Book Embargo

I just finished this book tonight. Chancey of the Maury River is a great elementary novel, similar to Black Beauty. It is a book from the horse’s point of view. Chancey is a luckier beast than Beauty, and only has two homes in his life, but there is a period between his homes when he gets no care and ends up in pretty bad shape. His luck changes when he heads off to his second home, where he gets the care he needs, more much more importantly than that, he gets Claire. She is the girl that he was meant to be with, and their story was a joy to read.

The description from the Candlewick website,

On the night that Chancey is born, a “fire star” gallops across the sky, a signal that a great horse has entered the world. But it will take many years of slights and hardships before the orphaned albino will believe that the prophecy is truly meant for him. First he must find a home at the Maury River Stables and a girl named Claire who needs him as much as he needs her. Then, when his aching joints and impending blindness bring an end to their training together, he must start a new chapter as a therapeutic horse, healing people with wounds both visible and unseen. In the manner of a latter-day Black Beauty, Chancey’s observant voice narrates this absorbing story, filled with fascinating details of life at the stable and keen insight into equine instinct, human emotion, and the ineffable bond that connects them both.
Told through a horse’s eyes, here is the entrancing tale of an Appaloosa who finds a chance to renew his trust, and of the humans he helps to restore.

I will be bringing this book over to my stable for my instructor and all our riding students to read. They will all enjoy it, I am sure. Look for it on the shelf of your local independent bookshop in May of 2008.

Tags: abuse, animals, black beauty, Book, chancey, chancey of the maury river, claire, elementary, gigig amateau, hardcover, horse, juvenile literature

MADISON IS NOT your average 12-year-old girl from Michigan in 1980. She doesn’t use lipgloss, but she loves to play sports, and joins baseball for the summer—the first girl in Southern Michigan to play on a boys’ team. The press call her a star and a trailblazer, but Madison just wants to play ball. Who knew it would be so much pressure? Crowds flock to the games. Her team will win the championship—if she can keep up her pitching streak. Meanwhile, she’s got a crush on a fellow player, her best friend abandons her for the popular girls, the “O” on her Hinton’s uniform forms a bulls-eye over her left breast, and the boy she punched on the last day of school plans to bean her in the championship game.

This is the description of “No Cream Puffs” by Karen Day. It has a May 2008 release date, so it is coming out pretty far in the future, but it is good enough to talk about NOW. It is being published by Random House and this is Karen Day’s second novel.

Let me tell you why I liked this book. It felt like you were twelve again. You are beginning adolescence, becoming a teenager, your body is changing and your mother obviously doesn’t understand no matter what she says. Madison doesn’t like the attention she is getting, she just wants to play ball. She likes the cute boy on the team, but he isn’t all he is cracked up to be, and it is sometimes a shock to discover what is hidden from you. When I was a kid there were plenty of things I noticed… There were even more things I did NOT notice. Madison has a similar feeling. Her older brother and her mom discuss the hostages in Iran. (The book takes place in 1980.) She doesn’t understand what is actually happening… or where Iran is, but she does understand the tension and that it isn’t right.

This book FEELS like a twelve year old. And that is why I liked it, beyond the fun story, interesting situations and good characterization.

Look for No Cream Puffs by Karen Day wherever books are sold (though preferably at your local independent bookshop) in May of 2008.

1980, 2008, baseball, book, day, elementary, gulf war, iran hostage crisis, juvenile literature, karen day, madison, may 2008, no cream puffs, random house, twelve years old, young adult, young riders

Tags: 1980, 2008, baseball, Book, day, elementary, gulf war, iran hostage crisis, juvenile literature, karen day, madison, may 2008, no cream puffs, random house, twelve years old, young adult, young riders

Just got the news. Chapter ONE is online!

