Friday, March 20, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Between Us and the Moon by Rebecca Maizel




About The Book:

A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Expected publication: June 30th 2015 by Harper Teen




Review:

Between Us And The Moon is a great summer story. As summer comes I am thinking beaches, fruits, and long walks on the beach. After looking at the cover of this book I knew I was going to read this book and love it.Summer romances happen all summer long and sometimes they last and sometimes they don't. I will not give away the ending but it is definitely perfect for this book.

This book is about a girl Sarah who lives in the shadow of her older sister Scarlett. She wants to be like her sister outgoing and have lot's of friend and a great boyfriend.But Sarah is just a simple girl who likes what she likes. Then Sarah and her family go to the Cape for the summer and she decides she is going to reinvent herself and be more like her sister.

This is where the story had me reading fast because she meets Andrew who is much older and in college and Sarah starts to lie and her lies snowball and things get a little crazy. When the summer is over and Sarah has to make a decision to tell the truth or keep up the lie what will she choose?

Summer love can either make or break the heart........... 


About The Author:

Rebecca Maizel hails from Rhode Island, where she teaches high school literature at her alma mater the Wheeler School. She tries not to force her students to read her books, though. Rebecca is the author of several published novels for young adults, and recently achieved an MFA in Writing for Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She also enjoys Indian food, her dog Georgie, and running moderately long distances.

Fans
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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents The Leveller (The Leveller #1) by Julia Durango



About The Book:

Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them.

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nixy’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s tricked-out virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end. 

Hardcover, 256 pages

Expected publication: June 23rd 2015 by HarperCollins


Review:

First off let me tell you something this book is the shiz ni eeee or sugar honey ice tea because I do not play video games but my son and husband are gamers and they loved the story. I started reading out loud to my son and then my husband started listening and they loved it. They kept asking me how I could get the second book and I told them to slow down let the first book come out first then we talk about book two.

A video programmer has created this new game that is all the rave with the kids called MEEP. It is a virtual world where the kids can do whatever they want and have no responsibilities. The only draw back to the game is that in reality the kids stay asleep the entire time they are playing. 

So the parents hire Nixy a self made leveller who goes in the game and gets the kids back to reality home to their parents where they belong. Then she gets the biggest case she has ever had and that is the game developer's son is in the game and no one can find him. So the father hires Nixy and she soon learns that this game is playing for keeps and will not let go of Wyn without a fight. And that is what Wyn and Nixy do. They fight together to get out but everything is not what it seems and they are in for a true battle to get out of the game and back home.


About The Author:


Portrait of Julia by Bridget Stevenson 

I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Greiders. They always called me Julie when I was a kid, not Julia (too adult-sounding!), and I still go by both names. Due to my father's job, our family moved often. My older sister, Sherry, and I attended seven different schools in five states from California to Rhode Island. We never minded, as we always had each other wherever we went. It helped that we were close in age — born exactly one year and one week apart.

Julie & Sherry, 1970 

When Sherry started school ahead of me and began learning how to read, I was SO jealous! But my sis was nice enough to come home every day and teach me how to read. By the time I started Kindergarten, I was an avid reader. Now Sherry is a teacher and reading specialist...and I still love to read.

Julia & friends in Bogotá, Colombia 

In 1985 I left home to attend the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where I received degrees in Latin American Studies and Political Science. I traveled frequently to Latin America during that time, but mostly to Colombia, where I worked in a program for street children. I loved working with the kids, but it was also very sad to meet so many kids without homes or families. I later co-authored a chapter in Hate Crime: the Global Politics of Polarization about the abuse and murder of Colombian street children. I still travel to Colombia whenever I can.


Now I live with my sons in Ottawa, Illinois, where I spend my days reading and making up stories.

Press Photos:

Photo credit: Lori Nicoli 



Around The World ARC Tours Presents The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman



About The Book:

Ten years ago, seven-year-old Samantha and her next door neighbor Remy watched helplessly as Sam's little sister was kidnapped. Later, Remy and Sam identified the man and he was sent to prison.

