Friday Freebies: May 31, 2013

Click on each title to go to the Amazon Kindle edition listing. Be sure to double-check the price before you download!



BeSwitched
by Molly Snow

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 145 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Breezy Reads
Publication date: September 13, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



First in the BeSwitched series. From Amazon:

"Surla and Cathy have a HUGE secret!

After spending hundreds of years as a familiar to an abusive witch, Surla runs away to find freedom. But there's one catch! The Black Cats' Curse states she will have to switch bodies with the first lonesome soul to cross her path.

Painfully shy Cathy Phillips can't muster the courage to ask hot water polo player, Craig Nelson, on a date. Neither can she stand up to the three biggest snobs at Washington High. What's a girl to do? Could switching lives with a sassy cat be the answer to her wishes?

The curse of being "BeSwitched" may just be the most purr-fect secret these new best friends could ever have!"

The Curse of Yama
by K.F. Ridley

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 167 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Little Roni Publishers
Publication date: November 23, 2011
Suggested tags: middle grade, adventure



First in the C. Walker Adventures series. From Amazon:

"Dumb old curse... When Dad unwittingly unleashes upon himself a deadly and ancient curse, it’s up to 12-year-old Chloe Walker to come to the rescue. Once the entire family is deep within the Indian rainforest, Chloe and her local friend, Sotol, head out to find a cure for the illness that threatens her father’s life. To find the Golden Seed, Chloe and Sotol risk life and limb, facing ruthless poachers, desolate elephant burial grounds, and the fantastical wilds of nature. With a magical amulet, arguing gibbons, a mama tiger on the run, and an impossible rope bridge that only a nut would try to cross—Chloe is on the adventure of a lifetime. Decode the map, find the seed, and defeat Yama. No problem... Yeah Right!"

Diary of a Nerd King
by Matt Ballard

Available as: Kindle edition
Pages: 96
Publisher: unknown
Publication date: November 22, 2011
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Amazon:

"My name is Max Ridgemont. My sister says I'm the Nerd King. I resent that. She says I resemble that. She thinks she's so smart. Wait til I'm famous from inventing a burping machine.

This is my diary, except it's not a diary. It's a journal, or a blog, or a log... just not a diary 'cause diaries are for girls and wimpy kids. There's also a lot of wicked awesome pictures I drew in here too. Don't feel bad if you can't draw as well as I can. Most people can't.

Oh yeah, my best friend Boogie and I are going to make millions with our new YouTube channel, and our plan is in here too. DON'T try and copy us. You'll just get upset when you don't make a million dollars and find out you're not as awesome as us."

Dog Daze
by Lauraine Snelling, Kathleen Damp Wright

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 162 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publication date: March 1, 2012
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



First in the S.A.V.E Squad series. From Amazon:

"Join the S.A.V.E. Squad—Sunny, Aneta, Vee, and Esther—as the four sixth-grade girls, with nothing in common but their differences, come together through the rescue of a Basset Hound they dub Wink and form a plan to benefit stray dogs and place them in “forever homes.” "

Friday Finds #39

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."



Another Faust
by Daniel Nayeri & Dina Nayeri

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 387
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: August 25, 2009
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, retellings



First in The Marlowe School series. From Goodreads:

"A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption."

Dream Factory
by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Speak
Publication date: May 17, 2007
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"When the Disney World character actors go on strike, teens are hired as replacements. Ella is assigned the role of Cinderella simply because the shoes fit. And every afternoon at three o'clock she gets married to Prince Charming. A perfect dream come true-except Ella doesn't believe in dreams anymore. Meanwhile, Luke is one of the fur characters (Dale, the chipmunk), and his girlfriend, Cassie, plays his counterpart, Chip. Cassie is perfect in every way, so why does Luke want to be with Cinderella? Then Luke and Ella are brought together during a scavenger hunt, and as they uncover the Magic Kingdom?s hidden treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them. Perhaps dreams really can come true after all?"

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator
by Jennifer Allison

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication date: July 28, 2005
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery, paranormal



First in the Gilda Joyce series. From Goodreads:

"Ever since her father died, kooky Gilda Joyce has been working hard to sharpen her psychic skills. She's determined to communicate with spirits from the Other Side and become a crack investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. After wrangling an invitation to visit San Francisco relatives, Gilda discovers just how much her dreary, tight-lipped uncle and his strange, delicate daughter need her help to uncover the terrible family secret that has a tortured ghost stalking their home.

From poignant to hair-raising and hilarious, this is a behind-the-scenes, tell-all account of the very first case in the illustrious career of Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator."

