Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts

August 02, 2013

Nothing Man and the Purple Zero: Book Launch (Toronto)

Join

Richard Scarsbrook

award-winning author of young adult books,

Cheeseburger Subversive (Thistledown, 2003)
Featherless Bipeds (Thistledown, 2006)
The Monkeyface Chronicles (Thistledown, 2010)

for the launch of his newest book

Nothing Man and the Purple Zero
Dancing Cat Books
978-1-770863118 
240 pp.
Ages 12+

on
Monday, September 16, 2013

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

at

The Melody Room
in 
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West (at Gladstone)
Toronto, Ontario


Richard notes that, in addition to his reading of an excerpt from the book, "there will be a LIVE DRAMATIC PRESENTATION of a scene from the book, featuring LIVE PROFESSIONAL DRAMATIC ACTORS!"
(I'm so glad they're not DEAD professional dramatic actors. Whew!)

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Having not read the book yet, I can't say too much. But, the brief synopsis at the Dancing Cat Books website suggests a hilarious book about two teens who foil a robbery and then deal with the video of their feat going viral.

Read the synopsis at Dancing Cat Books website for all the reasons you'll want to get this book!

May 30, 2012

Chocolate Lily 2012 winners announced


Unlike the British Columbia book awards of Red Cedar and the Stellar Award programs, the Chocolate Lily Book Awards promote children's fiction by B. C. authors and B. C. illustrators. The three award categories for 2011/2012 were:
  1. Picture Book – for readers in Kindergarten to Grade 4
  2. Chapter Book – for Grades 3-6
  3. Novel – for Grades 5 to 8
The winners of the Chocolate Lily Book Awards were announced recently from the following shortlists announced last spring:


In the Picture Book Category (Kindergarten to Grade 3)

• Singing Away the Dark
by Caroline Woodward
Simply Read Books

• Great Lakes and Rugged Ground Imagining Ontario
by Sarah N. Harvey & Leslie Buffam
Orca Book Publishers

•  Stanley’s Little Sister
by Linda Bailey (BC)
Kids Can Press

• The Little Hummingbird
by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Greystone Books

Where are You Bear?
by Frieda Wishinsky
Illustrated by Sean L. Moore (BC)
Owl Kids

• Compost Stew an A to Z Recipe for the Earth
by Mary McKenna Siddals
Tricycle Press

The winner in the Picture Book Category is. . .
Stanley's Little Sister
by Linda Bailey
Kids Can Press


In the Chapter Book Category (Grades 3 – 5)

• Emily
by Julie Lawson
Penguin

• The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw
by Lois Peterson
Orca Book Publishers

• Ben’s Robot
by Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers

• Black Dog Dream Dog
by Michelle Superle
Tradewind Books

• No Pets Allowed
by Irene N. Watts
Tradewind Books

The winner in the Chapter Book Category is. . .
Black Dog, Dream Dog
by Michelle Superle
Tradewind Books


In the Novel Category  (Grades 5 – 8 )

• Hannah & the Spindle Whorl
by Carol Anne Shaw
Ronsdale Press

• Silver Rain
by Lois Peterson
Orca Book Publishers

• Follow the Elephant
by Beryl Young
Ronsdale Press

• Ghost of Heroes Past
by Charles Ried
Ronsdale Press

• No Moon
by Irene Watts
Tundra Books

• Dear George Clooney Please Marry Mom
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books

• Liar and Fools
by Robin Stevenson
Orca Book Publishers


The winner in the Novel Category is. . .
Follow the Elephant
by Beryl Young
Kids Can Press

 Congratulations 
authors, illustrators and publishers 
on your nominations and wins

October 09, 2011

My Beating Teenage Heart

by C. K. Kelly Martin
Random House
978-0-385-67042-5
288 pp.
Young Adult
2011

From an unknown perspective, Ashlyn Baptiste discovers herself watching 16-year-old Breckon Cody; it's either that or escape to a darkness where her senses don't perceive anything.  In fact, it is only through Breckon that Ashlyn pieces together her own name and memories, though what has brought her to this body-less status she has no comprehension, just as she has none regarding her role in Breckon's sphere.

Between alternating chapters of Ashlyn's and Breckon's voices, the death of Breckon's eight-year-old sister, Skylar, is revealed.  As his parents, girl friend, Jules, and friends, Ty and Big Red, wander into his consciousness, Breckon struggles to sleep, to feel, to play his appropriate roles.  Meanwhile Ashlyn is discovering her memories, some recent others deep-rooted, perceiving them in terms of Breckon and his experiences.  Without realizing it, he provides her with the basis for her memories and ultimately an appreciation of her obligation to him.

C. K. Kelly Martin's easily finds the voices of our teen protagonists, never too heavy handed.  Their responses to their circumstances are authentic, at times clear but sometimes confusing.  What teen doesn't know those personal conflicts?  Although almost 16 herself, Ashlyn plays the more naive teen to Breckon's more "experienced" persona (being sexually-active), a necessary juxtaposition to reveal how they need each other.