The Horn Book » we’ve got your dark YA right here http://www.hbook.com Publications about books for children and young adults Tue, 14 May 2013 13:27:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Strange bedfellows: Suzanne Collins, Kristin Cashore, and who? http://www.hbook.com/2012/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/strange-bedfellows-suzanne-collins-kristin-cashore-and-who/ http://www.hbook.com/2012/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/strange-bedfellows-suzanne-collins-kristin-cashore-and-who/#comments Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:23:24 +0000 Katie Bircher http://www.hbook.com/?p=12283 Startlingly similar blurbs on the ARCs of these upcoming YA titles grabbed my attention. on Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury, August 2012): “perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin and Suzanne Collins” on Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Penguin/Razorbill, December 2012): “ideal for fans of George R.R. Martin and Kristin Cashore” As [...]

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]]> Startlingly similar blurbs on the ARCs of these upcoming YA titles grabbed my attention.

throne of glass Strange bedfellows: Suzanne Collins, Kristin Cashore, and who?on Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury, August 2012):
“perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin and Suzanne Collins”

falling kingdoms1 Strange bedfellows: Suzanne Collins, Kristin Cashore, and who?on Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Penguin/Razorbill, December 2012):
“ideal for fans of George R.R. Martin and Kristin Cashore”

As a serious fantasy and sci-fi nerd, I can say that I’m a fan of George R.R. Martin, Suzanne Collins, and Kristin Cashore—but I have to wonder whether there’s much overlap in YA readership among the three. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, featuring lots of gory battle scenes, incest, torture, and dark magic, is not for the faint of heart even among adult readers. The popular HBO show Game of Thrones based on the series—which wrapped up its second season last night—is, if anything, even more graphic. (Did you see Saturday Night Live‘s recent Game of Thrones behind-the-scenes skit?)

Are fans of Collins and Cashore really reading Martin, or is it the other way around?

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2012/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/strange-bedfellows-suzanne-collins-kristin-cashore-and-who/feed/ 1 Recommended Hunger Games readalikes http://www.hbook.com/2012/03/blogs/out-of-the-box/recommended-hunger-games-readalikes/ http://www.hbook.com/2012/03/blogs/out-of-the-box/recommended-hunger-games-readalikes/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:35:59 +0000 Katie Bircher http://www.hbook.com/?p=10896 As you know, we’re now less than two weeks from The Hunger Games movie release. While that may seem like forever if you’re a fan, it does give you just enough time to devour one of these recently published dystopian novels, all recommended by The Horn Book Magazine. Day is one of the totalitarian Republic’s [...]

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]]> As you know, we’re now less than two weeks from The Hunger Games movie release. While that may seem like forever if you’re a fan, it does give you just enough time to devour one of these recently published dystopian novels, all recommended by The Horn Book Magazine.

legend Recommended Hunger Games readalikesDay is one of the totalitarian Republic’s most wanted criminals; June has a personal vendetta against him. When their paths cross by chance, June—unaware of Day’s true identity—is attracted to his good looks, charm, and courage. In trilogy opener Legend, Marie Lu crafts a dystopian world rife with inequality and rebellion, with personal dynamics complicated by romance and betrayal. 13 years and up. (Putnam)

ashfall Recommended Hunger Games readalikesIn Mike Mullin‘s Ashfall, the end begins with an exploding supervolcano—followed by fire, power outages, and blanketing ash. Rains turn the ash to muck, over which protagonist Alex skis in search of his parents a hundred miles away. Carefully researched and vividly imagined, this intense tale offers adventure, a believable narrator, and a dystopia that could actually happen. 13 years and up. (Tanglewood)

after the snow Recommended Hunger Games readalikesWillo tires of stories of “the old time” before the snows; all he has ever known is the future ice-age world of  S.D. Crockett’s After the Snow. One day he returns home from trapping to find his family gone, stranding him alone in the frozen mountains. Willo’s distinctive voice and the carefully delineated dystopian world make this an absorbing first novel. 13 years and up. (Feiwel)

way we fall Recommended Hunger Games readalikesIn Megan Crewe’s The Way We Fall, Kaelyn’s island community is hit with a mysterious virus. While her microbiologist father frantically works to diagnose the illness, Kaelyn takes on a leadership role, distributing information and food to her panicky neighbors. Crewe builds an ominous mood where a tickle in your throat signals approaching death. Kaelyn’s growth as she takes on adult responsibility is compelling, as is her tender romance with a former schoolmate. 11 years and up. (Hyperion)

 

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2012/03/blogs/out-of-the-box/recommended-hunger-games-readalikes/feed/ 2 Ripperology: Saucy Jack is back http://www.hbook.com/2012/02/blogs/out-of-the-box/ripperology-saucy-jack-is-back/ http://www.hbook.com/2012/02/blogs/out-of-the-box/ripperology-saucy-jack-is-back/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:35:20 +0000 Cynthia K. Ritter http://www.hbook.com/?p=10197 Jack the Ripper has been creeping into children’s literature recently: Gordon Korman included him in his 2011 Titanic trilogy (Scholastic). (Incorporating a Ripper mystery aboard the famed ship now marking the 100th anniversary of its sinking? That should sell a few books.) Last September saw the release of the first book in Maureen Johnson’s exciting [...]

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]]> ripper petrucha Ripperology: Saucy Jack is backJack the Ripper has been creeping into children’s literature recently: Gordon Korman included him in his 2011 Titanic trilogy (Scholastic). (Incorporating a Ripper mystery aboard the famed ship now marking the 100th anniversary of its sinking? That should sell a few books.) Last September saw the release of the first book in Maureen Johnson’s exciting new Shades of London series, The Name of the Star (Putnam), a modern-day story combining paranormal activity and a Ripper-esque murder mystery. For the Horn Book Magazine’s March 2012 issue I reviewed Stefan Petrucha’s Ripper (Philomel, March), a turn-of-the-century steampunk re-visioning of Ripper lore, in which the fourteen-year-old protagonist discovers his father is the infamous serial killer. Amy Carol Reeves’s paperback mystery set in 1888 Whitechapel is also titled Ripper (Flux, April) and involves Saucy Jack, psychics, and a secret immortal group.

i hunt killers Ripperology: Saucy Jack is backIs this a new trend, or is it just coincidence that multiple Ripper books have been released lately? Barry Lyga’s new book I Hunt Killers (Little, Brown, April) seems to take some cues from the popular TV show Dexter. Perhaps these Ripper books are inspired by the show as well. Any other idea about what’s sparking this newfound interest in the notorious Whitechapel serial killer?

Are books about serial killers the successors to the paranormal craze? The children’s book market can be as methodical yet unpredictable as Jack himself was—I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Do you know of other Ripper books in the pipeline?

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