Tales from the Rushmore Kid

From North to South - Book Trailer - René Colato Laínez -

.I have known René Colato Laínez for many years. I am impressed with his lyrical writing and his personal insight into the immigrant experience. I am also honored to have produced two of his book trailers. From North to South is the touching story of José missing his mamá after she has been deported. José visits her in Tijuana where she waits for her proper papers. René is donating a portion of his royalties to El Centro Madre Assumte, a safe house for immigrant women and children.

Book Blips - Class of 2K12 - Robin Bridges - The Katerina Trilogy, Vol 1

I believe this is the first Book Blip I've done for a story that's part of a trilogy.

The Katerina Trilogy, Vol. I: The Gathering Storm
 

Delacorte, January 10, 2012

A short summary of the book:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

Book Blips - Class of 2K12 - Caroline Rose - Mary B.

Caroline Rose is president of the Class of 2K12.  Here is her summary and inspiration for her book.

May B.
Schwartz and Wade / Random House Children’s Books
January 10, 2012

Summary of the book.

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles.

Book Blips - Class of 2K12 - Sarah Tregay - Love & Leftovers

Here is the first Book Blip of debut novels by the Class of 2K12.

Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins (January 2012)

Summary:

My wish
 is to fall

cranium over Converse

in dizzy, daydream-worthy 
love.

(If only it were that easy.)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

Book Blips - Class of 2k11 - The Faerie Ring - Kiki Hamilton

This book blip is my cup of tea,  a fantasy with a British twist.  Here is the summary and inspiration for THE FAERIE RING:  Tor Books / Macmillan   October  2011

London, December 1871
 
Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved  their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

Book Blips - Class of 2k11- Stupid Fast - Geoff Herbach

I loved the summary I received for this week's featured Book Blip. The book sounds hilarious! The author, Geoff Herbach, wrote Stupid Fast from the point of view of his main character. Here's a peek.

To Whom It May Concern:

I, Felton Reinstein, am Stupid Fast. Seriously. The upper classmen used to call me Squirrel Nut, because I was little and jumpy. Then, during sophomore year, I got tall and huge and so fast the gym teachers in their tight shorts fell all over themselves.

Book Blips - Class of 2k11- Christine Mandelski - The Sweetest Thing

Here's a debut novel from Christine Mardelski with a "sweet" twist:

The Sweetest Thing
Egmont: May 2011

Summary:

In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.

Book Blips - Class of 2k11 - Alissa Grosso - Popular

Popular is a debut novel from Flux by Allissa Grosso.

Book Summary: Meet the clique that rules Fidelity High: Olivia, Zelda,
Nordica, and Shelly, each one handpicked by über-popular Hamilton
Best. You know you're "in" when you make the guest list for one of Hamilton's parties. And in the thralls of senior year, everyone wants to get noticed by Hamilton. But Hamilton's elite entourage is coming apart at the seams.

Book Blips - Class of 2k11 - Bad Taste in Boys - Carrie Harris

This debut novel has zombies in it and sounds like a hoot!

Bad Taste in Boys Delacorte/Random House

Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team as a student trainer. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds vials that makes her believe the coach has given the team steroids. Except...the vials don’t contain steroids. In fact, whatever is in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating...zombies!

Book Blips - Class of 2k11- Shelia O'Connor - Sparrow Road

This novel summary is so intriguing, I can't wait to read the book.

“No music.  No TV.  No computer.  No telephone.  And every day, silence until supper.”
 
Those are the rules at Sparrow Road, where Raine O’Rourke is forced to spend her summer. Raine can't understand why her mother has agreed to work at the eerie artists' mansion as a cook.

“Not everything’s a mystery,” her mother says when Raine pesters her with questions. But Sparrow Road is full of secrets that Raine intends to find out.

Book Blips - - Class of 2K11 - Amy Fellner Dominy - OyMG

From author Amy Fellner Dominy

OyMG: Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly.
May 2011, Walker & Company

SUMMARY:
It’s the summer Christian Society Speech & Performing Arts camp and Ellie Taylor can win it all: a scholarship to a private high school, a chance to compete on the best speech team in the country, and Devon—the insanely hot guy who’s also her hottest competition. There’s just one catch. If the scholarship donor finds out she’s Jewish, Ellie could lose it all.

Book Blips - Class of 2k11 - Amy Holder - Lipstick Laws

The Lipstick Laws
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release: April 4, 2011

Short book summary: 
When April Bowers is befriended by queen bee Britney Taylor, she thinks her dull social life is getting brighter. That is, until she finds out that sometimes popularity comes with a price, especially when the Lipstick Laws are involved. 

Book Blips - Class of 2K11- Julia Karr - XVI

I am thrilled to post Book Blips again this year--posts that highlight debut authors from the Class of 2K11.  Today's Blip is about Julia Karr's YA novel XVI, released January on  Speak (an imprint of Penguin Books for Young Readers.) Here is Julia's summary and what inspired her to write the book.

Short summary of book:
Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world - even the most predatory of men - that she is ready for sex.

Trick or Treat Old Armadillo

Nothing is better than having a book sent for review from a publicity department, opening the envelope and finding that it's written by a respected buddy. Trick or Treat, Old Armadillo is a new Halloween book written by the wonderful Larry Dane Brimmer, with luscious illustrations by Dominic Catalano. 

Larry brings back Old Armadillo, who is all alone on Halloween night reading a book. Outside, the critters arrive dressed as a princess, a pirate and a vampire.  Old Armadillo listens to the sounds and becomes more and more frightened.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Janet S. Fox

I met author/blogger Janet Fox in person at the Winter SCBWI conference. We hung out, talk about her blog, Through the Wardrobe, and her debut novel, Faithful.  She also was kind enough to give me a vlog with a Writing Tip of the Day.

