Stacking the Shelves - July 13, 2013

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a way for us to share the new books we have collected.   A little bit smaller haul this week.  And I'm posting today instead of on Sunday like normal because I'll have a review to post tomorrow, so still needed a post for today in order to keep up my goal of posting every day this summer.

From MOVE Books:

If you've been following my blog for awhile, then you probably remember last year in the fall when I reviewed a book that I'd helped get chosen for publishing.  From Fall 2011-Summer 2012, I helped Move Books get started by reading manuscripts and giving my opinion on which would be a good choice to start with.  The purpose of Move books is to create books that will help get boys interested in reading.  I know there is a lot of controversy about that, and I won't go into it here, but to me, any kind of publishing of good books is a good idea.  The first book in this series was The Mapmaker's Sons by V.L. Burgess.  Earlier this week I found out there is a sequel, which you kind of knew at the end of the first one, and was informed by Eileen Robinson, the founder of Move Books, that I would be receiving an ARC in the mail.  And it came this week, so you can see it above.  It's not on Goodreads yet, so you can't really look at it there.

ARC from Barnes and Noble that I work for:

It had been sitting on the desk where they set the ARCs out for people to take for several weeks.  I saw a little blurb on it in the Shelf Awareness emails, so decided I'd pick it up and give it a chance.

E-galleys from Edeweiss:

I'm very excited about the first two above.  The first one is the 4th in a series that is a favorite of mine.  The Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer is one that was an award nominee in my state for middle school, and it is one that we read with our students this past year in English class, not to mention the years I read it in our Team Studies class.  It'll be interesting to see where it goes, especially since the blurb on it talks about Jon playing soccer, when in the original book, he was a baseball player.  So yeah, a bit of continuity issues.  I did email or post on the author's blog asking about this. But haven't checked to see if she replied to me yet.  The second book was my WOW for this week!  And then, I thought, hey, I'm going to go see if there is an e-galley available anywhere, and I found it on Edelweiss by clicking that specific publisher's link, and wa-la, there it was!  So excited!  I love the Ashes trilogy so far!  The third book is one that I wasn't really impressed by the first book in the series, not that it wasn't good, it was just to me almost a carbon copy of The Hunger Games.  My hope is that the author will finally take it in her own direction with the 2nd book, and if that happens, then I'll be more of a champion and promoter of the series.  You can see my review of the first book here:  The Testing.  

E-galley from Netgalley:

I believe this was a book that was a WOW for me earlier this year as well.  So I was very excited to see it on Netgalley the other day.  You can read my review for the first book in the series here:  Undead.

So, that's what is on my shelves this week, mostly my Nook shelves that is.  What are your new books this week?

New Publishing Company Feature: Move Books

I believe it was around this time last year, fall anyway, that the Community Resource Manager at the Barnes and Noble where I work gave my name to a friend of hers who was getting ready to start a new publishing company.  Since that time, I have been so excited to be part of this new adventure.  Eileen Robinson had the idea from her years working in publishing, as well as from her own family experiences, that it is hard to get boys to read, especially middle grade boys.  And she's right. As a middle school teacher, I see more girls with books than boys.  Now, I agree with a certain favorite author of mine that I follow on Twitter, no names, but there are lots of good books out there for both boys and girls.  But I don't think it hurts to go out with this idea in mind, to do something to work on this issue.  So I was happy to read through the manuscripts Eileen sent me, giving my opinions on the stories, as well as how I thought they would appeal to this age group.  And now, the first book from Move Books is going to be published this October.  I posted my review of The Mapmaker's Sons by V.L. Burgess earlier this week.  I asked Eileen to help me celebrate my 3rd Blogoversary with an interview.  Here's what she had to say:

1.  Can you tell my readers a little about your background in the publishing industry?
I landed in children's book publishing by accident.  Never gave a thought to becoming an editor but have always been an avid reader and I loved to write.  Spent many summers in the library.  I began in educational publishing, moved into school and library publishing and got the opportunity to work with Scholastic magazines, scholastic trade, book clubs and book fairs.  Went on to help authors shape their manuscripts and now there is Move.

