Say The Word by Jeannie Garsee

Rating:
Characters: 18/20
Setting: 9/10
Plot: 19/20
Originality: 20/20
Writing: 19/20
Recommendation: 10/10
Overall: 95/100 or A
Shawna Gallagher has the perfect life, well she tries to anyways. Then she gets a call from Fran. The women that her mother left her for, ten years ago. It turns out that Shawna's mom has had a stroke and is dying. She takes the first possible flight from Cleveland to New York to see the women that abandoned her, when she was seven.
By the others choices and the past, Shawna has to find the difference between being perfect and making the overall right choice.
I really liked Garsee's first novel, Before, After and Somebody in Between. So when I heard about Say the Word coming out, I had to read it. I loved Shawna, she was so real and had so much to deal with. I liked her relationship with LeeLee and how when they fought. Also how realistically, they became friends again. I also loved that Say the Word was more about family and friendship, then love. Dr. Gallagher also became one of my least favorite characters ever, and I felt sorry for Shawna having to deal with him. I highly suggest this book, Garsee is definitely an author to watch.
Peace out, Sarah.

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

Rating:
Characters: 17/20
Setting: 9/10
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 19/20
Writing: 18/20
Recommendation: 9/10
Overall: 90/100 or A
Sam is sick of hearing her best friend, Mal and her boyfriend, Mark calling each other "pookie" and being the third wheel. So, Sam decides to apply to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. Sam soon figures out that camp isn't what it seems. She quickly become enemies with Ashley, the queen bee and daughter of the camp's owner. Sam starts having a crush on the very flirtatious, Hunter. She also has playful and oh-so-comfortable, Cole. Sam luckily finds a gang of girls that she becomes very quick friends of, and they call each other, Sleepaway Girls.
I really liked Sleepaway Girls. It was cute and a quick summer read. The characters were real and multidimensional. Calonita brings her writing style from The Secrets of My Hollywood Life series to this fun book. I also felt like I was back at camp. It is a must read for summer.
Sleepaway Girls comes out on May 1st, 2009.
Peace out Sarah.

In my Mailbox (Week 7)

This is a In My Mailbox, started by The Story Siren. Check it out here.
Say the Word by Jeannie Garsee
The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part, that's what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father's every rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it's more than perfect Shawna can take. Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna's embarrassment over her mother's other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there's a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing.
Shawna's honest and reputable voice will draw readers in and hold them until the last page in this coming-of-age story. Jeannine Garsee has delivered a compulsively readable second novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.
I was so excited for Say the Word. So, when I got it in the mail and did a little happy dance. Since I read Before, After, and Somebody in Between, I have been waiting for more by Jeannie Garsee. I have already read it and loved it very much. I really love this cover too. It is so pretty.
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.
As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.
I love this series so much. So, I bought this the day it came out and was so excited to read. I highly encourage anyone to read this series.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence.
I love this book. I met Laurie Halse Anderson and decided to buy a book for a contest.
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
Maybe (short for Maybelline, her mother’s favorite mascara brand) wears oversize men’s T-shirts, uses lots of black eye makeup, and rejects everything girly—which is probably a reaction to her mother’s charm school and impending seventh marriage. This latest husband-to-be is the worst yet, and when he attempts to rape Maybe (in a scene that is realistic but not explicit), she and her friend Ted decide to join their buddy Hollywood when he moves to California for film school. Maybe’s stated goal is finding her biological father, but as she runs out of money and hope, that goal changes to finding herself. Despite the heavy topics, this is a breezy read populated with friendly characters and sunny serendipity: Maybe is welcomed into the home of an ex-stepdad, Ted, finds work as an assistant to a movie star, and Hollywood aces his first film. When your starving protagonist spends her only five dollars on eyeliner, the intended audience is obvious; for those readers, Maybe’s ugly duckling–type transformation will be predictable but pleasing.
I got this from Bookmooch and I really like the cover. It also sounds really good.
Brave New Girl by Louisa Luna
Angry and alienated teens seem to be growing ever younger. Doreen, the protagonist of this disturbing coming-of-age novel, is only 14. But in her anomie and hatred of her family, she puts Holden Caulfield in the shade. Like Holden, she tells the story in sarcastic first-person, which is often scalding in its use of expletives (at one point the f word appears 63 times in one and on-half pages), but still manages to be oddly artful in its consistency and voice. Despite her tough talk and her tendency to self-pity, Doreen gradually grows into a complex, intriguing character. Her affection for another young outsider, her only friend, Ted, is touching; her longing for her older brother, whom her father kicked out of the house when she was a girl, is haunting; and her confused feelings for her older sister's boyfriend are absolutely credible. When he sexually abuses her, readers share her pain, confusion, and despair. The ending to this difficult story is surprisingly hopeful and emotionally satisfying, if not entirely believable. This was published for adults, but it's clearly for teens--though it will best suit those readers mature enough to embrace its attitudes and edginess.
I have already read this book and really like it. So, that is why I got it from Bookmooch. So, I am excited to own this now.
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend. When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken. Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.
I really liked this book and wasn't expecting it at all. So, I was really excited to find this book. I really loved it, when I got it from the library. So to own it, is super awesome. I adore this cover it is so cute. It makes me want to go bake some cookies and send them out.
Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst
At least that's what the wolves of the Wide Valley believe. Until a young wolf dares to break the rules -- and forever alters the relationship between wolves and the humans who share their world.
This is the story of such a wolf. Born of a forbidden mixed-blood litter and an outcast after her mother is banished, Kaala is determined to earn a place in the Swift River pack. But her world is turned upside down when she saves a human girl from drowning. Risking expulsion from their pack and exile from the Wide Valley, Kaala and her young packmates begin to hunt with the humans and thus discover the long-hidden bond between the two clans. But when war between wolves and humans threatens, Kaala learns the lies behind the wolf 's promise. Lies that force her to choose between safety for herself and her friends and the survival of her pack -- and perhaps of all wolf- and humankind.
Set 14,000 years ago, Promise of the Wolves takes us to a land where time is counted in phases of the moon, distance is measured in wolflengths, and direction by the scent of the nearest trail. Years of research into the world of wolves combines with mythical tale-telling to present a fantastical adventure set in a world filled with lore.
I got this from Pulse It and I am not sure if I will like this book. I am going to try to read it soon...
So that is what I got this week. I am excited for the books and can't wait to read the books, that I haven't
Peace out, Sarah.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Rating:
Characters: 19/20
Setting: 10/10
Plot: 19/20
Originality: 19/20
Writing: 20/20
Recommendation: 10/10
Overall: 97/100 or A
Lia struggles with Anorexia. She had a sick contest with her best friend, Cassie on who could be the skinniest girl. That was until she went to rehab and Cassie ditched her like she had the plague. The book starts out with the mysterious death of Cassie in a hotel room and the 33 calls that were left unanswered.
Lia continues down the path of her eating disorder, thought it could easily kill her. She starts seeing the ghost of Cassie everywhere.
Wintergirls is a convincing novel of eating disorders, being alone, and the spiral of depression. Both my mom and older sister have had eating disorders and are currently not showing any symptoms. So, in that aspect it hit really close to home. I think that the counting calories was very realistic and interesting. It was really sad to see a girl that wouldn't be happy with her appearance until she was dead. If you are looking for a very deep haunting novel that is fantastical written, I hightly suggest this, because Laurie Halse Anderson has dug deep to come up with this novel that can only be explained as amazing.
Here is the amazing Wintergirls book Trailer
Take Care, Sarah.

