Happy Third Birthday, Willa Bean!

The third book in Cecilia Galante's adorable Little Wings series is released today, Star-Bubble Trouble!

Check out Cecilia's fantastic new website, www.ceciliagalante.com, which features personal "shelf-talkers" about each of her books.

The Return of Creepy Suspense Books!

Allow me a moment to be nostalgic... I've been thinking about the good ol' days when young adult books weren't all about vampires and werewolves. When there were other terrors waiting around corners: haunted streets, innocent (oddly-incestuous) children locked in attics, and sinister games.

Why have I been thinking about this? Because Kate Kae Myers' debut book The Vanishing Game takes all of my favorite "creepy suspense" themes and puts them into one amazing book... Minus the slightly-incestuous children... but there are two twins (Jocelyn and Jack) and their best friend, Noah, living in a strange foster home called Seale House, who form a childhood group called the "The Freaks".

Now eighteen, Jocelyn is grieving over Jack's recent and very unexpected death when she receives an envelope that can only be from Jack. Inside is a newspaper clipping that details a fire at Seale House. The cause is unknown, but Jocelyn knows one thing: Jack is alive. When Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for.

So, if you (like me) enjoyed:

Down the Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

Any of the Fear Street books (my favorite was the saga)

A Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowry Nixon

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

Then you'll love The Vanishing Game. And if you haven't read any of these books... what are you waiting for?!

A Happy Dance in Honor of Cameron Post!

Happy Pub Day to The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth!

This book has been getting phenomenal reviews, just check out what the LA Times, NPR, Seventeen Magazine, Publishers Weekly, or Amazon has to say. Everyone loves Cameron Post! So, in honor of Cameron Post's Birthday, I'm going to share some happy dance videos from the late 80's/early 90's. (Disclaimer: My pop culture references are definitely not as obscure as Cameron's would be, but I think she'd still appreciate the effort...)

Willa Bean!

I'm thrilled to give a "million bajillion" birthday wishes to Willa Bean! The first two books in this early chapter book series, Little Wings, Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams and Be Brave, Willa Bean were published at the end of December.

The author, Cecilia Galante is well known for her middle grade and young adult books and this is her first foray into books for a younger audience (ages 6 & up). For all you authors out there, Willa Bean has a great publishing story, so let me give you a little insight into how this series came to be. Cecilia came into New York City one day to have lunch with me and to talk about her career. We sat down for a nice sushi lunch and, of course, immediately began talking about books. Cecilia was looking to start a new project and she asked me what was "trendy" at the moment. I threw out a few things that were hot in the young adult world: paranormal, fairytale adaptations, and angels. (This was a couple years ago). Cecilia paused for a moment and then said, "But what I'd really like to do is something for a younger audience.... Ooohh... what about young angels?" I immediately loved the idea, telling her, "Yes! Can you imagine all the merchandising potential? Just think of their little wings!" Which, smart Cecilia, jumped on, "Little Wings would be a great title for the series!"

Of course just that one lunch didn't seal the deal. Cecilia still had to write (and rewrite) the books. I had to pitch and sell it to editors. The lovely Jennifer Arena at Stepping Stones/Random House had the brilliant idea to turn the angels into cupids, which helped us avoid any unnecessary religious overtones. Jennifer also found the fabulous Kristi Valiant to illustrate the books And, now, at long last, Willa Bean is on the shelves!

If you have kids who are just learning to read, check out this series. You just have to love Willa Bean, with her million bajillion freckles and crazy, big, wild hair! And did I mention she has a pet owl named Snooze? :)

Past Continuous

Happy pub month to Past Continuous by K. Ryer Breese! This is the sequel to Breese's first book Future Imperfect.

I was in Raleigh over the Thanksgiving holiday visiting my sister and she's a big Fringe watcher and so, of course, I always end up watching it with her when I'm in North Carolina. Even though I'm only catching random episodes here and there (and constantly pausing her DVR to pepper her with questions about the plot), I find it a fascinating show-- and a very good comp for Past Continuous and Future Imperfect. Because if you like reality-bending, complex shows like Fringe, you'll love Breese's books.

In Past Continuous, with the help of one of his unsavory friends, Ade is able to change his past-- but not in the way that he hopes. Instead, he unknowingly changes it so that his girlfriend Vauxhall doesn't remember who he is. In order to fix the problem, Abe must kill four alternate versions of himself. (See? I told you! Fringe-ish!)

Kirkus says it best: larger-than-life fight scenes, criminal underworlds and superhuman displays.

It's twisted. And I love it.

A Love Letter to NYC

This book combines two of my favorite things: New York City and celebrities. An embarrassing confession: whenever I see a celebrity on the street I immediately text a friend (who is also celeb-obsessed. Seriously, she can list the names of every celebrity child-- in the correct birth-order. It's a true gift...) with the details: Where did I spot them? What were they wearing? How did they look?

Jeryl Brunner's book, MY CITY, MY NEW YORK makes my celebrity stalking so much easier. She went straight to the source and asked famous New Yorkers: Where are your favorite spots in the city and why?

So now I know:

-Glenn Close likes to walk her dogs in Central Park, near the West 81st entrance

-Anthony Bourdain celebrates with meals at Masa

-Joan Rivers loves the top of 30 Rock (and she was a NYC tour guide during college--who knew?!)

This book not only satisfies my celeb-obession, but it has shown me how little I know about "the city". I have a whole new list of places I need to visit. First stop, the restaurant Veselka, to hang out with Jon Stewart!

GHOSTS IN THE FOG: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple is on sale this week!

This is a non-fiction book for young adult readers, but anyone who is interested in history will enjoy it.

Did you know that the Japanese invaded (and occupied!) Alaska during WWII? Admittedly I'm no history buff, but I'd never heard about this. In GHOSTS IN THE FOG, Samantha Seiple takes a closer look at this little-known bit of history. She tells the story of the Americans who were taken prisoner by the Japanese, along with the soldiers (on both sides) who fought in this very bloody battle. Samantha does an incredible job of making history come alive.

And this book really got me thinking about the other parts of U.S. history that's been forgotten....