --- commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch --- a symbol of unity between the two cultures. But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery.

Promo

In 13th-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life and a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka's role as court poet dramatically alters. Although a cruel and calculating king, Magha --- a lover of poetry --- commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch --- a symbol of unity between the two cultures. But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery.

About the Book

In 13th-century Sri Lanka, Asanka, poet to the king, lives a life of luxury, enjoying courtly life and a sweet, furtive love affair with a palace servant, a village girl he is teaching to write. But when Magha, a prince from the mainland, usurps the throne, Asanka's role as court poet dramatically alters. Magha is a cruel and calculating king --- and yet, a lover of poetry --- and he commissions Asanka to translate a holy Sanskrit epic into the Tamil language spoken by his recently acquired subjects. The poem will be an olive branch --- a symbol of unity between the two cultures.

But in different languages, in different contexts, meaning can become slippery. First inadvertently, then deliberately and dangerously, Asanka's version of the epic, centered on the killing of an unjust ruler, inspires and arouses the oppressed people of the land. Asanka must juggle the capricious demands of a king with the growing demands of his own political consciousness --- and his heart --- if he wishes to survive and imagine a future with the woman he loves.

The first novel from a remarkable young writer, RIVER OF INK is a powerful historical tale set in the shadow of oppression --- one with deep allegorical resonances in any time --- celebrating the triumph of literature and love.

Late January 2016

Hi Teenreaders,

I hope you’re having a great start to 2016; it's hard to believe January is just about over! At Teenreads, I certainly have. Why, you ask? Because I got to go to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter Conference!

I realize that it might not have the most enticing name in the world, but believe me --- this conference is YA heaven. The best books of 2015 get recognized at the Youth Media Awards (YMAs), authors speak on panels about everything from diversity to fantasy, and, at every turn, you run into librarians, publishers and authors who are dying to tell you about the best book they just finished or compare notes on which upcoming novels they should read on the way home. Since it’s impossible to talk about everything I encountered that weekend, I decided to share a few of my favorite quotes below:

Editorial Content for The Siren

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Alyssa Luis

Kierra Cass, author of the popular Selection series, has branched out into the world of fantasy romance with this stand-alone novel, THE SIREN. Read More

Teaser

 

Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human --- a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger...but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

Promo

From Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series, comes a captivating stand-alone fantasy romance.
 
Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human --- a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger...but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

About the Book

From Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series, comes a captivating stand-alone fantasy romance.
 
Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human --- a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger...but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?
 
THE SIREN was previously self-published; this brand-new edition has been completely rewritten and redesigned.

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

January 2016

Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. Then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see. Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.