Review: THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONISTA by Bianca Turestky

Wow.  If there was ever a book that understood my passion for vintage fashion, it's this one.  Add a savvy teenager whose voice I can totally relate to (Louise and I would totally have been BFF in high school), a trip back to the Titanic (whoa!) and gorgeous full-color fashion illustrations throughout, and I'm hooked.  Bianca Turetsky's THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONISTA is a must read for all you girlie girls this summer.

I mean, it definitely helps that the story is compelling -- girl gets invitation to exclusive vintage sale, girl tries on mysterious dres, girl gets sucked back in time and is thrust into the life of a glamorous film star....and girl has to save herself and her new friends from dying on the freaking Titanic?  I mean, hello...it doesn't get much more riveting.    And you know what?  The writing is absolutely wonderful as well.  Just plain magical!

So, in celebration of this fabbity-fab new book for teen and tween fashionistas, Little, Brown has offered to give away a brand new copy to one of our YA-5 readers!  So leave us a comment to enter.  Winners will be determined by the random number generating faeries.  GOOD LUCK!

Review: PERCIVAL'S ANGEL by Anne Eliot Crompton

If you love Arthurian legend, knightly battles, and tales of The Good Folk (you know, faeries!), I have a book for you.

The third in Anne Eliot Crompton's series of companion novels taking place in the times of Merlin and the Knights of the Round table, PERCIVAL'S ANGEL is an adventure novel sprinkled with magic and mystery.  Percy has known the Fey Forest as home his whole life -- his mother brought him there when all of her other sons and even her husband were killed as knights.  She never wanted Percy to become a knight, and it was her life's goal to prevent this, even if it meant living in isolation among the faeries.  But when a few of Arthur's knights stumble into the forest, Percy knows that his path in life is to pursue knighthood.  He will have nothing else.

Lili is fey, grew up not knowing her mother, as is traditional for fey.  But she's always known Percy.  And over the years she's developed a desire to understand the human heart.  In fact, she wants one on her own.  When Percy decides to go questing, Lili accompanies him, both as a protector, but in pursuit of her own goal -- the human heart she yearns for.

And elegantly written novel, PERCIVAL'S ANGEL is filled with prose that is almost magical in its construction.  The reader is immediately swept into the world of magic and knights and ladies and kings.  While this is the third in a series, it does stand alone (I haven't read the first two books myself) and it's an adventure that readers of Robin McKinley and Ursula K. LeGuin will love to follow.

A new butt-kicking supergirl for paranormal fans.

Riley was hoping to trap a simple Biblio-Fiend making a nuisance of itself at the library -- one of her first traps on her own -- but instead of making a name for herself as a decent trapper she's ended up all over the web in a video that makes her look like a total spaz. You know, books flying, shelves toppling, the Biblio nearly escaping.

She's the only female Trapper in the Guild, and the old boys' club already thinks the only reason she's an apprentice is that her dad is the legendary Paul Blackthorne. This so isn't helping. And the last person she wants to see is the first person who shows up -- cute but obnoxious Beck, a guy who idolizes her dad and treats her like a little kid. And he doesn't believe her when she says that the demons must be working together -- a low-grade Bilio-Fiend can't create that kind of chaos on its own.
 
It's not long before things get even worse, when the unthinkable befalls Riley, Beck, and the entire Guild. It's a tragedy that makes stresses like Riley's crush on fellow apprentice Simon and her strained friendship with civilian Peter and even the economic upheaval that is her hometown of Atlanta seem like small potatoes. With a whole new -- and scary and tragic -- look on life, Riley has a new mission: find the Grade Five Geo-Fiend who created this disaster and put an end to it all.

Set in a post-apocalyptic-y Atlanta that most of us wouldn't recognize, and built on intricately woven mythology, THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER by Jana Oliver is a fast-paced, exciting read. With sparks of romance and bone-chilling fight scenes, the intrigue and the action compel the reader forward with each turn of the page. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel, set for release in fall of this year. In the meantime, if you've loved the tough heroines in series like Lili St. Crow's STRANGE ANGELS and Richelle Mead's VAMPIRE ACADEMY, get thee to a bookseller or library and pick up THE DEMON TRAPPER'S DAUGHTER.

Anna and the French Kiss: yes, you need to read it!

There's another YA romance around every corner. And whether you love or loathe the genre, sometimes it feels like it needs a little kick start. Like you've read that story a few times and want something new.

