BookTweet: Marked

Marked in 140 characters or less:

The House of Night=Hogwarts for Vampires & rated-R.



The House of Night, Book 1

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BookTweet: The Help

The Help in 140 characters or less:

1963 Mississippi: black maids anonymously tell their stories of what it’s like to work for white families. It’s dangerous for all involved.

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BookTweet: Suite Scarlett

Suite Scarlett in 140 characters or less:

Scarlett is a 15 yr-old Eloise--without the Plaza & the money. There’s a whole lotta drama checking in to her NYC hotel this summer.

Also available on MP3.

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BookTweet: How to Build a House

How to Build a House in 140 characters or less:

Harper needs to escape her ruined family, maybe ex-boyfriend, traitorous ex-sister. Will building a house for others help her deal?

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BookTweet: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox in 140 characters or less:

Perfect Jenna was in an accident that nearly killed her, burned her body, & erased her memory. She’s perfect again. But is she still human?




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An Interview with Kristin Cashore

Five questions for Kristin Cashore

With Graceling, Kristin Cashore wrote a first novel that was a remarkably disciplined fantasy, with just a single magical element giving the story its premise (and title): the heroine Katsa, like only a handful of others in her world, is “graced” with one extraordinary power, in her unfortunate case, a grace for killing. While the book has intrigue and swordplay aplenty, it is also a juicy romance. This month, Cashore follows Graceling up with Fire, a prequel set in the same world but a generation earlier and featuring Fire, another charismatic heroine. (14 years and up)

1. If you could have one Grace, what would you want it to be? Well, if you’d asked for my sci-fi superpower of choice, I would have said teleporting, hands down, but you didn’t, and teleporting isn’t realistic as a Grace. So I’m going to go with languages. One of my sisters has a language gift — after a few months of study in Finland, she was more or less fluent in Finnish — and I am definitely not like that! Give me the Grace of being fluent in any language after a day or two of hearing it in use.

2. Why do you think palace intrigue has become such a prominent trope in fantasy fiction? Hmm. You know, I think a palace is the fantasy novel’s version of a boarding school — or college dorm, if you prefer. Everyone lives together in one big building or set of buildings. Everyone’s on top of everyone else; there’s a forced intimacy in relationships; secrets are harder to keep and it’s more important that they be kept; the tension never ceases, because no one ever goes home for the night; it’s easy to sneak between bedrooms. Plus: hidden doorways! Secret passages! Tapestries to hide behind! Dumbwaiters to send secret objects of dire importance from floor to floor! Walkways on the roof! Spiral staircases! Moats and drawbridges and walls made of shrubberies! I’m beginning to wonder how you could even ask this question.

3. What fantasy novel or series would you recommend to the unconverted or unconvinced? If it’s a person who likes slow-moving, introspective novels, I might send them to Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave, the first book in her King Arthur trilogy (told from Merlin’s perspective). If it’s someone who likes character-rich YA realism, I might give them Cynthia Voigt’s Novels of the Kingdom, because they aren’t typical fantasy — no one has magical powers — but they take place in a made-up universe and have the feel of fantasy. If it’s a reader who’s really, really resistant, I might take a sideways route and have them try some magical realism or softcore sci-fi. Maybe Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies or Peeps, or Margaret Mahy’s The Tricksters. I would also recommend Megan Whalen Turner’s Attolia books to just about anybody, but that may be the inveterate fantasy-lover in me speaking.

