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Interview: Mary Kay Andrews, author of The Weekenders

May 19, 2016

Some people (everyone) refer to Mary Kay Andrews as the “Queen of the Summer Beach Read," while others (the Bookreporter staff) refer to her as “MKA.” Whatever you happen to call her, one thing's for sure: She knows how to deliver a compulsively readable summer book. In this interview, MKA talks to Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, about THE WEEKENDERS, another trademark beach read...with a dark twist. She discusses the importance of female friendship, how her ever-optimistic outlook finds its way into all her stories, and tips for decorating her summer homes --- which make it no wonder she’s so good at writing “house porn”!

May 2016

The countdown to the end of the school year is on! For some of you, it will be this month; for others, it will be next month. Here in the New York area, we have had a really cold spring (it was 36 degrees the other morning!). I am more than ready to pull out the sunscreen and wear summer clothes --- and read outside, maybe even with a beloved pet (see above left).

Editorial Content for Save Me a Seat

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Angela Warsinske

Filling a much needed gap of cultural diversity in children’s literature Sarah Weeks (author of PIE and HONEY) joins forces with first-time author Gita Varadarajan to create this beautiful book about two fifth grade boys who are meant to be friends but don’t know it yet. At the beginning of the first week of fifth grade their first impressions of each other couldn’t be more wrong. Read More

Teaser

 

Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

Promo

Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common --- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

About the Book

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL. 
Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own. 
Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in. 
Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

Interview: Mary Kubica, author of Don't You Cry

May 19, 2016

Mary Kubica is the New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL and PRETTY BABY, and her latest book, DON'T YOU CRY, continues her tradition of riveting, character-driven thrillers. In it, one woman’s disappearance may or may not be related to the mysterious arrival of a stranger in a small town, although only one thing is certain: The past will always catch up to us in the end. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Kubica reveals why she is drawn to characters who are experiencing inner turmoil, the themes that keep coming up unexpectedly in her work, and a surprising detail about her personal life.

Editorial Content for The Trials of Apollo Book One The Hidden Oracle

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Katherine Szabo

THE HIDDEN ORACLE is the first installment in the new Trials of Apollo series by acclaimed author Rick Riordan of the Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, and Mangus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. Read More

Teaser

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favor. But Apollo has many enemies-gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

Promo

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favor. But Apollo has many enemies-gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

About the Book

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favor.

But Apollo has many enemies-gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

PRH Room & Board (RGG)

PRH Room & Board

May 19, 2016

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Friday, May 20th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of JUST LIFE by Neil Abramson, which is now available. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

Editorial Content for Wishing Day

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Matthew Burbridge

WISHING DAY is a coming-of-age fantasy set in the daily life of a middle-school-aged girl named Natasha. WISHING DAY is a soft and subtle story --- not to be confused with dullness or a slow-moving pace. Lauren Myracle utilizes her style’s subtleties with surgical precision. She makes it look tremendously easy, making the story move cleverly and with a grace seldom seen in middle-grade novels.

"WISHING DAY is a story of self-confidence, personal beliefs, and family. It stands out as both a coming-of-age story and just as a great novel."

Teaser


On the third night of the third month after a girl’s thirteenth birthday, every girl in the town of Willow Hill makes three wishes. Natasha is the oldest child in a family steeped in magic, though she’s not sure she believes in it. She misses her mother, who disappeared nearly eight long years ago. She has a crush on one of the cutest boys in her class. And amid the chaos of a house full of sisters, aunts, and a father lost in grief, she aches to simply be noticed. So Natasha goes to the willow tree at the top of the hill on her Wishing Day, and she makes three wishes. What unfolds is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Promo

On the third night of the third month after a girl’s thirteenth birthday, every girl in the town of Willow Hill makes three wishes. Natasha is the oldest child in a family steeped in magic, though she’s not sure she believes in it. She misses her mother, who disappeared nearly eight long years ago. She has a crush on one of the cutest boys in her class. And amid the chaos of a house full of sisters, aunts, and a father lost in grief, she aches to simply be noticed. So Natasha goes to the willow tree at the top of the hill on her Wishing Day, and she makes three wishes. What unfolds is beyond anything she could have imagined.

About the Book

From beloved and bestselling author Lauren Myracle comes the first book in an enchanting trilogy about three sisters, the magic of traditions, and the extraordinary power of hope. This heartwarming, timeless story is perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Ingrid Law.

On the third night of the third month after a girl’s thirteenth birthday, every girl in the town of Willow Hill makes three wishes.

The first wish is an impossible wish.

The second is a wish she can make come true herself.

And the third is the deepest wish of her secret heart.

Natasha is the oldest child in a family steeped in magic, though she’s not sure she believes in it. She’s full to bursting with wishes, however. She misses her mother, who disappeared nearly eight long years ago. She has a crush on one of the cutest boys in her class, and she thinks maybe it would be nice if her very first kiss came from him. And amid the chaos of a house full of sisters, aunts, and a father lost in grief, she aches to simply be...noticed.

So Natasha goes to the willow tree at the top of the hill on her Wishing Day, and she makes three wishes. What unfolds is beyond anything she could have imagined.

Steve Maraboli

One of the most healing things you can do is recognize where in your life you are your own poison.

Attribution

Steve Maraboli