Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
Pages: 326
Ages: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes
Goodreads Summmary:

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

In a world where everyone who’s normal has the ability to read minds being special isn’t exactly what Kira was hoping for. As the world around her booms and brightens with the loud cacophony of thoughts Kira’s world is silent, the only noise she hears are the thoughts in her own mind. That is until her best friend Raf attempts to kiss her and immediately ends up falling to the ground completely knocked out. From that point forward Kira’s life changes forever. She learns from a fellow student that she’s a mindjacker, and a powerful one at that. Having the ability to enter and control the thoughts of those around her is the last thing she’d thought she’d be doing during high school, but it may lead to more problems than simply knocking her best friend unconscious.

In a growing pool of young adult fiction Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn stands out as a novel with a fantastic premise, excellent characters and an incredibly well executed plot. Being a fan of dystopian and sci-fi in young adult books this was exactly the type of book I was hoping to fall in love with and absolutely did. Quinn took the idea of human evolution and took it one step further by adding an element of involvement from the government. It wasn’t that they were simply involved in the aftermath of the evolution, but the initial development by introducing toxins into the water supply that eventually triggered the first changes to mind reading by all. This was certainly a unique concept, especially since the entire population was affected by it and I’m now interested to see where the idea goes from here in the next two books in the series.

Now everyone who knows my reading preferences know that I am not a huge fan of the typical love triangle and at first I thought I was going to be annoyed by Kira’s love intersts, but I absolutely wasn’t. Obvious to anyone who reads Open Minds there’s a huge development at the end of the story that changes everything making the love triangle completely different than those other more typical situations. Between the two I’d certainly say I was much more on the side of Raf, her childhood friend, than Simon, the “bad boy”, but as the story went on I did feel more sympathetic towards Simon and his situation. In many ways I could understand Kira’s desire to be with Simon because of their shared abilities, but at first the way she shunned Raf was a bit irritating since he was always so supportive of her “zero” status. In the end the conflict was perfect and the way all of their relationships progressed were extremely believable.

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn is a brilliant addition to the ever increasing pool of dystopian/sci-fi young adult fiction. There’s something for readers of all types in this fantastic new YA novel, from action to romance to science and more. As many of my readers know, I don’t read many self-published books primarily because I find the stories underdeveloped and poorly edited. To be honest I’m completely shocked Quinn’s Mindjacker series hasn’t been picked up by a major publisher, because it certainly doesn’t fall into either of my dis-qualifiers. This is a novel that’s been extremely well thought out, written beautifully, and it’s obviously been edited professionally. YA readers who love authors like Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver and others would be missing out if they failed to pick up Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Join Kira on her journey to save her fellow mindjackers and potentially change the landscape of her world forever.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages

Find Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn at the following spots:
Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes | Goodreads

Giveaway!

Thanks to the author I’m also offering an eBook copy of Open Minds to one There’s A Book reader thanks to Susan. Thank you! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Thank you so much to the author, Susan Kaye Quinn, for providing a copy of this book for review and giveaway! Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

To celebrate the US publication of ‘Nightshade’, the Poison Diaries team are offering a chance for readers of There’s A Book to win a copy of ‘Nightshade’ with a personalized message from author, Maryrose Wood!

To be in with a chance of winning they are asking entrants to engage with their Twitter, Facebook and the Poison Diaries website. By interacting with the following sites and social media you’ll be able to receive additional entries for the giveaway! Take a look (my favorite is the actual Poison Diaries site, it’s amazing!) and use the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter to win this amazing giveaway thanks to the Poison Wood team, Blazer & Bray and Maryrose Wood!

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein and Illustrated by Mark Pett
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Pages: 32
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once!) made a mistake…

Meet Beatrice Bottomwell: a nine-year-old girl who has never (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, Beatrice holds the record of perfection in her hometown, where she is known as The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes. Life for Beatrice is sailing along pretty smoothly until she does the unthinkable–she makes her first mistake. And in a very public way!

The Turkeybird Speaks: “Whoa! This girl can do everything super super good. She even has a little brother who is always messing up all the time, just like I have Littlebug as a sister. Littlebug is always falling and running into things so her brother sounds a lot like my sister.

“My favorite part was the ending. All the times I read it I laugh and laugh. Being silly and making mistakes sounds way more fun than always doing everything right. I don’t think I want everyone watching me all the time like her anyway, that sounds boring. This book is so fun and my favorite part is the ending and her little brother who makes mistakes all the time.”