Let me be the first to tell you that ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is not just another anything. It's a romance, and it's an adventure, and it's a comedy, and it's a coming-of-age story. It makes me want to spend all day at a cafe in Paris. It makes me want to go back in time and go to boarding school. It makes me want to go on silly romps with my friends and take my boyfriend to arthouse theatres. It is a story in which you feel like you know everyone, and when you close the last pages, they're a part of you.

It's the story of Anna, sent by her rich father who writes melodramatic cancer romance novels to a French boarding school. She soon finds herself in a tight group of friends including the charming St. Clair, an American boy who grew up in Britain but has a French dad. And Anna has never met anyone like him. Not even the cute boy she is almost sort of maybe dating from the theatre where she works back home. As she and St. Clair -- who is dating a college freshman -- get closer and closer, Anna has to push back her growing feelings for him. And, ultimately, this school year abroad in France could either be the best year of her life, or lead her to self-destruct. Either way, it will change her forever.

If you like John Green, Maureen Johnson, or Simone Elkeles, you'll love Stephanie Perkins. Pick up ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS right now.

On Allegra Biscotti, my new fashionspiration.

I don't usually like to write about a book before I've finished it. But you know what? I can't help myself. THE ALLEGRA BISCOTTI COLLECTION by Olivia Bennett (Sourcebooks, 2010) is so freaking stuck in my head that last night while I was getting dressed to go out I was thinking of its main character.

I'm not even kidding. I was putting together a way-over-the-top outfit for my birthday celebration (we went to Sonic for dinner -- yes, THAT Sonic) and I was trying a bright purple mini dress and sparkly shoes with the right leggings and I thought to myself, "What would Emma Rose do?"

That's when I knew: THE ALLEGRA BISCOTTI COLLECTION is definitely one of the best tween books of 2010. When a character sticks with you like that, when you haven't even had a chance to pick up the book yet that day, man, you know it's good.

And I love that this book is about a young entrepreneur. Emma Rose is a thirteen-year-old fashion designer juggling all the craziness of the 8th grade with an accidentally burgeoning career. And, okay, I'm only about halfway through the book, but I have loved every page -- and not just because the pages are decorated with illustrations from Emma's sketchbook. But because Emma is so real, so vivid, so inspiring.

I started making my own clothes when I was in high school, but maybe if I'd read THE ALLEGRA BISCOTTI COLLECTION I would have gotten a head start. And had some serious delusions of grandeur...because the way Emma Rose is headed, whoa, there's no stopping this girl. Gotta love a character that lights a fire in you, that's for sure.

So, with Channukkah in full swing and Christmas right around the corner, I hope you'll give the young girlie-girl in your life some ALLEGRA BISCOTTI. I promise, she'll fall in love just like me!


Oh, and PS, yes it *is* my birthday today. And some of the YA-5ers are on my blog making fun of me. Hop on over for the hilarity.

Review: REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS by Hélène Boudreau

So I usually don't blog about books that aren't out yet, but I simply can't keep this one under my hat any longer. But this new title from Sourcebooks is so freaking awesome, and I want to share it with all my YA-5 readers, especially since our Friday blogger, Miranda Kenneally, just signed a book deal (HOORAY!!!!) with the same publisher! So, following her lead, celebrating this fabbity fab publisher, I'm going to tell you about my new favorite tween book.

It's not often that I pick up a middle grade that makes me think of Margaret. I'm talking about Margaret of ARE YOU THERE GOD? fame, of course. I mean, there have been many books over the years that deal with coming of age and first periods and first crushes and all the hormonal insanity that is growing into your teen self. And many of these books are awesome in their own right. But none of them touched my heart the way Hélène Boudreau's REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS did.

Jade is almost fourteen when she gets her first period in a department store bathroom while trying to find a bathing suit that compliments her "muffin top." And she can't tell her best friend, Cori, since she kind of sort of fibbed about getting it back when everyone else did, when they were twelve. She can't tell her mom, since she died about a year ago -- and how Jade wishes she were there more than ever! She doesn't want to tell her dad, but is forced to when she realizes she spent all her money on the bathing suit post-period-panic and now hasn't got the cash for "feminine hygiene products." So Dad comes to the rescue, which unfortunately means loading up a shopping cart -- a shopping cart! -- with everything on the shelves while reading menstrual remedies aloud from Google results on his smart phone. Jade thinks she can just walk away and deal until Luke shows up. Adorable, evil Luke who has called her Scissor-Lips for years after a spin-the bottle accident that involved Jade's braces and Luke's head. Woops. But Luke looks different. And he's looking at Jade different. If only Dad didn't choose that moment to price-compare pads.

