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Waiting on Wednesday–Boy21 by Matthew Quick

25 Jan

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

Embarrassing fact–I haven’t read Sorta Like a Rock Star which is Matthew Quick’s first novel.  I really don’t have an excuse for I haven’t read it yet either.  I received Boy21 over the summer, but have been waiting to read it closer to the release date.  I have a boy in my Y.A. Lit class who’s eating up my sports fiction and pretty much everything else I recommend.  I handed him my ARC the other day and noticed today that he has mere pages left.  I’m guessing he likes it!  I’m looking forward to hearing his thoughts and reading it myself.  I hope you add it to your TBR list :)

Title & Author: Boy21 by Matthew Quick

Release Date: March 5th, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary (From Goodreads): Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights and Finley is left alone to take care of his disabled grandfather. He’s always dreamed of somehow getting out, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. The life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won’t pick up a basketball, and yet answers only to the name Boy21—taken from his former jersey number.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21″ may turn out to be the answer they both need. Matthew Quick, the acclaimed author of Sorta Like a Rock Star, brings readers a moving novel about hope, recovery, and redemption. 

Waiting on Wednesday–In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

21 Dec

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

I loved But I Love Him by Amanda Grace, so I have high hopes for her upcoming novel, In Too Deep.  I’m still mostly on a contemps kick even though I thought that might pass once summer was over.  I’m happy it hasn’t because my students love realistic fiction as well :)

Title & Author: In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

Release Date: February 8th, 2012

Publisher: Flux

Summary (From Goodreads): I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Davis. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger-forcing me to make a terrible choice.

Waiting on Wednesday–Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

9 Nov

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

This is novel doesn’t release for a while, but I want to spotlight it anyway :)   Maybe I’ll luck out and I’ll find a copy at NCTE/ALAN next week!  The mystery and emotions involved with this debut sound great.

Title & Author: Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Release Date: April 24th, 2012

Publisher: Walker & Company

Summary (From Goodreads):

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Waiting on Wednesday–Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

12 Oct

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

Most of my WoW posts have been devoted to upcoming contemps releases, but I had to switch it up this week.  I absolutely, positively, can’t hardly wait to read Beautiful Chaos!  The last book ended with such a cliffhanger that I’m practically counting down the days until I can get my hands on a copy of this book.  I hope it’s very fallish on the 18th because that will make reading this book that much better.

Is anybody else eager to get a copy of Beautiful Chaos?  What are you waiting on this Wednesday? :)

Title & Author: Beautiful Chaos by Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia

Release Date: October 18th, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary (From Goodreads): Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena’s Claiming. Even Lena’s family of powerful Supernaturals is affected – and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What – or who – will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He’s being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn’t by Lena – and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself – forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn’t know why, and most days he’s too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn’t just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there’s no going back. And this time there won’t be a happy ending.

Waiting on Wednesday–Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

21 Sep

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

If you’ve been following my blog and/or my Waiting on Wednesday posts then you know that I’ve been on a major contemps/realistic fiction kick.  I can’t get enough lately!  I’m keeping up the streak this week with a book that I’ve only just recently learned about and am greatly anticipating its release.  I haven’t read any reviews for this debut novel, but the summary has completely captured my interest and I’m sure many of my students will be interested as well.

Title & Author: Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

Release Date: October 8, 2011

Publisher: Flux

Summary (From Goodreads):

A poetic, moving story about a teen who must make an unimaginable choice

Mom has slowly been losing herself to MS. After traditional treatment fails, she takes bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can’t handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that Mom wants to die.

One beautiful spring day, Lily’s mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. They live in Oregon, where the Death with Dignity Act allows a patient to make the decision to end their own life.

While navigating first love, friendship, and the other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: grant Mom’s request, or cling to Mom’s fading life for all it’s worth.

Waiting on Wednesday–Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

7 Sep

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

I have the ARC of Perfect and just finished, but I still wanted to include it in a WoW post because I haven’t seen it on many of these posts yet.  I have read and loved all of Ellen Hopkins’ books and I have to say that this one might be the best one yet; it is positively awesome.  The release date can’t come soon enough; I want a finished copy so much!

Title & Author: Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Release Date: September 13, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Summary (From Goodreads): Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins’s Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

Waiting on Wednesday–Lie by Caroline Bock

24 Aug

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

I’ve read a couple reviews for Lie, and I have to say that I’m intrigued.  Most of the reviews have been good, but I always like to read it for myself, especially if I’m seeing such a mix of starred ratings on Goodreads.  I love the subject matter for this one.  I think the only book I’ve read that deals with hate crimes is Shine by Lauren Myracle.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? :)

Title & Author: Lie by Caroline Bock

Release Date: August 30, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary (From Goodreads):

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up? 

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .

When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .

Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

Waiting on Wednesday–Flyaway by Helen Landalf

17 Aug

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

Flyaway has a bunch of my favorite elements in one book–a Pacific Northwest setting, a girl finding herself, a relationship conflict with her mother, etc.  I’m a big fan of contemporary/realistic fiction, and this 2011 debut sounds like a great example of that.  I’m also excited about this book because Helen Landalf has signed up to be interviewed by my students for my Students Want to Know feature :)

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Title & Author: Flyaway by Helen Landalf

Release Date: December 19, 2011

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary (From Goodreads): Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down.

It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

FLYAWAY is the story of a teen girl’s struggle to hold on to what she’s always believed, even as her world spins out of control.

Waiting on Wednesday–Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

3 Aug

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

Squee! I LOVE Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction!  I can’t wait until the 16th.  We really haven’t gotten to know Luis yet, so I’m especially excited to read an entire book about him.  I’ve only just recently added these books to my classroom library and they’re already incredibly popular.  If you haven’t read them, and you like a good, steamy romance, I suggest you get a copy of Perfect Chemistry.

Title & Author: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Release Date: August 16, 2011

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Summary (From Goodreads): Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known, and just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys.

Waiting on Wednesday–Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

27 Jul

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  It’s designed for bloggers to spotlight the upcoming releases that they simply can’t wait to read.

Romance.  Dance.  Verse.  This sounds like the perfect book combination.  I always love a good romance, and verse novels are always a winner with me.  When it comes to dance, I’ve always been the tiniest bit jealous of girls who can dance competivitely and/or professionally.  I’m simply not that coordinated, so I enjoy living vicariously through them while reading.  Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe is a debut novel that I’m eager to read.  I’m sure my girls in class will be all over this book as well :)

What book are you waiting for this week?

Title and Author: Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Release Date: October 13, 2011

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Summary (From Goodreads): When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she’s deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem’s muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she’s chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.

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