Mom’s Two Cents: What would it be like to be perfect everyday of your life? Beatrice Bottomwell knows exactly what it’s like and loves every minute of it. That is, until one day during class when she almost makes her first mistake. Having never thought about the possibility of making a mistake before she now lives in constant fear that her world is about to change for the worse. What happens when her fears come to fruition? Will she still be the carefree girl she’s always been and will she ever be happy again?

This is the first picture book that I’ve read that dealt head on with the issue of making mistakes and it was wonderful. Not only did I appreciate it as an adult who suffers from a bad case of perfectionism, but my son enjoyed it for many of the same reasons. Though the Turkeybird does make mistakes (quite often as he’s only four) he’s also prone to expecting to be able to do everything he sets his mind to and perfectly at that. He also is inclined to think it’s funny that his little sister is often found falling and tripping over her own feet. It’s never out of meanness mind you, just the sort of silliness to little kiddos have when playing and laughing together. But what I found with reading The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes with him was that it helped him to realize you never need to take anything so seriously that it ruins the fun of living and enjoying what you’re doing. Which was exactly what he needed since he often gets incredibly serious about certain tasks he’s set out to complete.

When perfection and being the very best is often at the forefront of people’s minds it’s good to remember that life can be just as fun with a few mistakes. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein is a fantastic book for children and adults who may suffer from a bit of perfectionism or who simply want to read a great new book. In our home, filled with perfectionists and one clumsy little adorable girl, it was just what we needed to have a good laugh and realize life is for living even if we make a few mistakes along the way. Fall in love with Beatrice Bottomwell and the story of how she became the girl who does make mistakes, happily.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 3 to 9. A lesson that children and adults alike can appreciate and will learn from; none of us are perfect, enjoy.

Find The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Giveaway!

As an added bonus the publisher, Sourcebooks, has provided me with one copy of The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes to giveaway to one There’s A Book reader! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

The Monster Who Did My Math by Danny Schnitzlein and Illustrated by Bill Mayer
Published by Peachtree Publishers
Pages: 32
Ages: 4-8
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

A math-phobic boy faces another dreaded evening of multiplication when a monster suddenly appears in his room and offers him a deal he cannot refuse. After a quick signature on a contract, the boy’s problems are solved, and his homework is ready to turn in the next day.

At first, everything adds up perfectly. But when the boy’s math knowledge is tested at school, his troubles begin to multiply. What did the fine print on that contract read?

In paragraph seven of clause ninety-three,
“If you don’t learn anything, do not blame me!”

When the bill comes due, will our hero have the money—and the math skill—to subtract that wicked monster from his life once and for all?

The Turkeybird Adds It Up: “This kid needs a math helper! I think if this monster showed up at my house and said he’d do my math I’d tell him he was crazy! I’m a huge super fan of math! It’s the best! I love to add a lot. Maybe I could have helped him instead of the monster. I would have only charged him a chocolate bar and maybe some yogurt.

“The very best part is the end where he counts up all of his money and does all of his math homework. I can’t wait to be in school so I can do math homework too! By the end he shows that monster who’s boss and that’s the very best best thing ever!”

Mom’s Two Cents: All this young boy wants is to finish his math without agonizing over it for hours. When his fears and dread finally get the best of him he breaks down and signs a contract he shouldn’t have. As the monster who came to his rescue continues to “help” he finally discovers his love for adding and subtracting, but will it be too late? Not reading the fine print can get you into quite a bit of trouble, but knowing how to add things up may get this little boy out of hot water.

First of all, look at that cover! The illustrations by Bill Mayer in this picture book are fantastic! Bright and colorful and they simply pop off the page. Secondly, the story…who hasn’t wanted a “magic fairy” (or in this little boy’s case, a monster) to come and magically take care of whatever homework you can’t finish in a short amount of time? I know I had those days as a kid, even as an adult I’ll put things off that I’m dreading. Unfortunately for this little boy he signs a deal with a monster who’s out to make a little bit of extra money in a very sneaky way. Not only does the story teach children about the fun that can be had with math, but it also teaches them the importance of choices they make. I’m not positive that the Turkeybird at four years old completely grasps the concept yet, but he does love math as well as the book so I’ll keep sharing it with him in hopes he’ll catch on.