The worst part? The worst part is that the drug store fiasco wasn't the worst part. When Jade takes an Epsom-salt bath, she falls asleep in the tub. When she wakes up, she's sprouted a scaly, gross tail where her legs were. It can't be real, and yet it is. And that's when her dad breaks down and tells her: Jade's mom was a mermaid. And Jade is, too.

But here's the thing -- if her mom was a mermaid, how could she have drowned? As soon as Jade's legs have transformed back -- thank goodness! -- she wants to run to Cori and spill her guts, but sworn to silence she finds herself tangled up in secret after secret. And as the mystery of her mom's death begins to unravel, the lies she has to tell keep piling up. Jade feels like the worst friend ever as Cori begins to turn to the snotty Lainey instead, and even though she's starting to have mushy crushy feelings for Luke, she's got way too much on her plate to even think that he'd be interested in a plus-sized mer-girl anyway.

REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is an unputdownable adventure, part Judy Blume, part Hans Christian Anderson, and 100% delightful, this fun, fresh tale (tail?) will have girls begging for a sequel. The mer-mythology is solidly constructed around an exciting story, and Jade's voice is so real, so authentically thirteen, that I feel like she's the girl next door. And, you know, I remember being that age. Getting your first period, having boobs that you're dissatisfied with (whether too big or too small), trying to figure out boys -- it's a lot like turning into an otherworldly creature, if you really think about it. Hélène Boudreau's REAL MERMAIDS is absolutely the book to share with your favorite pre-teen girl this December.

REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is available next month on December 1st. Pre-order your jillion copies now, or head to your local bookstore or library STAT and make sure they'll be getting it in!

Small Publishers Rock!

NaNoWriMo starts today, but look at me, I'm still totally posting over here at The YA-5! If you, too, are NaNo-ing, I posted some info on my own NaNo process (or, um, lackthereof) here. Also, Hannah Moskowitz posted an awesome blog on NaNo and PJ Hoover put up another 10 Things From the Place post, this time NaNo-themed, which our writing group compiled on Friday.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite reads from small presses. Why? Small presses are awesome, but it's often word of mouth that gets books in the hands of readers. Recently I told you about Ilsa J. Bick's DRAW THE DARK, published by Carolrhoda. If you don't have this book yet, GO GET ONE. Or check to see if your library has a copy. It's awesome.

But there are other small press books I want to share with you, too! So here goes.

TOFU QUILT by Ching Yeung Russell (Lee & Low, 2008)
This is a beautiful collection of poetry, which reads almost like a verse novel. Together, the autobiographical poems tell the story of a girl growing up in Hong Kong in the 60s. This girl wants so badly to be a writer, and while some, like her cousins and her mother, support her, some teachers ridicule her for her efforts. The girl's extended family chastises her mother for continuing to send her daughter to school. Both heartbreaking and enriching, this book is an empowering read for young girls and women. I hope the poetically-inclined as well as those interested in cross-cultural themes will give it a read.

THE SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE by Donna St. Cyr (CBAY Books, 2009)
A fun middle-grade romp perfect for reluctant readers, this book is the story of a boy destined to be a cheese monger. Except a cheese monger isn't what you think it is -- in the world of The Cheese Syndicate, different cheeses have different powers. And it is up to one boy to save the world -- and his long-missing father -- from things such as manticores and those who might use cheese for evil. Plus, his annoying little sister drank a secret elixir, and without a very special cheese, she's pretty much doomed. I absolutely can't wait for the next book in this series, and fans of quick reads and mysterious fantasies like SPIDERWICK and mythology-influenced stories like PERCY JACKSON will love CHEESE SYNDICATE.

NO SAFE PLACE by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books, 2010)
This highly political but ridiculously engrossing story will break your heart by page two. And yet, you won't be able to put it down for a second. It's the story of Iraqi refugee Abdul, a fifteen-year-old boy living in a place called "The Jungle" in France. He's come a long way from his war-torn home country, where he's seen so many loved ones die, but he still has a long way to go. The Jungle is not a safe place to live, and it's only through the help of a nasty smuggler with a tiny boat that he -- and a few other refugees from various other backgrounds -- have any hope of getting to England, where they envision their lives will change for the better. An absolutely eye-opening look at young people across the globe, NO SAFE PLACE is a book that both fiction readers and politically-minded youth will enjoy.

