Happy New Year! Let's talk about our loot!

Hi everyone! Long time, no see. Well, you know. Blog-wise.

Before I go off and give the rest of the 5-ers a kick in the butt (I've been looking at that angry velociraptor on the top of this page for far too long. Is it going to eat me or what?) I thought I'd check in with everyone. And, before you get too groan-y and moan-y, fear not. I'm not going to talk about New Year's Resolutions. I don't know about the rest of the YA-5, but, personally, I feel that making an effort toward awesomeness daily is way better than declaring a major change in January that you'll forget about by the 31st.

No, today I want to talk about awesome presents we got over the holidays. Specifically, BOOK-SHAPED PRESENTS. Or, you know, books.

Here's my loot list:

PERSONAL DEMONS (Tor Teen, 2010) by Lisa Desrochers
I've been aching to read this for a while and I know I read a review somewhere -- possibly by someone here. Justina, was it you? -- that said that the protagonist was just so relateable. So real. And that's one thing I have a hard time with in some paranormals -- not that I don't read a jillion paranormals, I just often end up feeling like the MC was a little too...unreal. So I'm psyched for this one. I got it from my grandparents on my dad's side.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS (Dutton Juvenile, 2010) by Stephanie Perkins
My brother brought me to an indie bookstore and told me to pick something out two days before Christmas. This is what I picked. And I started reading it on the plane back from Maine to Texas. It's amazing. I have about 100 pages to go, but, still, I can't imagine this book starting to suck anytime soon. I mean, even if there are velociraptors parachuting in from outer space, I think it will still be one of my favorite reads of the year. Romance, and real people, and funny anecdotes and...well...I'm sure you've heard the buzz. Let me tell you this: all the buzz is true.

A PASSION FOR BAKING (Oxmoor House, 2001) by Marcy Goldman
Okay, slightly less interesting for those of you who love YA. Or, like, novels. And stories. But I'm a huge baking fiend and my grandmother on my mom's side got this for me and it is big and heavy and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes. Mmmmmmmm.

STRAY (Mira, 2007) by Rachel Vincent
Also from my brother. Inadvertently He got me a gift card to the same indie so I had to spend it before I left Maine. (Who am I kidding, gift cards to bookstores burn holes in my pocket faster than hot coals.) I got a few embarrassing pop albums and had just enough leftover for a used paperback. I've been intrigued by Rachel's SHIFTERS series ever since I read some of her SOUL SCREAMERS books, so for $2.95 the price was right. It's an adult novel, and I hear it's super action-packed and sexy. Looking forward to reading this on a rainy day in the near future.

So what books did y'all pick up over the holidays? Have you read any of the ones I got? Discuss in the comments, I want to know!

Tough Chicks & Girlie Girls

I've seen some back-and-forth in the YA community this year on needing more STRONG female characters. We need tough girls, buff girls, girls who kick butt and take names. Some folks, though, say there are PLENTY of alpha females in the YA world. That there's room for girlie girls, too. Mousey girls, sweet girls, girls who played with Barbies and grew up to read fashion mags.

I say this: we need both.

Teen girls can't be lumped into one category. There are girls out there who are both feminine and fierce. There are girls who will relate to a character who gave her Barbies green Mohawks and there are girls who will relate to an aspiring model. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. There are books out there for both of these girls. And, in all likelihood, these girls are bffs, and end up sharing books with each other. Mohawked Barbie Girl reads GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise Haines, loves it, and trades with Fashionista Girl for VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY by Melissa Walker. And what do I love about both of these books? They're well-written, insightful, and feature REAL girls. Girls who are three-dimentional, make good and bad choices, have complicated relationships with their family and friends, and are developing their own sense of identity.

I think there's also something to be said for girls who are strong in a more subtle way. Right now I'm reading JEKEL LOVES HYDE by Beth Fantaskey, and what I love about her character, Jill, is that while she's quiet and reserved and innocent, she is super super smart. She understands and LOVES chemistry. And even though she doesn't always stand up to bullies, and loves to be rescued and comforted by her crush, she's learning to make her own way. And girls can relate to that -- being the science nerd, feeling insecure and unpretty compared to a friend, crushing on a bad boy and wanting Prince Charming to come riding in on a white horse. And that's okay. Sometimes we need that. And sometimes -- like for Jill -- your brain is your biggest weapon.

