The producers of the film adaptation of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (Penguin/Dutton; Brilliance Audio; Thorndike Large Print), have found their Hazel; Shailene Woodley has been offered the role.

If negotiations work out, this will be her fourth film based on a book. She played George Clooney’s daughter in The Descendants (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings), is the lead in The Spectacular Now (based on the YA book, a National Book Award finalist by Tim Tharpe, opening in a limited theatrical run on Aug. 2) and  is about to begin production on Divergent, based on the first in Veronica Roth’s YA series, in which she plays Tris. Currently, she is at work on The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Author Green tweeted his approval, “There were so many amazing auditions for the role of Hazel, but Shailene’s love for the book and her understanding of Hazel blew me away.”

Next week, middle school kids will be clamoring for the next in a series they can easily recognize as written for them, the prolific James Patterson‘s third in his Middle School series, My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (Hachette/LBYR). Newbery Medalist, Patricia MacLachlan, proves herself no slouch, with two new titles in one week and the hotly popular Cassandra Clare concludes the steampunk Infernal Devices series.

These, and more highlights, are included on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of March 18.

Two from MacLachlan

White Fur Flying, Patricia MacLachlan, (S&S/Margaret K. McElderry )

Cat Talk, Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, illus. by Barry Moser, (HarperCollins/Katherine)

MacLachlan (best known for her Newbery medal winner, Sarah, Plain and Tall) rests not on her laurels. With two titles arriving this week, she makes even James Patterson look like a slacker. In Cat Talk, she and her daughter, who collaborated on two books about dogs, Once I Ate a Pie and I Didn’t Do It, bring their verse skills to the feline point-of-view, with artwork by Barry Moser, whose sublime kitty illustrations adorned My Cats Nick and Nora and Cheshire Cheese Cat. In White Fur Flying, MacLachlan’s spare style tells the moving story of a troubled boy and the dog that saved him.

Picture Books

Pug Worth, Valerie Worth, illus. by Steve  Jenkins, (Macmilla/FSG BYR)

Each season, the cover of a new picture book gets the place of honor above my desk. I have been looking up at this one since November and still adore it. Jenkins’s talents highlight Valerie Worth’s animal poems.
 

Ol’ Mama Squirrel, David Ezra Stein,  (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books)

A Kids IndieNext Spring pick, described as “equally a funny story of one courageous mom facing down the world and a thank you to all the moms out there in the world who have done the same — and continue to do so — for their children.”

Children’s Informational Books

Pranklopedia: The Funniest, Grossest, Craziest, Not-Mean Pranks on the Planet!, Julie Winterbottom, (Workman)

Looking for something for third grade boys to put a little spark in the winter doldrums? As the title guarantees, nothing too mean but many classic pranks in this compendium.
 

The Eagles are Back, Jean Craighead George, Illus. by Wendell Minor, (Penguin/Dial)

Naturalist Jean Craighead George left us bereft when she died last year. There will be no more wolves, falcons, and eagles to enchant us in novels, essays and picture books. Or so we thought. Her boon companion Wendell Minor brings his signature style to illustrated  one more revelatory story, the revival of the eagle in its habitat. Jean’s books ARE the Common Core; she was a visionary.

Chldren’s Fiction

Tallulah’s Toe Shoes, Marilyn Singer, Alexandra Boiger, (HMH/Clarion)

Singer’s ballerina series took flight with Tallulah’s Tutu. For all the little children who WANT, NEED, HAVE TO HAVE a ballet book, Tallulah is “every girl” and we are happy to have another to share.
 

Young Adult

Clockwork Princess, Cassandra Clare, (S&S/ Margaret K. McElderry)

More steam punk, please! This, the final volume in the Infernal Devices series arrives with much fanfare; with a ‘book trailer exclusive” on Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life blog, a feature in USA Today on Thursday, and an A- review from Entertainment Weekly, saying it may be the author’s “ best undertaking to date.” This series is the prequel to Clare’s Mortal Instruments, which will be coming to the big screen in August, starring Lily Collins. Clare and Holly Black (co-author of The Spiderwick Chronicles) are collaborating on another series, Magisterium, aimed at middle schoolers, with The Iron Trail, coming in September of next year.

As part of her interview with Judy Blume on Rock Center, Chelsea Clinton talks to Blume’s son about Tiger Eyes, the movie he adapted from his mother’s book.