The Monster Who Did My Math by Danny Schnitzlein is not simply a story about the joy that can be found in addition and subtraction. This is a story that shows children the importance of our choices and those with whom we depend on. As children grow up it’s easy to make choices based on what “looks good” or “seems easier”, but it’s not always quite so clear and often it requires more thought. The Monster Who Did My Math is a story about a little boy getting in over his head and fortunately finding a way out through his careful addition. It’s a story that our family will be reading for years to come, not only because we love the illustrations and math but also because of the principles it teaches.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 4 to 9. Kiddos whether they are frightened of or love math will enjoy this monster math adventure. Share a story that will help children understand there are consequences to the choices we make.

Find The Monster Who Did My Math by Danny Schnitzlein and Illustrated by Bill Mayer at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 9781599558936?p_isbn”>Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Peachtree Publishers, for providing a copy of this book for review and giveaway! Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook and on their Blog!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Giveaway!

As an added bonus the publisher, Peachtree Publishers, has provided me with one copy of The Monster Who Did My Math to giveaway to one There’s A Book reader! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Who says you can’t have an author guest post on a site more than once? Today I have the wonderful opportunity of welcoming back a favorite author of mine to There’s A Book, Catherine Ryan Hyde. Her most recent YA book, Jumpstart the World, was a favorite read of mine last year and it’s now being released in paperback. To celebrate there will be a huge giveaway I’ll get to later, but until then I thought it would be fun to have Catherine talk a little about one of my favorite characters from the book, Elle. So, without further hesitation on my part, Catherine Ryan Hyde…

Elle. Like Her or Not.

Yesterday evening I was checking something on the Amazon page for the new Jumpstart the World paperback. This sentence jumped out:

“Elle herself is not only deeply troubled but also an extremely unlikable character.”

It wasn’t a reader review. It was Booklist. I’d read it before, but not for a while. I read it again. Then I read the review above it, from School Library Journal. I had to laugh at this:

“Elle is a likable, well-developed character with whom teens will identify.”

Okay, well…that’s no big surprise. We all know there’s no such thing as review consensus. For that matter, there’s no likeability consensus for real people in the real world.

Many readers have noticed likeability issues with Elle. Most of them like her anyway. It’s an interesting phenomenon, liking someone when they’re not at their most likeable. Personally, I’m for it. I wish we’d all do it more often.

Elle’s going through a rough patch when we meet her. To put it mildly. Her mother is kicking her out of the house in favor of a new boyfriend. She not on the street—her mom pays her rent—but the rejection level is the same. Elle’s mom values beauty above all, and Elle knows in her heart she’s not beautiful. At least, not the kind of beauty in question.

A few readers asked what happened to Elle’s friends from the old school. They’d have kept in touch. Right? Why didn’t I write about that? If they’d kept in touch, I’d have written about it. It’s a comment on the fragile nature of Elle’s friendships. Turns out her friends can live without her. Or maybe she’s just too quick to let them try.

Elle is hurting. And she has no idea how to be a friend. That’s not always pretty.

Elle’s clunky. She says the wrong thing at the wrong moment. She can feel the wrongness as it comes out, but can’t always figure out how to say better things. She isn’t initially a very good friend to her new LGBT friends at school (the only ones who reach out to her). She doesn’t care that they’re gay, she just worries people will think she is. And yes, when she finds out her new love, Frank (an older guy with a long-term girlfriend, who she knows she can never be with anyway), is transgender, she isn’t a very good friend to him, either. She doesn’t judge him for being a transman, she just isn’t sure what that says about her.

Eventually she figures out it says nothing about her, except that she knows a nice guy when she meets one. Besides, Frank pays attention to her. She needs that. As her friend Shane points out later in the book, “Kids need attention. They’ll pay anything.” Frank doesn’t extract any price for Elle’s love. He just can’t be quite what she expected, at a time in her life when she desperately wants someone—anyone—to be just who she thought they were.

There’s an old Swedish proverb: “Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I need it most.” Frank does, and so do most of Elle’s new friends. The question is whether the reader will offer her the same understanding.

When I write a character I know might be hard to love, I (almost without realizing I’m doing it) give the reader a quick window into what’s good about them. Right up front. In my adult novel Electric God (hey, Elle’s more likeable than Hayden—at least she doesn’t break jaws and get thrown in jail) it was the tenderness as he buried his old dog, and the way he rescued the baby possum off the highway. In The Year of my Miraculous Reappearance, before I subjected you to Cynnie’s bad choices, I made sure you saw how much she loved her little Down’s Syndrome brother, Bill.

In Jumpstart the World, it was the cat. Elle picked the ugliest, least adoptable cat from the shelter, because, “He was about to be given the death penalty for not being beautiful. Someone had to come along and love him just the way he was. I was that someone.”