I also love books like HOTTIE by Jonathan Bernstein, where you have a girl who kicks bad-guy booty while wearing designer heels. HOTTIE is like Clueless meets The X-Men, hilarious and girlie and badass. How perfect, because, in my mind, inside every don't-break-a-nail diva is a superhero ready to strike. And with a book as fun as HOTTIE, does it get any better?

The best thing writers can do for teen girls is to write REAL girls. And real girls are a lot of different things -- tough, happy, sad, lonely, strong, fearful, girlie, smart, feminist -- and there's no reason we shouldn't accommodate all these girls. There's plenty of room on the shelves for girl characters of every shape and size, mood and mentality!

Under the Sea! (la la la la) Under the Sea!

Ohmygoodness it is a scorching 102° here in Austin, Texas. And, being the master procrastinator responsible adult that I am, I just got back from running errands. I'm a pedestrian with a rockin' carbon footprint, which is all fine and dandy when it's, like, May or April. But in August, I mostly want to just go jump in the ocean every time I leave my house.

Oh wait, I live in AUSTIN, TEXAS where there is no Ocean. Woe! Fortunately, I've noticed a new trend in YA. Watery mythologies are all up ons, and I'm so psyched to read some of them.

For example, there's SIREN by Tricia Rayburn, a recent release from Egmont USA, sitting in the large stack on my bedside table. this book takes place in my home state of Maine so I am so so so psyched to read this one. (Maine people are like that -- we cling to all things Downeast.) With a tragic series of deaths on the coast, a supernatural twist, some steamy romance and all that ocean-y goodness, what's not to love? From Booklist: Rayburn’s modern-day, edgy spin on siren mythology combines suspense, dark drama, and romance. Vanessa is an appealing protagonist, whose detailed narrative incorporates well-drawn issues, from grief to relationship complexities…[Siren] will appeal to fans of contemporary supernatural novels, and the lingering ambiguities and loose ends will leave readers wanting more.

And then there's REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOERINGS by Hélène Boudreau, coming out from Sourcebooks later this year. It sounds absolutely fresh and sweet, a quirky coming of age story complete with first periods and bumbling dads. Of course there's also that oh-crap-am-I-actually-a-mermaid? twist, which plunges me right into the cool, watery depths of summer (which will be nice, since it hits shelves in December). And I love that the heroine, Jade, isn't your typical mermaid material. She's a big girl, and since her mother drowned, she's terrified of water. Since it sounds like Andersen's THE LITTLE MERMAID meets ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET, I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.

SELKIE GIRL by Laurie Brooks is also sitting in my TBR pile. It takes place in an island community near Scotland, and the main character is an outcast with physical deformities she can't understand or conceal. The grandfather character seems lovely and intriguing, encouraging our heroine to discover her heritage and find out why she's so different. And of course we've got a hearty dose of romance. SELKIE GIRL sounds like a refreshing, ocean-y read, and I love the eco-angles. From Booklist: Although the flowery pink-and-turquoise cover art suggests a sweet, girly mermaid story, Brooks’ brooding, romantic tale of a shape-shifting seal-girl is drawn straight from Celtic folklore. Her mother is a selkie (a seal/human shape-shifter), her father is human, but Elin Jean belongs nowhere. Celtic mythology? Heck yes I'm on board! SELKIE GIRL is out now in hardcover from Knopf Books for Young Readers, and it hits the shelves in paperback with a new cover this fall.

Coming in October from Houghton Mifflin is THE MERMAID'S MIRROR by L.K. Madigan, and I am just itching to get my hands on this sea-rich story that appears rife with magical realism. With a character dying to surf, and a father forbidding her to do so, you know this is a novel filled with secrets and suspense. And the magic! Something is luring our protagonist to the water, and she's seeing things that she knows can't be real. This take on mermaid lore sounds refreshing and exciting, and I can't wait to read it this fall while pining away for my coastal homeland.

AAAAAAAAND You couldn't possibly think with all this mermaid love I hadn't already started in on some seaside stories! In case you haven't picked up your copy of FORGIVE MY FINS by Tera Lynn Childs yet, now's the time. FORGIVE MY FINS (Katherine Tegan Books at HarperTeen) is the story of Lily, a girl from Thalassinia -- the mermaid kingdom off the coast of Florida. She's not just any girl either, she's a princess, daughter of the king and heir to the throne. But being half-human, she's embracing her land-lubbing side and attending high school where she falls in love with Brody, a friend from journalism class. Lily doesn't think she's all that pretty with her wildly frizzy blonde hair and freckled face. That hasn't stopped obnoxious neighbor-boy Quince from harassing her for as long as she's known him. And when Quince tries to do Lily a favor and ends up setting off a series of events that Lily considers life-ruining, the romantic drama is more than enough to drown in. FORGIVE MY FINS is irresistibly cute, with sweet romance and a fun mythology, a perfect beach read or a great book to curl up with in bed on a warm summer night.