4. In writing Fire, did you find yourself wishing you could change anything in Graceling? There are a thousand things I wish I could change in Graceling, but they’re more for the sake of my current work-in-progress or for Graceling’s own sake than for anything to do with Fire. Fire takes place in a different part of my fantasy universe, so I was practically able to start over and create a new world for the writing of Fire.My current work-in-progress, tentatively called Bitterblue, is a whole other kettle of fish. Bitterblue takes place in the same part of the world as Graceling, and, honestly, I don’t even know where to start. Why didn’t I ever make up a unit for measuring distance in Graceling? Because I could really use one now, and the third book in a series is a weird time to suddenly say, “Ah, yes, it’s 100 killybongs from here to there; we all know how long a killybong is, don’t we?” Also, speaking of distances, there’s the little matter of an impenetrable forest and an uncrossable mountain range between Sunder and Monsea that were oh-so-convenient for slowing my intrepid heroes down in Graceling, but that are creating all sorts of headaches for me now as I write a novel in which various people of all stripes are constantly visiting Bitterblue’s court in Monsea. All the journeys have to take so ridiculously long and require many backbreaking supplies! Sigh . . .

5. The Horn Book is something of a proud parent of the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature, with Horn Book editors Paul and Ethel Heins having been part of the Center’s founding in the 1970s. What was the value of their master’s degree for you? I can’t overstate the value of my graduate experience at Simmons. Simmons is where I learned to think critically and creatively about books. The instructors are fabulous, the reading list is a joy, the classes are rigorous; I immersed myself in the experience completely, and the first thing I did after graduating was write Graceling. I would not be where I am now if it weren’t for the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature.

Notes from the Horn Book October, 2009

Book Tweet: The Book Thief

The Book Thief in 140 characters or less:

Death narrates story of German family in WWII. They publically honor the fuhrer but behind his back they risk their lives to hide a Jew.

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BookTweet: If I Stay

If I Stay in 140 characters or less:

The car crash that killed her family has left Mia in a coma. She can decide her fate: should she join her family? Should she stay?





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BookTweet: Story of a Girl

Story of a Girl in 140 characters or less:

Deanna's dad caught her w/an older boy 2 yrs ago & life @ school & home is still miserable. How can she move on if no one will let her?


Book Club for October 2009

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BookTweet: Little Brother

Little Brother in 140 characters or less:

Teen hackers are unfairly imprisoned & tortured after a terrorist attack. Watch out big brother, little brother wants his freedom back.

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BookTweet: Lock and Key

Lock and Key in 140 characters or less:

Ruby goes rags-to-riches against her will. How is she supposed to deal with all this positivity? Miserable and alone is way better. Right?

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BookTweet: Envy

Envy in 140 characters or less:

The Holland sisters accompany Mr. & Mrs. Schoonmaker on a Florida vacation. Will it solve their problems or cause more drama? I vote drama.

The Luxe, Book 3

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BookTweet: Catching Fire

Catching Fire in 140 characters or less:

Six months later. The 75th anniversary of The Hunger Games approaches. Katniss survived the games but the capitol isn't ready to let her go.

The Hunger Games, Book 2

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BookTweet: Max

Max in 140 characters or less:

Max & flock turn celebrity. Mysterious villains plotting their deaths while Fang & Max try to date. Final showdown to save the planet.

Maximum Ride, Book 5

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Sigh.

I love this poster. I must have it.

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BookTweet: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book in 140 characters or less:

Toddler escapes murderer and is taken in by ghost family. Bod makes it to his teen years safely but the murderer is still on his trail.

Newbery Award winner, 2009.

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BookTweet: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist in 140 characters or less:

Can a 5-minute faux relationship turn into something real? Nick & Norah find out during one crazy night in NYC.

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BookTweet: Wake

Wake in 140 characters or less:

If anyone sleeps near Janie, she gets pulled into their dreams. Is she stuck forever in other's embarrassments, desires, & nightmares?

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BookTweet: The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go in 140 characters or less:

In the future you can hear everyone's thoughts. Noise no peace. Todd is in danger from his own people. He can run but his noise won't let him hide.

Chaos Walking, Book 1

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Bonus! The Lightning Thief trailer

If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson books, you'll like this! 20th Century Fox has released the movie trailer and you can watch it here.

Here are the actors playing the three main characters. If you ever watched the television series Jack and Bobby, you might recognize Logan Lerman.

Logan Lerman as Percy

Brandon Jackson as Grover

Alexandria Daddaria as Annabeth

The movie debuts February 12, 2010.

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