First-time novelist Lauren Oliver arrives on the 3/21 NYT Children’s Chapter Books best seller list at #8 with Before I Fall. The book is told by a girl who dies in a car accident, but gets to relive the last day of her life seven times.

The book was launched with a 100,000-copy first printing. PW featured the author’s unique “ARC tour;” she sent out 2 copies, asking readers to pass the book on and insert comments. One copy actually made it back to her, after traveling throughout Europe, loaded with comments and drawings.

It received stellar prepub reviews and is the #1 Indie Next Spring 2010 Children’s Pick.

The Guardian sees it as part of a trend of novels by dead or dying YA’s, which is led, of course, by The Lovely Bones and includes:

• Before I Die, Jenny Downham, (David Fickling Books/Random House, 2007)
• Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher (Razorbill/Penguin, 2007)
• Elsewhere, Bavrielle Zevin (Square Fish/FSG, 2005)
• If I Stay, Gayle Forman (Dutton, 2009)

The author has a four-book contract; her second novel, Delirium, is planned for publication in winter 2011.

Before I Fall Lauren Oliver Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 480 pages Publisher: HarperCollins – (2010-03-01) ISBN / EAN: 006172680X / 9780061726804

ebook and audio available from OverDrive.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 5:43 am and is filed under 2010/11 - Winter/Spring, Bestsellers, Childrens and YA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.