Amma's love of crosswords in Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl inspired us to create one in her honor. After all, the woman who treats Ethan like a son and looks out for him deserves a little recognition. Although you won't find words like "I.N.C.O.M.M.O.D.I.O.U.S."  (p. 200) in our puzzle, all the clues... Continue Reading →

Sorry this wasn't posted yesterday -- I was a bit under the weather. This week's best sellers, according to The New York Times include Fallen by Lauren Kate (at No. 5) with whom we have a week of interviews! Read the first post in the series here. CHAPTER BOOKS This Week   Weeks on List 1 SWEET LITTLE... Continue Reading →

Kami has just officially announced the "Unlock the Curse" contest to coincide with their tour. The prize? Check it out! Here's what she has to say: We’ve been dropping hints, but now it’s official.  The Beautiful Creatures: Unlock the Curse Contest will begin this Sunday, February 21st – on the first night of our tour... Continue Reading →

Here are the best-selling chapter books for this week, according to The New York Times: CHAPTER BOOKS This Week   Weeks on List 1 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up) 73 2 CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic,... Continue Reading →

First there was electronic + mail = e-mail. Then there was Web + log = blog. Now, there's video + book = vook. Say what? Yeah, exactly. I'd never heard of it either until I saw somewhere that Anne Rice is turning a previously-published short story about vampires (yay!) into a vook, which, according to http://www.vook.com, is... Continue Reading →

(The Lonely Hearts Club will be the featured book of the month for March here on Novel Novice. Check out this review and then tell us what you think.) The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg Synopsis: I, Penny Lane Bloom, do solemnly swear to never date another boy for as long as I shall live.... Continue Reading →

Of course, Ethan and Lena are fictional characters, but you might be related to someone with stories that are just as exciting. Genealogy -- tracing one's family tree -- has been very popular over the past few years. In Beautiful Creatures, Ethan's family tree appears on page 95. Both sides of Lena's family are mapped... Continue Reading →

 Wondering what the rest of the country is reading? Here's this week's top 10 according to The New York Times. (Our book of the month for February, Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, is no. 7). CHAPTER BOOKS This Week   Weeks on List 1 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In... Continue Reading →

There are two new reading guides over at Teenreads. These list book information and discussion questions, which would also make good essay topics. The featured books are Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson and Out with the In Crowd by Stephanie Morrill.

This past week, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), named its 2010 list of Best Books for Young Adults. This week, Novel Novice will be featuring the top 10, so here are day three's titles. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker and Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. Synopsis: Bright white... Continue Reading →