The movie is set to debut in theaters and V.O.D. on June 7th, according to Entertainment Weekly‘s “Inside Movies” blog.

A trailer has not yet been released, but scenes from the movie are featured in the interview.

Called “Oz: The Not-So-Great” by critics, Disney’s prequel to the classic is now being called “Oz the Great and the Profitable,” after pulling in over $80 million, making it the first official blockbuster of 2013. In anticipation, Disney has already green lighted a sequel (a sequel to a prequel? When does it merge with the original?)

Official Movie Site: Disney.com/TheWizard

Those looking for tie-ins will not be disappointed (for tie-ins to upcoming movies, check our Upcoming Movies with Tie-ins list):

The first two books in L. Frank Baum’s series have been re-released, featuring “beautifully repainted [cover art] and original Stromberg imagery.”

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, intro. by the film’s star, James Franco, Disney Press

The Marvelous Land of Oz, L. Frank Baum, intro. by the film’s screenwriter Mitchell Kapner, Disney Press

Audio: Dreamscape  has released new recordings of the first two Oz books (also on OverDrive).

  
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, read by Tara Sands (Jan 22)

The Marvelous Land of Oz read by Tara Sands (Feb 19)

Disney Press offers several tie-ins.

Oz The Great and Powerful, Elizabeth Rudnick — the junior novel adaptation

Oz The Great and Powerful: Land of Oz – Level 2 World of Reading title

Oz The Great and Powerful: Witches of Oz, Scott Peterson– picture book

The Art of Oz The Great and Powerful, Grant Curtis — behind-the-scenes book

Oz The Great and Powerful: The Movie Storybook, Scott Peterson — features movie stills.

Next week brings touching and humorous picture books and a new YA title by Sharon Draper. Series releases include the latest in L.J. Smith’s Secret Circle series, The Temptation and Kathy Reich’s third in her Virals series, Code. These, and more highlights, are included on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of March 11

Picture Books

Otis and the Puppy, Loren Long, (Penguin/Philomel)

In this new intallment of the series by best-selling author Loren Long, beloved big-eyed farm tractor, Otis faces his own fears to rescue his new friend, the puppy.

Poetry

World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of, J. Patrick Lewis,  Anna Raff, (Candlewick)

If you’re suffering from Poetry Month fatigue, here’s the perfect pick-me-up, wacky holidays honored with humorous poems by the Children’s Poetry Laureate.

Young Adult

Panic, Sharon M. Draper, (S&S/Atheneum)

A teenage girl is abducted. Her story, told in alternating viewpoints, is frightening and believable, with a cover that  is creepy, compelling and beautiful all at the same time. Draper has won several awards, including the Coretta Scott King for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire. Her most recent, Out of My Mind was NYT best seller and received the Josette Frank Award from the Bank Street College of Education.

Starstruck, Rachel Shukert,  Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Memoirist/actress, Shukert tries her hand at the YA genre with successful results. A mystery set in 1930’s Hollywood, Starstruck gives an inside look at the struggles of young actresses (think Pretty Little Liars with an earlier setting).

Is there such a thing as award fatigue? Not for me. Awards, especially those chosen by knowledgeable judges (full disclosure, I was on this particular committee), shine a light on titles that might otherwise have been lost in the crowd. The Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Book Awards, which were just announced, recognize and encourage new talent.

The 2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Winner Is:

Julie Fogliano for And Then It’s Spring, Illus. by Erin Stead, (Macmillan/Roaring Brook/Neal Porter)

The award citation reads, “First-time author Fogliano shares the excitement that goes hand in hand with planting the first seeds of spring. After months of snow, a boy and his dog agree that enough is enough, and decide to plant a garden. They dig, plant, play and wait…and wait…until at long last, shades of green begin to replace the brown. Spring is in the air!”

The 2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award Winner Is:

Hyewon Yum for Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten!, (Macmillan/FSG/Frances Foster)

The award citation reads, “First day of kindergarten jitters may be nothing new, but in Yum’s book, it’s a parent who is frantic and needs reassuring! Playfully using color and size (Mom and son take turns appearing small and blue-tinted; large and rosy pink), this author-illustrator captures the emotional highs and lows of both parent and child around this milestone.”