Newes from the Dead
by Mary Hooper

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication date: April 29, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, 17th century



From Goodreads:

"WRONGED. HANGED. ALIVE? (AND TRUE!) Anne can't move a muscle, can't open her eyes, can't scream. She lies immobile in the darkness, unsure if she'd dead, terrified she's buried alive, haunted by her final memory—of being hanged. A maidservant falsely accused of infanticide in 1650 England and sent to the scaffold, Anne Green is trapped with her racing thoughts, her burning need to revisit the events—and the man—that led her to the gallows. Meanwhile, a shy 18-year-old medical student attends his first dissection and notices something strange as the doctors prepare their tools . . . Did her eyelids just flutter? Could this corpse be alive? Beautifully written, impossible to put down, and meticulously researched, Newes from the Dead is based on the true story of the real Anne Green, a servant who survived a hanging to awaken on the dissection table. Newes from the Dead concludes with scans of the original 1651 document that recounts this chilling medical phenomenon."

New Release Round-Up: May 27-June 2, 2013

Young Adult


Impostor
by Susanne Winnacker

Release date: May 28, 2013
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Razorbill
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, mystery



First in the Variants series. From Goodreads:

"Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late?

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself."

Wild Awake
by Hilary T. Smith

Release date: May 28, 2013
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 400
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


Handbook for Dragon Slayers
by Merrie Haskell

Release date: May 28, 2013
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperCollins
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"Tilda has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of a princess's responsibilities.

When a greedy cousin steals Tilda's lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons—and herself—than she ever imagined.

Merrie Haskell, author of The Princess Curse, presents a magical tale of transformation, danger, and duty, starring a remarkable princess as stubborn as she is brave."

Twerp
by Mark Goldblatt

Release date: May 28, 2013
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Suggested tags: middle grade, historical fiction, 20th century



From Goodreads:

"It's not like I meant for Danley to get hurt. . . .

Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.

Inspired by Mark Goldblatt's own childhood growing up in 1960s Queens, Twerp shines with humor and heart. This remarkably powerful story will have readers laughing and crying right along with these flawed but unforgettable characters."

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

Friday Finds #38

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."




All We Know of Heaven
by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: April 29, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Bridget Flannery and Maureen O'Malley have been BFFs since forever. Then a brief moment of inattention on an icy road leaves one girl dead and the other in a coma, battered beyond recognition. Family and friends mourn one friend's loss and pray for the other's recovery. Then the doctors discover they have made a terrible mistake. The girl who lived is the one who everyone thought had died.

Based on a true case of mistaken identity, All We Know of Heaven is a universal story that no one can read unmoved: a drama of ordinary people caught up in an unimaginable tragedy and of the healing power of hope and love."

Gift of the Unmage
by Alma Alexander

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 389
Publisher: Eos
Publication date: March 1, 2008
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



First in the Worldweavers series. From Goodreads:

"Thus says Cheveyo: mage, teacher, the first person in Thea's life to remain unimpressed by her lineage as Double Seventh, the seventh child of two seventh children. From birth, great things were expected of Thea, gradually replaced by puzzled disappointment as it became evident her magical abilities are, at most, minimal. Now, with Cheveyo, Thea has begun to weave herself a new magical identity, infused with elements of the original worlds where Cheveyo and others like him walk. But back home, she attends the Academy, the one school on earth for those who, like her, can't do magic. It is at the Academy that Thea realizes she will indeed have to fight, since her enemies are hungrier and more dangerous than she thought. What's more, her greatest strength may be the very powerlessness she has resisted for so long. Alma Alexander has woven a richly invented fantasy out of elements from many cultures, both real and imagined, and a memorable cast of characters."

Hitch
by Jeanette Ingold

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Graphia
Publication date: June 28, 2005
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, 20th century



From Goodreads:

"Teenager Moss Trawnley is in desperate need of work, and so he decides to head out west as a member of Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps to help protect Montana’s wildlife from devastating erosion and wildfires. Despite the grueling work, Moss has time to play baseball, make lifelong friends, and rediscover what he almost lost in the Great Depression: himself. Bringing an important era of U.S. history to life, this riveting coming-of-age story will appeal to any teen who has dreamed of adventure and survival in the great outdoors."

Without Tess
by Marcella Pixley

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: October 11, 2011
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Tess and Lizzie are sisters, sisters as close as can be, who share a secret world filled with selkies, flying horses, and a girl who can transform into a wolf in the middle of the night. But when Lizzie is ready to grow up, Tess clings to their fantasies. As Tess sinks deeper and deeper into her delusions, she decides that she can't live in the real world any longer and leaves Lizzie and her family forever. Now, years later, Lizzie is in high school and struggling to understand what happened to her sister. With the help of a school psychologist and Tess's battered journal, Lizzie searches for a way to finally let Tess go."