Read, Write, Repeat.

Friendship, secrets and hope.

Those are three main elements in Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011), a new young adult novel by Wisconsin author Pat Schmatz.

Friendship appears when Velveeta, a free-spirited girl, decides to befriend Travis, a quiet boy.

Travis really doesn’t have much choice in the matter. Once Velveeta makes up her mind to be Travis’s friend, she is dogged in achieving her goal. And, ultimately, Travis realizes how good a friend Velveeta is.

Travis and Velveeta both have secrets. And because they find their secrets embarrassing, they’re both committed to hanging on to them at almost any cost. But that becomes harder to do as their friendship grows.

Once their secrets are discovered, things look bleak for the pair. But, ultimately, hope prevails.

Want more details? Let’s turn this review over to today’s guest reviewer, Sophie.

Our reviewer: Sophie.

Age: 11

Things I like to do: Play just about any sport, hang out with my friends, go to my cabin, ski, tube and read.

This book was about: A boy who moves to a new school. He thinks he is stupid, angry and alone. Then, he meets Velveeta, who changes his world. These unlikely friends are totally opposite. No matter how quiet or to himself he was, she wouldn’t back down. But he liked her. Also, she knows his secret. She also has a secret, but she is determined not to let anyone know it. This story is about Travis, whose life totally changes for the better, and Velveeta, who learns to look on the brighter side of her situation.

The best part was when: Travis and Velveeta go to the anti-dance at Bradley’s house.

I smiled when: I met/read about the girl, Velveeta. She cracks me up. In some ways, I think I am like her.

I was worried when: Velveeta told Travis to try, just try, and he left.

I was surprised when: Mr. McQueen knew Travis couldn’t read.

This book taught me: If you have a true friend and she/he turns their back on you, stand by them no matter what.

Three words that best describe this book: “Unique.” “Interesting.” “Inspiring.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “So, what’s your story?” she asked. “What story?” “Yours. Everybody’s got one. You’re next. What’s yours?”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The complicated relationship between Travis and his grandpa. Also, what happens to the dog.

You should read this book because: It has a very unique storyline. But if you read very closely and think about it, it has a great point and could teach you a lot.

Thanks, Sophie!

And, Sophie isn’t the only one reviewing Bluefish. The book received starred reviews from The Horn Book, School Library Journal and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. It also was featured in this 60-Second Recap on YouTube.

If you’d like to learn more about Pat Schmatz, you can:

• Visit her website.

• Read this interview with Pat from The School Library Journal.

• Read this post on my blog, which I wrote after I heard Pat speak at a Wisconsin SCBWI meeting. (You’ll have to scroll down a bit to get to Pat’s part.)

This just in! Bluefish was named to Horn Book Fanfare, a list of the best books of 2011. The Horn Book said, “Schmatz has crafted a story of friendship that is subtle and poignant, believable and rewarding.”

One of the the things I’ve always liked about Artie Abrams, one of the Glee Club members at William McKinley High School — besides his beautiful singing voice — is that he doesn’t seem overly fixated on the fact he’s in a wheelchair.

Yes, Artie has had moments where he’s dreamed of being a dancer. And, yes, he’s researched technology that could allow him to walk in the future. But most of Artie’s energy seems to be focused on similar concerns as the rest of the Glee Club kids — who is he in love with this episode — Brittany? Tina? And, with Season Three under way, a lot of his effort is going into being a director for the schools production of “West Side Story.”

Even when Artie was given a contraption that allowed him to stand for short periods of time in last year’s Christmas episode, he didn’t want it for himself. He wanted it for Brittany, who had asked Santa Claus to make her boyfriend walk. He didn’t want her to be disappointed if her wish wasn’t granted. Just some evidence that Artie’s basically a nice guy.

That’s all well and good.

But if I were the librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d suggest Artie read Harriet McBryde Johnson’s Accidents of Nature (Henry Holt and Co., 2006).

It’s a book about Jean, a teenager growing up in 1970. She’s in a wheelchair. She has cerebral palsy. She’s smart and opinionated, but she can’t make her body do what she wants it to. And, she has a hard time speaking so others can understand her.

Jean spends part of her summer at a camp for kids with disabilities. It’s the type of camp you wouldn’t find today. It combines kids with every possible kind of disability. There are kids in wheelchairs because of diseases like cerebal palsy. Kids in wheelchairs because of accidents. Kids with epilepsy. Kids who are super-intelligent. Kids with a variety of severe cognitive disabilities. And even a few kids referred to as “walkie-talkies” who walk and talk without any problems, but have other issues like epilepsy, anger-management or even asthma.