2.  What made you decide to start Move Books?
My son, my nephews, and their friends.  Every time I'd ask any of them about school, they preferred to say as little as possible about it.  If I asked their favorite subjects, most responded gym, recess and lunch.  When I asked if they liked reading, for the most part I received a "no" or a shoulder shrug but sometimes they'd show me a book they happened to be reading at the time.  My son didn't like to read.  It was like pulling teeth.  He and other boys I talked to thought of reading as a chore, something you did in school.  And most of the time it was because they couldn't find things they liked enough.  Until one day, my son came home talking non-stop about this book he was reading in school.  It was Diary of the Wimpy Kid.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention my 5-year old nephew who reads fluently and has been doing so since he was about 3.  He actually is one of two readers in his class and reads out loud to the rest of the students!  Reading is definitely recreation for him.

3.  What have you enjoyed the most about starting this company?
I am enjoying the process but am humbled by it.  I've learned for as much as you think you know, there is so much more you don't.  And for me that's building a business while simultaneously being the editor I still want to be.

4. I have a few followers that are also writers/aspiring authors.  If they had a story they thought would be good for this project, what should they know if they want to become a part of this endeavor in the future?
I look for authentic middle grade voices.  Do you know your readers and what motivates them to read?  The books I'd like to be a part of creating are entertaining and give the reader a level of comfort but also challenge them.  I want boys to care, making the same emotional investment that girls do but in their own way.

5.  On a more personal note, how has my reading the manuscripts helped, and what ways could I improve my input for you?
 Lisa, you are absolutely wonderful and your experience has contributed to some of my decision-making.  It's important to look at a story from different viewpoints.

Thanks Eileen for stopping by and answering my questions!  For all of you who read my review and might be interested in ordering the book, it is now available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble HERE.

And again, don't forget to enter my current contests going on with the links below.  AND, stay tuned for tomorrow when I will post my very first Challenge, and I hope you'll all sign up and participate!

• 3rd Blogoversary Gift Card to Barnes and Noble for $40, will be $50 if I make 650 followers on GFC by tomorrow night at midnight!
• Copy of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

The Mapmaker's Sons by V.L. Burgess

You may have heard me talking occasionally about the new publishing company I was getting the chance to help start by reading manuscripts to help pick which ones to publish.  The company is called Move Books.  And they have a goal to help get more boys reading.  Now I know that there are some of my favorite authors who don't agree that there aren't good books out there for boys, (I won't mention names), and while I do agree, there are tons of awesome books!  I do see in my classroom that there are less boys out there reading.  And it isn't just that there may not be good books, it is just getting them to the boys.  I am excited to be a part of this process to help get more books out there for these boys, as well as sharing my experience and what I know about boys from teaching to help.  So, the first book they are publishing is called The Mapmaker's Son by V.L. Burgess.  It is coming out this October, but in order to start getting the publicity rolling, they've asked reviewers to go ahead and review, so here is mine!

The main character is a boy named Thomas Hawkins.  He is in a private school, an orphan, and he seems to have this need to get out and explore the school grounds, even when it's past curfew.  And not just the grounds, but the rooftops!!  It is one night when he is out with his friends, planning a bit of a prank, to silence the bells of The Lost Preparatory Academy, which ring all the time, to send students here and there, that he gets the surprise of his life.  Real pirates, who seem to be out to get him!  A man with a peg leg turns up just in time to save him, and it seems this man knows about his past.  And has come to take him back to the land from which he came.  Where his father was a mapmaker, and he has a brother!  This land is like a time in the past, with horses and swords, and not at all like the present day world that Thomas comes from.  And in this land he finds that there is a prophecy which he must work with his brother to solve, in order to save the land from an evil ruler.

The book has adventure, and a good look into how boys might act.  It also is a quick read, no parts where you are turning the pages, wondering why you must read through all this strategy/background.  The revelations that are needed to get the story going, are told at appropriate times and in a way that keeps the story going.  Middle grade boys will enjoy this, yes there is fantasy, but not to an extent that will scare away boys who don't like that, but enough to draw boys who do like fantasy in.  I will be handselling it in my store, and recommending it to the boys in my school!