Sunday, April 4, 2010

New Crayons

New Crayons is hosted by Color Online.

This week I will have limited Internet access so my posts will be up later in the evening and I may not get back to your emails right away, just fyi :)

This week was an AMAZING week for books!



From Borders

Exclusively Chloe by J.A. Yang

Chloe-Grace can’t help it—she’s spectacular. How could she not be with celebrity parents who have been the queen and king of Hollywood for years? And Chloe is a celebrity all unto herself as well— she’s the first celebrity-adopted kid in Hollywood. But now Chloe’s sixteen, and she is tired of every undesired moment of the world’s attention. She wonders what it would be like to be a “normal” kid in a regular school. To really understand it, though, she would need to go undercover. So after getting a “make-under” at the hands of her mother’s fabulous stylist, she enters the “real” world. But she soon finds out that there is just as much drama there as there is in Hollywood….

-Adds a new twist to the whole 'my parents are celebrities' story, since Chloe is actually adopted. Looking forward to reading this one. It seems very cute.


From BookFairy #2 (aka Karen Mahoney). Thank you SO much! All UK covers since the books are from the UK :)

Love, Shelley by Kate Sakensa

When Shelley decides to share her problems, both problems with her mother and problems at school, she chooses to share them with a pop star she has never met. She writes to him: a letter a month, and with each letter a powerful and moving story unfolds. A story in which Shelley has a lot to deal with and a story that proves that while she may be tested she will not be beaten! Shelley is a remarkable girl with a big heart and a brave spirit. She comes out triumphant.

-Now see, here's an example of a good Bloomsbury cover. I don't understand where the disconnect happens. The idea behind this novel is quite original so I'm eager to read it!


Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

At school I'm Aussie-blonde Jamie -- one of the crowd. At home I'm Muslim Jamilah -- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can't keep it up for much longer..."

Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because she's afraid to let them know her dad forbids her from hanging out with boys or that she secretly loves to play the darabuka (Arabic drums).

But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about Jamie's life outside of school, her secrets threaten to explode. Can Jamie figure out how to be both Jamie and Jamilah before she loses everything?

-I loved Does My Head Look Big in This? so I'm really looking forward to this one.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

-A minor character in this novel is a POC, but I'm going to make this an off-color review because I've been dying to read this novel.


Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order's ancient battle against the Unholy.

Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.

But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years -- a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.
-This one sounds very interesting and I've heard it's a nice, respectful blend of Islam and Christianity along with a fierce heroine.What's not to like?
ETA: I didn't get a chance to finish this post since my mom made me turn off my computer. So now it's finished and completely edited.

9 comments:

  1. I really liked Exclusively Chloe. It was light and fun, but also explored identity.

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  2. Thanks for your lovely email (will reply this week). I don't mind being outed as a Book Fairy. hehe... I am already a Fairy Godmother in real life - to my gorgeous baby goddaughter - so I think it kinda suits me. ;)

    EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE looks pretty good, I'm going to check that out. Too many books to read!! *sigh*

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  3. Interesting books this week. I loved Devil's Kiss - solid supernatural story, and I felt it had a really strong message for readers living in multi-religion communities. I also really want to read more by Randa Abdel-Fattah, and that one sounds fab.

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  4. Does The Demon's Lexicon have characters of color? Sorry, just really curious. :o)

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  5. Tarie: One of the minor characters in The Demon's Lexicon is of mixed ethnicity (Sin), but it's true that she isn't in the book much. However, she is of greater importance in Book 2 - out soon - and then becomes the narrator of the 3rd and final book of the trilogy. :)

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  6. These covers are so strange looking. are the from other countries or paperback? especially the Devil's kiss one, it makes the book seem way different! 10 Things I Hate About Me is a little more ditzy than it's 'Head' but still a fun read! Great Haul. Happy Reading!

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  7. @Lenore-I'm glad to hear Exclusively Chloe has more to it than pure fluff.

    @Karen-ok it's been edited to spotlight you :) Aww you're a godmother? Godmothers are so awesome! I know so many books, so little time.

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  8. Okay pretty much all of those are on my wishlist! Except Exclusively Chloe, I already have that one!

    Yay for New Crayons!!! :-)

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