Monday, July 21, 2014

New Release Round-Up: July 21-27, 2014

Young Adult


Dissonance
by Erica O'Rourke

Release date: July 22, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 496
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, science fiction



First in the Dissonance series. From Goodreads:
"Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.
"


One Past Midnight
by Jessica Shirvington

Release date: July 22, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal



From Goodreads:
"Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is...

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?
"

Other YA new releases for this week:



Middle Grade


The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher
by Dana Alison Levy

Release date: July 22, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:
"Perfect for fans of The Penderwicks and James Patterson’s Middle School series, this seriously funny, modern family adventure features two dads, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets.

Meet the Fletchers. Their year will be filled with new schools, old friends, a grouchy neighbor, hungry skunks, leaking ice rinks, school plays, wet cats, and scary tales told in the dark!

There’s Sam, age twelve, who’s mostly interested in soccer, food, and his phone; Jax, age ten, who’s psyched for fourth grade and thinks the new neighbor stinks, and not just because of the skunk; Eli, age ten (but younger than Jax), who’s thrilled to be starting this year at the Pinnacle School, where everyone’s the smart kid; and Frog (not his real name), age six, who wants everyone in kindergarten to save a seat for his invisible cheetah. Also Dad and Papa.

WARNING: This book contains cat barf, turtle pee, and some really annoying homework assignments.
"


The XYZs of Being Wicked
by Lara Chapman

Release date: July 22, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Aladdin
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy, witches



From Goodreads:
"When a young witch goes off to boarding school, she discovers powers that leave her with a challenging choice.

Eleven-year-old Hallie is more thrilled than you might think to be shipping off to boarding school. After seeing how horrible “normal” kids can be—kids like her former BFF, Kendall Scott—Hallie figures The Dowling Academy School of Witchcraft will be a welcome fresh start. Plus, it’s a chance to make her dad proud that she’s continuing family traditions and becoming the best kind of witch, just like her legendary great-great-grandmother.

But when Hallie arrives at Dowling, she’s dismayed to discover her roommate will be none other than awful Kendall. And when Hallie’s witching talents take a turn for the dark side, she must determine whether it’s abilities or choices that distinguish the good from the wicked.
"

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

Monday, July 7, 2014

New Release Round-Up: July 7-13, 2014

Young Adult


The Half Life of Molly Pierce
by Katrina Leno

Release date: July 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 240
Publisher: HarperTeen
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:
"You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves."


Midnight Thief
by Livia Blackburne

Release date: July 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 368
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy



First in the Midnight Thief series. From Goodreads:
"Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.
"

Other YA new releases for this week:



Middle Grade


All Four Stars
by Tara Dairman

Release date: July 10, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:
"Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world.

But in order to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret! Easy as pie, right?
"


My Zombie Hamster
by Havelock McCreely

Release date: July 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 208
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Suggested tags: middle grade, dystopia, zombies



From Goodreads:
"A laugh-out-loud funny middle-grade debut with a scary twist, "My Zombie Hamster" will appeal to readers who like their animal stories mixed with chills. Fans of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps Most Wanted series will grab this one right up.

Matt Hunter and his buddies are looking forward to Christmas--actually, they're looking forward to receiving the latest sword-and-fantasy video game. But Matt's parents have other thoughts--they give him a fluffy little mammal, a hamster called Snuffles, for the holiday. And his grandmother makes it worse by giving him a hamster cage and wheel. But the hamster isn't all that cute--at least not after part of its cheek and belly fall right off--without bothering it a bit! And why is it staring at Matt with black beady eyes and a lean and hungry look?

Say hello to Anti-Snuffles, the zombie hamster! Or better yet, run!

This series combines middle-school readers' passions: humor, animals, and scary stories, into one unbeatable package.
"

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

Friday, July 4, 2014

Friday Freebies: July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July, fellow bookworms! :)
Click on each title to go to the Amazon Kindle edition listing. Be sure to double-check the price before you download!



The Case of the Chocolate Snatcher (Free Sample Story)
by Bruce Lansky

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 112 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Meadowbrook
Publication date: March 11, 2014
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery, short stories



Second in the Can You Solve the Mystery? series. (A sample of the first book in the series, The Secret of the Long-Lost Cousin, is currently available for free on Amazon also.) From Amazon:
"Twelve-year-old amateur sleuths, and best friends, Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams love to solve cases. They invite readers to follow the clues and sketches to solve crimes in their hometown of Lakewood Hills. All of the books in the “Can You Solve the Mystery” series contain 9-10 short mysteries. Readers are given written clues as well as visual clues to help them solve the crime. The answers and a brief wrap-up are given in the back of the book."


