Countdown to Becky Wallace's THE SKYLIGHTER & Giveaway!

Just one more week until Becky Wallace's THE SKYLIGHTER hits shelves!

Everyone, I adored THE STORYSPINNER and feel so lucky to have read an early version of this next book in The Keepers' Chronicles! But I haven't read the final version and I'm so stoked about getting the hardcover of THE SKYLIGHTER that I'm giving away a copy! And if you haven't read THE STORYSPINNER yet, I'll give you a copy of that one as well!

*Just leave a comment and consider yourself entered~ I'll announce a winner next Monday, March 21, the day before the book is released.*
UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner is.... Sara! Congratulations, Sara! Please email me or get in touch via Twitter (handle: @JS_Lawson)

Here's what School Library Journal has to say about THE SKYLIGHTER:

"A compelling, unique world with Portuguese-inspired echoes of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind (DAW, 2007), this series is a must for fans of fantasy."

Here's a summary:
Johanna and Rafi are in a race against time to save their country before a power-mad Keeper destroys everything they hold dear in the “enthralling magical world” (Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles) introduced in The Storyspinner.

As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.

And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?

With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.

THE SKYLIGHTER- Other places to read reviews/interviews and win free stuff!


*Again, if the giveaway winner hasn't read THE STORYSPINNER, I'll be shipping a copy of it as well! Here are a couple of reviews to get you salivating:

"This first installment of The Keepers’ Chronicles is as engaging as fantasy gets, full of magic and romance, intrigue and espionage, epic battles and heartbreaking loss. The quicker the second book comes out, the better. This is definitely recommended for public and high school libraries." (VOYA)

"In this beautifully constructed first installment of a new fantasy series, Wallace creates a lush environment, interweaving unique characters. Recommended for fans of classic fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien) as well as more modern fantasy adventures by Melina Marchetta, Kristin Cashore, and Sarah J. Maas." (School Library Journal)

Midnight Without A Moon- Review and ARC Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to win Linda Williams Jackson's MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON from Caroline Starr Rose's blog (see the excellent interview HERE). In the spirit of sharing excellent literature, I'm going to pass the ARC along to one of you readers, in hopes that you'll read and review it as well. The book doesn't hit shelves until January 3, 2017, but this one deserves all the advanced buzz we can give it. Add it to your Goodreads "Want to Read" list if you have one!

UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner of the ARC is Melissa Guerrette! Congratulations, Melissa~ please email me your preferred mailing address. You can also get in touch w/ me via Twitter. My handle is JS_Lawson.

My Review (5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads):

This is the powerful story of Rose Lee Carter and her journey to find strength and purpose in a Jim Crow South on the verge of changes, set against fourteen-year-old Emmett Till's murder and trial (among other tragic, bigoted crimes). Vividly drawn characters and scene-setting will put readers right there with Rose, bursting with anger and sadness about the injustices she witnesses and endures, and struggling to make a decision about whether to seek a destiny outside of Mississippi, or to stay and be part of an important movement.

This book has it all from the first page~ setting, voice, character, heart, senses. Linda Williams Jackson's debut is just what Sharon G. Flake said in the blurb on the back of the ARC I read: "... an unflinching bird's eye view of 1955 Mississippi. A magnificent piece of writing!"

Okay, folks! Just leave a comment to be entered to win my advanced copy of MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON! I'll choose a winner on Friday, March 11.

UPDATE: Via Random.org, the winner of the ARC is Melissa Guerrette! Congratulations, Melissa~ please email me your preferred mailing address. You can also get in touch w/ me via Twitter. My handle is JS_Lawson.

As always, happy reading!

2016: First 3 Books Read and What's On My TBR List

So we're off to a new year of reading! So far, I've finished one adult book and two middle grades:


THE FAIR FIGHT kind of blew me away. I haven't read something that got me into the head of different characters in that particular way in quite awhile. I recommend it a whole bunch.



ORBITING JUPITER by Gary Schmidt just killed me in the best of ways. I knew it was going to be good after reading this BookPage interview/review, but I wasn't prepared for the raw power of the simple, pure, honest prose. I wasn't prepared for the ending, either. This is a book that I'm glad that I've read. One of those ones that you quietly think about every now and then long after finishing.
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I adored RED by Liesl Shurtliff! Her world-building is so rich in the senses. There are scenes full of enchantment and danger, and characters full of humor, heart, desires, and flaws. I can't wait for the next one in this companion novel series (RUMP, JACK, RED). I have an inkling about whose story might be next, but I'll keep it to myself.

More books I'm dying to read this year (please let me know in the comments what's on your list!):

The Skylighter, Becky Wallace  *will be doing a givaway*
Stars so Sweet, Tara Dairman *will be doing an ARC giveaway of this title!*
Booked, Kwame Alexander
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, Janet Fox
Lily and Dunkin, Donna Gephart
The Wild Robot, Peter Brown
Counting Thyme, Melanie Conklin
Hour of the Bees, Lindsay Eager
Grayling's Song, Karen Cushman
A Clatter of Jars, Lisa Graff
Pilfer Academy, Lauren Magaziner
Some Kind of Happiness, Claire Legrand

The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price, Jennifer Maschari

Forest of Wonders, Linda Sue Park

Paper Wishes, Lois Sepahban

The Key to Extraordinary, Natalie Lloyd

Pax, Sara Pennypacker

The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society, Janet Sumner Johnson

A Rambler Steals Home, Carter Higgins
The Luck Uglies 3: Rise of the Ragged Clover, Paul Durham

On a 2017 note, I'm already looking forward to Linda Jackson's MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON, which is MG historical fiction. It comes out on January 3, 2017. As I understand it, there will be a cover reveal and giveaway of that over at Caroline Starr Rose's blog soon!