I-am-sorry-that-I-haven't-posted-in-a-week-but-I'm-having-another-contest...

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been busy, reading, or catching up on Being Erika(Love that show) Anyways by the title, I have a contest. I got to meet Laurie Halse Anderson, yesterday. I bought another copy of Speak. So the contest is for a signed copy of Speak.
Here is a summary: Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence.
How to enter:
Leave a comment before April 18th at noon. It is open world wide.
Extra Entries:
Become a follower (+2)
Be a current follower (+4)
Blog about this Contest, sidebar okay (+3)

Peace out, Sarah.

Waiting on Wednesday (Week One)

Title: Lovestruck Summer
Author: Melissa Walker
Release Date: May 5th,2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
It is the story of 18-year-old Quinn, an indie-rock girl spending the summer in Austin on a coveted music internship. While she hopes to find the perfect hipster boyfriend, she unexpectedly falls in love with a college cowboy who makes her challenge her own stereotypes, expand her musical tastes, and ultimately open up her world.
Reasons why I want this:
1. I love Melissa Walker's Violet series, and I can't wait to read more by her.
2. This looks like a really cute and quick summer read.
3. The cover is really cute and I love it.
4. I love music and this book has a lot of music according to Melissa Walker herself.
5. Quinn sounds awesome and really likeable.
Peace out, Sarah.

Just a quick message...

Happy Birthday, Carol!
Woot! You are seventeen. Go tell her Happy Birthday, here.
Take Care, Sarah.

In my Mailbox (Week 6)

