Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it's the only thing that makes him feel alive. He's sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan's depression that no one else has ever been brave enough--or cared enough--to ask. Ryan isn't sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again. Jennifer R. Hubbard has created a riveting story about a difficult but important subject.
Can you find love when you think you already have it?
Perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi, Lovetorn is a fun, romantic own voices story that proves that even if you think your destiny has already been chosen, your heart always makes its own choices.
Shalini is new to L.A. Not new like from New York City new—or even Kansas new. New like from India new.
And in the U.S., she has it all wrong: the way she dresses, the way she talks, the way she wears her hair. And then there is the ring, which makes her way different from everyone else—because Shalini has been engaged since she was three to Vikram, back in India.
Shalini’s life has been turned upside down. She doesn’t fit in, her mom is depressed, and email is no substitute for being with Vikram.
But when she meets Toby at school, Shalini’s heart gets turned upside down, too. Just looking at Toby makes her stomach flutter. She thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this.
Amanda Hocking is an indie publishing sensation whose self-published novels have sold millions of copies all over the world, and Switched is the book that started the phenomenon. Prepare to be enchanted…
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She's not the person she's always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel―all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she'd ever admit. But it isn't long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth―and he's come to take her home.
Now Wendy's about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that's both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she's meant to become…
As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, "The Vittra Attacks," set in the magical world of the Trylle.
In Dark Flame, Alyson Noël's most darkly seductive Immortals novel yet, Ever fights for control of her body, her soul―and the timeless true love she's been chasing for centuries.
Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat―exposing their secret world. As Ever struggles to keep the Immortals hidden, it only propels Haven closer to the enemy―Roman and his evil companions. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman's power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who's hell-bent on her destruction. Now there's a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can't stop thinking about Roman―and longing for his touch. Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself―and her future with Damen…
Kelly Milner Halls is the author of nonfiction books and articles for young readers on a variety of quirky topics, including In Search of Sasquatch. Chris Crutcher is the award-winning author of several young adult novels, including Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and Whale Talk. They recently had a conversation about collaborating on a pair of linked stories for Kelly Milner Halls' Girl Meets Boy, a he-said/she-said anthology of collaborative short stories.
Kelly Milner Halls on Girl Meets Boy: Creating Girl Meets Boy, a he-said, she-said anthology for Chronicle books was a new challenge for me because I am best known for creating high interest nonfiction. But picking the writers I wanted for my YA project was a no brainer. I wanted the writers about whom I’d written and I wanted the best. My friend Chris Crutcher is the best of the best, and he was my partner in our interactive story pairing. So I caught up with him to ask a few questions about writing for Girl Meets Boy, as well as a few questions about his upcoming Fall 2012 release, Period 8.
Kelly Milner Halls: How did you feel about contributing to Girl Meets Boy --the concept of two authors exploring the same plot points from two different points of view?
Chris Crutcher: It's a very interesting idea, and novel. Perspective is always an author's friend, and the idea that perspective alone can create two different stories from one point of view is intriguing.
Milner Halls: You created the lead story for the pair of stories we wrote together. Were John Smith and Wanda Wickham characters you created just for Girl Meets Boy or were they rooted in other creative projects?
Crutcher: They were created for Girl Meets Boy. I'm sure I've used pieces of their personalties elsewhere, but they were specific to this anthology.
Milner Halls: Have you ever considered writing a book from alternating points of view as Joyce Carol Oates did in Big Mouth & Ugly Girl?
Crutcher: I haven't read that particular book. Angry Management contains a novella that tells the story from three different perspectives. It's not all that hard to do.
Milner Halls: Girl Meets Boy is often controversial in the topics it examines including sexual abuse, homosexuality, transgenderism and inter-racial relationships. Is there emotional value in fictionalizing realistic life issues?
Crutcher: I'm sure there is, but the emotional value of any story comes from the reader.
