"Bright Blue Miracle" by Becca Wilhite

When I saw this book in the Whitney finalist lineup I thought I hadn't heard of it before, but when I read the back liner, I realized it was familiar after all. Here's the blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Leigh Mason is not sure she is ready to share her mom, her bedroom, and her little sisters with her new stepsister, Betsy. And she's definitely not ready to share her best friend, who happens to be a boy! Coping with a blended family is not easy for either Leigh or Betsy, especially during their senior year in high school. Each step brings them nearer to a crisis that will either send them running in different directions or bind them firmly together (which, let s face it, would take a miracle). Bright Blue Miracle is a new young adult novel that has everything a girl wants: a hero (more specifically, a really cute boy), a villain (who happens to be a stepsister), comedy, despair, pedicures, ice cream, love, hate, tennis, revenge, and, of course, a couple of surprises that might send you for some tissues.

Bright Blue Miracle is Becca Wilhite's first book, though her second one, My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsession is now available for pre-order on Amazon as it isn't being released for a few more weeks. I was happy to find out her book is at my library, so if I can squeeze in enough time before the April due date, I'll have to read the youth Whitney finalists too!

You can check out her blog to learn more about her, her books, and her thoughts on life in general.

"My Fair Godmother" by Janette Rallison

I love Janette Rallison's books--her characters are fun and well rounded, her story lines engaging, and there's plenty of fun and laughter. I'm actually quite shocked I didn't highlight this YA book on this blog already. She's another finalist for best youth book in the Whitney's.

Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!

After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.

Check out Janette's website, which has links to her book trialers, information on each of her books, her blog, and other fun facts.

And here's her book trailer!

"Just One Wish" by Janette Rallison

Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it’s all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.

But Annika’s plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him.

Annika suddenly finds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right? Janette Rallison’s proven talent for laugh-out-loud humor, teen romance, and deep-hearted storytelling shines in a novel that will have readers laughing and crying at the same time.


Check out Janette's book trailer for this story--it's just been posted.



You can learn more about Janette and her books at her website. You can also see this video she did about her experience with writing this book.

"Life in the Pit" by Kristen Landon

This is a fun teen read about a girl who plays in the school orchestra, with mystery and romance woven together. Here's the blurb.

Brittany sees her life reflected in her high school’s musical production.

Her best friend, Amanda, shines on stage as the star of the play, while Brittany is an invisible member of the pit orchestra.

Amanda has a new boyfriend every week, while Brittany doesn’t date much at all.

Brittany believes the only time guys talk to her is when they are using her to get closer to Amanda.

When the male star of the play starts to pay attention to Brittany, she has difficulty accepting that he is sincere.

Meanwhile, an anonymous note-writer threatens to destroy the play, Amanda and Brittany.

Brittany is determined to save the production, her friend and her love life.

This is Kristen Landon's first book and is widely available. Check out Kristen's website for more information about her and her book.

James Dashner's teen dystopia "The Maze Runner"

James Dashner is not a new author. With his newest release, The Maze Runner, his total comes to seven. His previous books are all middle grade fantasy. This title, however, is a teen read--perfect for an older audience without the inappropriate contents that many recent releases contain. The blurb:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone.

When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight.

And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade.

And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

You can read reviews here, here, and here as well as many other places on the web. Check out James' blog here, and the website Random House put together for the book is here.

Book trailer for "My Fair Godmother"

Yes, I know I it's only been three days since I talked about one of Janette Rallison's books, but she just posted this book trailer for My Fair Godmother and I had to share. I really enjoyed this fractured fairytale when I read it this past spring.

Michele Ashman Bell's "A Modest Proposal"

Michele Ashman Bell had been writing ten years before she found a publisher for one of her books. Years later, she now has twenty books in print and another coming out soon. Her most recent offering is A Modest Proposal. The blurb follows:

All my life I had dreamed of changing the ordinary girl's world of fashion by designing modest formal gowns-ones that you'd actually want to wear. With my super-hero stitching I would save you mothers and daughters crying in dressing rooms over yet another "the straps are just too small" prom dress. Don't worry, I even thought of a catchy tagline for my brand: "Modest Is Hottest." I told you I was good!

So I moved to New York and am finally living that dream . . . Well, almost. I am at one of the top fashion companies, and my designs are definitely modest-but let's face it, when it comes to outerwear, would you want to buy a skimpy trench coat? Didn't think so.

Even though I don't have my dream job, my family is a mess, and my love life stinks, I have a feeling things are going to change. I mean, they have to soon, or I'll be forced to marry Jace. I did promise to become his wife only if I turned thirty and was still single, but I honestly didn't think it was possible. Now twenty-nine, I'm cutting it way too close. Right now I'm flying back to Utah for our Butterfly Girls reunion. And since it is the Mormon Mecca, I might find myself a modest proposal. Utah engagements can take mere weeks. Never mind, I'm not that desperate. Really.

But maybe the girls can help. We've been best friends since high school. We Butterfly Girls are not the typical Pink Ladies, although we've definitely had our share of drama. We'll laugh and cry over memories, from pageant glory to tragic endings, but the ones stored inside our butterfly box will surprise you most. We only open it when we're all together, and our lives never seem the same after.