This is a In My Mailbox, started by The Story Siren Check it out here.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Thanks to Sharon, your awesome.)
In Mary's world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?I decided that I had to read this after seeing the amazing trailer. So, when Sharon offered to trade for this I was really happy. I have already read it and like it. So expect a review soon.
Prophecy of Sisters by Michelle Zink (Thanks to Laura, you are amazing.)
Sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her.
Debut novelist Michelle Zink takes readers on an unforgettable journey where one sister's fateful decision could have an impact of Biblical proportion.
Prophecy of Sisters sounds really good. I also love the cover. It is also one of the debut novel, this year. Michelle Zink is also really nice. I am really excited for Prophecy of Sisters.
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
A raw, edgy, emotional novel about growing up punk and living to tell.
The Clash. Social Distortion. Dead Kennedys. Patti Smith. The Ramones. Punk rock is in Emily Black's blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back.
Now Emily's all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home. Because if Louisa really is following the music, shouldn't it lead her right back to Emily?
I have read I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone from the library and have been meaning to buy it since them. I was really excited to win I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone from Amanda Ashby's launch party. I also love the cover, so pretty.
Golden Girl by Micol Ostow
Paige, Spencer, and Madison have it all: the looks, the connections, the money, the boys. As the daughters of three of the most prestigious families on Philadelphia's Main Line (read: old money, and lots of it) and the ruling juniors at Bradford Prep, nothing can stand in their way....except, perhaps, their own dark secrets. When an old frenemy from Paige's hidden past shows up at Bradford and plays nice--too nice--Paige is desperate to smother the threat. How far will she go to silence the truth?
I got this from Pluse It. I am really excited to read Golden Girl. I haven't read anything by Micol Ostow and I think that it is about time. Golden Girl also looks like a quick read, sort of like Gossip Girl series or Private serise. I also have seen a few reviews for this and make it sound pretty good.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?
Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.
Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be.
Graceling is the first book in a series, and Kristin Cashore’s first work of fiction. It sets up a vivid world with engaging characters that readers will certainly look forward to following beyond the last chapter of this book.
I got this randomly and have already read/reviewed it. I really liked it and I am happy to have my own copy. I also got a Graceling tattoo with it, which is awesome.
This was a pretty awesome week mail wise.
Peace out, Sarah.

Contest: Mackenzie, Lost and Found

I have a signed copy of Mackenzie, Lost and Found up for grabs.
The description is:
Fifteen-year-old Mackenzie Hill knows something is up when she arrives home to find her father making a home-cooked dinner, instead of his standard delivery pizza. But nothing prepares her for the bombshell announcement: Mackenzie and her dad, alone since the death of her mother a year ago, are moving to Jerusalem, where her father has taken a position as a visiting professor at a university.
The adjustment from life in Canada to life in Israel is dramatic - though it's eased somewhat when Mackenzie is befriended by an American girl in her new school. The biggest shock of all comes when Mackenzie faces the wrath of her new friends, new community, and even her own father after she begins dating a Muslim boy.
To Enter: Answer the Question: What is the one place that you wouldn't want to move to?
For Extra entries:
Comment on My review of Mackenzie, Lost and Found (+1)
Comment on My Interview with Deborah Kerbel (+1)
Become a follower (+2)
Be a current follower (+4)
Blog about this Contest, sidebar okay (+3)

Contest is open worldwide and ends on April 4th at Noon.
Best of luck, Sarah.

Interview with Deborah Kerbel

Here is an interview with Deborah Kerbel. She is the Author of Mackenzie, Lost and Found.

1. How did you get the idea for Mackenzie, Lost and Found?
A friend of mine lit the spark of the idea in my head one day over lunch, talking about how her parents moved her from Canada to Israel when she was fifteen and how the experience changed her life. I was on the look-out for a new story idea at the time and this concept seemed like one with HUGE potential for drama, high emotion, and forbidden love. I went home and wrote the first chapter that same day.
2. Do you think that you’ll ever revisit Mackenzie or Nasir?
Yes! As far as I’m concerned, their story is not over. I’ve already started a small file and am slowly collecting ideas for the sequel. I’m in between manuscripts right now, so I might start writing it this Spring.
3. What are you currently working on?
My second YA is called Girl on the Other Side and it’s about two girls who go to the same school, but live in totally opposite worlds. Tabby is rich, pretty and the most popular girl in her class. Lora is smart, timid and the constant target of bullies. Although they’ve never been friends, a series of strange events causes their lives to come crashing together in ways neither could have ever imagined.
If all goes well, Girl on the Other Side will be hitting the bookshelves in Fall, 2009 (yay!). And I just finished the final draft of a new YA that is worlds apart from anything else I’ve ever written before. It’s called Bye-Bye, Evil Eye and -- I don’t even know the right way to describe it – it’s kind of a paranomalish mystery, comedy, romance! Lol - did that make any sense? You can read the first chapter on my website.
4. What advice do you have for teenage writers?
Have fun and live your ‘growing-up’ years to the max – because you’ll draw on these memories and experiences for the rest of your writing career.
5. What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?
The easiest (and best) parts of being a writer are those moments when the characters start to take on an energy of their own and you, as the author, have to take a step back and let yourself get carried away on the arc of the story. That’s really magical.
The hardest parts for me are the revisions. Going back into the story, taking apart all the carefully woven threads, re-writing, and then tying all the threads back up again as seamlessly as possible. It can be painstakingly tedious.
6. What were some of your favorite books as a teenager?
God, that seems like so long ago! Even then, my literary tastes were pretty wide-ranging. Judy Blume was probably my favourite contemporary author back then (in the 80’s) but I loved reading classics too. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand was a favourite of mine as was Watership Down and The Hobbit. On the trashier side, I adored the whole V.C. Andrews Dollanganger series -- and I’m not at all ashamed to admit it!
7. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Just a big thank you for inviting me to chat on your blog, Sarah! If you want to learn more about me or my books, you can visit my website at: http://www.deborahkerbel.com/. Good luck to all of you with the contest! And definitely write to me after you’ve read Mackenzie, Lost and Found – I love hearing from readers!