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Graphic Novel Review: Evelyn Evelyn
Media Type: Graphic Novel Title: Evelyn Evelyn Authors: Amanda Palmer, Jason Webley Illustrator: Cynthia von Buhler Publisher: Dark Horse Pages: Hardcover; 144 Release Date: September 14, 2010 Source: NetGalley Enthusiasts of genuine tragedy and celebrity intrique, gird your mental loins for an authentic tale of unbelievable hardship and epic catastrophe! This wholly true and accurate account details the extraordinary lives of Evelyn and Evelyn, a darling but unfortunate pair of conjoined twins who brave extreme circumstances of calamity and adversity, such as the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking…
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Book Review: Dark Parties
Media Type: Print Book Title: Dark Parties Author: Sara Grant Publisher: Little, Brown BYR Pages: Hardcover; 320 Release Date: August 3, 2011 Source: NetGalley =================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild violence; sexual situations HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield “protects” them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there’s nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the…
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Graphic Novel Review: The Last Dragon
Media Type: Graphic Novel Title: The Last Dragon Author: Jane Yolen Illustrator: Rebecca Guay Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Pages: Hardcover; 144 Release Date: October 4, 2011 Source: NetGalley Master storyteller Jane Yolen (Owl Moon, Sword of the Rightful King) and celebrated fantasy artist Rebecca Guay (Swamp Thing, Magic: The Gathering) weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way. Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew-with only a healer’s daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its…
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Graphic Novel Review: Secrets, Monsters & Magic Mirrors
Media Type: Graphic Novel Title: Secrets, Monsters & Magic Mirrors Author: Donald B. Lemke Illustrator: Various Publisher: Capstone Pages: Paperback; 176 Release Date: August 1, 2011 Source: NetGalley Five of the world’s greatest fairy tales are retold in the popular and attractive graphic novel format. Beautiful, bold illustrations give these timeless tales a modern edge. The stories include Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Princess and the Pea, Snow White, and Thumbelina. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Librarything / Amazon Overall, Secrets, Monsters & Magic Mirrors is a pretty nice retelling of fairy tales. What really kept me from…
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Book Review: Torn
Media Type: Book Title: Torn Author: Erica O’Rourke Publisher: Kensington Pages: Paperback; 336 Release Date: June 28, 2011 Source: Publisher ———————————————— Content Screening: Mild violence; sexual situations HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy multi-layered reads with strong characters. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Librarything / Amazon / B&N Everyone has secrets. Even best friends. Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the ‘L’, a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it’s directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn’t pass…
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Book Review: Running from Secrets
Media Type: Ebook Title: Running from Secrets Author: Stephanie Void Publisher: Self-published Pages: Ebook; 198 Release Date: January 23, 2010 Source: Author ================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Mild violence HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Bethany has never felt as alone as she feels in Linwood—until she dreams up Chime, a woman on the run because of a magic crime she didn’t commit. The dreams get more and more urgent, so Bethany tries to banish them by writing them down, only to discover she’s stumbled into the role of unwitting controller of Chime’s world.<br><br>Chime is real…
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Book Review: Ruby Red
Media Type: Print Book Title: Ruby Red Author: Kerstin Gier Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Pages: Hardcover; 324 Release Date: May 10, 2011 Source: Publisher =================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Very mild violence HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart Gwyneth Shepherd’s sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her…
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Book Review: Henrietta the Dragon Slayer
Media Type: Print Book Title: Henrietta the Dragon Slayer Author: Beth Barany Publisher: Firewolf Books Pages: Paperback; 236 Release Date: June 17, 2011 Source: Author =================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: None HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of the Kingdom of Bleuve, can’t stomach the thought of one more kill. Yet, in order to save her dying mentor, she must go on one last quest. But will misfit companions, seasickness, and an ego maniacal king derail the quest for the healing stone? And will she be able to cut past her conscience…
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Book Review: Galstanberry #2
Media Type: Print Book Title: Galstanberry #2 Author: G.S. Wolff Publisher: Wolf House Books Pages: Paperback; 182 Release Date: June 21, 2011 Source: Publisher ================== Intended Reading Group: Middle Grade/Lower YA Content Screening: Nothing HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart The second installment in the Galstanberry series, Book #2, follows the 5 characters–Lillian, Brandi, Fei, Tabitha, and Nisha– as they navigate Galstanberry Girls Academy. Who rooms with whom? What traditions are followed? Readers and the 5 characters will discover the TRUE meaning of “Galstanberry Girl”. Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon In this second installment of the…
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Book Review: The Circle Cast
Media Type: Print Book Title: The Circle Cast Author: Alex Epstein Publisher: Tradewind Books Pages: Paperback; 300 Release Date: January 4, 2011 Source: Author =================== Intended Reading Group: Young Adult Content Screening: Violence HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart How did an exiled girl become the most powerful witch in legend? Britain, 480 AD. Saxon barbarians are invading, pushing the civilized British out of their own island. Morgan is the daughter of the governor of Cornwall. But when her father is murdered and her mother taken as the King’s new wife, she has to flee to Ireland to avoid…