What do you guys think about the mermaid trend? Any ocean-y books y'all are looking forward to? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Get creeped out. Learn some history. Support small publishers.

So last week I read this book DRAW THE DARK by Ilsa J. Bick. My mind was blown.

Like, BOOM, there goes my mind. Blown.

Christian Cage lives with his uncle, the town sheriff, since his parents disappeared when he was young. He's an outsider, picked on at school for being the weird kid. He's socially awkward and his only release is his art. He's an amazing artist, but he has a secret -- he believes his art is responsible for some of the bad things that have happened to him and his family.

Lately Christian has been having vivid dreams, so vivid that they almost seem like visions. When he sleepwalks himself out to the town jillionaire's barn and vandalizes it with swastikas, he has an inkling that his dreams are trying to tell him something. His town, Winter, Wisconsin, seems to have swept a lot of its history under the rug. And when Christian dreams, he becomes a boy, David, who is witness to some of Winter's long-forgotten secrets. Secrets that may be surfacing when a mummified baby turns up in the wall of a recently-purchased house.

As Christian finds himself deeper and deeper into this mystery, he finds himself both fascinated and terrified by the prospect that his ethnically German neighbors may be descended from Nazi prisoners. He struggles to control his ability to slip back in time, while maintaining some semblance of sanity and maybe even getting closer to his only friend -- and, yeah, cute girl -- Sarah. He feels a responsibility to David, to tell his story, discover the origin of the baby in the wall, and find out why there are no longer any Jews in Winter. And he wonders if his new-found ability can help him find his parents in "the sideways place" where he believes they might be trapped.

With so many threads of story, DRAW THE DARK is an absolutely ambitious novel. But it is artfully woven together, piece by piece, and I'd love to see it mentioned for the 2011 Edgar Award in the Young Adult category.

DRAW THE DARK is with a smaller press, Carolrhoda Books, and for that reason, if you're not paying attention, you could miss it. Some of the big chain book stores in your area might not have DRAW THE DARK and this makes me crazy because, whoa, mind-blowing books belong on the shelves of all the stores. ALL THE STORES!

So I hereby challenge you to go into your local bookstore -- be it an indie or a Barnes or a Borders -- and ask for DRAW THE DARK. Be all like, "Sup, do you have that new book by Ilsa J. Bick?" And if they say "no" you can be all like "THIS IS A TRAVESTY! Please order me a copy. I will come pick it up when it comes in. And, btw, you must read it if you like creepy awesome smart YA books." And then when it comes in, you pick it up, and you read it, and you get your mind blown. Whoa.

Congrats to our very own K.A. Holt!

Hey YA-5 Readers! Today is normally K.A. "Kari" Holt's day to post, but seeing as she's out of town and super busy being a supermom and saving the world and stuff, I thought I'd post a little somethin' somethin' on her behalf. You see, Kari has a fabbity fab book coming out NEXT WEEK called BRAINS FOR LUNCH from Roaring Brook/Neal Porter Books, featuring illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Gahan Wilson. And it is (imagine Zoolander voice here) ridiculously good.

Yeah, I know. You all are screaming NEPOTISM in your heads, right? Because, duh, of course YA-5ers love K.A. Holt books. Or maybe you're not as cynical as I imagine. And you all are like GIVE ME MORE, GIVE ME MORE! Well, in either case, I'm not the only one who loves BRAINS FOR LUNCH. In fact, I am so proud of and excited for Kari, who just got a STARRED REVIEW in Publisher's Weekly! In case you're unfamilliar with PW, basically it's a magazine that industry professionals, booksellers, librarians, etc. read to find out what's going on in the book world. And a starred review is KIND OF A BIG DEAL. It says, HEY, LIBRARIANS! BOOKSELLERS! EVERYONE! YOU NEED THIS BOOK! And, no lie. Everyone does need BRAINS FOR LUNCH.

In case you STILL don't believe me, I'm giving away my very own ARC (advanced reader's copy) of BRAINS FOR LUNCH. What you have to do is Tweet a kick-butt zombie haiku, and then follow AND @reply me (@emilytastic) AND the YA-5 (@YA5updates) to let us know you have completed your mission. By this time next week, the very best zombie haiku gets BRAINS FOR LUNCH.