The 2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor Awards Go To:

Sanjay Patel for Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth, (Chronicle Books)

K.G. Campbell for Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters, (Kids Can Press)

The 2013 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Awards Go To:

Mara Rockliff for My Heart Will Not Sit Down, (RH/Knopf BYR)

Jennifer Lanthier for The Stamp Collector, (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)

Don Tate for It Jes’ Happened, (Lee & Low Books)

Next week, middle grade kids will be fighting over the next titles in two ongoing series, the sixth in The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers series (Scholastic), this one by best selling adult author David Baldacci, and a new series about the warrior cats, Dawn of the Clans #1: The Sun Trail, by Erin Hunter (HarperCollins). In Young Adult, the popular Delirium series comes to a close and another new series begins. These are just a few of the titles highlighted below and on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of March 4.

Young Adult — Series

   
Requiem, Lauren Oliver, (HarperCollins; Listening Library)

The heavily anticipated conclusion to the trilogy (Delerium, Pandemonium), the first of which is currently in development for a possible FOX TV series. It does not disappoint, it’s a Spring 2013 Kids’ Indie Next List pick: “In the final book of the Delirium trilogy, Lena is in an impossible place — and it only gets worse. Oliver uses the points of view of Lena and her best friend, Hana, to give the reader perspective inside and beyond the wall, making the tale all the more interesting when their stories converge. Alex’s indifference pains Lena but she must stay strong for Julian who is quickly falling in love with her. As much as she tries to deny it, her heart will always belong to Alex — if only he would realize that. Oliver ties up all the loose ends in this thrilling conclusion.” —Alexis Duell, Market Block Books, Troy, NY

Also in print for the first time next week is the Delirium Stories (HarperCollins), which features the novellas Hanna, Annabel, and Raven, originally published as ebooks.

Unremembered, Jessica Brody, (Macmillan/FSG BYR)

First in a series, about a girl who wakes up from plane crash with no idea who she is. She’s become famous for surviving, but only one strange boy claims he knows her. Prepub reviews are mixed, but I found this one a compelling, suspenseful read and am looking foward to book 2.

Middle Grade — Series

Cal Ripken, Jr.’s All-Stars: Wild Pitch, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Kevin Cowherd, (Hyperion)

The third book in Ripken’s All-Star series captures the excitement and drama of baseball as well as the interpersonal relationships of the team members and coaches. Next reads for Jake Maddox and Matt Christopher fans.

Middle Grade — Stand Alones

The Center of Everything, Linda Urban, (Harcourt Children’s Books)

From the author of two of the best middle grade novels of the last ten years, A Crooked Kind of Perfect and Hound Dog True,  another gem, a satisfying story of community and family, friends and relationships. And donuts. Also a Spring 2013 Kids’ Indie Next List pick: “Everything in Ruby Pepperdine’s life has been wrong since her beloved grandmother died. Even her two best friends aren’t talking to her anymore. With the town gearing up for Bunning Day — the annual celebration of the invention of the doughnut — Ruby knows she has just one chance to make things right. But what if she makes the wrong wish? Ruby will win your heart as she navigates the rough waters of grief and friendship and growing up.” —Sandy Scott, The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, VT

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, Charles Vess, Illus. by Charles de Lint, (Hachette/Little, Brown YR)

Children’s librarians might remember the picture book Circle of Cats by the same team. This lushly illustrated expanded chapter book edition of the out-of-print original will capture the middle grade fantasy readers.

Picture Books

A Little Book of Sloth, Lucy Cooke, (S&S Margaret K. McElderry)

Cute Overload is positively dark and depressing compared to this factual picture book account of a sloth rescue center located in Costa Rica (see if you can resist this video from the sanctuary). Adorable Mona-Lisa smiling sloth faces with sleepy eyes, cuddling, hugging, hanging and napping. Irresistable.

Busy-Busy Little Chick,  Janice N. Harrington, Illus. by Brian Pinkney, (Macmillan/FSG BYR)

Just when librarians are bemoaning the dearth of picture book folktales, Harrington (The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, an Irma Black Honor Award, 2006) gives us this deliciously read-aloudable version of The Hen’s House told by the Nkundo people of Central Africa.

“Mama Nsoso’s chicks shivered in their cold, damp nest”

“Peo-peo, Mama, Peo-peo. We’re chilly-cold. Our tummies are chilly-cold. Our feet are chilly-cold We’re chilly-cold all over.”

