YA Pick: The Forgetting

The Forgetting
by Nicole Maggi 
February 3, 2015;
 ISBN: 9781492603566; $9.99; Trade Paper
Sourcebooks Fire– Young Adult Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories
Ages 14-17, Grades 8-12

Georgie’s new heart saved her life…but now she’s losing her mind.

When Georgie Kendrick wakes up after a heart transplant she feels…different. The organ beating in her chest isn’t in tune with the rest of her body. Like it still belongs to someone else.  Someone with terrible memories…memories that are slowly replacing her own. Georgie discovers her heart belonged to a teenage girl who lived a rough life on the streets. Everyone thinks she committed suicide, but only Georgie knows the truth. And now Georgie has to catch a killer--before she loses herself completely.  

Fans of Lisa McMann and April Henry will devour this edgy, gripping thriller with a twist readers won’t see coming!

Nicole Maggi wrote her first story in third grade about a rainbow and a unicorn. After working as an actress in NYC, she now lives in Los Angeles with her family and two oddball cats. Visit her

Interview with the author: Nicole answers my questions:

1. Where did you get the idea about the donor heart?

 

I’ve always been fascinated by this phenomenon of cellular memory, that organ recipients retain something from their donor, whether it’s a taste for a certain food or the memory of who killed them (which is a documented case of a 10-year-old recipient who helped solve the murder of her 10-year-old donor). When I first started working on the story, I knew I wanted to write about a girl who goes on a journey into a world she’s never imagined to find out who her donor was. Working from there, I chose to make the main character, Georgie, from a world of privilege and that the journey she goes on is into an underbelly of society that she’s never had to confront before. I knew the donor had to be her complete opposite; someone who absolutely inhabits that underbelly. From there, the character of Jane Doe grew into a trafficked girl, someone caught in a web of darkness that she’s unable to escape. Most importantly, I wanted the donor heart to change Georgie, for the better.

 

2. Do you believe organs can take on attributes of the donor?

 

I do, actually. Even though there’s no real science to back up the idea of cellular memory, there are enough cases of people reporting personality changes, memories, and even sexuality to make me a believer.

 

3. What was your favorite book as a child?

 

CHARLOTTE’S WEB. It broke my heart over and over.

 

as a teen?

 

This gets harder, but I’ll have to go with The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce because those books are the reason I’m a writer.

 

as an adult?

 

Okay, that’s like impossible. But if I had to list just one I’m gonna go with GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell. I’d grown up on the movie (it’s one of my favorites) but I didn’t read the book until I was in my late twenties. That book…I just can’t even talk about how incredible it is. The character of Scarlett O’Hara is one of the richest, deepest, most complex, flawed and beautiful character ever committed to paper.

 

4. If you had to compare your style with any other YA writer, who would you compare yourself to?

 

That’s really hard! I hope I don’t sound too egotistical but I think maybe Maggie Stiefvater. She’s a very lyrical writer and I think I am too.

 

5. What YA author do you read and say, "WOW!"

 

Libba Bray. She’s such an amazing writer. I’m always floored by her. I read A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY over one weekend at a beach house. I was there with a bunch of friends and while they were off committing various acts of debauchery I was lying on the living room floor, reading. I’ve loved all of her books but I think GOING BOVINE is a magnificent achievement. Also, she’s a fabulously awesome person in real life.

 

6. What's more scary: going onstage to a packed house or having a manuscript in front of editors?

 

Having a manuscript in front of editors BY FAR. Yes, I get nervous before I go onstage, but once I’m out there, the nerves disappear. When I have a book out on submission I can’t sleep, my stomach is in constant knots, I’m checking my email every ten seconds and jumping every time the phone rings. It’s AWFUL.

 

7. After the Twin Willows trilogy, where do you see your writing going?

 

I’m actually in the middle of writing the third book in the trilogy, so it’s hard to see anything beyond that at the moment! After I finish the trilogy, I’ll be writing another thriller for Sourcebooks. It’s a spy novel that will be more along the lines of THE FORGETTING. I’d also love to get back to writing historicals someday. My first two novels (still unpublished) were historical fiction and I really love living in a different time period through my characters.

 

8. If you could do anything other than write or act, what would you see yourself doing as a career?

 

I love art history. I took this amazing art history class when I was in college with a renowned art historian, and she actually encouraged me to pursue it as a career. I didn’t do that…and a small part of me wishes that I had. Hey, there’s still time, right? If this writing thing doesn’t work out…

 

9. Are you a dog person or a cat person?

 

I love dogs but I’m allergic to most of them. So by default I’m a cat person. We have two, named Sawyer and Hurley (yes, after the LOST characters). They are both very beautiful and a little odd.

