Spotlight: Books I Would Like To See Published in the UK

I am showcasing the books that are out in the USA this month that I would dearly love to see in the UK.

Title: Being Friends With Boys

Author: Terra Elan McVoy

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: 1 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and she likes it that way. She likes being the friend who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl's perspective on their love lives. Likes being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for the boys' band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free...until it isn't any more.

When a new boy enters the scene and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl...and two of her other friends have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them deciding he possibly wants to be more than friends with Char...being friends with all these boys suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

It just sounds sooooo good.

Title: Enchanted

Author: Alethea Kontis

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Publication Date: 8 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Don't you just love the sound of this fairytale re-telling

Title: First Comes Love

Author: Katie Kacvinsky

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: 8 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what’s next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they’re going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you’re sorry.

One word SWOON

Title: A Breath of Eyre

Series: Unbound

Author: Eve Marie Mont

Publisher: Melia Publishing Services Ltd

Publication Date: 14 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

Seriously different. Plus a great way to inspire the teens to read a classic (maybe). Plus Jane Eyre is one of my fave books EVER.
Update: I won a copy from the fabulous April at Good Books and Good Wine. I am so excited to read it.

Title: From What I Remember...

Author: Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Publication Date: 15 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.

MAX: It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in TIjuana. WIth less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.

WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring thier passports across the border--but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.

LILY: I just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up without a fight.

This has been on my list since the beginning of the year but Gingers review topped it over the edge and now I am tracking it down (cheaply) read her review HERE

Title: Hollyweird

Author: Terri Clark

Publisher: Flux Books

Publication Date: 8 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Aly King is about to fall for the fallen

My best friend, Des, and I totally freaked when we won the contest to meet THE Dakota Danvers in Hollywood. But now we’re finding out he’s SO not the angel everyone believes him to be. In fact, Dakota is the son of Satan, wreaking havoc on Hollywood and creating an evil army hellbent on world domination.

Lucky for us, Dakota’s super-cute personal assistant, Jameson, is a fallen angel trying to get his wings back, and he’s working undercover to squash his demon boss’s plan. If Jameson hadn’t taken me under his wing I’d be in serious trouble, because I’m a total newb when it comes to conquering evil. But, truth be told, that sexy angel’s got me all aflutter and may be one temptation I can’t resist.

Seriously me and angels [ ; D ] 

Title: Unbreak My Heart

Author: Melissa Walker

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publication Date: 22 May 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

Sounds like the perfect escape book for the Summer [ : D ]

Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom

Title: Ditched: A Love Story

Author: Robin Mellom

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Publication Date: 3 Jan 2012

Challenge: DAB

Source: Bought

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis from Goodreads

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat, handle first. 

Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice. 

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. 

And then ditched her. 

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together -- stain by stain on her thrift-store dress -- exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...
But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

REVIEW

A fantastic, quirky book that is very hard to review without giving away any spoilers.

Written in first person narrative from the perspective of Justina, attending the prom with her best friend (although she wants it to be more). So how did she end up in a ditch in the early hours of the morning covered in various food stains. The story is based around the events of the previous evening. Told in a series of flashbacks focusing on aspects of Justina's appearance as their basis.

Justina is a wonderful character, the odd one out at her high school as she isn't from a wealthy family, she only just scrapes into the catchment area of an affluent zip code. She buys her clothes from a thrift store and soon learns to only wear black as her rich classmates cant tell if they previously owned them that way. Her mother is a bit overbearing and stuck in an 80's time-warp, yet her heart is on the right place.

I dont want to go into details about the plot because it really would spoil the story. That would be a shame because you really should read it for yourselves. What I will say is that although the main focus of the book is the relationship between Justina and Ian there is far more to it than that.

The plot shows that you can find friends in some very unlikely places. You should never jump to conclusions until you have all the facts. Making assumptions can lead to all the wrong things especially when you listen to other people that only have their own interests at heart. Communication is vital.

High school cliques are shown in full force especially how hard it is to get rid of a bad reputation once you have one. The use of the 'frenemy' was a wonderful addition to the plot. As well as how outward appearances can most certainly be deceptive.

This is so much more than a 'romance'; a story of self-acceptance, friendship alongside the romance as well as not being afraid to take a chance and be who you really are.

A fun, quirky debut that I would love to see published in the UK.I am sure a lot of my pupils would love it.

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Near Witch
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2 Aug 2011
Source: Loaned from the lovely Lynsey at Narratively Speaking

Synopsis from Goodreads

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

REVIEW

Firstly I have to say that I have already complained to Victoria that there was no where near enough snogging in this book. You may ask why I wanted more snogging in a book about a witch - well it would have stopped me from being so flippin terrified of said witch [ : P ]

The writing style is so amazingly descriptive that it took me right into the story with no effort on the part of my imagination at all. Lets be honest here, I have an extremely vivid imagination, therefore to not have to use then have it kick in alongside the descriptions was almost like being in the story myself. Add in a first person narrative and I was right there.

The historical setting complete with candlelight and wood stoves added to the overall imagery and atmosphere of the story. I really do think the candlelight actually added to the tension, I was just waiting for the candles to blow out. Creeptastic. Parallel imagery of the Pied Piper popped into my head with the music that leads the children away. The way in which stories were passed down was just brilliantly portrayed and wonderful to imagine (the books of the past).

The description of The Near Witch in the folk-tale within the story brought to mind images of the Triad Goddess - Maiden, Mother, Crone. I am just interested whether anyone else had that image or if it was just me. Honestly I actually had goosebumps at the tale of The Near Witch, it was chilling. I could feel myself holding my breath at certain points, this is how immersed in the story I was.

Lexi is such a brilliant character - strong and independent, yet her love for her family is what drives her. She doesn't conform to social pressure but does what is right rather than what is expected. The constraints placed upon girls within this time setting is powerfully portrayed, even down to how they are expected to eat. I mean I like good manners and try to get my children to eat nicely but there is a limit.

I adored Lexi's little sister, Wren, she is just an adorable bundle of sweetness. Plus the way in which children at that time period made up their own games and were happy to play with toys baked from dough instead of wanting Nintendo's and mobile phones was just lovely to picture. (So much cheaper too, lol).

What really stood out for me was the powerful depiction of how insular people can be. Narrowing their minds so mush so that the whole world only exists in their own area. Anything out of this sphere is regarded with suspicion. The description of the hills as Lexi and Cole are walking reinforces that there is more to the world than the box we put ourselves in. Fear and ignorance are to blame for a lot of things as this story poignantly portrays.

This book brings to mind the original dark fairy-tales and the folk-lore that has been developed over time all woven together. As I said earlier the writing style is so descriptive it draws you right into the story, the way in which the tension is drawn out is just brilliant. If you like creepy folk-tales then this book is definitely for you. I for one cannot wait to see what Miss Schwab comes out with next.