Janet is a member of the class of 2K10.  I asked her to give me a summary of the book and what inspired her to write it.

In 1904 Margaret Bennet has it all – money, position, and an elegant family home in Newport, Rhode Island. But just as she is to enter society, her mother ruins everything, first with public displays, and finally by disappearing. Maggie’s confusion and loss are compounded when her father drags her to Yellowstone National Park, where he informs her that they will remain.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Kristina McBride

Another debut YA novel comes from author Kristina McBride.The Tension of Opposites was just released by Egmont USA, and I asked Kristina to give us a summary and tell us what inspired her to write the book.

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Leah Cypess

I am loving all the debut novels that have come out this year. Here's a fantasy YA novel, Mistwood by Leah Cypess for Greenwillow / HarperCollins. I asked Leah to give us a summary and tell us what inspired her to write the book. I can't wait to read this one--it sounds fascinating.

Everyone tells Isabel that she is the Shifter – the ancient
shape-shifting creature who has protected the kings of Samorna for
centuries. But Isabel feels like a lonely human girl, beset by flashes
of memory that do more to confuse than to help her.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Shari Maurer

Another debut novel from author Shari Maurer, Change of Heart. WestSide Books.  Here is the summary and I love where she got the inspiration from.

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Rhonda Hayter

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams is another novel from the class of 2010 by Rhonda Hayter.  Here's what Rhonda had to say about the book and what inspired her to write this, (all you mom's will relate to this one!)

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams
By Rhonda Hayter
Dial Books for Young Readers, April, 2010

Abbie Adams is a regular eleven-year old girl with normal problems like a really strict fifth-grade teacher. (Meet Miss Linegar.  Rhymes with vinegar.) She’s chronically behind in homework, forced to keep a big secret from her very best friend and hoping like heck she can remember all her lines in the drama club play. But Abbie also happens to be a witch

Book Blips - Class of 2010 - Swati Avasthi - Split

Here's another great debut novel, Split, by Swati Avasthi. I am so intrigued after reading what inspired Swati to write it.

16 year old Jace Witherspoon shows up on his brother's doorstep with a banged up face  (courtesy of his father), $3.84 and a secret. He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret. Split is about what happens after--after you've said enough, after you've run, after you've made the Split.

Book Blips - Class of 2010 - Judith Graves - Under My Skin

Another wonderful debut paranormal YA from Judith Graves, Under My Skin.  From Leap Books, March 27, 2010.  Here's the summary....
All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life...
Redgrave had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children. The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Tagged - Mara Purnhagen

Mara Purnhagen is another debut novelist of the class of 2K10. Her YA romance novel, Tagged, has just been released by Harlequin Teen. I asked her to give us a summary of the book and talk about what inspired her to write it.

HOW DO YOU TAKE A STAND WITHOUT STANDING OUT?

Kate Morgan is just as confused as the rest of her classmates when she arrives at Cleary High to find six life-size gorillas spray painted on the side of a building. Could the culprit be one of her friends or classmates? And is the kind-of-amazing creation really vandalism, or a work of art? She's tempted to stay out of it, mostly because, as the police chief’s daughter, she's always accused of being a snitch.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Freaksville - Kitty Keswick

Kitty Keswick is another debut novelist and co-president of the class of 2K10. Her YA romance novel, Freaksville (Book One) has just been released by Leap Books. I asked her to give us a summary of the book and talk about what inspired her to write it.

A  group of teenagers, trapped in a haunted theater on the night of a full moon,  find out that ghosts are the least of their worries…

Every woman in the Maxwell family has the gift of sight. A talent sixteen-year-old Kasey would gladly give up. All she wants is a normal life.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - The Secret Year - Jennifer R. Hubbard

Jennifer R. Hubbard is another debut novelist from the class of 2K10. Her YA romance novel, The Secret Year, has just been released by Viking (Penguin). I asked her to give us a summary of the book and talk about what inspired her to write it.

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood very unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. Then he finds a journal Julia left behind. Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

 
“What inspired you to write this book?”

I had a mental image of a boy who had been involved in a secret relationship, and whose girlfriend had just died, leaving behind a notebook.  I wrote the book to find out what was in the notebook and why the relationship had had to be secret.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10- Leaving Gee's Bend - Irene Latham

Irene Latham is a member of Class of 2K10.  Her novel, Leaving Gee's Bend has just been released by G.P. Putnam's Sons.  I asked Irene to give us a summary of the novel and what inspired her to write it.
 
Ten-year-old Ludelphia Bennett has only ever known the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community.  But when Mama gets deathly ill, Ludelphia does something drastic – she leaves Gee’s Bend for the very first time.

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - New Island Sting - Bonnie Doerr

Bonnie Doerr is another debut novelist from the class of  2K10. Her novel, New Island Sting, has just been released by Leap Books. I asked her to give us a summary of the book and talk about what inspired her to write it.

Summary of Island Sting:

Kenzie Ryan's New York know-how and private girls' academy education prove useless when she moves to a cottage in the exotic Florida Keys. Upon arrival, she is thrown into the midst of an ecological island mystery involving the endangered Key deer. How can she navigate this upside down world?

Book Blips - Class of 2K10 - Of All The Stupid Things - Alexandra Diaz

Alexandra Diaz is a member of the class of 2K10. Her debut YA novel, Of All The Stupid Things, was just released by Egmont USA.  I asked Alexandra to give me a summary of her novel and what inspired her to write it.

When a rumor starts circulating that Tara's boyfriend has been with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn't just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for three lifelong friends.