Thriller Pick: Black Ice

Black Ice
by Becca Fitzpatrick
Simon & Schuster BFYR
2014
392 pages
ISBN: 9781442474260

Watch the riveting book trailer

Taut, cutting, creepy and maddeningly unputdownable, Black Ice is a compelling YA thriller teens are not likely to forget! Fans of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series will not be disappointed. Black Ice is unlike the earlier series of books, but it's just as engrossing.

Britt Pfeiffer and her BFF ( and most of the time,  frenemy)  Korbie Versteeg are heading to Wyoming to Korbie's family's mountain getaway for a week of hiking and bonding. Korbie's older brother and best friend are joining them up at the cabin later. Britt laughs off Korbie's warnings about the disappearance of several girls in the nearby area. When the girls  are caught in a blinding  rain which soon turns to snow, the girls abandon the Jeep and hike to a nearby cabin. The cabin is inhabited by two not so friendly guys who grudgingly allow the girls to stay the night. Britt soon finds out that these guys are in trouble and hiding from the law. Now, she's determined to find an escape route for herself and Korbie. Britt is praying that Cal will find them before it's too late. He knows these mountains better than anyone, and Britt is lucky enough to have found a hand drawn map the he left behind. Using Cal's map, Britt decides to get Korbie and herself out of danger and off the mountain.

The blizzard shows no signs  of letting up. The men become increasingly dangerous and trigger happy. A gruesome discovery sets things in motion and the girls have to make their move. Mason (aka,  Jude) seems mysterious but not necessarily dangerous. Britt has to learn to trust someone but she's still waiting to be saved by old flame Cal.

Sometimes people are much more than they seem...and so much less.  As Britt struggles to save their lives, she uncovers morbid truths and a lifetime of lies.

Highly recommended grade 9 and up. Kidnapping, violence, murder, steamy kisses.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Riveting Thriller Pick: Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct
by S.E. Green
Simon Pulse
2014
272 pages
ISBN: 9781481402859

Available May 6, 2014

Disturbing, dark, and deadly, Killer Instinct will leave readers breathless. This is one YA novel that you will never forget.

"Everyone has a dark side," says the cover, and you better believe it! Part "Dexter," part crime study, part thriller, part YA/adult, Killer Instinct crosses the line between  teen and adult fiction.

 I was riveted From the first line, "I study serial killers."  Lane is a typical high school girl, quiet, kind of shy, preferring to keep to herself. She is fascinated by crime and criminals and makes it a habit of visiting the courtroom for trials that interest her--the worse the crime, the better.

When she watches a rapist walk free, Lane decides to put her plan in action. She knows he is guilty; she will make sure he receives justice--from her own hand. Lane studies the Weasel (that's her pet nickname for him), his comings and goings, and she follows him and gets to know him. When she realizes he's ready to strike again, she gets ready to take him down.

With FBI director mother and FBI agent step-dad, Lane is very careful not to get caught. She barely covers her tracks, but she gloats in her success. Lane is thrilled when a serial killer seems to be practicing his craft in her city. She studies everything she can. She sneaks in to her mother's study and  secretly looks at the case files; she installs a nanny cam in her mother's study to listen in on phone calls.

At first, Lane is fascinated, but when the killer contacts her, Lane is afraid--afraid and fascinated.  A long ago secret surfaces from Lane's past, and her mother begins to reveal details about her father that she never knew. Could her past have something to do with the killer?

Lane is forced into action when her friend Zach is in danger. She won't be able to cover her tracks, but she might be able to save Zach. What will happen when Lane comes face to face with the real killer? Will she make him pay? Or will her  fascination take over?

At first, I wasn't sure I would have empathy for Lane. She seemed cold and distant--either a sociopath or a killer-- but once  I got to know about her past, I empathized with her. She is broken and damaged, but can be whole again...some day.

Highly, highly recommended for readers who like a thrilling read and riveting plot. 

Grade 9-up. NOT for middle school. Violence. Mature subject matter.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Action Pick: The Loop

The Loop
by Shandy Lawson
Hyperion
2013
208 pages

Wildly unique and highly riveting, The Loop will take readers on a thrill ride. Teens Ben And Maggie are stuck in a time loop. Each time they meet, they try to outrun bad guy Roy, a killer with a bad attitude. He will stop at nothing to catch the teens and kill them. He wants their gambling winnings that they used him to collect. As underage betters, the kids couldn't cash in their ticket at the race track; they needed an adult. And, boy, did they pick the worst adult.

The events of two days happens over and over, each time with Roy killing both Maggie and Ben. In one loop, Ben meets Steve, a guy who recognizes Ben and tells him about his loop. At first, Ben doesn't believe it, but he does have that deja vu feeling, and he realizes he has been repeating his own history over and over.

