Blog Tour: Food, Girls & Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: 08 Sept 2009
ISBN: 1606840045
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Websites:
Allen Zadoff - Official Site
Allen Zadoff - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to:
Newton, Massachusetts

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky–hang with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat. He’s used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.

But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over, but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.

Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.

Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girl of his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his mom and dad back together?

How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?

Andrew is about to find out.

Food, Girls and Others Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff is a wonderful story about trying to find oneself when you don't quite fit in. Its a story that its easy for anyone to relate to because we have all been there. We've all had moments when we feel like we're on the outside looking in. And we've all struggled with trying to find ourselves in the treaterous place known as high school. Andy Zansky isn't popular by any means, he's the second fattest kid in his class and his main claim to fame in school is to be a member of the model UN with his best friend. Then one day Andy sees a girl who he knows is far out of his league....she is pretty and working her way into the popular crowd. Usually Andy would pine from afar but something is different this time and he decides to try and change things. So when an opportunity arises to try out for the football team he goes for it. But at what cost? Will he climb the popularity ladder? And if he does, what is he leaving behind?

I loved the voice of Andy he was sweet and funny and the progression of events was believable. The chapters are short which helps make this book into a fast read and each starts with a funny lead in title. Although I am not usually a fan of chapter titles as they can reveal things to come that haven't been reveled yet. This was a fun story and there is a little something in it for everyone. There is dealing with bully issues, romance, struggling to overcome the odds and even a little of chasing the dream. There is a little bit of Andy inside everyone and I think that he'll endear himself to everyone who reads his story. This is a wonderful coming of age story and I loved watching as Andy learned from the choices he made - both good and bad. This is a quick read because it sucks you in...I read the book in one sitting, which rarely happens these days. So if you have a quiet afternoon then you might want to spend it getting to know Andy a little better.

Book Trailer Monday (4): A Most Improper Magik by Stephanie Burgis

If you've been a regular reader of my blog you'll know that I once had a Waiting on Wednesday post for Stephanie Burgis's A Most Improper Magick. So you can imagine how excited I was when I stumbled across the book trailer on YouTube. I love this trailer. Because it combines a book I can't wait for with old movies....and I LOVE LOVE LOVE old movies! A Most Improper Magik is due to be release by Atheneum on 20 April 2010.

Read-a-thon mini challenge winner

Thanks everyone for entering my mini challenge. I loved looking at all of your pics and I thank heavens that I have Random.org to help me choose a winner!




The winner of a signed Boy Toy is......*drum roll please*














Ashley Amanda of Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe. Congrats Ashley Amanda! Not only do you get a book by a fabulous author but I'm also tossing in the following because your post made me laugh:



A signed bookmark by Julie Kagawa - author of the upcoming The Iron King.
An unsigned Iron King book mark
Bookmark for Betraying Season
A Marissa Doyle door hanger which reads 'Her Ladyship is Engaged'
and an awesome Rampant book mark (love these and the book!)

I hope that you enjoy your additional prizes. Please email me at Irisheyz_5 (AT) Yahoo (DOT) com with your address and I'll put your winnings in the mail!

Read-a-thon: Take a Break Mini Challenge

Congratulations on making it to hour 21 of the read-a-thon! As you read this I've probably given up and crawled into bed dreaming happy deams of all the wonderful books that I've read. I can only imagine how tired you are right now so here’s a mini-challenge to give your mind a little break.

1. Grab your camera and and snap a pic. This pic can be of your completed reading pile, or maybe can be a representation of all the snacks you've consumed so far. Or for the really daring take a pic of what it feels like to be up at this hour. It can be a pic of you or something more abstract....what ever.

2. Go back to your blog, and post your photo, feel free to add a creative caption or story if you want to try and kick that brain into gear. Don't have a blog? Then post a pic to twitpic (or some other online photo place).

Once you’ve posted, come back here and put the link in the comments. This mini challenge is open until hour 23, I’ll then randomly choose someone to receive a copy a signed copy of Boy Toy, by Barry Lyga. I may also toss in a surprise prize if you really surprise me with your creativity!

(Oh and since I'm most likely sleeping....the winner will be announced here on my blog at some point on the 25th.)

Thanks for playing!