Clicks
by Amy Evans

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 208 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication date: December 22, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal



First in The Dolphin Prophecy series. From Amazon:
"Clicks - When you just know.

Clicks are the sounds the universe makes to tell you what will happen next. Truths you hear in your heart that you can't explain.

For sixteen year old Cami, the clicks won’t stop. They’re telling her to fall in love with the wrong twin, that her family is hiding something, and that Pinhold, her pristine Island home, is in danger. It's hard to trust them when they go against everything she knows.

But then an ocean mystery makes people sick, sinking the best swimmers to the seafloor and, while they're not dead, they're barely alive.

Modern medicine and island legends have no answers for Cami. Can she trust her instincts to find a cure, or will she lose the most important people in her life forever?
"


Kissed
by Kimberly Loth

Available as: Kindle edition
Pages: 251
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication date: April 21, 2014
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance



First in The Thorn Chronicles. From Amazon:
"Trapped in a dark cult, sixteen-year-old Naomi Aren has lived a quiet, albeit unhappy, life nestled deep in the hills of the Ozarks. With uncut hair, denim skirts, and only roses for friends, Naomi seldom questions why her life is different from other kids at school. Until the day her abusive father, who is also the cult’s leader, announces her wedding. Naomi must marry Dwayne Yerdin, a bully who reeks of sweat and manure and is the only one person who scares her worse than her father.

Then she meets Kai, the mysterious boy who brings her exotic new roses and stolen midnight kisses. Kisses that bring her a supernatural strength she never knew she had. As the big day approaches, Naomi unearths more secrets of about her father’s cult. She learns she has power of her own and while Kai may have awakened that power, Naomi must find a way to use it to escape Dwayne and her father—without destroying herself.
"


The Mind's Eye
by K.C. Finn

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 247 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: March 30, 2014
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fiction, paranormal



First in the SYNSK series. From Amazon:
"A girl with a telepathic gift finds a boy clinging to his last hope during the war-torn climate of Europe, 1940.

At fifteen, Kit Cavendish is one the oldest evacuees to escape London at the start of the Second World War due to a long term illness that sees her stuck in a wheelchair most of the time. But Kit has an extraordinary psychic power: she can put herself into the minds of others, see through their eyes, feel their emotions, even talk to them – though she dares not speak out for fear of her secret ability being exposed.

As Kit settles into her new life in the North Wales village of Bryn Eira Bach, solitude and curiosity encourage her to gain better control of her gift. Until one day her search for information on the developing war leads her to the mind of Henri, a seventeen-year-old Norwegian boy witnessing the German occupation of his beloved city, Oslo. As Henri discovers more about the English girl occupying his mind, the psychic and emotional bonds between them strengthen and Kit guides him through an oppressive and dangerous time.

There are secrets to be uncovered, both at home and abroad, and it’s up to Kit and Henri to come together and fight their own battles in the depths of the world’s greatest war.
"

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

{ bon voYAge! } July 2014


The destination for June 2014 was

Brazil }


And here are the YA & MG books we found...




The destination for July 2014 is...

{ Alaska, USA }


Some examples of YA & MG books set in Alaska:



Please send me links to your posts and reviews by Wednesday, July 30 so I can add them to the next { bon voYAge! } post!


Want to play? Here's how it works...

{ } At the beginning of each month, I'll post the name of a destination: a city, state, region, province, country, etc.
{ } Throughout the month, you can:
       1. look for a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination to share.
       2. read a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination and write a review.
{ } You can post the books you found or the reviews you wrote any time during that month. Just send me a link so I can link back to your post!
{ } At the beginning of the next month, I'll share everyone's books and reviews. Then I'll post another destination and we can start again! :)

Want to check out the books we've already discovered? Browse all the locations that we've explored on the { bon voYAge! } tab above!

Have a location you'd like to explore? Let me know in the comments here or on the { bon voYAge! } tab above, or email me at pidginpea (at) yahoo (dot) com!

Want to put a { bon voYAge! } button on your blog? I'd love that! I made it using deviantART stock resources from SneakyTomato and artist00 and fonts from kevinandamanda.com.