YA Authors You Need to Read: Scott Westerfeld

This article first appeared on the examiner on December 22, 2010.

Scott Westerfeld was born on May 5, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Like many authors he has held a variety of jobs. He has worked as a factory worker making lead soldiers, a substitute teacher, a textbook editor, a software designer and a ghost writer. Luckily his writing experience didn’t stop as a ghost, and he published many YA novels under his own name. He is married to the Australian author Justine Larbalestier and splits his time between Sydney, Australia and New York, avoiding the cold snowy winters. 

One of Westerfeld’s most popular series is the Uglies series. Originally meant to be a trilogy, the series was received so well Westerfeld wrote a fourth companion novel. The first book is also called “Uglies” and introduces the reader to an alternate world in which everyone is forced to have an operation at 16 years old. The operation is not for health reasons or to protect the public, but is purely cosmetic, remaking each teen into a beautiful person. There are some teens that want to keep their faces and that sets up the conflict in the series. For a review from the East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison, click here.

Other Books

Stand alone books:

• “Evolutions Darling”
• “So Yesterday”
• “The Risen Empire” (originally published as two books, “The Risen Empire” and “The Killing of Worlds”)

Uglies Series:

• “Pretties” (Morrison’s review)
• “Specials” (Morrison’s review)
• “Extras” (Morrison’s review)
• “Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider’s Guide to the World of Uglies”

Midnighters series:

• “The Secret Hour”
• “Touching Darkness”
• “Blue Noon”

Peeps series

• “Peeps” (Morrison’s review)
• “The Last Days” (Morrison’s review)

Leviathan series

• “Leviathan”
• “Behemoth”
• “Goliath” (October 2011)

You can find more information about Westerfeld on hisblog/website, follow him on twitter, and like his fan facebook page.

You can find these books at your local capital district library.

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YA Authors You Need to Read: Garth Nix

This article first appeared on the examiner on December 1, 2010. 

Garth Nix has worn a number of hats related to the book industry. He’s worked as a “literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller” and as a full time author since 2001. According to his biography on his website he was born in Melbourne Australia in 1963. He currently lives with his wife and two children near Sydney.

“Mister Monday” is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series and introduces Arthur Penhaligon. Arthur is starting seventh grade in a new school. Unbeknownst to him the entire seventh grade is forced to participate in a cross-country run on every Monday, and naturally he's starting school on Monday. Even though he's a severe asthmatic Arthur doesn't have a note from his doctor because he didn't know he needed to bring one... he tries to do the run anyway and winds up passing out. While he's struggling to breathe he witnesses a strange interaction between men who just appeared out of thin air. A man being wheeled in a bathtub carriage gives Arthur a key (the minute hand to a huge clock) in the hopes that Arthur will die and he can take the key back having fulfilled his part of a Will demanding he give the key to a mortal. But Arthur doesn't die and is instead revived by the Key. Thus enters Mister Monday, the lesser Key to the House, and the strangeness begins...

Other Books for Teens:

The Abhorsen Trilogy:

• “Sabriel”
• “Lirael”
• “Abhorsen”
  The Keys to the Kingdom Series:
• “Grim Tuesday” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Drowned Wednesday” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Sir Thursday” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Lady Friday” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Superior Saturday” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Lord Sunday” (Goddess Librarian review)
  The Seventh Tower series:
• “The Fall”
• “Castle”
• “Aenir”
• “Above the Veil”
• “Into Battle”
• “The Violet Keystone”

You can find more information about Garth Nix on hiswebsite, and his facebook fan page (he has reached the 5000 friend limit for his personal facebook and cannot accept any more friends).

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YA Authors You Need to Read: Laurie Halse Anderson

This article is cross-posted at the Examiner.

This is another article in a series profiling young adult authors you need to read now. When people think of YA literature many of them think of classic authors like Judy Blume, Norma Fox Mazer, and Chris Crutcher, but there are a whole slew of YA authors for today’s teens (and adult fans of YA lit) that should not be missed.

Semi-local (Syracuse area) author Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of numerous books for teens and tweens. Her books have received major accolades—two of them were National Book Award finalists and she herself was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by YALSA for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature…”. She’s no stranger to controversy, however, and would-be book banners have challenged her books. The latest attempt was the Wesley Scroggins incident. Read about it here.

Anderson’s first YA book and her most often challenged one is “Speak.” It tells the story of a young girl who begins her freshman year in high school alone and friendless because of an incident at a party the summer before. Melinda must learn to accept the truth of that incident and tell others the real truth before she can begin to heal. “Speak” is gripping and realistic as Melinda sinks further and further into depression. It is a hugely important novel that should be shared between mothers and daughters everywhere.

Other Books(for teens)

• “Catalyst” (East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review)
• “Prom” (Morrison’s review)
• “Twisted” (Morrison’s review)
• “Wintergirls” (Morrison’s review)
• “Fever 1793”  (Morrison’s review)
• “Chains”
• “Forge”

You can find more information about Anderson on her website, like her on facebook, and follow her on twitter.

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YA Authors You Need to Read: Suzanne Collins

This article is cross-posted at the Examiner. 

This is another article in a series profiling young adult authors you need to read now. When people think of YA literature many of them think of classic authors like Judy Blume, Norma Fox Mazer, and Chris Crutcher, but there are a whole slew of YA authors for today’s teens (and adult fans of YA lit) that should not be missed.