In case you missed it when Holteriffic posted the trailer last week, here it is, in all it's ridiculously awesome glory:

PS, here is a unicorn, because K.A. Holt loves unicorns. Woooo!

UPDATE:
Here are some rules, as per some questions! One submission per person, and the haiku are 5-7-5 haiku like in BRAINS FOR LUNCH. Also, feel free to use the #braisnforlunch hashtag if you have room! Any other quessies, leave a comment or @emilytastic on Twitter!

Can assigned reading ever be fun? Or, you know, at least tolerable?

Wow. First Monday back at the YA 5. Check out these new digs! And all of last week's spooktacular fun! I hope everyone has their ear to the ground, as the giveaways are still open for a few more days! Mad props to Georgia for organizing the fab madness!

It's been a hot summer here in Texas. Throughout the sweltering weeks fellow Austinite and YA-5-er K.A. Holt and I have occasionally peeled ourselves off of our respective sofas and meandered to a coffee shop where we "work" on "writing" and exchange critique and argue about what makes a good apocalypse. This week she and her kids even turned me into a unicorn with her fancy iPhone app.

Of course, this leads to book comparisons and the eventual recommendation of titles. Such as THE ROAD. Kari made me read it. She said it was for my own good. And I finished it about ten minutes ago and of course it was wonderful and I'm so glad I read it (even if I whined the whole time) and by the end of the book I was just completely engrossed.

Now I know this isn't a YA title. Cormac McCarthy writes for adults. But THE ROAD is often assigned to high school English classes, here in Austin, and while I was reading, I kept wondering a) OMG if I am struggling to read the first fifty pages of this book, how does a high school kid who also has to do, like, calculus and chemistry and stuff get through it? and b) if I am so engrossed by this book as an adult, would I have been into it enough as a teen to actually read it for class?

Let's face it: assigned reading bears the burden of being assigned. You HAVE to read it to make the grade, and if you're anything like me, you feel that anything you HAVE to do isn't fun. I mean, I'm supposedly a grown-up, and if someone tells me I HAVE to get dressed I'm going to sit around in my pajamas for hours just to show them I don't HAVE to do anything.Maybe I should have my grown-up card revoked.

Anyway, a) yes, teenagers are ridiculously smart. So smart that there's no doubt that they can read THE ROAD and other literary books with tough topics and big words (Cormac McCarthy uses a lot of words that I have to look up). But how do they find the time? This book took me WEEKS to read, and I don't have French homework or soccer practice. So, I would like to give props to the Texas teens who read this book as part of their curriculum. You are heroes.

And b) confession time: I only did about 10% of my assigned reading. And knowing that my former English teacher Mrs. Ryder sometimes reads my posts I AM SORRY REALLY I AM but sophomore year I still read most of the stuff. I mean I loved LORD OF THE FLIES and I memorized that solioquy from MACBETH and I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS is still one of my favorite books ever, so, cut me some slack. Mrs. Ryder, I bet I read more of your assignments than my dad did when he was in your class, okay? Okay.

But by senior year I was drowning in college applications and a boyfriend from another school (didn't so much mind that bit...) and the last thing I needed in my life was Herman Melville. I know some of you out there read MOBY DICK and cherish it and are making voodoo dolls of me right now. And maybe you aren't the type of person who gets an assignment and thinks that someone is trying to kill your spirit. Heck no I wasn't going to watch APOCALYPSE NOW in class. I was going to take a nap. And I can't even remember if I "read" THE GRAPES OF WRATH or THE GREAT GATSBY and the only reason I get those books confused is that the two English classes were assigned them at the same time and my BFF was in the other class. I did read THE SCARLET LETTER that year, though. Do I get points?


I am a horrible influence. I'm kind of bad at this whole role model thing. Woops.

Anyway, I have to wonder, if I'd been assigned THE ROAD in high school -- and part of me wants to call up my old high school and find out what they're reading these days...creepy? -- would I have read it? Or would it have become a book that, to this day, I can't pick up and enjoy (SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, for example) because it was once one of those dreadfully assigned novels.

How do you all feel about assigned reading? August is almost here and y'all are probably getting ready to cram several weeks worth of summer assignments into a blessed few days while hooked up to an IV drip of cola hoping not to nod out. Because, you know, that's how I got through THE THINGS THEY CARRIED. I hear it's a good book. Maybe I'll pick it up and actually read it for pleasure someday.