As you might imagine, the staff has a hard time coming up with activities everyone can do.

This is all eye-opening for Jean. She’s been a bit over-protected by he parents, and she’s the only kid in a wheelchair in her public high school, and even though she needs someone to feed her and dress her and move her in and out of her wheelchair, she’s always considered herself pretty much like everyone else at her school.

Being with a group of kids with all kinds of abilities and challenges makes Jean re-evaluate herself, her family and her friends, and her newly formed opinions aren’t always positive. Her cynical cabinmate, Sara, forces Jean to expand her world view, review her life goals and question people’s motives.

In some ways, it’s a disturbing book.

But it’s also a valuable story of friendship and self-discovery. I think Artie would see it as such, and he’d also be pleased that he’s growing up now instead of in the ’70s.

Unlike Jean, Artie, who’s portrayed by Kevin McHale (and NOT the Kevin McHale who used to play for the Boston Celtics), is very self-sufficient. And because he can use his arms and speak clearly, he fits in much more easily than Jean ever could. But I sometimes wonder how much he’s really come to terms with his condition.

For example, in the famous T-shirt scene from Season Two when everyone wore a T-shirt with whatever thing they were most self-conscious about listed for everyone to see, Artie’s T-shirt said “Four-Eyes.”

Yes, Artie wears glasses. Big dorky ones, in fact. But it seemed odd that that’s what he’d be most concerned about. Especially because, today, getting contacts is a very easy, inexpensive thing to do. So if that’s really what bothers Artie the most about himself, he could change it. I always thought he wore the glasses on purpose as sort of a retro Buddy Holly tribute.

Previous story lines have shown that Artie wishes he could dance and dreams of being able to one day. That would have been a more honest thing to put on his shirt. And reading this book might move Artie toward that end.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Artie Abrams – Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson.
• Noah Puckerman - So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Catherine Gilbert Murdoch is a versatile writer. Her three-book Dairy Queen trilogy tells the story of D.J. Schwenk, a girl who plays linebacker for her small-town Wisconsin football team and tries to keep her sometimes struggling family afloat. It’s realistic, contemporary fiction with warmth and heart.

Gilbert Murdoch’s other two books also have warmth and heart, but an entirely different tone. Princess Ben is a fantasy/fairy tale with a strong heroine, high language and a wild adventure.

And her latest, Wisdom’s Kiss (Houghton Mifflin, 2011) is another fantasy effort. Booklist, which gave the book a starred review, described it thusly, “Packed with double entendres, humorous dialogue and situations and a black cat that will capture the reader’s imagination, this is a joyful, timeless fantasy that teens will savor.”

But it’s not a traditional teen book. There are several twists.

Like, what, you ask? Well …

• The story is told from eight different points of view. That’s right. Eight. And not all the narrators can be trusted.
• It includes letters, journal entries, a glossary, an encyclopedia and a play. All in the same book.
• There’s romance. And unrequited love.
• There are secrets and hidden identities.
• There’s also an intelligent cat, named Escoffier, based on the author’s own pet. Although the real cat’s name is the much more prosaic “Charcoal.”
• And, there’s even a connection to Princess Ben astute readers will discover.

So today’s guest reviewer, Athena, had a lot to work with.

Our reviewer: Athena

Age: 11

Things I like to do: Read, play the oboe and cook.

This book was about: Wisdom, Trudy and Tips — how they met and the adventure they have together.

The best part was when: The stories of when Trudy was a little girl.

I smiled when: Escoffier taunts a dog.

I was worried when: Wisdom “died” the first time.

I was surprised when: Wisdom was poisoned.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Enchanted.” “Magical.” “Romantic.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Any soul who contemplates even glancing at the pages of this volume will suffer a most excruciating pain.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The glossary, which can come in handy.

You should read this book because: It has many surprises.

Thanks, Athena!

If you’d like to know more about Catherine Gilbert Murdock and her other books (especially two of the Dairy Queen books that I recommended to Glee character Dave Karofsky as part of my ongoing series), visit her website.

Glee’s resident bad boy, Noah Puckerman, doesn’t have to work on his image.

He’s already got it down. Witness his mohawk haircut, his wardrobe of jeans, boots and T-shirts, and his awesome guitar. Then, there’s the street cred he obtained by a stint in juvie and his history of romantic liaisons with many of the girls at William McKinley High School — and possibly even some of their mothers.

So at first glance, Puck doesn’t seem to have much in common with Ari Samuel Abramson, the main character in So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) written by Micol Ostow and published by Flux in 2009.

Puck is cool and plays music. Ari plays music because he desperately wants to be cool. But, if I were a librarian at McKinley High, I’d still give Mr. Puckerman, who’s portrayed by Mark Salling, a copy of this book and encourage him to read it.

