Author Round-Up/Giveaway!

As summer is winding to a close, I thought it would be fun to ask some of our YA Fresh author friends (who have joined us here recently) to tell us about a book they’ve recently read and loved.


So here we go, in no particular order:

Kelly Parra: "This summer I revisited one of my favorites...This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. It's no secret I love a tough-girl story with a unique boy who softens her up. Add this one to your reading--or REreading--list for an awesome summer read!"

Kay Cassidy: “Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is amazing. The heroine is so relatable, and the things she faces made me question everything from survival strategies in our technology-dependent world to what family really means. I went around for weeks afterward worrying that we didn't have enough supplies in our pantry. It's that kind of extraordinary read."

Wendy Toliver: “One book I really enjoyed reading this summer was Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. It's a thrilling and unpredictable story of forbidden love between a teenaged girl and a fallen angel. I enjoyed it so much I wrote her a fan email and found out she lives where I used to live. So when I was driving through there this summer she was kind enough to meet up with me and we had a marvelous time together."

Inara Scott: “I would like to recommend Flash Burnout by LK Madigan. Why I liked it? A completely real male protagonist that I adored; a bit of mystery; and absolutely phenomenal writing.”

Jessica Brody: “The Espressologist by Kristina Springer. Although I love a good vampire or ‘the world is ending’ book as much as the next person, sometimes you're in the mood for something light and uplifting, rather than dark and suspenseful. Especially on a warm summer day by the pool! This book totally did the trick for me! It was one of the most adorable books I've ever read, about a barista who plays matchmaker based on people's coffee drinks! Short and sweet and left me smiling. :)"

Amy Goldman Koss: "I LOVE the character Billy Bloom in Freak Show by James St. James. The plot is only so-so, and the conclusion doesn't ring true, but the main character Billy (a teen drag-queen) is BRILLIANTLY written. He's TOUCHING and BRAVE and STUPID and UNIQUE and FUNNY and REAL and WONDERFUL. To read him is to love him."

Stephanie Hale: "My favorite book this summer was The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. I could NOT put this book down, yet I never wanted it to end. The main character Violet can sense the echoes of people who were murdered and can also pick up imprints on their killer. It was so suspenseful! It also had a very sweet love story to balance out the morbidness of Violet's hidden ability."

Swati Avasthi: “Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. In addition to the strong voices and interesting story, I thought the emphasis on friendship and how that sees you through high school was a seldom-discussed theme, especially for lit for guys. And I thought that the way that each Will Grayson saw Tiny Dancer was fabulous; what a great way to round a character.”

Holly Cupala: "It's been such a terrific year for YA, it's impossible to choose just one…but I really enjoyed Holly Schindler's debut novel, A Blue So Dark. Holly’s voice is as sharp as an ice pick, her observations astute and often very, very funny. It’s a moving portrait of a girl letting go of her past and discovering her gifts."

Tera Lynn Childs: “Firelight by Sophie Jordan! It's a breathtaking, ill-fated romance between a girl descended from dragons and the boy whose family hunts her kind. There are all the elements that make it a keeper for me: desperate romance, heart-pounding action, danger, sacrifice, and a beautifully-developed world that will leave you wondering whether there might be a draki living next door."

Tina Ferraro: “I had to force myself to put down A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass--so that it wouldn’t end. I was drawn in from its truly original prologue as the main character uses colored chalk to solve a math problem to its beautiful conclusion that had me tearing up. I passed it along to two teens, one with an interest in psychology, the other math, and both were equally amazed, proving to me the wide range of this novel. Wonderful.”

Okay, so starting NOW, please leave a comment about one of these books and why you'd like to read it, and be entered to win a $10.00 Amazon electronic gift certificate. (All of these recommended books are selling new on Amazon.com, with most well under $10.00.) I’ll randomly pick two winners! Check back on Monday to see the winners!