Reader Girls Blog

Caitlin is reading GILDA JOYCE: THE GHOST SONATA by Jennifer Allison. "A she walked onstage, Wendy felt strangely removed--as if she were watching herself from a distance as she approached the full-grand piano shining like black ice on the stage floor, its keys stretched in a wide, gap-toothed smile. Feeling far too aware of the eyes peering down at her from above, she sat down at the piano bench and twisted the creaking knobs to adjust its height." (Page 96) Meghan is reading HIDDEN VOICES: THE ORPHAN MUSICIANS OF VENICE by Pat Lowery Collins. " At the risk of letting in damp, frigid  air, many of the girls are already hanging out windows to view the festivities in the street. We are so close to the Piazza San Marco, where most of the performances will be, as to get the overflow of musicians and jugglers, the grotesque gnaghe , dressed as women, and a few harlequins on stilts. " (Page 94) Laurie is reading WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and...

We can't believe it's May already. We received this week a box of books thanks to Bloomsbury   Kids Books and Kate at Romance in the Backseat . The box contained copies of: RULES OF ATTRACTION by Simone Elkeles BLOOD FEUD by Alyxandra Harvey DECEPTION (Haunting Emma) by Lee Nichols PRINCESS OF GLASS by Jessica Day George We purchased: UNDER MY SKIN by Judith Graves We were given: THE GHOSTS OF ASHBURY HIGH by Jaclyn Moriarty We received for review through book blog tours: THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES by Kristina McBride WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan HIDDEN VOICES: The Orphan Musicians of Venice by Pat Lowery Collins We're compiling a box of books to offer when we announce our very first contest. We certainly have enough to keep us busy. What did you receive this week? In My Mailbox was started by   The Story Siren . 

We saw this posted over at the Bloody Bookaholic's blog and thought we'd join in. It is like (and inspired by)  Waiting on Wednesday  (by Breaking the Spine) but the covers we can swoon over can be old or new. This week we picked two new titles and one old one. They are: ANXIOUS HEARTS   by Tucker Shaw.  Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Amulet Books (May 1, 2010) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this title! Our Comment: Look at those rich colors. The bright sun behind her, the autumn leaves on her left, and the model is so pretty. All we can say is this cover is alluring. We haven't been fortunate enough to read this yet, but it's on our Wish list. Description: “Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.” Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their s...

Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers Date: January 2010 Page Count: 212 Reading Level: Ages 12-UP BOOK DESCRIPTION: Sixteen-year-old Erin Misrahe just wants to be like everyone else in her new school. But Erin has more to worry about than passing AP Chemistry or making friends. In times of stress, she has always been overcome by her alter ego, Shevaun, whose violent behavior wreaks havoc on those around her. Erin can never remember anything about these episodes, and she's grateful to have been spared them for a while.  But when a protective friend comes back into Erin's life, he insists that Shevaun is a vampire who actually exists apart from Erin. Shevaun has dangerous allies, like the handsome witch Adjila--and they're determined to sever Shevaun's connection to Erin once and for all. MY REVIEW: I am a fan of Atwater-Rhodes' vampire novels. Despite some flaws and problems, I have enjoyed her take on the fanged otherworldly creature's l...

**2010 Debut Author Challenge List** Reading level:  Ages 9-12 Hardcover:  240 pages Publisher:  Putnam Juvenile (January 7, 2010) BOOK DESCRIPTION:  Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong. But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won't help. Thatas when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic--leave Geeas Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn't stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other. What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town. Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Geeas Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee's Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a youn...

**2010 Debut Author Challenge List** Reading level:  Ages 9-12 Hardcover:  320 pages Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers (April 13, 2010) BOOK DESCRIPTION:   Maxwell Unger has always loved the night. He used to do brave things like go tramping through the forest with his gran after dark. He loved the stories she told him about the world before the Destruction—about nature, and books, and the silver owls. His favorite story, though, was about the Owl Keeper. According to Max’s gran, in times of darkness the Owl Keeper would appear to unite owls and sages against the powers of the dark. Gran is gone now, and so are her stories of how the world used to be. Max is no longer brave. The forest is dangerous, the books Gran had saved have been destroyed, and the silver owls are extinct. At least that’s what the High Echelon says. But Max knows better. Maxwell Unger has a secret. And when a mysterious girl comes to town, he might just have to start being bra...

Reading level:  Young Adult Hardcover:  256 pages Publisher:  HarperTeen; 1 edition (March 30, 2010) BOOK DESCRIPTION:   Georgia knows what it means to keep secrets. She knows how to ignore things. She knows that some things are better left unsaid. . . . Or are they?  When Georgia and her best friend, Riley, travel along with nine other suburban Pennsylvania kids to Anapra, a squatters' village in the heat-flattened border city of Juarez, Mexico, secrets seem to percolate and threaten both a friendship and a life. Certainties unravel. Reality changes. And Georgia is left to figure out who she is outside the world she's always known. MY REVIEW: This is the first book I've read by Beth Kephart and I was pleasantly surprised. With sparse lines and  a deft precision to detail which was quite lovely, the author was able to evoke strong emotions from this reader and that is the sign of a talented writer. The main character, Georgia, the middle child w...