Now, Sam's shattered family is returning to her childhood home in an effort to heal. As long-buried memories begin to surface, she and Remy wonder what they really saw. The more they re-examine the events of that fateful night, the more questions they have about what happened to Turtle . . . and they become more certain that Turtle's killer is still out there, hidden amongst the members of their tight-knit community.

Master storyteller Jessica Warman keeps readers guessing in an arresting page-turner that questions whether the potential for evil lurks within us all.

ebook, 304 pages

Expected publication: May 12th 2015 by Walker Childrens


Review:

What can I say about this book without giving away everything....... It reminded me of the Ramsey case and that was very scary because I remember my parents telling me to always lock the door and never ever go anywhere unless you go with someone else.

Sam and her best friend Remy watch as someone kidnaps Sam's little sister Turtle. As the police look for the kidnapper Sam's family decides to move away for awhile to heal. But not even moving can heal them so they move back to the old house and try to get on. Sam and Remy start to rethink about the kidnapping and what they really saw and who they really saw. Being so young they are not sure that they have the right man in prison.

As things start to come back to the girls in flashes they realize they may have not have seen what they told the police and the wrong man may be in prison. Is there a predator lurking in there neighborhood that everyone loves and trusts or is the right man in prison and the girls just don't remember because they were so young?

This story will have you at the end of your seat wanting to read faster just to find out if the girls were wrong or if they were right.

You will need your tissues for this one because I did.


About The Author:

JESSICA WARMAN is the author of Breathless, Where the Truth Lies, and Between, which have received six starred reviews among them. Between was published in a total of twelve countries around the world. Jessica has an MA in creative writing and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat



About The Book:

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

Hardcover, 400 pages

Expected publication: June 16th 2015 by Harper Teen


Review:

Between The Notes was a great book. It really made me think about my life and how I had it all and lost it in a blink of an eye and now I am trying to recover from the losses I have suffered.

Ivy has it all. She is rich and lives in a nice neighborhood and has a nice house and a great life in general until one day she loses it all and goes from riches to rags. Her father has lost his good job and they have to move out of the only home Ivy has known and move to what she considers is the wrong side of the tracks. 

She has to go to a new school and make new friends so she lies to everyone about where she is from. But her lies are coming to an end soon because her next door neighbor is ready to rat her out and tell everyone she is poor and lives in a poor neighborhood and has been lying to everyone.

What will Ivy do if she is outed........

About The Author: 

Hi, there! I'm Sharon Huss Roat. I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, went to college at the University of Delaware, and worked in public relations for 20 years before discovering what I really wanted to be when I grew up! 


Atop the dome of Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris

(on a research trip for a future novel of course!) 

When not writing books for children and young adults, you might find me planting vegetables in my backyard garden, sewing costumes for a school musical, or finding excuses to travel abroad (it's research!). I live in Delaware with my husband (who makes fonts), my son (who makes music) and my daughter (who makes believe).

I'd love to hear from you! Email me here.

I'm also on Twitter, if you want to follow me there. That would be very nice.

I'm represented by Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency.

Around The world ARC Tours Presents Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger




About The Book:

Kody Keplinger returns to the world of The DUFF in this brand-new companion novel!

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with -- secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand -- a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy? 

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Scholastic


Review:

LOL had me laughing so hard because I know someone who did this to her best friend and when the guy found out he was super pissed off and their friendship ended.

I loved this story but I loved DUFF more. Sonny is a compulsive liar and at times she got on my nerves. Why couldn't she tell the truth? Why did she have to lie so much?

Then her best friend Amy was great. She is the friend that all girls wish they had. True and loyal to the end. She is always there for Sonny no matter what and that is was a true friend is. But to me she did not deserve Amy because to me Sonny was all about herself.