Read-a-Thon Update: 10 pm to 12 am

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Frostbite by Richelle Mead - in progress
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - put aside temporarily
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - finished
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff - finished

Thoughts on current read:
So I tried to get into Life As We Knew It however I couldn't get Rose or Dimitri out of my head. I wanted to know more about their story. So after baking some cookies and some inner wrangling I decided to download the second Vampire Academy book, Frostbite, which is really sucked me in just as the first one did. Though now I am yawning and getting sleepy so might take some time off in the next hour to take another nap.

Number of books read since you started: 2

Pages read since last update: 49

Running total of pages read since you started: 90

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 560 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge
Hour 3 Reader of the Hour Challenge
BethFishRead's mini challenge
Books that Bite – Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen
Galleysmith
BethFishReads
Yule Time Reading
Jenn's Bookshelves

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-Thon Update: 8 pm to 10 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - finished
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff - finished

Thoughts on current read:
Been a bit distracted this last block. Had to tend my farmville farm and just trying to get into Life As We Knew It. I am liking it so far but I really enjoyed Vampire Academy and sometimes its hard for me to jump into a new book after just completing a good one.

Number of books read since you started: 2

Pages read since last update: 72

Running total of pages read since you started: 641

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 70 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 500 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge
Hour 3 Reader of the Hour Challenge
BethFishRead's mini challenge
Books that Bite – Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen
Galleysmith
BethFishReads
Yule Time Reading
Jenn's Bookshelves

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-thon: Mid Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
I am just finishing up Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

2. How many books have you read so far?
Only 1, but soon to be 2. Go me!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Still don't have anything specific in mind, just picking up and sticking with what keeps my attention.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Nope. Just told peeps to leave me alone because I was being a total Geek for today.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Only those of my own making. Like taking a nap or deciding that tonight was the night I had to sanatize my coffee carafe. Oh and lets not even mention the distraction that is the interwebs.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
Nothing really. Still the same group of amazing readers and cheerleaders that I remember from the last Read-a-thon.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I think that our hosts do an amazing job! Don't see how they can do anything more.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I will do this again next year and I think I need to stay more focused on reading and spend less time chatting. But I know I probably won't....love chatting with peeps on twitter and their blogs.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
Was real sleepy around 2 pm for some reason so I took a nap. Now I'm fine...we'll see how the rest of the night goes.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I think everyone is doing great. The cheerleaders are amazing especially @fizzythoughts / soft drink who has been making up poems and posting them on peoples comments. They are very clever and always bring a smile to my face when I see one.

Read-a-thon update: 6 pm to 8 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - in progress
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff - finished

Thoughts on current read:
Almost done with Vampire Academy there was one scene that gave me a serious WTF moment because it just seemed to come out of left field I read it all 3 times because it totally jarred me out of the false reality that I'd been sucked into. I finally started to move forward again and things all snapped into place. Thankfully. Will finish this one before my next up date. Think I'll start Life as We Knew it Next.

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update: 95

Running total of pages read since you started: 569

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 70 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 430 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge
Hour 3 Reader of the Hour Challenge
BethFishRead's mini challenge
Books that Bite – Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen
Galleysmith
BethFishReads
Yule Time Reading
Jenn's Bookshelves

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-thon update: 4 pm to 6 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - in progress
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff - finished

Thoughts on current read:
Still reading Vampire Academy getting closer to the end and I don't think I have book 2. Such a good read, why did I wait so long to start this?

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update:86

Running total of pages read since you started: 474

Amount of time spent reading since last update:70 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 360 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen
Galleysmith
BethFishReads
Yule Time Reading
Jenn's Bookshelves

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-Thon Update: 2 pm to 4 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - in progress
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff - finished

Thoughts on current read:
Rose is a fun character and I really love the world and history that Mead has created. Though I wish she found a way to work a bit more of the lore and history in. But its a fine line between not enough and too much and Mead has been doing a good job so far.

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update: 46

Running total of pages read since you started: 388

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 50 minutes (took a nap in the 2 to 3 hour)

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 290 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen
Galleysmith
BethFishReads

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-Thon Update: 12 pm to 2 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

Thoughts on current read:
Vampire Academy really liking this one so far. Like the new take on vampires and the main characters.

The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams - abandoned after page 6 got annoyed vy quickly that main character kept referring to a friend by 1st & last name....every single time she was mentioned. I get it! Her last name is Bell. Move on.

Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have fun read. gives the reader something to think of when it comes to making choices and personal identity. humorous but not LOL funny. its a book that I'd recommend to others.