If this sounds interesting to you, check out her website to read a first chapter, learn more about Michele and more. Michele also has a blog where she interviews authors and talks a bit about her books.

Janette Rallison's "Just One Wish"

I first experienced Janette Rallison's hilarious storytelling several years ago when I took one of her books on a family trip. Since then I've been making my way through her entire collection of stories, from the obvious teen reads (all geared for national audiences) to her novels geared toward adults (which she writes under the name Sierra St. James--and they are all perfectly safe to hand to a thirteen-year-old without a qualm). She'll keep you entertained from the start. Janette's latest offering is Just One Wish--which I still need to read. The blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it’s all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.

But Annika’s plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him. Annika suddenly fi nds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

Janette Rallison’s proven talent for laugh-out-loud humor, teen romance, and deep-hearted storytelling shines in a novel that will have readers laughing and crying at the same time.

You can read a truly excellent review of the book here. Also, check out Janette's website to learn more about her and her other books, see some book trailers and other fun stuff.

There's just something about dragons

Kids from middle grade on up to young adult are flocking to fantasy these days--and who can blame them? With Harry Potter drawing reluctant readers to the book shelves, more publishers have stepped up and provided them with yet more reason to hang out. The Dragon Codex series is a great example. Though the entire series is 'authored' by R.D. Henham, R.D. has received a lot of help from various scribes along the way. One of these 'helpers' is Rebecca Shelley, who wrote the Red Dragon Codex, and Brass Dragon Codex--books designed for middle-grade readers with plenty of adventure but without some of the more mature themes in some fantasy books geared toward teens.

R.D. Henham is a scribe in the great library of Palanthas. In the course of transcribing stories of legendary dragons, the author felt a gap existed in the story of the everydragon: ordinary dragons who end up doing extraordinary things. With the help of fellow scribes, R.D. had filled that gap with the Dragon Codices.

The blurb for Red Dragon Codex:

Mudd lives a peaceful life in his small town, tinkering with the mill and any mechanical devices that he can find. But his peaceful life soon changes when, out of nowhere, a red dragon attacks, burning the town and kidnapping Shemnara, the village seer. Only one clue is left behind--a cryptic note telling Mudd, "Seek the silver dragon."

And for Brass Dragon Codex:

Never start a conversation with a brass dragon--it might never end! In another volume of the companion series to A Practical Guide to Dragons, orphaned baby brass dragon Kyani ventures out into the desert to find something to eat, and finds a gnome named Hector instead. Hector is not so sure he wants a chatty, hungry brass dragon following his every move. But several groups ready to go to blows over the marvelous invention Hector guards with his life, he may need the help that only a fun-loving brass dragon can provide.


An Amazon reviewer had this to say: Red Dragon Codex is a great fantasy story that includes not just dragons, but all kinds of magical creatures. The best part is that it is written specifically for middle grade readers. Girls and boys alike will love that the plot moves along quickly, and the story is full of action, thought and bravery. I grew to love Mudd, Hiera, Kirak, Greenthumb, and Iroden. I highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately, the publisher decided to stop this series before the entire series was published, but the good news is there are seven fun, clean titles you can search out at your local library (for your child or yourself), or buy for your personal library at home.

Ya read: "Eyes Like Mine" by Julie Wright

I thoroughly adore Julie Wright, her books, and her fun and funky style, so I was thrilled when she announced she had a new book coming out this summer. I haven't had a chance to read Eyes Like Mine yet, but look forward to it. First, the blurb:

A story of family that transcends time. William has been missing for two days. And even though the rest of the wagon company has decided they must continue on to Zion, Constance Brown refuses to go any further until she finds her husband. All she can think about is the last time she saw him-he lovingly touched her face and then sang their baby girl to sleep. Will that memory be all Constance has to hold on to? In a future time and place, Liz King is a teenager struggling with her identity in the modern world. The embarrassment she feels because of her parents' divorce and her family's newfound financial problems turns to bitterness. Through an inexplicable twist of fate, Constance and Liz are brought face to face. Liz recognizes Constance's name from her mother's endless lectures on their family history, and she also recognizes her eyes-they are exactly like her own. Were these distant relatives brought together in order to help each other? Will Constance be able to return to her own life and find William, and will Liz be able to keep from telling Constance how her story ends? In this irresistible novel filled with gripping adventure and heartfelt emotion, two young women from drastically different times and settings learn that the challenges life holds for them are not so different after all.

You can check up on Julie at her website, which also hosts her sporadic blogging (she's one of the busiest people I know so it's amazing she has time to breath, let alone blog, do signings, speak at conferences, and everything else on her list.) sample chapters of her writing, lists of reviews, and lots of other fun stuff about Julie. Besides co-writing a couple fo writing books (LDS Writing Secrets and LDS Publishing Secrets), Julie other published titles include To Catch a Falling Star, Loved Like That, and My Not-So-Fairytale Life.

Her books are available at Desert Book, Seagull Book, Amazon.com, and other stores.

She and Josi Kilpack are putting together a book tour covering Idaho Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Nevada in November. If you live in this area and you'd like them to come speak at your ward, stake, writing group, etc, contact her through her website and they'll see what they can do.