Why? Let me count the ways:

1. It would get Puck in the library. I know from previous episodes that Puck is not a regular library user. When he was in the library with Lauren Zizes last season, he looked around in awe and asked, “What IS this place?” My job would be to help him realize libraries serve as more than a place to pick up girls.

2. It wouldn’t intimidate him. My guess is that Puck is not a voracious reader. So giving him a big, heavy or otherwise off-putting book wouldn’t work. This book doesn’t look overwhelming. It’s got a cool cover and parts of the story are told in comics and illustrations (done by David Ostow), which give it a graphic novel feel. I think it might suck Puck in and compel him to keep turning pages. I’d make sure to give Puck the paperback version, because it would be easier to him to carry around. (And because, frankly, the library would be out less money if he never returned it.)

3. It covers topics that relate to Puck’s life. Ari is Jewish and attends Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School. His family is very focused on Ari’s achieving good enough grades and SAT scores so he can attend Brandeis University and become a doctor or a lawyer. Ari is pretty sure he doesn’t want to attend Brandeis, although he isn’t really sure what he wants to do instead. What he does know is he wants to impress Sari Horowitz and thinks forming a band is the best way to do this. Of course, it has to be a secret band. Ari’s parents aren’t too excited about things that don’t show up on standardized tests. How does this relate to Puck? He’s Jewish and has said he thinks Jewish girls are hot. And, he plays guitar like Ari.

4. It would remind Puck of his strengths. And show where he could improve. I think Puck would laugh at the trials Ari’s fledgling band, The Tribe, goes through. There’s Ari’s best friend, the cool and popular Jonas, who attracts fans but has little musical talent. There’s geeky, ultra-conservative drummer Yossi Gluck who’s chosen merely because he owns drums. And, there’s Yossi’s younger sister, Reena, who isn’t supposed to be part of the band at all but who can, surprisingly, sing. I’m sure Puck would feel he could create a better band in five minutes. But if he paid attention, he’d also notice that being “cool” doesn’t solve all of Ari’s problems and actually creates some new ones for him.

I’d especially encourage Puck to read the scene on page 237 where Ari’s parent’s find out about the band the night after Ari finds out Jonas and Sari aren’t who he always thought they were — and neither is Yossi Gluck. Which leads Ari to ponder the inevitable question, “Who is he?”

The answer just might be that Ari’s an idiot. But once Ari realizes that, he also realizes that he can make choices to fix that. Is Puck an idiot? Sometimes. Could he benefit from some self-reflection? Probably. Might an innocent book get him started thinking?

A good librarian would argue that it could.

And all for only $9.95.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Noah Puckerman - So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Glee cheerleader Brittany Pierce may be best known for not being the brightest bulb in the choir room.

But that’s not why I’d give her Antony John’s new book Five Flavors of Dumb (Dial, 2010) if I were a librarian at William McKinley High.

I’d give it to her because there’s more to Brittany than initially meets the eye.

Sure, Brittany can be a bit dim. She’s known for comments that make the rest of the Glee Club do a double take like, “Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?”

She struggles knowing her left from her right, is pleased when she can sound out the word “L-O-V-E” written on the choir room white board, and she still believes in Santa Claus. She even proudly wears a T-shirt reading, “I’m with stoopid” featuring an arrow pointing toward her face.

But Brittany, who’s played by the multi-talented Heather Morris, can also be one of the wisest characters on the show. She alone can call Santana Lopez out when she’s hiding her true self behind a wall of false bravado. She stands up to Sue Sylvester when Sue wants to shoot her out of a cannon — leading Quinn and Santana to do the same — and she showcased her uncommon knowledge of cat diseases to help the Brainiac academic decathalon team win an important match.

Perhaps most importantly, she’s not ashamed of who she is.

Of all the Glee characters, Brittany is, oddly enough, one of the most secure. She doesn’t seem bothered by the perception that she’s dumb and she seems to be quite good at standing up for what she wants, whether it’s refusing Artie’s prom proposal because he called her stupid, telling Santana off for hiding her true self by pretending to date Karofsky or starting a fashion trend by wearing leg warmers on her arms. She’s not hiding a deep secret, and she’s not ashamed of who she is. What you see is usually what you get.

That’s why she reminds me of Piper, this book’s main character.

Like Brittany, Piper has a challenge that seems obvious. She’s deaf. But Piper doesn’t let that define her. She succeeds in regular high school classes thanks to her excellent lip-reading skills, her ability to speak, a pair of hot-pink hearing aids and a refusal to give up. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s very smart.

