Posts Tagged "Young ADult Reads"

In a recent interview yaReads conducted with author Maggie Stiefvater, it was uncovered that there were ‘talks’ of Shiver - her popular new werewolf novel – being made into a film. Well, it seems that these talks have actually eventuated into something concrete. Variety’s online magazine published an article confirming that yes, Shiver WILL be made into a film:

Unique Features has acquired screen rights to “Shiver,” a bestselling supernatural romance novel by Maggie Stiefvater that is the first of a three-book series.
Pic will be produced by Unique Features partners Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne.

Unique adds “Shiver” to a slate of pic projects that include an adaptation of the Paul McCartney children’s book “High in the Clouds,” a Barry Levinson-directed adaptation of the musical “City of Angels” and the Broadway-bound musicals “Elf” and “Secondhand Lions.”

So what do we think? Yay, or nay?

Ecstasy. I’d always thought I might try it one day. I’d heard kids at school talking about getting wasted on the weekends. They made it sound awesome. I pictured the roughly made tablets with their tiny butterflies. An amazing experience inside a tiny pill.

My body ached and my face was sore – I guess from smiling so much. I don’t remember ever laughing more. A new world had opened up for me, a place where I was confident and beautiful and a hot guy like Lewis wanted to be with me. That morning I figured life couldn’t get any better. How could something that made you feel like that be bad for you?

Meet Mia. She’s only just turned fifteen and she’s always been in Sophie’s shadow. Not that she minded, not really. Without Sophie, Mia wouldn’t have a social life. Without Sophie, Mia would probably be a nobody. So when Sophie takes Mia to a party one night and offers her an ecstasy tablet, Mia doesn’t even think about saying no. Before she even realises what is happening to her, Mia is flying high – and loving every minute of it. Armed with the artificial confidence the drug provides, Mia is invincible, and her newfound radiance does not go unnoticed.

Enter Lewis. Very hot. Sweet and charming as hell. Suddenly very interested in Mia. Lewis is no stranger to ecstasy. His parents are away a lot and Lewis is often left to fend for himself. It’s not hard to turn into a party animal when you’ve got no parental units to keep you in your cage. The more Mia hangs out with Lewis, the more ecstasy she takes. Before she even knows what is happening, Mia can’t socialize without it.

Slot in Sophie here. Sophie is supposed to be Mia’s best friend, but since she’s been hanging out with Lewis and his crew, she’s changed. Sophie can see what is happening to Mia, but when she tries to talk to her about it, Mia reckons that she’s just jealous and blows her off. Sophie has a whole lot of other stuff going on in her life and she really needs her best friend right now … but is that even Mia anymore?

In Ecstasy is all about the downward spiral. For Mia, its one that is fueled by drugs and an overarching need to fit in, feel popular and be loved. For Sophie, while it may have started like that for her, her painful journey takes a bit of a different turn. With both girls so disconnected, who is going to save them? Who is going to snap them back to their reality?

Kate McCaffrey’s portrayal of the drug scene is terrifyingly accurate.  If you’re thinking about taking drugs, or you know someone who may be thinking about it, reading something like In Ecstasy first might be a smart move. While Mia’s story isn’t applicable to everyone, and not everyone who takes drugs gets addicted, In Ecstasy is an excellent representation of what can happen if you do.

I can’t say that I enjoyed reading this, but I’m certainly glad that I did.

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Do you live in New Orleans, Raleigh, Providence, Salt Lake City, Miami, New York City, Birmingham, or Minneapolis and want to see Richelle Mead in your city for a book signing? Well, she’s putting it to a vote. Click here to vote for your town. The three most popular votes will be added to the tour list.

Maggie Stiefvater is one of our fave authors here at yaReads. So when we were presented with the opportunity to run with her as our feature author for the month of September, we jumped on it. Although we realize we’re now in the very last days of September, we reckon her interview is better late than never. As always, she’s got some pretty interesting things to say. Be warned, this one contains spoilers!

Why did you choose Minnesota as your setting?

I was looking for someplace that already had a resident wolf population in the United States. Someplace cold. Cold and suburban. I could’ve done Wyoming, but I lived in Wisconsin, right next door to Minnesota, for a few years as a kid, so I had some experience of the landscape.

Grace thinks the reason she never turned into a wolf when she was bitten was because of the fever she got straight afterwards … are you going to elaborate on this in future books?

Oh am I ever.

When was the exact moment that Sam realised he was in love with Grace?