Interview and Scavenger Hunt with Claudia Gray

We're celebrating the relaunch of The YA-5 with Halloween in July week! Together with YALITCHAT we've gathered four spooktakular authors who write about things that go "bump" in the night! Yesterday was Heather Brewer's turn and if you missed the interview and scavenger hunt to win a signed copy of ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS or a Bathory Bats T-shirt, click here! We hope you enjoy the interviews and insights with these fabulous writers as well as the scavenger hunt (see details at end of each interview) throughout the week. Click here for the transcript of last last night's YALITCAHT Spooktakular with Heather Brewer, Claudia Gray and Nancy Holder.For now, boo! Up next, Claudia Gray!

1. You could write about anything in the world but you choose to write about things that go bump in the night, why?

ANSWER: I've always been interested in the ghoulish. In high school, I was always that weird kid sitting in the back of study hall reading DRACULA instead of doing her work. So this was a pretty natural subject for me.

2. What do you say to people who think YA books can't be scary and romantic?

ANSWER: I'd think anybody hooked into YA literature these days knows better. If that's not true, and somebody out there actually believes that, I wouldn't say anything -- just hand over a copy of one of the really great series out right now (maybe Kelley Armstrong's?) and let them figure it out for themselves.

3. Vampires or werewolves? Or is that a dumb question?

ANSWER: That's like asking, "chocolate or peanut butter"? I'm a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup kinda gal.

4. Is there anything about you that we’d be surprised to find out--aside from the fact that Claudia Gray is a pen name?

ANSWER: Would you be surprised to know that I turned to writing fiction in part because my plan to be a tax attorney didn't work out?

5. What are you afraid of?

ANSWER: Inadequacy. Serial killers. Spiders. Cancer. Heights. Disappointing the people I love. Roller coasters that go upside down. Bird feet.

6. What are you dressing up as this Halloween?

ANSWER: I don't know yet! I've always wanted to rent one of those big, elaborate Goth Queen outfits with a huge wig and purple, red and black lace Marie Antoinette gown, but I need the right occasion to wear it. Maybe I need to be the one throwing a grand party some Halloween.

7. Would you rather read a book that was suspenseful or scary?

ANSWER: For me, they're pretty much the same; I find suspense a lot more frightening than many more straightforwardly "scary" things.

8. Ok, admit it, you watched Blair Witch with one eye open, right?

ANSWER: I LOVED "The Blair Witch Project," up until the moment in the movie theater, just when the suspense was at its height and nobody could breathe, when somebody's cell phone rang. And kept ringing. Because it took them about five minutes to get to their phone and turn it off. The ring tone: "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." Kinda spoiled the mood.

9. Have you seen Paranormal Activity? Were you scared to death or did you not even bat an eyelash?

ANSWER: I haven't seen it, actually! Maybe I'll rent it with some friends at Halloween, if nobody has a big party.

10. Tell us about your next book.

ANSWER: The next book of mine to be released will be AFTERLIFE, the fourth book in the EVERNIGHT series, in which we finally learn Bianca and Lucas' ultimate destiny, and Mrs. Bethany's big plan. The next book I'm writing is FATEFUL, which in my head has two other titles: WEREWOLVES ON THE TITANIC, which tells you what it's about, and YES, ACTUALLY, THE SITUATION CAN GET WORSE. HarperTeen didn't go for that last title. No idea why.

---ENF OF INTERVIEW---



And now for the first few clues in the Claudia Gray portion of the scavenger hunt.

1. In HOURGLASS, who orchestrated Balthazar's escape?
2. Name the TWO anthologies Claudia is featured in?
3. What is Claudia's favorite candy (hint: answer is in this interview)?
4. When will AFTERLIFE be released?

Visit Claudia's website for the answers!

Prize: A signed copy of EVERNIGHT paperback or STARGAZER or HOURGLASS hardcovers (3 winners, one prize each).

Purchase Claudia's books!

Visit Michelle Zink's or Nancy Holder's or Heather Brewer's interview and scavenger hunt pages!

SCAVENGER HUNT RULES

The scavenger hunt lasts all week! You must answer all the questions CORRECTLY to win the prize from THAT author! You must be a member of The YA-5 blog to win! You may enter more than once to better your chances of winning at least ONE prize. But you may only win ONE prize for the week. Each day a new author interview will be posted along with new questions. You must visit the author's website to learn the answers to the questions posted here then post your answers in the comments section on The YA-5's site in order to win a prize. Contest ends July 23 at midnight Eastern time. Winners will be announced the week of August 2, 2010.