Unlike Brittany, Piper doesn’t have many friends. There’s Ed Chen from the chess club. And then there’s her brother, Finn, who alternately annoys her and helps her. In fact, Piper is counting down the days in her senior year until she can graduate and attend Galludet University a college for deaf and hearing-impaired students where everyone knows sign language.

But Piper’s life takes an unexpected turn when she sees a band called Dumb perform on school grounds. She can’t hear the music, but she’s drawn to its energy. And when she gets into an argument with the self-satisfied lead singer about how the band should market itself, she finds herself facing a challenge — get the band a paying gig in a month.

No one thinks she can do it.

Several band members aren’t pleased that she’s meddling in their affairs. Her father thinks she should find another hobby and her mother thinks the band is just a passing fad. But quicker than a sound check, Piper puts her mark on the band. She gets them interested in writing original songs (some of which are good and some of which are, well, like Brittany’s “My Cup”). She also helps them salvage a disastrous recording session, books them on a local radio show and even gets them on TV.

But the band doesn’t make it easy. The lead singer adds a beautiful but untalented guitar player to the group. The other guitarist is secretly in love with the bass player. And the drummer — Piper’s friend, Ed, who’s the most musically talented of the group — doesn’t get the respect he deserves because he looks like an accountant. When all the tension spills over into an actual brawl, on live TV no less, Piper’s life gets really interesting.

Suddenly she’s in trouble at school and at home, and everyone in the band expects her to fix things. Plus her feelings for her best friend, Ed, might be turning romantic. Can she decide what she wants, dish out a little justice and save the band from itself in time to give its members the big break they say they want?

Only if she can channel her inner rock star.

If I were a Glee librarian, I’d give the book to Brittany (after making sure it’s within her reading-comprehension range). I’d ask her to pay special attention to page 234 where Piper gets some really good advice:

Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.

Brittany does seem pretty content with who she is, and that’s good. This book would reinforce that. It also would help her realize that others shouldn’t be allowed to label her or limit what they think she can accomplish.

Most importantly, it would also help her see that although there might be five flavors of dumb, there many, many more ways to be smart.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Wendy Delsol’s debut young-adult novel combines big-city glamor and small-town charm with with a twist of the fantastic.

STORK (Candlewick, 2010) finds Katla moving from fashion-conscious Los Angeles to her mother’s Minnesota hometown where it’s hard to even find a Starbucks.

As Katla adapts to her new surroundings, she learns some unexpected truths about her family, her abilities and her past that guarantee her future will be different than anything she’s previously envisioned.

Wendy joins Read, Write, Repeat to discuss the inspiration for her book.

I read this book was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s THE SNOW QUEEN Tell us a little about how your story idea evolved over time.
Evolution is a great way to describe the writing process. The spark for the book began with an “Unsolved Mysteries” TV show from years ago. In the episode, a very young boy claimed to have memories of flying around pre-birth and choosing his mother. The story haunted me.

When spinning ideas for a YA novel, I combined that image with the symbolism of storks and childbirth and created my Stork Society, a clandestine organization of women who have the supernatural gift of pairing the undecided of hovering souls with the right mother.

At the time, I was a recent transplant from Los Angeles to Iowa, so I was in the right frame of mind for a new-kid-in-town perspective. I chose Northern Minnesota as the book’s setting because I wanted my protagonist Katla to be thrown into a climate that was as close to a polar-opposite of L.A. as possible.

Knowing that Minnesota has pockets of Scandinavian communities, I invented an Icelandic heritage (and fictional town) for Katla. When conjuring Iceland in my head, idyllic images from an old TV special of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE SNOW QUEEN kept coming to mind. Somewhere along the way, Norse mythology tumbled into the mix and I knew I had more than one book in my hands — head, rather.

What research did you do into the folklore that is at the heart of the book? What were some of the interesting things you learned along the way.
I read Andersen’s THE SNOW QUEEN, of course. I’ve also researched the nine-world cosmology of Norse mythology and even read some of the Icelandic sagas. Long before writing this book, I had a strange fascination with Iceland. It has an intriguing and enduring connection with its folklore and an individualist spirit.

One of the more interesting things I learned was of modern-day Iceland’s belief in the huldufolk, which translates to hidden people and are believed to be elves or fairies. Current-day building projects are sometimes delayed or altered to prevent damage to the huldufolk’s domain. And now you have a little insight into how I decided upon the name of Hulda for the very wise and mysterious leader of my Stork Society.

What excites you most about this book?
Clearly, I’m a sucker for stories about the unknown. The idea of angels and ghosts fascinates me. And deep down I am a believer in fate or destiny, a concept this book explores.