Then things get shaken up at school when a new boy arrives. Ryder comes from a prep school and is kind of a snob but there is just one thing he loves about his new school and that is Amy. So he asks Amy out and she thinks it is a joke at first but Ryder is serious about being with Amy. Only one thing Sonny wants Ryder for herself and she starts to talk to Ryder and all the while poor Ryder thinks he is talking to Amy but he is really talking to Sonny.

What happens in the end is EPIC and this is another must read by Kody!


About The Author:

Kody Keplinger was born and raised in small town western Kentucky, where she began her writing career after penning the New York Times and USA Today bestseller, The DUFF, at age seventeen.The DUFF, now a major motion picture, was chosen as an YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers and a Romantic Times Top Pick. Kody has since written other books for both young adult and middle grade readers. When she isn't writing, Kody is posting about fashion and body positivity on her Instagram, chatting about her favorite TV shows on Twitter, or making videos for her YouTube account. Kody is also the co-founder of Disability in KidLit and a teacher at the Gotham Writers Workshops in NYC.

Kody is active on social media, so feel free to reach out to her on Twitter,Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Joyride by Anna Banks



About The Book:

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh. 

Hardcover, 288 pages

Expected publication: June 2nd 2015 by Feiwel & Friends


Review:

Okay okay okay let me first start off by saying the author did an excellent job on the joining the rich with the immigrants. Immigration is a big issue in the news and for the author to write such a heart warming story that was both funny and sad at the same time tugged at my heart. The characters felt real life to me and I wanted to jump into the book and save Carly's family.

Carly is living with her older brother because her parents were deported back to Mexico. She is working and trying to save up the money to bring her parents back. She does everything right by going to work and helping her brother out. She is for All intense and purposes a good girl. Then she meets Arden and Lord things start to change for her.

Arden is a good guy but he has a grudge against his father who is the Sheriff of the town. Arden had a sister but she has passed away and Arden is heart broken and starts to self destruct. He used to do everything his father asked of him until his sister died and he blamed his dad for it. His father is so caught up in things that he can't stop to see that Arden needs help and the only reason why he gets in trouble is to piss his father off.

This book was an amazing read for me. It showed me what immigrants go through to stay in this country and what happens when they are deported. It also shows me that a person who has it all and loses it can go down a very dark path and fast and lose control.


About Author:

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012) OF TRITON (2013) OF NEPTUNE (2014). Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency. I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can't walk in high heels, but I'm very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Don’t Ever Change by M. Beth Bloom


About The Book:

Eva has always wanted to write a modern classic—one that actually appeals to her generation. The only problem is that she has realized she can't "write what she knows" because she hasn't yet begun to live. So before heading off to college, Eva is determined to get a life worth writing about.

Soon Eva's life encounters a few unexpected plot twists. She becomes a counselor at a nearby summer camp—a job she is completely unqualified for. She starts growing apart from her best friends before they've even left for school. And most surprising of all, she begins to fall for the last guy she would have ever imagined. But no matter the roadblocks, or writer's blocks, it is all up to Eva to figure out how she wants this chapter in her story to end.

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell,Don't Ever Change is a witty, snarky, and thought-provoking coming-of-age young adult novel about a teen who sets out to write better fiction and, ultimately, discovers the truth about herself.

ebook, 368 pages

Expected publication: July 7th 2015 by HarperTeen


Review:

This book is a great read for those of you who are graduating high school and going off to college. This is called the in between time where you are no longer considered a child but going into adulthood. I laughed at some of the things that Eva did and some of her choices she made. Making adult decisions was not always easy for her and she soon found out that life is not a book that can be written but a story that unfolds days by day and only when you become an adult can you write about teenage things.

Eva finds herself at a job she has never done and is trying so hard to do it. She has purposed in her mind that she is going to make something of herself before college begins so she can go to college knowing she did something and it was productive instead of hanging out with her friends doing nothing all summer.

What Eva finds out about herself is priceless and will help her during her years of college. This is one story you will love and never forget.


About Author:

M. Beth Bloom is a musician, video artist, and writer. Her fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly and Dave Eggers's Best American Non-Required Reading series. She lives in Los Angeles.