That is up to reader interpretation. I’m inclined to think it was probably while he watched her read on the tire swing. Readers love other readers.

Some of us here at yaReads are also wondering what exactly happened to Jack’s body. Can you tell us?

At which point? You mean, after he met his untimely end? I’m assuming he’s buried out in the back forty. The FBI could probably have a field day with Beck’s backyard.

Can you dish any goss about the next novel?

No, I can only be enigmatic and say that there is a lot more Isabel, and Grace, and it will be fun.

In an age where more and more books are being adapted for screen, we love to try and ‘cast’ the characters in our fave novels. Who can you envisage playing Sam and Grace?

I actually did a long blog post about this (http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/123623.html) but the short version is that I see Alex Turner (the lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys) as Sam and Eliza Bennett (from Inkheart) for Grace.

In the event that someone wanted to buy it, would you sell Shiver to a film company?

In a New York minute. There is considerable interest but that’s all I can say at the moment.

Since Lament came out, you’ve been super busy. How long did Shiver take you to write?

Four months.

For you, what has been the best thing about your ride to literary success so far?

Whew. Um. It was pretty wonderful seeing the cover for Shiver for the first time. Also, hitting the bestseller list was pretty amazing and woozy-making.

Any downsides?

There’s an incredible amount of busywork that is associated with it — a ton of emails and edits and non-writing things. Also, there’s some pressure to make the next book at least as good as the last one.

In books about paranormal teen relationships, why do you think the boy is most often the one with the supernatural abilities?

I think because it’s more interesting to look at the supernatural from the outside, and the protagonists are often girls because that’s the intended audience for a lot of YA. So we get these girls looking at these supernatural guys from the outside. Thought in Lament, Deirdre also has her supernatural bits, and it’s not at all the dynamic in Ballad. Also, you’ll see a complete shift in Linger.

The YA paranormal romance genre is huge right now. What is it specifically about werewolves, vampires and the dark side that you think is so appealing?

For me, it’s because I believe in that . . . *something more*. Something outside of ordinary. It’s not that I believe in werewolves or faeries per se, but I do believe in . . . something more. And writing about them lets me write about that feeling of wonder and curiosity. I also love to play with metaphor, and werewolves are great metaphors for all sort of different things.

Can you imagine yourself ever writing in a different genre?

I could possibly shift from urban fantasy to dystopia. I have a lot of ideas in that department. But I think I will always write something that can be classified speculative fiction.

What are you working on at the moment?

The third book in the Shiver series, Forever.

Pyromania: A mental derangement, excitement or excessive enthusiasm for fire.
Having celebrity parents isn’t as hot as it sounds. Yes, there’s money to burn, fame and some totally smoking guys…But when your dad’s more interested in blazing a trail to the top of the charts than why you got kicked out of school, again, it can make you seriously angry. And if there’s one thing Ember knows, it’s that the smallest spark of anger can ignite a whole heap of trouble…

Ember has the whole teen angst thing going for her. You see, her mother died a little while ago and her father … well, he’s never around much. He’s famous and so is his new wife – Ember’s step mother – and they both live in L.A. Ember doesn’t. Ember lives in London. At a boarding school. Until she gets kicked out. Why did she get kicked out? Well, they don’t call her Ember for no reason…

So she’s shipped to the US for the summer and embarks on a unintentional journey of self discovery. And what better way to help you learn more about yourself than a summer fling. This is a summer fling with a twist, though, and readers should prepare themselves for a nasty twist. Nothing is as it seems and Ember is about to learn the biggest lesson so far. Is a loved-up resolution imminent? Maybe, maybe not. That’s something you’ll need to read and figure out for yourself.

Ember Fury has something going for it that not a lot of other young adult releases do: it’s a mash of prose and pictures, coupled together to tell the story. Like comics or graphic novels? Then I reckon you’re going to love this book. While not strictly a graphic novel, Ember Fury is what I like to call an illustrated novel. The pictures don’t tell the story, but they certainly add a new dimension to the way the characters are perceived, while adding humor and a light-heartedness to all the drama. The illustrations are outstanding, and without them, this novel wouldn’t stand as tall as it does.

Will Ember’s journey take her to a place of good, or will it push her back into a deeper pit of darkness? Get ready for a roller-coaster ride of troubled teen angst at its best.

While the story is a little on the predictable side, the whole concept of the novel isn’t. I reckon that this one is going to be interesting enough that readers will want to check it out – and you should. It’s definitely worth a look in.

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