GIRL FROM MARS by Tamara Bach (Groundwood Books, 2008)
A sweet story of unlikely love, set in German suburbia, this quirky book will be quick to make you smile. Miriam, a self-described plain fifteen-year-old girl in a small town who dreams, like many of us, of getting out and living a fabulous big-city life. She wishes she were beautiful and popular and spends every morning commiserating in the girls' restroom with her two best friends, Ines and Suse. Then enters Laura, with her wild black hair and carefree attitude, who rolls her own cigarettes and goes to clubs. Miriam is instantly enchanted, and begins to feel something she's never felt before, especially for a girl. GIRL FROM MARS is beautifully written, and rife with genuine emotion. This is a book that should not be ignored, and I urge anyone who can to track down a copy. It will make your heart ache in all the right ways. I am really hoping that Groundwood will publish translations of Tamara Bach's other books in the near future.

There you go! Lots of books to go looking for! You can pretend it's like a scavenger hunt, where all the hunters are winners -- as soon as you find these books, you get to read them and enjoy them and love them and tell all your friends about them! YAY! And remember, if your local bookstore or library doesn't stock books from these publishers, TELL THEM that they totally should!



PS: I am hosting a giveaway over at my dot com! Go here to read an interview with Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié, and enter to win a copy of CRUSADE! Woo!

Review: JEKEL LOVES HYDE by Beth Fantaskey!

Retelling of classic literature and fairy tales seem to be all the rage right now. And I've gotta admit, I love a retelling, too. And that's initially what drew me to Beth Fantaskey's new book, JEKEL LOVES HYDE. But here's the thing -- it's not a retelling. And it's not a sequel either (not a fan of newly published sequels to classics -- though if you show me a good one, I could change my mind). JEKEL LOVES HYDE builds on the ideas that Robert Louis Stevenson used in his novel, and uses the novel as a pivotal theme in Jill Jekel and Tristan Hyde's story.

And it's such a good story!

Jill Jekel thinks of herself as the mousy nerd-girl, lucky to be friends with a cheerleader who might only be using her friendship as a path to homework help. Since her dad was killed, her mom has been a wreck. In fact, Jill takes care of her mom most of the time, making sure she doesn't have another breakdown. The fact that her dad's murder was never solved doesn't help her family situation, but Jill is determined to move on and make the most of what's left of her high school experience.

Tristan Hyde is a loner, an outsider whose father is a prominent British psychologist who recently moved to Pennsylvania to work with local colleagues. With a workaholic dad never home, Tristan grew close to his grandfather. And on his deathbed, Grandfather Hyde told Tristan a secret: he'd committed murder, his family was cursed, and Tristan would be affected, too. He then gave Tristan a first edition copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, saying that in those pages was the only chance Tristan might have to save himself. Now that Tristan has started having the dreams, he believes his grandfather might be right.

Both students who excel in Chemistry, Tristan and Jill's teacher offer them the opportunity to compete for a scholarship by developing an original experiment outside of class. He suggests Jill and Tristan work together, believing that it will give them a better chance at the money, especially given that a "Jekel and Hyde" team will intrigue the judges. At first, neither is interested. But when Jill realizes that her dad spent her college fund on secret research she realizes she might not have a choice. And as Tristan's dreams -- and his attraction to Jill -- get more intense, she realizes that she might be the key to solving his curse. They will recreate the experiments that the original Dr. Jeckyl conducted and look for a cure. Jill, of course, is skeptical, but the attraction to Tristan is there -- has been there, in fact, since the day he approached her at her father's funeral and offered her a comforting hug right when she needed it -- and her lack of college money is more than enough incentive to take up Tristan on his offer.

Of course, it won't be easy. There's the fact that Jill's mom is on the verge of another meltdown, that Tristan's Dad is acting more and more erratic, that the truth about Jill's father's murder is painting him in a less-than-flattering light, and there's the regular school drama of catty girls and nasty football players, one of whom Tristan pummels. This book runs the gamut of emotions, creatively weaving in the mythology Stevenson's Jeckyl and Hyde to tell the story of two star-crossed teens doomed to deal with chemical reactions that they'd always supposed were fiction. JEKEL LOVES HYDE is science-y, romance-y, and mysterious, a great read for any reader looking for something a little different with a heroine who could be the girl next door and a bad boy who has to actually work to win her over. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up on your next trip to your library or bookstore. You won't be able to put it down.