What’s the story behind the sale of this book and its sequel?
STORK was the fourth novel I wrote (two of which will never see print; the third I’ll discuss below). Once I’d completed a rough plotting of the book and had begun the actual day-to-day writing, I was fueled by the story. I began in October of 2008 and, despite an injury to my right arm that had me hunting and pecking with my left, had a first draft in February. I sent an e-query to my agent, Jamie Brenner of Artists and Artisans, on a Tuesday. She asked for a full the same day. Over the next two days, she requested an exclusive read and e-mailed me twice with very positive comments. She signed me that Friday. After years of the slow-mo process of agent hunting, it was positively thrilling.

Jamie helped me shape and polish the manuscript, and Candlewick bought it in a pre-empt in May. FROST, STORK’s sequel, was written during the winters of 2009 and 2010 and purchased, again by Candlewick, in the spring of this year (2010).

You’ve also written for adults. Does your writing process and approach differ depending on your audience?
My third book written and second book sold is an adult novel entitled THE McCLOUD HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS. It will be published by Penguin in August of 2011. It is the story of three generations of women who run an inn out of a former home for pregnant teens. While not gratuitous, there are mature themes tackled in the book. As both an adult reader and writer, I am drawn to family sagas and multi-generational tales. There’s nothing like family and scandal and long-held secrets!

As to process, I tend to write third person from multiple points of view in my adult stories. For YA, I’ve found that a single first person voice best suits the genre.

Stork was listed under the “Debuts to Watch” section of the 2010 BEA. What was that like?
Of course, it was very exciting. You write what you think and hope will keep a reader turning the page, but you never really know. This mention affirmed that the concept was fresh and note-worthy.

As a debut YA author, what are your hopes for this book?
I hope that girls (and women) who enjoy lighter fare in the paranormal genre will connect with this book. Naturally, I appreciate all good reviews. Still, I have to say those that have come from the under-sixteen crowd have particularly pleased me. It was, after all, written with them in mind.

And, finally, you’ve lived in a lot of different places. What’s been your favorite spot to write?
It probably says a lot about me in general, but I’m a home-body writer. I don’t do well in coffee shops or libraries or any public place. Too many distractions. Along those lines, I prefer a quiet environment. No music, no radio, no background TV. So as long as I’m at home, wherever home may be, I can write. I don’t need views or vistas or ocean breezes, just a comfy spot and a computer or pen and paper. Well, that and a good angel story or ghost sighting or family scandal to get the what-ifs spinning.

Thanks, Wendy!

Want to learn more about Wendy and her writing?

You can check out this interview by Sarah Mullen Gilbert.

Or, you can read these reviews of STORK:

• Abby the Librarian.
• Pure Imagination.
• Dreaming in Books.

And last but not least, remember to visit Wendy’s website.

Gwen found this young adult novel when she was strolling through a store, took it home and read it. She liked it so much she was happy to review it for Read, Write, Repeat. So take it away, Gwen …

Reviewer name: Gwen, age 12

Book reviewed: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (Greenwillow Books, 2009)

This book was about: A girl named Ai Ling who journeys to a palace to save her father from the evil Zhong Ye. Zhong Ye had known Ai Ling in another life as Silver Phoenix. Ai Ling faces many dangerous creatures and meets some new friends on the way.

The best part was when: Ai Ling was traveling with Chen Yong and they meet Chen’s younger brother, Li Rong. Li Rong is my favorite character because he is so funny and is always making jokes.

I laughed when: The two brothers would always try to impress Ai Ling – jokingly that is.

I was worried: At the end of the book because you never know what could happen, especially in this book. It makes you keep guessing.

I was surprised: With the ending because … well … you’ll just have to read the book and find out. If I tell you, it would give it away.

This book taught me: That some people have a different side to them, and maybe there’s something deeper down in them that you have to figure out.

Other people reading this book should: Thank whoever recommended it for them, because it truly is a great book!

Three words that best describe this book are: Incredible, imaginative and magical.

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Black circles burst across her blurred vision. She stumbled away and slumped to the floor, not caring that the corpse of the monster was but a few arms’ lengths away.”

You should read this book because: It really lets your mind wander, and I feel like people can relate to the character’s personalities.

Thanks, Gwen!

Now, I’m back. Silver Phoenix, which, I have to say, has the coolest cover I’ve seen in quite a while, has been nominated for a Cybil Award, and Cindy has a sequel coming out in fall of 2010.

If you’d like to learn more about Silver Phoenix, check out Cindy Pon’s Web site. She’s got information about the book, a blog and other kinds of fun stuff.