Jumpstart is a novel about whether we can love people the way they are. People think it’s about transgender acceptance. It’s about acceptance, period. About whether Elle can accept a variety of gender-nonconforming characters into her life, but also about whether other people can accept Elle, even when she does so much wrong.

Elle makes mistakes on the road to becoming a decent LGBT ally. But she’s willing to admit her mistakes. And learn from them. And her heart is in the right place.

Some will focus on the heart. Others will focus on the mistakes.

Notice nobody ever flat-out says, “I’m lonely, I’m scared, I don’t know how to do life. I don’t known how to weather it when something hurts. Too many people ran out on me.” We just push everybody away and say we’re fine on our own.

I’ve done it myself. That’s how I know.

Imagine a world where nobody’s willing to love you in spite of yourself. I’d hate that. So I’ve created, I hope, a book which gives us a little more stumble room.  It’s not about whether Elle can accept Frank. It’s about whether we can all accept each other.

- Catherine Ryan Hyde

To celebrate the paperback release of Jumpstart the World, Catherine Ryan Hyde is giving away a set of each YA book she has written (six signed hardcovers)! To win you need to find words on the blog partners’ website, and visit Catherine’s site on Sunday (or after) to input the sentence you have found and unscrambled. Catherine will choose the big winner by drawing a name from the correct entries. I’m the first stop on the scavenger hunt so make sure to stop by the following locations throughout the week:

Catherine’s blog
The Story Siren
Bookalicious
Chick Loves Lit

Giveaway!

In addition to the scavenger hunt I’m also offering three signed paperback copies of Jumpstart the World to three There’s A Book readers thanks to Catherine. Thank you! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Find the Paperback for Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book by Ryan Jacobson
Published by Lake 7 Creative (Distributed by Adventure Publications)
Pages: 160
Ages: 9-13
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

It’s been called the best dog story ever written, and you can experience it like never before. This is Jack London’s Call of the Wild, masterfully adapted into a choose your path book. You’re the legendary sled dog, Buck. You face his same challenges. You make the choices. You decide what happens. Will you survive?

Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild takes a classic piece of literature and turns it into an adventure not only for the characters, but the reader. As you follow along Buck, the part St. Bernard and part Scotch shepherd dog, you are taken into the cold often brutal world of the Alaskan wilderness. As you make choices you decide whether Buck will live or die as he comes up against foes that include other dogs, man, wolves and a variety of other forces of nature. Will you and Buck make it to the end to answer the call of the wild? Only your choices can decide both of your fates. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild is an adventure for readers everywhere.

It’s been almost a year since my last “Choose Your Own Path” read when I read Lost in the Wild also by Ryan Jacobson and I was just as eager to read this one as I was his previous story. This one, obviously based on the classic novel by Jack London, was in my opinion much much more interesting. It did take a couple of chapters before I was really engrossed in the story, but after that I was excited to see how I’d be able to help Buck on his journey across Alaska. Perhaps because I’m not normally an “adventure” reader the original book didn’t hold much appeal to me, but this new take on it actually gave me something to look forward to as I turned the pages by providing me the opportunity to interact with the story.

Author Ryan Jacobson has yet again created a thoroughly engrossing “Choose Your Own Adventure” style story that is not only exciting and entertaining, but very well written. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild is the story of a dog named Buck who struggles to survive against the threats found in the Alaskan wilderness and his only hope is you as the reader. This would certainly be a book I’d recommend to reluctant readers, especially those who love a good adventure or the outdoors. In addition, I’d also recommend this as a companion read with the classic for teachers and students alike as opposed to something like Cliff Notes; it could easily ignite an interest in the story without handing readers all of the details at once. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild by Ryan Jacobson is the first in a new series of “Choose Your Path” books that are sure to be huge hits with young readers everywhere.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 9 to 15. Adventure awaits both characters and readers alike. A fantastic companion read to it’s classic counterpart when read in school. Perfect reading for adventure seekers, outdoors enthusiasts and reluctant readers.

Find Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book by Ryan Jacobson at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Make sure to visit all the stops along the Can You Survive this blog tour? beginning with the last post from Teach Mentor Texts and tomorrow’s post at One Librarian’s Book Reviews. You may even be able to win a copy of this fantastic new book from Ryan Jacobson!

Giveaway!

As an added bonus the author, Ryan Jacobson, has provided one Signed copy of Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book to giveaway to one There’s A Book reader! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Thank you so much to the author, Ryan Jacobson, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with him on Twitter and on his blog, Author vs. Monster!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.