Yeah, I miss you, too. A lot. Doesn’t change anything.
Sorry
Jacob

In PDF over at stepheniemeyer.com

***Eclipse Quote of the Day*** (7/10/07)
“This hostage stuff is fun.” — Alice Cullen

AUGUST 7TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EEP!

august 7th, bella swan, children’s book, cullen, eclipse, fiction, first chapter of eclipse, jacob black, juvenile literature, meyer, new moon, novel, stephenie meyer, twilight, vampire

Tags: august 7th, bella swan, children's book, cullen, eclipse, fiction, first chapter of eclipse, jacob black, juvenile literature, meyer, new moon, novel, stephenie meyer, twilight, vampire

Jennifer Scales is a normal girl. Until she hits puberty. Sadly for Jennifer, she doesn’t just have to have acne… she gets to turn into a dragon. And so it begins. A quote from Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace.

PROLOGUE: THE RUIN OF EVENINGSTAR

On the day Jennifer Scales turned five, her family moved. That same morning, their quiet river town of Eveningstar, Minnesota died a horrible death.

Jennifer remembered only dim twilight against her window, her mother rousing her, and jeans and a sweatshirt finding their way onto her while her head drooped.

If she thought a little harder, she could remember walking through the crisp, brown woods behind her house until they reached the Mississippi River, stepping onto a flat, slippery boat that sunk a bit with her weight, and shivering a bit in her mother’s firm arms while her father’s voice calmly reassured her.

And if she relaxed her mind, which she wouldn’t be able to do until she was older, she could remember standing on a bluff beyond the other side of the river, watching her hometown burn from a safe distance under the crescent moon. She heard the roars of beasts — dinosaurs? — the howls of wolves, and the screeches of unknown things.

The morning of September 18, those things laid waste to Eveningstar. No one from beyond its borders ever tried to put out the fires, or bury those who died there, or even televise the incident.

No one went there. No one remembered there. Eveningstar, Minnesota, settled by Scandinavian immigrants and incorporated over one hundred years ago, fell into ashes and out of existence.

A review of Jennifer Scales #1 from A blog of Two Witches,

I have read Ms. Davidson’s “Undead and Unwed” adult fiction novels and enjoyed them thoroughly, so I was very hopeful in regards to this book. I knew going in that she had the ability to meld fantasy fiction and humor while not sacraficing characters or plot, but I wondered how her personal flair would translate for younger readers.

She won me over all over again!!

And another review from the SF Site,

Best known for her romantic comedies involving vampires and werewolves, MaryJanice Davidson teams up with her husband here to deliver the first in a new series, and they get things rolling with a fairly strong start. While much of Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace is dedicated to setup and exploration of the series’ premise, it still offers a good, entertaining story filled with some intriguing turns and surprises. As concepts go, it’s relatively underutilized, and still feels fresh, giving off a Buffyesque vibe. Jennifer is a good, strong character with a lot of potential, and I look forward to future offerings in this series.

Book cover of Ancient Furnace looks something like this,

and book cover of the new book coming out on June 5th, looks like this…

Here is a ticker for the new Jennifer Strange novel. I for one, CANNOT wait. I really enjoyed the first two. And yes, the titles DO mean something…

MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi are married and let me tell you, they sure can work some magic on the pages. I haven’t read Davidson’s adult stuff, though the rumor is that it is hilarious, but I can vouge for Jennifer Strange. Indeed I can.

Ancient Furnace and Messenger of Light are available now and Silver Elm Tree is out in the beginning of June. So get reading!!

alongi, ancient furnace, anthony alongi, beaststalkers, davidson, dragons, fiction, jennifer scales, juvenile literature, maryjanice davidson, messenger of light, newolves, paperback, scales, silver tree elm, unwed and undead, vampires, wereachnids, young adult

Tags: alongi, ancient furnace, anthony alongi, beaststalkers, davidson, dragons, fiction, jennifer scales, juvenile literature, maryjanice davidson, messenger of light, newolves, paperback, scales, silver tree elm, unwed and undead, vampires, wereachnids, young adult