Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Spring 2011 Children's Books

The Spring 2011 Children’s Books issue of Publishers Weekly has arrived! Relying on the brief descriptions allowed for each title, here are the upcoming (or recently released) mid-grade and teen novels which had me saying, “Hmm... Interesting! I may have to check that out.”

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. A plane filled with beauty pageant contestants crashes on a desert island.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty. A virus renders everyone over age 18 infertile in this dystopian novel.

Choker by Elizabeth Woods. Cara worries that her best friend may be responsible for the death of a mean, popular girl.

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder. After it’s revealed that she was switched at birth, Amber is ordered to split the year between her two families.

Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby. Emma is charged with ridding the world of annoying fairies.

Fantasy Baseball by Alan Gratz. Alex becomes involved in a fantasy baseball tournament featuring storybook characters.

Father of Lies by Ann Turner is a fictional retelling of the Salem witch trials from the perspectives of a girl and the devil.

Geek Fantasy Novel by E. Archer. After making a wish, Ralph is trapped in a fantasy world full of killer bunnies, evil aunts, and bothersome bacteria.

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison. After crashing her car and landing in limbo, a mean girl must face people she’s wronged.

Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. The truth about two teen TV idols’ phony off-screen romance is revealed.

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody. A girl notorious for making bad decisions puts her fate in the hands of blog readers.

OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy. At a Christian summer camp, Ellie worries that being Jewish will ruin her chances of winning a scholarship to speech school.

Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi. A girl finds inspiration while working at a funeral home.

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt. Required by a guidance counselor to choose a “focus object” to study, a teen chooses the head of the boy who sits in front of her in class.

So Shelly by Ty Roth is a modern-day retelling of the friendships among poets Keats, Byron, and the Shelleys.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith. A boy who pursues severe storms with his father is tested in new ways when the hurricane of the century hits.

Subject Seven by James A. Moore. An alter-ego living inside a teen escapes and is determined to destroy his creator.

Taking Off by Jenny Moss. In this novel, a teen is determined to witness the Challenger launch after meeting Christa McAuliffe.

Trapped by Michael Northrop. Teens struggle to survive when a blizzard strands them at their high school.

Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee. Marigold is mortified when her performance artist mother becomes a drama teacher at her school.

You Don’t Know About Me by Brian Meehl is a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

9 comments:

Matthew MacNish said...

I can't believe I haven't heard of a single one of these. Several of them sound quite good.

Sabrina Steyling said...

Wow, a lot of these sound REALLY good! I've taken down a list of the ones I want to read. I've already begun looking them up on our inter-county library borrowing database, and the only one available is "Taking Off," so I'll start with that one!

Thanks for sharing this, Jay! I'm always on the hunt for the next good read.

Megan Bostic said...

looks like some really interesting reads. Will have to check them out. (already have Oymg on my list. Amy's awesome)

GhostFolk.com said...

BEAUTY QUEENS for sure! Libba's concept is decidedly delicious here. And I'm already stalking OyMG and SO SHELLY.

GhostFolk.com said...

BEAUTY QUEENS for sure! Libba's concept is decidedly delicious here. And I'm already stalking OyMG and SO SHELLY. Thanks for the line-up, Jay!

Jessica Brody said...

Hi Jay! Thanks for including my book, MY LIFE UNDECIDED, in your "hmm...interesting" round-up! I hope you enjoy it!

And please check out the "movie-style" book trailer for it here: www.JessicaBrody.com

- Jessica Brody

mmm said...

awesome list. i can't wait for the new libba bray!

jay, i was wondering if you can help me track down a book. i read it last year but i can't remember the title of the novel and the author's name! i picked it up at barnes & noble in the YA section. i have been driving myself crazy and losing sleep because i can't figure out the title of the book so that i can mark it on goodreads. (and the fact that i absolutely loved it.) i know that is lame but i don't have a physical copy of the book because i left it in america.

the novel is about a girl who breaks up with her boyfriend and then encounters a guy and a girl shortly before they drowned in a frozen lake that cracked. she doesn't tell anyone that she had seen them before they died because she feels guilty and the event pushes her into a depression. later, she meets this boy at her job who also encountered the same couple on the same night and they realise they are keeping the same secret. they form some kind of romantic relationship but she finds out from the boy's family that he is much younger (14 and she's 18, a senior) and that he's the son of an important public figure in their town. the boy and girl later search for the boy's estranged grandmother for his father and realise that maybe the past needs to stay buried. after she finishes school, she moves away to chicago and there is a scene with her sitting in a bus with strangers and then she runs into the boy's older sister, who is a musician, and with whom she formed a bond.

i was wondering if you, or anyone who reads this blog, knows what book i am talking about? it's a YA contemporary. if you could help me, that would be so wonderful. :) xx thank you!

Jay Asher said...

Presley, three people on my FB say it's Just Like That by Marsha Qualey.

mmm said...

oh wow, thank you, jay! and thank you to your three awesome facebook friends! i can sleep now:) x