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update: 80

Running total of pages read since you started: 342

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 80 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 240 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-thon Update: 10 am - 12 pm

Title of book(s) read since last update: Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff -- finished this and now need to figure out what I'm going to read next. So many choices!

Thoughts on current read:
This line is so heartbreaking and yet is also so very true. " Nobody told me you could try your best and still end up failing. They don't write about that kind of stuff in kids' books. If they told you that when you were a kid, maybe you wouldn't grow up." pg 210 of Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff.

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update: 126

Running total of pages read since you started: 254

Amount of time spent reading since last update:70 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started:160 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily
Good Books & Wine
True Harbour
Just One More Thing…
Karen

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-Thon Update: 8 to 10 am

Title of book(s) read since last update: Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

Thoughts on current read:
Its a fun read. I love that it takes place in Newton, MA and Andy is a really likable character. There are a bit too many pop culture references for my tastes but they aren't overdone so they are bearable.

Number of books read since you started: 1/2

Pages read since last update: 128

Running total of pages read since you started: 128

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 90 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 1 Meme
Trending on Twitter Mini Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
Presenting Lenore
vvb32reads
Shannan Loves Books and Movies
WordLily

Prize you’ve won:
none....yet. ;-)

Links:
Official Read-a-Thon page is here

Read-a-Thon: Twitter Trending Mini Challenge

This first challenge is hosted by WorldLilly and is to take a screen shot when the #readathon hastag starts to trend....which it is. For full details on how to enter click here.

Read-a-thon: Hour 1 Meme

Where are you reading from today?
I'm reading from my apt in central MA thinking that its a shame the Boston Book Fest is today as I would have liked to gone to that. I plan on reading from my couch then switch things up by moving to my reading chair or bed when I need to change positions.

3 facts about me …
1. My family are among the original settlers of Rhode Island....and are responsible for that little bump you see down near Connecticut
2. I can be really shy when you first meet me, but once I get comfortable in a place I am very talkative and a bit loud
3. I am a book and tv junkie. lol

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
All the books on Mt TBR. I hate putting limits by only having a set pile so I'll read where the winds take me.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
No goal, just read as much as I can and have fun chatting about the event via blog comments and twitter.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
1) This is my second read-a-thon, i recommend turning off word verification to make it easier for people to post.
2) Also take breaks, the mini-challenges are good for that. Helps keep the brain & eyes fresh.
3) Don't be discouraged if you can't make the full 24 hours....its supposed to be fun not work. So if you are tired take a nap. I took a 2 hour nap last year, well that was the plan, slept for 5. Woke up all bleary eyed so spent the last bit of Read-a-Thon cheering on those that remained. =)
4) Finally, don't be discouraged by how fast some other readers read. Some peeps might read 100 books during the event and others only 2. Its not about how much you read just that you are reading as a group. Think about it, how cool is it that people from around the world are all reading around the same time? That's pretty awesome in my book!


Happy Reading! I'll check in later with an update.

Read-a-thon Oct 2009 starts....now!

Good morning everyone! Welcome to my little section of the 24 hr Read-a-Thon. This is my second time participating in this event and I am so excited! During the Read-a-Thon you'll find my update posts every few hours here on my blog, for more current updates then follow my on twitter (@Irisheyz77)

To start with this read-a-thon I'm going to finish Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff. I'm currently on page 66 and am really enjoying it so far. Not sure what I'll move onto next we'll just have to see where the winds take me. As with the last Read-a-Thon I won't be posting full reviews during the read-a-thon, but I'll give a few thoughts on each book I read. So let the read-a-thon being....I'll be back in an hour or two with an update. Good luck and happy reading to all the participants.