Little Chick notes that even his bottom is “chilly-cold.“

Although Mama has promised to build a new house for her chicks, she is easily distracted by tasty treats…”crunchy-munchy, sweety-meaty, big fat worms!” Tomorrow she will work; today she and her chicks will eat big fat worms.
And so it goes, yet Little Chick is not eating the “ crunchy-munchy, jumpy-jumpy, cricky-cracky crickets.” He is hard at work creating their new home. Pinkney has hit his stride as he confidently renders the chicken family in broad strokes, filling the pages with color, light and movement. We feel the chicks shivering in the damp mud of their leaky hut. We bounce along with Little Chick on a stark white background as he gathers materials for building. The rhythm of his brushstrokes make real the wind that “swooshed and made them cold.”

Flood, Alvaro F. Villa, (Capstone)

This timely wordless picture book speaks volumes about coming of a storm and the resulting flood. A family’s idyllic farmhouse surrounded by nature -a river and green fields is threatened by the impending weather. We witness the family prepare, then leave their home as the rain begins pounding down. In two dramatic double page spreads, the house is front and center as floodwaters wash through the interior walls. There is hope as the waters recede and although adults will shake their heads at the seemingly “easy” cleanup and restoration, children will find comfort in the sunny end.

Exclamation Mark  Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld (Scholastic)
From the team that created  Duck! Rabbit!. Need I say more? Already has an SLJ star.

Lottie Paris and the Best Place Angela Johnson, Illus. by Scott M. Fischer (S&S Books for Young Readers)
Second in the Lottie series takes this imaginative energetic child to the “best place to be” — the library, of course. Perfect for pre-library visits.

In case your inbox isn’t already overflowing with news of the release of the first official poster for the second Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire, you can view it here (via the movie’s Facebook page).

Unlike traditional movie posters, it doesn’t mention the date it debuts (Nov. 22 of this year), the names of the stars (Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence are pictured), or even the title (although the studio is listed in the fine print at the bottom).

Filming in Hawaii is currently on break for the Oscars. Two of the movie’s stars are nominated, but for their work on other movies; Lawrence for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook and Philip Seymour Hoffman for Best Supporting Actor in The Master.

Hunger Games did not garner a single nomination, but then, young adult movies generally do not play well with Oscar.

Coming next week, Geisel Honoree Pete the Cat gets a new life in two easy-to-read titles … move over Wimpy, Timmy the Failure is coming to town … and, surprise, a new entry in the YA dystopian genre, Dualed, debuts. The titles below and other highlights from next week are also available on our downloadable spreadsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Wk. of FEB 25

Picture Books

Rosie’s Magic Horse, Russell Hoban, illus. by Quentin Blake, (Candlewick)

Any title from the late Russell Hoban (Bedtime for Frances) is cause for celebration. This one is illustrated by the first British Children’s Laureate, Quentin Blake, best known for his drawings in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. It is featured in the NYT Children’s Books column this week, which notes that “The story is inventive from the very first pages, when it becomes apparent that the narrator is in fact a Popsicle stick.”

The Princess and the Peas, Caryl Hart, illus by Sarah Warburton, Candlewick/Nosy Crow
In a Suessian rhyme, Caryl Hart tells the tale of Lily-Rose May whose father is determined to find a way to get her to eat peas (a sampler is available here). It comes from the independent UK press, Nosy Crow, which began publishing in 2011 and formed a partnership with Candlewick shortly after.

Easy Readers

Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch
Pete the Cat: PlayBall! 
both written and illus. by James Dean, (HarperCollins)

The Geisel committee nailed it this year by naming Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, created and illustrated by James Dean, an Honor Book. Now the series is newly published in an easy-to-read format for beginning readers. Yea!

Middle Grade

Timmy Failure, written and illus by Stephan Pastis, (Candlewick)

Pastis (Pearls before Swine) brings his absurdist humor to the middle grade set in this first of the Timmy Failure series, Mistakes Were Made, a Wimpy Kid read-alike that gets a not-so-wimpy launch (the cover even sports a blurb by Jeff Kinney, “Timmy Failure is a winner!”)

