In Frogkisser! Garth Nix returns with his very own modern fairy tale, starring Princess Anya, who, with her loyal dog, must embark on a terribly important (capital Q) Quest to acquire the ingredients for a reversal lip balm, the vital item needed to change a frog back to a prince . . . oh, and save her kingdom from her villainous step(step)father. Continue reading “Review: Frogkisser! by Garth Nix”
Category: YA Edition
Review: Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
Sebastien de Castell make his YA debut with Spellslinger, published in the UK by Hot Key Books. Spellslinger, as de Castell mentions on the book’s Goodreads page, is the first in a planned six-part series. Existing fans will be pleased to hear it takes place in the same universe as his Greatcoats series, but in another part of that world, in a place that felt – to me – a bit like a combination of the very masculine Wild West and Classical or Middle Eastern magical mythology. Kellen, our main character, seems destined not to succeed as a powerful mage like his father, while his friends gain their magic and pass trials around him. However, he discovers something more sinister is afoot, and eventually uncovers a conspiracy that could destroy his family and homeland. Continue reading “Review: Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell”
Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Occasionally there are books that garner an extraordinary level of hype in the book community and then deliver on that hype, one hundred percent. The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’ debut novel, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, is one of those rare cases. The book was published a little while ago in the US and has just hit the shelves of bookshops all over the UK. I was very lucky to be given an early proof copy and I gasped, laughed and cried through this brilliantly-written story of discrimination, family, determination and personal resilience. Continue reading “Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas”
Stripes YA Showcase
On Saturday 18 February, Kate joined lots of lovely bloggers, the Stripes YA team and some fantastic guests for a YA showcase, to hear about some of their wonderful upcoming books for 2017… Continue reading “Stripes YA Showcase”
The Scarecrow Queen by Melinda Salisbury – blog tour!
Happy publication day to The Scarecrow Queen, the final installment in Melinda Salisbury’s fantastic trilogy which began with The Sin Eater’s Daughter. I loved – devoured? – that book and the follow-up, The Sleeping Prince, in a few days and I’ve been waiting to read The Scarecrow Queen ever since. It doesn’t disappoint; you’re in for as many twists, turns and moments of sorcery, and as much blood and lust as you could possibly wish for. As part of the blog tour, Mel and bloggers are creating vision boards illustrating various characters from the series, including their appearance, characteristics, personality and their important themes, and writing about the other’s presentation. I’m thrilled to present to you… Twylla. Continue reading “The Scarecrow Queen by Melinda Salisbury – blog tour!”
YA Podcast: Recommending great BAME YA
This month, Kate and Darran recommend great YA books by BAME authors, and chat about the politics behind why it’s important. It’s a bit of a political episode, as it goes, given recent events around the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling, Philandro Castile and the following protests in the US, and the rise in incidents of racist abuse in the UK following the EU referendum. We wanted to use the platform we have to champion BAME authors, and some books which have BAME characters as part of a realistic diverse cast. If you click ‘read more’, you can listen, click through to buy any of the books we mention, and there are some other positive actions you can take too. Continue reading “YA Podcast: Recommending great BAME YA”
YA Podcast: The YA Book Prize 2016
This week on AWW YA, Kate and Darran talk through their thoughts on all ten books from the 2016 YA Book Prize shortlist, and the winner, One by Sarah Crossan. That means it’s a bit of a bumper episode but we hope you find it enjoyable. Continue reading “YA Podcast: The YA Book Prize 2016”
YA Podcast: Welcome Back, AWW YA!
This week, it’s the relaunch of the new-look AWW YA, and Kate is joined by a new cohost, Darran Stobbart! This episode is all about getting to know Darran, so Kate is asking him so questions on your behalf, as well as having a good chat about various things book- and YA-related. Continue reading “YA Podcast: Welcome Back, AWW YA!”
World Book Night 2016: Q&A with Leigh Bardugo
Yesterday, we shared a Q&A with Holly Bourne, author of Am I Normal Yet?, one of this year’s World Book Night books. As supporters of World Book Night, I’m really pleased to be able to share another fab Q&A with you this today, just before World Book Night itself, from Leigh Bardugo, whose book Shadow and Bone I absolutely loved and reviewed. This time, Leigh shares her reading habits, advice on recommendations for reluctant readers, and Shakespearean favourites. I hope those lucky people receiving Shadow and Bone this evening enjoy it as much as I did…! Continue reading “World Book Night 2016: Q&A with Leigh Bardugo”
World Book Night 2016: Q&A with Holly Bourne
We’ve been supporters of World Book Night since before Adventures With Words properly kicked off, in 2011, and we’ve been talking to you about it most years since then. You can read all about its origins on the World Book Night website, but it came about in order to promote reading for pleasure for people who don’t read regularly, by reaching out to people in unusual places with a huge team of enthusiastic volunteers ready to give away a range of brilliant titles. This year’s set of books is no exception, and I was thrilled when the team at WBN got in touch to ask if we’d like to share some Q&As from a couple of the authors involved. This evening, Holly Bourne shares some insights into her reading habits, advice on recommendations for reluctant readers, and Shakespearean favourites (remember that anniversary?), as people all around the country prepare to share their love for her fantastically funny and feminist YA novel, Am I Normal Yet? Continue reading “World Book Night 2016: Q&A with Holly Bourne”
The YA Book Prize 2016: Concentr8
Next up, Kate and Darran (@ShinraAlpha) are sharing their thoughts on Concentric by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury Kids), in the run-up to the YA Book Prize 2016. Join us as we talk about the whole shortlist, before our round-up post on the Waterstones blog. Continue reading “The YA Book Prize 2016: Concentr8”
The YA Book Prize 2016: The Art of Being Normal
In the run-up to the announcement of the YA Book Prize 2016, Darran (@ShinraAlpha) and I are reading and sharing our thoughts on all ten books on the shortlist. We’re kicking off with The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (David Fickling Books). Continue reading “The YA Book Prize 2016: The Art of Being Normal”
Scholastic Bloggers Book Feast, March 2016
On Saturday 19 March, a group of enthusiastic bloggers, phone batteries duly charged, were invited along to Scholastic HQ to hear about a selection of their new titles for 2016. I’ve storified my tweets from the afternoon, plus a few tweets and pictures from Scholastic and some of the other bloggers – just ‘Read More’ to see what we chatted about. Continue reading “Scholastic Bloggers Book Feast, March 2016”
Mind Your Head – Juno Dawson and Dr Olivia Hewitt talk about their new book, illustrated by Gemma Correll
On Thursday 21st January, I headed over to the first event at the newly opened Waterstones Tottenham Court Road (open until 11pm – try the cocktails!) to hear Juno Dawson and Dr Olivia Hewitt talk to Jo Elvin, editor at Glamour Magazine, about their new non-fiction book for teens Mind Your Head, illustrated by Gemma Correll. Continue reading “Mind Your Head – Juno Dawson and Dr Olivia Hewitt talk about their new book, illustrated by Gemma Correll”
S is for Spindlebridge – the Railhead Blog Tour
As well as taking the time to chat to us about Railhead and his other work, Philip Reeve has written this fascinating blog post about the Spindlebridge, which forms a key part of the story of his new book. As a science fiction fan from a young age, I found Railhead a wonderful adventure and a very interesting take on space travel, and this article gives a bit more insight, without any spoilers, into the world of Railhead and the amazing way in which the characters travel.
Continue reading “S is for Spindlebridge – the Railhead Blog Tour”