This year :01 ("First Second"), an imprint of Macmillan, is celebrating ten years of publishing fantastic graphic novels for kids and teens. To help them celebrating, we're spotlighting one fantastic :01 title each month through the rest of 2016. Today's featured title is: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang All Jin Wang wants is... Continue Reading →
A new fairy tale for a new generation of readers, The Girl in the Tower by Lisa Schroeder will charm you with its big heart, sweet story, and enchanting writing. Ever since she can remember, ten-year-old Violet and her mother have been locked away in a tower by the evil Queen Bogdana, who has the... Continue Reading →
An irreverent and compellingly unique story about death, grieving, and moving on, I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan successfully mixes the macabre and morose with a lighthearted twist on the afterlife. When you’re sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you. Unless you’re Sarah. Not to give anything away, but... Continue Reading →
With a touch of magic realism, Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke sets out to explore what exactly makes someone a hero or a villain. Every story needs a hero. Every story needs a villain. Every story needs a secret. Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is... Continue Reading →
Here's a look at today's new YA releases: This is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang A heart-wrenching novel about best friends on a collision course with the real world from Amy Zhang, the critically acclaimed Indies Introduce and Indie Next author of Falling into Place. Janie and Micah, Micah and Janie. That’s how... Continue Reading →
An explosive and powerful debut novel, The Way I Used Be by Amber Smith is an intense and moving portrayal of trauma, and the uncertain path towards recovery. Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.... Continue Reading →
A guide book for finding creative uses for common trash, Junk Re-Thunk by Brian Yanish is the kind of book my younger self would have LOVED. Welcome to Scrap City, home of an inventive tribe of creatures called ScrapKins. Using materials that people throw away (empty soda bottles and cans, milk cartons, cereal boxes, and... Continue Reading →
Today's review is part of the official blog tour for The Serpent King. Please be sure to keep reading for more about the book, the author, and links to the rest of the blog tour. An explosive and gut-wrenching novel about growing up and defining oneself, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner has all the... Continue Reading →
The past few months have been busy ones here at Novel Novice, gearing up for and then revealing our new blog design -- which included a move to WordPress.org and implementing the amazing Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin from Nosegraze. (I'm still updating old reviews to be indexed with the new plugin.) I had a lot... Continue Reading →
Just in time for spring comes Joyous Blooms to Color by Eleri Fowler, the perfect seasonal coloring book to sooth you while those March and April showers prepare to bring you May flowers. Wander along a winding path with intricate, gorgeous illustrations of natural settings, lovingly represented in this delicately rendered coloring book. From landscapes of... Continue Reading →
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