Smashing Summer - Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell Giveaway!

Alex lives in East Berlin. The cold war is raging and he and his family are forbidden to leave. But the longer he stays the more danger he is in. Alex is no longer pretending to be a model East German, and the Stasi has noticed. They are watching him.

 

Alex is told that further education will be blocked to him. His summer job is mysteriously cancelled, and friends begin avoiding him.

 

His parents start to realise that leaving the East may be the only option left to them, but getting across the Wall is practically impossible. And even if Alex and his family make it to the other side, will they be able to escape the reach of the Stasi?

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to win one of three copies of Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell!

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Girltank & Catching Suki by Sarah Alderson

Our goal: Find 10,000 young women social entrepreneurs, innovators and heroes.

We want to show the world that young women from every region of the planet are making powerful contributions to society and leading social change. We want to tell your stories!

So send us the names of the best examples of young women innovators from Chicago to Hong Kong to Capetown to Buenos Aires. Then spread the word to your networks!

As a thank you, each entry will receive a copy of “Catching Suki,” a short story by U.K.-based author Sarah Alderson (Hunting Lila and Fated).

And we will raffle off these prizes:

• $25 Amazon gift card
• $100 self-care package from LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
• Apple iPad2
• An all-access pass to TED Global Conference 2013

Visit Girltanks Facebook page to nominate a young woman who is making a difference in the world. How cool is it that you get a copy of Catching Suki for free!! 

Smashing Summer - The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler Giveaway!

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to win one of two copies of The Future of Us!

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REVIEW: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

title: Wonderstruck
author: Brian Selznick
Rating: 4.5/5

from the acclaimed author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret comes a the wonderful new book, Wonderstruck.

Ben, a boy from Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977,  longs for the father he has never known. A young girl, Rose from 1927 New Jersy,  dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook and the dazzling lights of New York. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room, and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing. (blurb from wonderstruck website) 

i absolutley enjoyed reading this novel. i loved watching the 2 stories unfold together, Ben's in words and Rose's in pictures. the 2 thread story worked beautifully, supporting each other and coming togther nicely at the end, though it was a tad clique and unrealistic it was a lovely ending.

this book is set mainly in New York, with special emphasis on the Museum of Natural History. it is such a rich setting. i'd read this book just for the settings. if you are a lover of NYC or New york set stories such as those of David Levithan, then you will love this.

while we did get to know the characters, esecially Ben, i'd have loved to see more character development. i really wanted to know more. i felt a bit like i didn't Really get to know them, though what i knew i really liked. Ben was endering.

as you can see the pictures are just beautiful. my favourite, or one of, is page 196/7.  i really loved Wonderstruck, it's a great book to just read, but would be PERFECT for sharing with someone younger, as it really is a childrens/ young YA novel.

Post by Anna from Cherry Banana Split 

for more information about Wonderstruck: 

Launch Party for Martin Cusworth's new novel - "Do You Know Lucy"

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Lucy is a young teenage girl who has been thrown out of home after an altercation with her self-obsessed mother.

Along in a rundown rented terrace house she is left to fend for herself.

Lucy has a few things going for her - her youthful beauty, her ability to roll with the punches and a canny survival instinct.

In the end she will need all of these.

Drug dealers, sexual predators and a murderer litter her wake as she uses her wiles to survive in a contemporary Australia where stories liker hers are all too common.

Lucy's story is a snapshot of life in a  modern Australia city set against the backdrop of an uplifting love story.

Launch Party

Thursday 1st March

7pm onwards

$15 per person on entry includes wine and cheese

Full cash bar available

Venue:

Carilley Estate Winery

Hyem Road, Herne Hill

RSVP:

28th February

08 9274 8797 or

cranesafety@bigpond.com

Smashing Summer - Giveaway: Elixir & Devoted by Hilary Duff

Elixir

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

Devoted
Clea is back and is still searching for the answers about her missing father and her connection with the elusive and dangerous Sage. But will her discoveries put her in even greater danger?


Just fill out the Rafflecopter form to win one of 2 sets of Hilary Duff's Elixir & Devoted!

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Be my Valentine

Yes, I said it! Be my valentine... One of the many phrases (besides we need to talk) that can create either an overwhelming joy or a deep depression. Rejection or acceptance, feelings, social constructs, forget about them all; as both you and I know that a book or its characters can never let you down.

So this Valentines day, try a book. You never know; it might be true love.

Anna and the french Kiss by Stephanie Pekins

The statistical probability of love at first sight by Jennifer E Smith

The fault in our stars by John Green

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Kisses For Lula by Samantha Mackintosh

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

And, an anthology, all about "He Said, She Said."

So, tell us: 

"What are you reading this Valentines Day?"

A Night With Our Stars 2012

 

Westbooks is once again hosting the annual Children's Book Council Awards event 'A NIGHT WITH OUR STARS' which showcases West Australian authors and illustrators who were published in 2011.