Milner Halls: Which is more difficult, writing a full-length novel or writing a short story for an anthology like Girl Meets Boy?
Crutcher: It's probably a toss-up. Short story is easier from a plot point of view because usually it's about a single thing and there's not room for great complexity like there is in a novel. But short story requires word economy and straightforwardness to a degree that a novel might not. Writing Short Story is a great way to train for writing longer material.
Milner Halls: What can you tell us about your new novel, Period 8?
Crutcher: I can tell you to read it.
Milner Halls: Period 8 is highly suspenseful, in the tradition of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Was it fun to write such a gripping page turner?
Crutcher: It's more in the tradition of The Deep End. Writing is seldom "fun" for me. It's interesting and intriguing and challenging. When I write taut suspense I rely a lot on good editing. My editor at HarperCollins (Greenwillow) is excellent at knowing when I drift, and she's quick to let me know.
Milner Halls: Your friend Charlie Price is now a critically acclaimed, Edgar Award winning mystery writer. Did he have any influence on the development of Period 8?
Crutcher: Only in that he read an early on and we talked about the structure of mystery and suspense. Charlie is a master of structure.
Milner Halls: It's premature to ask, especially considering Period 8 is a Fall 2012 release, but are you working on anything else?
Crutcher: I'm working on my next novel (though it's on hold until I put the finishing touches on Period 8).
Milner Halls: Is it possible you'll contribute to another anthology for me in the future?
Crutcher: I'm not big on writing for anthologies, partly because I have a harder time writing when someone else comes up with the focus of the stories, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out if you comes up with another great idea. A lot of my willingness to write for anthologies comes from timing. If I'm working on something and I'm behind, which I almost always am, there is little chance. But if I do have time and the subject is interesting to me, I can be talked into it.
Beware of a bite under a full moon . . . It will complicate your love life.
Celeste has more to worry about than a secret romance with a hot guy from the wrong side of town. That guy, Brandon, is a werewolf. With gossip and hostility swirling at school, it’s time to find a cure for his nocturnal condition, and perhaps the one person who can help is his scientist father. But what if a “cure” makes things worse and Brandon becomes a werewolf full time?
To keep Brandon’s secret safe, Celeste must hide her relationship with him from her best friends, but with the Moonlight Ball approaching, she must make a choice. Her dream is to go with her one true love—Brandon. But once the sun goes down, the clouds separate, and the full moon appears, could she really walk into the dance on the arm of a werewolf?
In this installment of the sumptuously romantic Full Moon series, Celeste faces her fears and her friends and finds out whether she’s strong enough to stand up for herself and her one true love.
A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page..
Award-winning books and young adult author! Untraceable has been a best seller, making many of the top best seller lists in: Best Debut, Movers and Shakers, Top 100 in Thrillers, and the Top 100 in Teen Action Adventure books.
Uncontrollable #2 is available.
Unstoppable #3 (Spring '14)
Nature girl, Grace, has lived in the Smoky Mountains all her life, patrolling the wilderness with her father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and survival.
When her forest ranger father goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he's dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.
One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. She must use her survival instincts to survive and find her way home.
Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever her teen romance, her family relationships and the lives of many. Soon, she's enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it's going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.
This teen series for girls has it all: teen romance, action adventure, and mystery all backdropped by the Smoky Mountains. The twists and turns will create mystery and suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Kirkus Reviews called this teen book "a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance." While Reader's Favorite oved the action adventure mixed with "a message of wildlife conservation".
The gripping first installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.
One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can leave a fully grown man gasping for air. One touch, and she can kill.
No one knows why Juliette has such incredible power. It feels like a curse, a burden that one person alone could never bear. But The Reestablishment sees it as a gift, sees her as an opportunity. An opportunity for a deadly weapon.
Juliette has never fought for herself before. But when she’s reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, she finds a strength she never knew she had.
Don’t miss Restore Me, the electrifying fourth installment of this New York Times bestselling series, available now!
For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.