Oh, and I should probably mention that my next book, Waiting for Augusta, will be out on May 10!

2015: Books Read & Loved

Hello! Hope you're all doing well as the year comes to a close.

Okay, here (in no particular order) are some of the books that I've read and enjoyed throughout 2015. Most of these were first-time reads, others were nostalgic re-reads (e.g., Karen Cushman, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sharon Creech). Feel free to chime in with your favorite books of the year!

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MIDDLE GRADE:

A Nearer Moon, Melanie Crowder

The Stars of Summer, Tara Dairman (2nd in a series~ Gladys Gatsby is SUCH a lovable protagonist)

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, Kelly Jones

Wish Girl, Nikki Loftin

Switch, Ingrid Law (LOVED this whole series- Savvy and Scumble are the first 2)
Bridget Wilder, Spy in Training, Jonathan Bernstein

The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Frank Cottrell Boyce (one of my fav authors!)

Fuzzy Mud, Louis Sachar

Stella by Starlight, Sharon Draper

The Hollow Boy: Lockwood & Co., Jonathan Stroud (LOVE this series)

The Blackthorn Key, Kevin Sands (great start to a new series)

Goodbye Stranger, Rebecca Stead

The Truth about Twinkie Pie, Kat Yeh

Secrets of Selkie Bay, Shelley Moore Thomas

Gracefully Grayson, Ami Polonsky

MORE MIDDLE GRADE:



Circus Mirandus, Cassie Beasley

The War that Saved My Life, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Wolf Wilder, Katherine Rundell

Curiosity House, the Shrunken Head, Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester

Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech

Love that Dog, Sharon Creech

The Unmapped Sea, Maryrose Wood

The Thing About Jellyfish, Ali Benjamin

The Friendship Riddle, Megan Frazer Blakemore

Crenshaw, Katherine Applegate

Roller Girl, Victoria Jamieson

Rules for Stealing Stars, Corey Ann Haydu

Lost in the Sun, Lisa Graff

The Detective’s Assistant, Kate Hannigan

The Thickety: The Whispering Trees, J.A. White

MORE MIDDLE GRADE:

Gone Crazy in Alabama, Rita Williams-Garcia (another series I've LOVED)

PS Be Eleven, Rita Williams-Garcia
One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia

Arcady’s Goal, Eugene Yelchin

Finding Ruby Starling, Karen Rivers

George, Alex Gino

Sunny Side Up, Jenni Holm

Milo Speck, Accidental Agent, Linda Urban

Moonpenny Island, Tricia Springstubb

Echo, Pam Munoz Ryan

Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans, Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder

A Plague of Boggles, Catherine Jinks
Jinx's Fire, Sage Blackwood (EXCELLENT series!)

MORE MIDDLE GRADE:



Stella By Starlight, Sharon Draper

Blue Birds, Caroline Starr Rose
The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza, Jack Gantos

Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times, Emma Trevayne
Catherine, Called Birdy, Karen Cushman

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Karen Cushman

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Bette Bao Lord *Childhood Favorite

Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls, Elizabeth Varadan *Wonderful voice!

YOUNG ADULT:

The Storyspinner, Becky Wallace (LOVED this, sequel is out in March)
Bone Gap, Laura Ruby
See No Color, Shannon Gibney
Shadowshaper, Daniel José Older

More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera

Mark of the Thief, Jennifer Nielsen

Boxers/Saints, Gene Luen Yang (got these books signed at an event!)

Instructions for the End of the World, Jamie Kain

American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang

The Hired Girl, Laura Amy Schlitz (MG/YA cusp)

Audacity, Melanie Crowder

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton

I’ll Give you the Sun, Jandy Nelson

Lies We Tell Ourselves, Robin Talley

Jumped, Rita Williams-Garcia

Mortal Heart, Robin LaFevers

NONFICTION:

Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, Mahzarin A. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay

Bossypants, Tina Fey

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and other concerns), Mindy Khaling
Two Roads to Augusta, Ben Crenshaw, Carl Jackson, Melanie Hauser


ADULT FICTION:

The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Pretty Baby, Mary Kubica
Dodger, Terry Pratchett (YA, but I think it's great with any audience)
Chocolat, Joanne Harris
Shopaholic to the Stars, Sophie Kinsella
Queen of Babble series, Meg Cabot
The Martian, Andy Weir
The Fair Fight, Anna Freeman (still reading, but LOVING)

MISC. (not sure where these fit~ loved them!):



Shaun Tan books- The Arrival, Lost and Found, The Lost Thing
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Happy New Year! My next post will be about some 2016 books that I'm looking forward to.