Blog Tour: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: 06 Oct 2009
ISBN: 141698643X
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Websites:
Sarah Beth Durst - Official Site
Sarah Beth Durst - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to:
The Arctic
East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst starts with a fairy tale but its no ordinary fairy tale. Its the story about what happened to Cassie's mother when Cassie was born told to her by her grandmother when her father isn't around. Its not a happy tale, its filled with over protective fathers, bargains with polar bears and abductions by trolls. When Cassie is young she can't get enough of this story but as she gets older she realizes that its just a story, a nice way to break the news to a little girl that her mother was dead and at 18 Cassie has become too old for stories. That is until the day when she meets a polar bear who is not only larger than any polar bear she's ever seen but he also talks to her. He talks to her of a bargain made and promise given and of her mother who is still being held by trolls in their kingdom which is East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Soon Cassie must confront everything she's ever known and ask herself what she is willing to risk everything for a fairy tale.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love fairy tales. When I was young I used to eat them up and demanded stories night after night before bed. As I grew older I still read fairy tales. I would find them in their original forms....the way the were written before they were edited for children. Stories filled with blood and horror and definitely lacking in the 'happily ever after.' I also began reading retellings of my favorite fairy tales. Many writers stick with the more well know stories of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty but some branch out. They go for the lesser known. Some retellings like Mercedes Lackey's Tales of The 500 Kingdoms really work because they manage to keep the integrity of the original tales as well as by putting a fresh spin on them. Others like Dennis L. McKiernan's Once Upon a Winter's Night don't really work for me. McKiernan's Once Upon a Winter's Night tackles the same story as Sarah Beth Durst does in Ice. But where McKiernan's story comes across as old fashioned, long winded and dry....Durst's has this freshness and compelling quality that just sucks a reader in. Even knowing the fairy tale that Ice was based on I found that I couldn't stop reading because I needed to see how Durst would bring it all together.

In Cassie, she creates a really kick ass heroine that any girl can relate to. She is definitely someone that you would want to call a friend. She is strong and courageous and won't take no for an answer even when the odds seem stacked up against her. When Durst writes about the Arctic you can almost hear the north winds blow and feel the chill in your bones. There are scenes that make you go awe, ones that bring you close to tears and even one that makes you cringe and go ew! But most importantly her writing won't let you go. I spent many a late night reading when I should have been sleeping. Now I loved this book but its not without some flaws. There were some times in the middle that were a little slow....although I am thankful for them because it was at those times I was able to put the book down and get some sleep! For me, the biggest flaw was the ending, it seemed a bit rushed I would have liked if Durst had carried it out a bit longer. Which really isn't that big of a flaw when it comes right down to it, not when you really stop to think about it. If you like fairy tales then go and pick up Ice its worth the read just as Sarah Beth Durst is a writer to watch. I wonder what fairy tale she'll retell next. If you were to help her choose, which story would you like to see retold?

Book Trailer Monday (3): Hold Still by Nina LaCour

I first heard about the trailer for Hold Still by Nina LaCour when my friend and fellow blogger, Pop Culture Junkie, tweeted about it one night. I love the images and the music that plays softly in the background....but what really makes this trailer for me is the narrator. I love the voice! Its such a heartbreaking trailer and yet I find that I can't stop watching it. Hold Still is published by Dutton Juvenile and is officially out in stores on 20 Oct so be sure to head out tomorrow and snap it up....based on what I've seen in the trailer its going to be a compelling and heart felt read.

The trailer above was made by the author, Nina LaCour and some friends, the official trailer from the publisher can be seen below. Which do you like better?

Book Trailer Monday (2): Hate List by Jennifer Brown

This weeks trailer is for what has got to be my number one book read so far this year, Hate List by Jennifer Brown. This book was released by Little, Brown on 01 Sep 09 and had me bawling by the end. I got so sucked into the story and the characters and even now long after I've read it, it stays with me. I love this trailer because the images and the song blend together in a perfect mix that so beautifully capture this amazing story. Hate List is out in stores now and if you haven't read it yet then run out and buy it...I dare you not to be touched by this wonderful novel. Jennifer Brown is an author to watch.




So what did you think of this trailer? Please post your thoughts in the comment section.

Clone Codes by The Mckissacks (ARC)

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: 01 February 2010
ISBN: 0439929830
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 192
Book Source: ARC borrowed from a friend, unknown where she received it from
Websites:
None Found

Place(s) Traveled to:
St Louis, Missouri in the year 2170
Atlantis University, Atlantis Island off the coast of North Carolina

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon.com

In the year 2170, despite technological and political advances, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when The World Federation of Nations discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement.

After her mother's arrest for treason, Leanna must escape as she is chased by a ruthless bounty hunter. Soon Leanna finds herself living among the Firsts, and nothing will ever be the same again. But what does The World Federation want with the daughter of a traitor? So much is uncertain. Danger hides everywhere. Fear takes over. With help from unlikely sources, Leanna learns the origin of The Liberty Bell Movement and how its members may have answers about her past-and her new reality.

As family secrets are revealed, Leanna must face startling truths about self-identity and freedom. Through time travel, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence, this exhilarating adventure asks what it means to be human and explores the sacrifices an entire society will make to find out.

