All tagged Verse Noves

Guest Post: TOWARD THE SKY by Cordelia Jensen

Guest Post: TOWARD THE SKY by Cordelia Jensen

Guest
Books

I'm happy to host Cordelia Jensen as part of YA Readers' Debut Author Bash event. I read and loved Cordelia's debut, Skyscraping, and am thrilled to introduce her to more readers. 

It is hard for me to describe my debut YA verse novel SKYSCRAPING (out this June from Philomel/Penguin) without telling my life story. This is what happens:

“You have a book coming out! How cool, what’s it about?” asks Random Stranger.

I think it’s important to know that I’m sort of a people pleaser. So I hesitate, partly because I think they might want me to tell them a high-concept story summary and partly because what I am about to share feels too personal for this level of exchange.

Review: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, Guest Post by Allie of In Bed with Books

Review: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, Guest Post by Allie of In Bed with Books

Guest
Books, Verse Week

Kwame Alexander's newest novel, THE CROSSOVER, is a verse tour de force. It's told through poems by the main character, Josh Bell a.k.a. Filthy McNasty. He and his twin brother Jordan (JB) are talented basketball players, but jealousy threatens to split them apart when JB gets a girlfriend.

I love how many levels of story are woven into this novel. 

THE CROSSOVER is the kind of book I never would've picked up when I was younger because I didn't like sports. There is the sports story promised by the cover, all leading up to a big championship game, but it is far from the only plotline. Nor is it the most important plotline. That's reserved for all the family stuff.