The Runaway King, Jennifer A. Nielsen, (Scholastic; Scholastic Audio)
The first book in this series, The False Prince, was named a NYT Book Review and PW best book and is one of many YA and middle-grade series that has been optioned for a film.

Young Adult

Dualed, Elsie Chapman, (Random House Books for Young Readers; BOT Audio)

A new entry into the dystopian genre, which Kirkus says “kicks it up a notch.”PW calls it the “textual equivalent of a Quentin Tarantino movie,” but VOYA says, “Fans of the latest crop of speculative fiction, such as the Divergent trilogy, will want to read this imaginative tale.” Check out a sample of the BOT Audio.

Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin)

YA debut by author of Attachments comes with 4 pre-pub starred reviews (Booklist, SLJ, Kirkus and PW, plus a 5 for quality and 4 for potential popluarity from VOYA). It’s a bitter-sweet story of the love between two misfits which clearly has charm, and strong crossover appeal, but some librarians on GalleyChat feared it would take selling to teens who might be put off by the ’80s’ setting and pop-culture references.

The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door, Karen Finneyfrock, (Penguin/Viking)

A debut about bullying that SLJ says, because of its “articulate, funny, and brave” main character, 14-year-old Celia Door, becomes “much more than a “problem novel.”

Also Known As, Robin Benway, (Walker Childrens; Brilliance Audio)

The author of the stunning debut YA novel, Audrey, Wait!  (Penguin/Razorbill, 2008) returns with an over-the-top teen adventure.

The Goddess Inheritance, Aimée Carter, (Harlequin Teen)

For the girls who have aged out of Rick Riordan’s Gods of Olympus series, here is a supernatural romance series featuring the Greek gods and goddesses.

TV Tie-in

A Story of God and All of Us Young Readers Edition Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, (Hachette/Little, Brown YR)
This tie-in to The Bible, a ten-hour mini-series which begins airing on the History Channel on Sunday, March 3, is for children 10 and up. It retells Bible stories in a simple manner from creation, to the story of Noah to God’s covenant with Abraham continuing on to the life of Jesus. Contains a full-color insert with stills from the miniseries.

You may have missed this for St.Valentine’s Day, but St. Patrick will give you another chance.

Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney’s oohh-inspiring book is available in over ten formats (including one packaged with a stuffed rabbit). To this jaded reviewer additional product lines based on a popular title don’t warrant much attention. Yet this edition translated into Irish stole my heart. Tomhais Meid Mo Ghra Duit (published by Candlewick in the U.S.) is one of four titles now translated into Irish under the Walker Eireann initiative that celebrates the publisher’s prestigious list of Irish writers and illustrators.

Eric Carle posted this Valentine’s Day greeting on his blog, and there’s more in store for his fans. Penguin Young Readers announces that a new picture book will arrive this fall, entitled Friends, (no ISBN or cover are available at this time).

Carle’s most recent book, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse,(Penguin/Philomel) was released in 2011.

Speaking of Harry Potter, David Heyman, who produced the movie adaptations, was signed by DreamWorks last fall to do the same for the debut YA novel, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Macmillan/Holt BYR; 2012).

A script writer is now in place (chillingly, his name is Christopher Kyle, who shares a name with the recently killed author of  American Sniper), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Shadow and Bone was praised by the NYT Book Review and appeared on the NYT Chapter Book Best Seller list for one week, at #8. The second book in the planned trilogy, Siege and Storm (Macmillan/Holt BYR), is scheduled for release this June.

After 150 million copies in print in the US (450 million worldwide), how can you get customers to buy even more Harry Potter books?

Perhaps new covers will do the trick. For HP‘s fifteenth anniversary, Scholastic announced today that they will release all seven titles in trade paperback, with new covers by cartoonist Kazu Kibuishi (author/illustrator of the Amulet Series for Scholastic’s GRAPHIX imprint) in September, unveiling the first in the series. The American hardcovers will retain the original coves by Mary GrandPré.

Perhaps the film adaptation of James Dashner’s dystopian The Maze Runner (RH/Delacorte, 2009) will play up the relationship between Thomas and Teresa? 20th Century Fox just announced that it’s scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day next year.

Wes Ball has replaced Catherine Hardwicke in the director ‘s chair, but no cast has yet been announced.

Dashner releases The Eye of Minds,(RH/Delacorte; Listening Library), the first in a new series, The Mortality Doctrine, in October.