Suzanne Collins started out writing for children’s television shows. She’s worked on Clarissa Explains It All and other popular Nickelodeon shows. Collins is well know for “Gregor the Overlander,” the first in a 5 book series called “The Underland Chronicles,” as well as the “Hunger Games” trilogy.

When “The Hunger Games” begins it is easy to think that it takes place in a long ago primitive time when people had to live off the land and were brutal and cruel just to survive. Although Katniss is just a young teen she is the hunter of the family, bringing home rabbits and squirrels to feed her starving mother and younger sister. Food is scarce in her district and the hunting is illegal but mostly overlooked. As Katniss tells her story we learn that it does not take place long ago, but rather is in the future. War has obliterated the United States as we know it and has been replaced by 13 districts called Panem. Like the 13 colonies that created the United States, they rebelled against an oppressive government. Unlike those 13 colonies, they lost. In retaliation the government of Panem destroyed the 13^th district and rule the other isolated 12 districts with an iron fist. “The Hunger Games” brings together the horrific entertainment of our past—the Gladiator games—with the voyeuristic sadism of our present—reality shows—and gives us a future with human nature at its worst. The dystopian story continues in “Catching Fire” and concludes in the recent release “Mockingjay.” For a full review, click here.

Other Books

• “Gregor The Overlander”
• “Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane”
• “Gregor And The Curse Of The Warmbloods”
• “Gregor And The Marks Of Secret”
• “Gregor And The Code Of Claw”
• “The Hunger Games” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Catching Fire” (Goddess Librarian review)
• “Mockingjay” (Goddess Librarian review)

You can find more information about Collins at her website.

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YA Authors You Need to Read: Melina Marchetta

This article is being cross-posted at the Examiner.

This is another article in a series profiling young adult authors you need to read now. When people think of YA literature many of them think of classic authors like Judy Blume, Norma Fox Mazer, and Chris Crutcher, but there are a whole slew of YA authors for today’s teens (and adult fans of YA lit) that should not be missed.


Melina Marchetta is an Australian author who translates well to an American audience. Her first novel “Looking for Alibrandi” was published in 1992 and released as a feature film in 2000. It was so popular with teens it was dubbed the “most stolen library book.” Her third novel, “Jellicoe Road,” won the ALA’s Printz Award in 2009.

Marchetta’s latest American release is “Finnikin of the Rock.” Young Finnikin dreamt that he needed to sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. The son of the Captain of the Guard, Finnikin took the protection of his kingdom very seriously and convinced his two young friends--the king's son Balthazar and his cousin Lucien-- to make a blood oath to protect the kingdom they all loved. Finnikin thinks the matter is settled... and then the five days of the unspeakable happens. The King, Queen, Prince and Princesses are all slaughtered by assassins, the people turn on each other and Finnikin's father is banished from the kingdom. When things can't get any worse, a magical spell is cast dividing the kingdom from the rest of the world, trapping half the population within its borders and excluding the other half. For the full review, click here.


Other Books

• “Looking For Alibrandi”
• “Saving Francesca”
• “Jellicoe Road” (Goddess Librarian review; East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review)
• “The Piper’s Son” (Available in Australia now and in the US in March 2011)

You can find more information about Marchetta at her website.

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YA Authors You Need to Read: Sara Zarr

This article first appeared on the examiner on August 11, 2010.

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of three novels for young adults: "Story of a Girl" (National Book Award Finalist), "Sweethearts" (Cybil Award Finalist), and "Once Was Lost" (a Kirkus Best Book of 2009). Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, and online at her website.

Zarr’s first book “Story of a Girl” is about a young girl caught by her father in a compromising situation—losing her virginity. This could be called the Story of Many Girls. Aside from actually being caught in the act by your father, lots of young vulnerable girls have similar first time situations--ones filled with regret that they never truly get over. This novel is so realistic it's almost painful. Interspersed throughout the book is Deanna's own writing, her own Story of a Girl, a girl desperately trying to forget her past. It's not until she learns how to forgive can she truly forget--a lesson everyone in the family needs to learn. Click here for the full review or see East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s reviewhere.

Other Books

“Sweethearts” (Goddess librarian review;  YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review )
“Once Was Lost”

You can find more information about Zarr at her website and follow her on twitter.

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YA Authors You Need to Read: E. Lockhart

This article first appeared on the examiner on July 26, 2010.

E. Lockhart is a full time YA author who writes funny heartfelt books for teens. She has a doctorate in English literature and currently lives in the New York City area. All of her teen books are published under the name E. Lockhart, but she also writes other types of books with her full name Emily Lockhart.

Lockhart’s first book for teens was “The Boyfriend List” published in 2005. Fifteen-year-old Ruby has everything going for her, a group of best friends, a perfect boyfriend, interesting albeit annoying parents, and then she loses it all (except the parents) and has panic attacks instead. Trying to figure out what went wrong, Ruby starts therapy and comes up with the reason: boys. She comes up with a list of all her boyfriends, even the ones that were imagined and unofficial and crushes from afar. Ruby (Roo) is a funny typical boy-obsessed teenage girl. At times she is shallow and self-centered, and other times she really is the victim of her cruel peers. For a full review, click here.

Subsequent books

“Fly on the Wall” (East Greenbush YA Librarian Chrissie Morrison’s review here)
“The Boy Book” (Goddess Librarian review here)
“Dramarama” (Goddess Librarian review here)
“The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks”
“How To Be Bad”
“The Treasure Map of Boys”
“Real Live Boyfriends”

You can find more information about Lockhart at her website and blog and also follow her on twitter.

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