Ben and Maggie work at changing just one little thing to try to bend the loop. They figure if they can change enough little things, they may get to live and break the loop. Roy is hot on their trail, and they leave New Orleans and try to get as far from Shreveport as possible. Fate just keeps dealing them blows. They end up in a car accident and are airlifted to the hospital, where they will be sitting ducks for Roy to kill. Ben sneaks Maggie out of the hospital and they are on the run again.

Maggie and Ben are falling in love, but there's no time for romance. Trying to stay alive is a full time job. Maggie makes a couple of brilliant decisions, hoping to change their outcome.

The Loop is perfect for the reluctant reader; it is a quick read --only 208 pages.

Recommended grade 7-up. No language. A couple of sweet kisses, oh, and outrunning a killer.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC of this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Paranormal Pick: Dead Is Just a Dream

Dead Is Just a Dream
by Marlene Perez
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2013
176 pages

Available September 3, 2013

Something sinister is going on in the little town of Nightshade, California. Jessica Walsh and her band of friends each have gifts--reading people's thoughts, seeing the future, being female warriors who protect the town. When Jessica sees a ghost horse on the beach, the first murder is reported.

A rude painter shows up in town with a show of his gruesome paintings and a new owner buys Phantasm Farms, a local horse farm. The girls have to find out who or what's killing people and soon!

After a visit to Phantasm Farms, Jessica thinks that the ghost horse, the nightmares, the painter and the strange girl who can talk to horses are all tied together. Something is killing people with fear. Dreams begin haunting her friend Eva but she can't remember what the terror is exactly.

Caught up in the case, Jessica has to juggle her high school classes, her relationship with hot boyfriend Dominic and his burgeoning music career, her very crowded family home, the arrival of her older brother from college, and policing the town of Nightshade from evil. Residents in Nightshade aren't sleeping and Jessica has to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Dead is Just a Dream is a delightful paranormal read with a little Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Secret Circle mixed in. There's the rich kids and fancy cars and there's the circle of paranormal friends who live "normal" lives when not chasing evil or destroying monsters.

Marlene Perez has the teen scene down pat and readers will fall under her spell. Cover art with the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skull may be off-putting to some readers--the kids attend a huge party on The Day of the Dead at a mansion. While the cover isn't that "girl-y" or romantic, fans of the series will read this book.

Highly recommended grade 7-up. No language. Just sweet kisses...oh, and sinister murder.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive moentary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Middle School Pick

Killer Pizza

by Greg Taylor

Scholastic, 2009.

341 pages

Any book that evokes R. L. Stine and Darren Shan, is a book that will appeal to middle school reluctant readers. If they love monsters, pizza, and action, this first novel by Greg Taylor is for them.

Toby McGill is not looking forward to a long and boring summer vacation. More than anything he would like a summer job to break the monotony. He is excited to learn that the manager from a local pizza delivery shop wants to hire him. Toby is soon the best cook at Killer Pizza. What he doesn't know is that pizza delivery is only a "front" for what really goes on there.

Killer Pizza is actually a chain of monster killing shops; they seek out guttata--somewhat human and something like a giant bear--to destroy. Toby is picked for an elite team of monster patrol along with Annabel--a cute and super-smart classmate and Strobe, an angry and defiant rebel.

Together they patrol the streets of Hidden Hills, Ohio--just an ordinary town except for the presence of monsters. As Toby hones his skills as an operative, he also gains experience in the kitchen and realizes that his dream to become a chef is attainable.

Mixing pizza with monsters is a great idea. Two things that kids love. What else could they want?

Recommended grades 5-9.

YA Pick

Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Book One)
by Heather Brewer
Scholastic, 2007.
182 pages.

Meet Vladamir Tod. He's sometimes funny, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes moody, yet always hungry. Just your typical teen-age boy, right? Well, kinda--Vlad is "typical" in all areas except for the fact that his father was a very powerful vampire who turned his back on his own kind to marry a human, Vlad's mother. This fact alone makes Vlad a "marked man" in vampiredom; the true vampires think he's dangerous and want his father to answer for his actions in breaking vampire law.

Aunt Nellie raises Vlad after the untimely deaths of his parents. Nellie is not a blood (pun intended) relation at all--she was best friends with Vlad's mother. Lucky for Vlad, Nellie works in a hospital and is responsible for disposing all the blood near its "due date." Vlad happily feeds on the blood bags Nellie brings home.

Throughout the book, Vlad faces the usual worries of an 8th grade boy: shyness around girls, being bullied by two huge thugs, worries about not being popular, jealousy, oh, and add in the fact that a vampire wants to kill Vlad.

Brewer wins fans with the likeable friendship of Vlad and Henry. Readers will want to read the next books: Ninth Grade Slays and Tenth Grade Bleeds. The fourth installment is due out February 2010 with the paperback edition due out August 2010. Be on the look-out for a movie of Vlad. He is too likeable a character for Hollywood to pass up. Recommended for YA collections. Grade 6-up.