Picture books are in the spotlight this week, with new titles from several old favorites. In Young Adult, a dystopian novel, Maggot Moon, breaks new ground and causes controversy. These titles, plus several more, are on our downloadable spreedsheet, Kids New Title Radar, Week of Feb. 11.

Picture Books

Maisy Learns to Swim: A Maisy First Experiences Book, Lucy Cousins, (Candlewick)

Maisy Grows a Garden: A Maisy First Science Book, Lucy Cousins, (Candlewick)

It’s time to refresh the preschool collection with these two new titles from early childhood rockstar, Cousins. In the first title, part of the Maisy First Experiences series, she goes to her first swim class. In the second, a Maisy First Science  book, kids can use pull-tabs to learn what will grow from the seeds Maisy plants.

Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout (Book #8), Megan McDonald, illus by Peter H. Reynolds, (Candlewick Brilliance Audio)

If someone made me pick my favorite series for newly fluent readers, my first choice among second and third grade early chapter books would be Judy Moody and her little brother Stink. I was positively gleeful when I heard that the next one was imminent.

One Gorilla: A Counting Book, Anthony Browne, (Candlewick)

As demonstrated by the cover, every one of the primates in this series of portraits display a distinct personality. The book ends with U.K. Children’s Laureate Browne’s own self-portrait and a group of other humans, to show that, despite their variations, they are,  ”All primates. All one family. All my family, and yours!”

Doug Unplugged, Dan Yaccarino (RH/Alfred A. Knopf)

Picture books about the  difficulty of making friends are featured in this week’s NYT Book Review‘s “Children’s Books” column. Yaccarino’s book, in which a young robot discovers the joys of the analog life, is called the “pick of the litter.”

Young Adult

Maggot Moon, Sally Gardner, Julian Crouch, (Candlewick; Briliance Audio)

On PW’s list of Most Anticipated for Spring (Children’s): “Gardner’s story of a boy taking a stand against a totalitarian government was one of the much-discussed titles at last year’s Bologna Book Fair. While dystopian YA novels are a dime a dozen these days, Gardner’s (alternate) historical setting and dyslexic narrator set this book apart.”  It’s continuing to provoke discussion; reviews are polar opposites. Kirkus calls it “a book with a message but no resonance,” while VOYA see is as a “dark, haunting tale of secrets, lies, and those who fight for the truth.” The Wall Street Journal is a fan, calling it “a brilliant, shattering” novel that “suddenly [makes] dystopia feels new again; it reclaims its power to shock.”

Out of The Easy, Ruta Sepetys, (Penguin/Philomel)

Septys’ first novel, Between Shades of Gray, may have gained some readers who expected a quite a different book, but with a similar title. This new title is set in the New Orleans’ French Quarter. Librarians on YA GalleyChat were “head over heels in love” with it, calling it “very smart, very realistic, and very much an award-winner with juge crossover appeal.” Reviewers concur. Says Kirkus,”With a rich and realistic setting, a compelling and entertaining first-person narration, a colorful cast of memorable characters and an intriguing storyline, this is a surefire winner. Immensely satisfying.” It is also reviewed in Sunday’s NYT Book Review

Series

The Indigo Spell, Richelle Mead, (Penguin/Razorbill)

The third book in The Bloodlines series got advance attention from Entertainment Weekly’s “Shelf Life” blog; ”After her (hot!) dalliance with the irresistible Moroi Adrian in The Golden Lily, Sydney is struggling more and more to stick to her Alchemist teachings…[and] dares to hope that she might break free of the life she’s known… and embrace a love she thought to be forbidden…Edward Cullen, eat your heart out.” The adaptation of Blood Sisters, the first in Mead’s Vampire Academy series is moving forward. It is set to be directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Spiderwick Chronicles) with Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures) and Australian actress Lucy Fry set to star. Production is expected to begin this summer.

Sever, Lauren DeStefano, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

The Kirkus reviewer was not a fan of this third book in The Chemical Garden Trilogy, “ in this rushed effort to tie up loose ends, holes are left in its wake. Fans will delight in the symbolism and clues from the cover, but they will ultimately find the trilogy’s conclusion unsatisfactory.”  DeStefano has just signed a deal for a new series, The Internment Chronicles, set to be begin next April with Perfect Ruin.