I've never been more confused about who wrote a book then I have been with Clone Codes. Normally this shouldn't be such a difficult task you just look on the cover and there is the author's name. But on this book the front cover just says The McKissacks. Then in the back where the author write up is there is a blurb for a John McKissack....finally some success. Only not so much. For LibraryThing lists the author as Patricia McKissack, who is definately not a John and Amazon lists the author as Patrica AND Frederick McKissack....again no John. So where did this John come from? Why do we get his author blurb and no mention on Patricia or even Frederick? After further digging I learn that this 192 page book was written by all THREE of these people.

That's right....THREE people have had their hands in this very short book. Learning this I now understand why the writing was so choppy and muddled. The overall premise was an intriguing on but the story was filled with such starts and stops and random jumps that it was had to stay focused. The shortness of the story don't allow the reader much time to get invested in the characters. Which is a shame because there are some really interesting ones in this story. Its futuristic setting allows for the existence of clones and cyborgs and space travel is right on the horizon. There are complex issues involving what it means to be human and a hark to historical data in referring to cyborgs as 3/5th human, which is how slaves were once referred as. In this world the fact that Cyborgs aren't fully human, being only 3/5ths a person then they don't deserve the same rights as humans. You can only imagine the sort of resentment and discussion issues that this might raise. After all didn't humanity learn anything from its past? And if not, then why not?

However all these deeper and complex thoughts are abruptly cut short. Its as if the multiple writers just got tired to telling the story and so just typed "the end" and called it a day. I haven't been able to discover if there will be a sequel to this story but the way it ended it certainly is set up for one as there was no obvious conclusion. I'm intrigued by this world but I'm not sure I'll pick up another collaborative book by these three authors. At least not until they work out the kinks of writing together because at the moment this book certainly suffers from that old expression of too many cooks in the kitchen.



The author of this post is a member of Amazon Associates, which gives the author a small portion of the proceeds if anyone clicks on the link in the image above and purchases the book.

Book Trailer Monday (1): The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

Anyone who has peeked at my blog on a semi-regular basis knows how much I love book trailers. I think that they are fun and informative and a creative way to show what a book is about. Sometimes when I am bored I will search you tube to see what trailers might be available and I'll also add them to some of my book review posts. But I'm thinking of starting a weekly feature here where I highlight a book trailer. I'm not sure if this is of interest to you or how long I'll keep it up. But for now I'll post and see how it goes. If you like the idea then please leave a comment and let me know!

First up is a really cute trailer that I've found myself watching several times already. I discovered this on Twitter via a tweet made by Chelsea Campbell (@kaerfel) for her upcoming book The Rise of Renegade X which is due out in stores on 11 May 2010 by EgmontUSA.

Blog Tour: Slept Away by Julie Kraut

Publisher: Delacorte
Publication Date: 26 May 2009
ISBN: 0385737378
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Websites:
Julie Kraut Official Website

Place(s) Traveled to:
Manhattan
Camp Timber Trails in Pennsylvania

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

About the Book:

Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—partying at her classmates’ apartments. But this summer Laney’s mother has other plans for Laney. It’s called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn’t even begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element—the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp. Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawal, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can camp cool possibly translate to cool cool? Summer camp might just turn this city girl’s world upside down!

I first heard about this book when it came up as a tour option on Traveling to Teens, I liked the write up and so signed up. I thought that it would be a cute story and maybe bring up some memories of my own times at camp. However, this book never really lived up to its promise for me. The main character of Laney really annoyed me. Her inner monologues just droned on and I found her more whiney than funny. The story was also so filled with pop culture references that it was practically drowning in it. Normally the occasional pop culture reference dosen't bug me but this was way over done and in the long term will only hurt the book. This is a book that will soon become outdated and lose its relevance with its target audience. There were a few semi-funny scenes that involved Laney's fellow bunkmates and their butt-boards. But these moments were repeated often and so lost their appeal. Also the promised romance mentioned in the cover was almost non-existant that I wonder what version of the book the synopsis writer read. The only saving grace with this book was that it was short. But even weighing in at only 320 pages it still took me far longer to read than it should. I don't feel like my time was wasted with reading this book, but I am not sure its a book that I can recommend to others.

Interested in what others have to say check out the other stops on the tour:

October 2 Friday-- Just Blinded Book Reviews

October 3 Saturday--Happy Book Lovers

October 4 Sunday--Galleysmith