Anyone from the public can go. Tickets cost $25 and you must RSVP. The authors speaking will be available for signings and you can buy books on the night.

As you can see above, there is a lot of fantastic WA talent to see.

I went last year so if you have any questions please feel free to email me at thetalescompendium@hotmail.com

REVIEW: The statistical probability of love at first sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date: 2nd January 2012
My Rating: 4/5

THIS REVIEW IS FROM THE TALES COMPENDIUM

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.


In A Nutshell:
A light, quick, romance novel that is great for escaping but could otherwise benefit from being longer with more character development.

Read the rest of the review at The Tales Compendium here.

Smashing Summer - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Giveaway!

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to win one of two copies of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer! This is a fantastic book, you really don't want to miss out on this one. Noah Shaw is swoon worthy. *sigh*

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Penguin Presents Melina Marchetta

love this melina marchetta interview. i found it the other day just after finishing Piper's Son.

this is from the penguin youtube channel enjoy!

you can read my review of Piper's Son here.

REVIEW: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: "Delirium"
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: YA dystopian/romance
Release date: February 1, 2011
Format: paperback, 441 pages
Publisher: Harperteen
Source: bought from Dymocks
Other details: on my Aussie Swap list
My rating: 3.5 stars

THIS REVIEW IS FROM CHIMNEYS AND MAGIC

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

It took me a while to get into the swing of things with Delirium. I felt really uneasy about this dystopian world where love is really a disease. The second half of the book is where things really started to happen. I don't think it was that I was starting to understand their society better, I just think the second half of the novel was better because more exciting things were happening. The introduction of Alex and Lena's relationship was just the beginning.

Read the rest of the review at Chimneys and Magic here.

Smashing Summer - Interview & giveaway with Rebecca Lim!

Hi Rebecca, thanks for stopping by Perth YA Fans Unite.

Thanks for inviting me along! So honoured and chuffed to be here.

For those who have not heard of you or your books, could you give potential readers a rundown?

The Mercy books feature an amnesiac, fallen archangel who is cast into the bodies and lives of a chain of different human protagonists for protection. As her memory begins to return, she needs to try and make sense of who she is and what she can do, as well as do the best for the person whose life she has collided with. She's at the centre of a celestial power struggle between warring factions as well as finding herself falling for a human boy called Ryan Daley, just to complicate things a little.

In my old life, I used to draft prospectuses and offer documents (enough said), so I'm really happy to be writing for an engaged, intelligent and kick ass young adult audience instead.  

There are already three books in the Mercy series, are there going to be any more?

The series was always planned as a quartet, as the first novel introduces us to Mercy and her seriously stuffed-up world, the second (Exile) brings into more focus the beings who placed her in the predicament she's in, the third novel (Muse) tells you why she fell, and the final novel Fury (due out in March/April 2012) is just completely different from the other three novels and seeks to tie all the threads of mystery together. Hopefully, you'll think it is the best of the series because I threw everything that I had at it, and it's my favourite. 

What can readers expect from the Mercy series?

Mystery, thrills, romance that isn't forced or unnatural, choir nerds, Latin, cool scenarios, fire and brimstone fight scenes.

Describe Mercy in five words.

A complete hard ass.

Has the story or a character done something that you had not planned?

A few of the secondary characters have surprised me by being a lot more vocal and lovable than I thought they would be. I could give Gia Basso her own series, for example. I love her. Some of the archangels that crop up in Muse and Fury are to die for, too.

How would you explain the Paranormal world you have created?

Hopefully it has depth, subtlety and a creepy, otherworldly elegance to it. I'm not interested in having a female protagonist that just plays along with what the guys want, that doesn't reflect real life for me. In Mercy's world, the women and the men are all strong and all fearsome in their own ways. It's not about the weak girl and the "hot" supernatural guys who are inexplicably drawn to her fragility.

What is the last great book you read?

I wasn't able to read as much as I liked while I was writing the series, so since Fury is almost at the printers now, I've been able to get stuck back into reading. I'm a genre-masher when I read and when I write, so in the last month I've read Michel Faber's "The Crimson Petal and the White" (awesome, dirty, sprawling, divinely written), Kylie Chan's "White Tiger" (like Jane Eyre crossed with a chop-socky movie, so fun), Kim Harrison's "Dead Witch Walking" (so cool and snarky) and I'm deep into Daniel Silva's latest assassin thriller and Victoria Schwab's  YA fantasy novel, "The Near Witch". There's still a massive bag of books in the corner of my room I have yet to rip into, so I'll be working my way through a few Rachel Vincents and Anna Godbersens in the near future.

If you were a Superhero, what would your name be?

Goldy Trentwood, long story.

Thanks again for letting me stop by! Have a fantastic year YA readers of Perth, there are so many awesome books out there. 


Fill out the Rafflecopter form to win one of three signed sets of the Mercy series! How awesome is that!? Tell you friends about Perth YA Fans Unite, there's a whole month of Smashing Summer goodness coming up, so keep checking back for more awesome giveaways.