Four New Books

We’ve got a fantastic mix of books this week! April 23rd is the release date for JANE AUSTEN GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, a contemporary novel starring two sisters; DARIUS & TWIG, a contemporary novel about a writer and a middle-distance runner; and SPIRIT’S CHOSEN, a Japanese-inspired fantasy tale. April 30th is the release date for ECHO, a science-fiction/fantasy novel about the end of the world.

Which books are you drawn to?

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Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood
By Abby McDonald
Candlewick

Hallie and Grace Weston couldn’t be more different. Older sister Hallie thinks all the world’s a stage –her stage, to be exact –while even-tempered Grace tries to keep her dramatic sister in check. When their father dies, leaving everything to his snooty new wife, the sisters face a new challenge: uprooted from their home and friends, they’re forced to move into a relative’s guest house–in shiny, status-obsessed Beverly Hills.

Plunged into a strange and glamorous new world, the penniless Weston sisters try to rebuild their lives. Aspiring actress Hallie throws herself headlong into the Hollywood scene–and an intense affair with musician Dakota. Meanwhile, shy Grace manages to find an unlikely ally in the bubbly entrepreneur Palmer, but still yearns for the maybe-almost-crush she left behind.

But is Hallie blinded by her cinematic visions of true love? And can Grace find the strength to step off the sidelines?

(Picture via Goodreads and summary via Amazon.com)

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Darius & Twig
By Walter Dean Myers
Amistad Press

New York Times bestselling author and current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Walter Dean Myers was asked to write a novel about friendship by his fans. Here it is.

Darius is a writer struggling to find his own way, with only his alter ego, Fury, a peregrine falcon, and Twig, his best friend, in his corner. Twig, a middle-distance runner, has the skills to make it but wants to dictate his own terms for success. He may be a winner on the track, but it doesn’t stop him from getting picked on. For these friends, money is tight; there are bullies and absent adults and, most disturbing, the notion that their Harlem life doesn’t have much to offer. They need to navigate their world: the thugs, the seamy side of sports, the uncertainty of their prospects. And they need to figure out how to grow up together, but apart.

This raw teen novel is the latest from highly acclaimed award-winning author Walter Dean Myers.

(Cover image and summary from Goodreads.)

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Spirit’s Chosen
By Esther M. Friesner
Random House Books for Young Readers

Himiko’s world is falling apart. An attack by the Ookami clan has left many from her tribe dead or enslaved. And those who remain in the ransacked Matsu village are certain they’ve angered the gods. Amid the chaos and fear, Himiko hatches a plan to save her beloved tribe. Traveling through the treacherous wilderness with her best friend Kaya, their only goal is to free her clanfolk from the Ookami. At every turn she encounters other tribes and unforeseen challenges. But just when it seems that she will outwit Ryu, the cruel Ookami leader, she is captured. Held agains her will, Himiko starts to realize that not all of the Ookami are her enemies and every step of her unconventional journey has prepared her for something greater than life as a princess. Though she may not see her path as clearly as the spirits seem to, there’s more adventure (and even unexpected love) for this young shamaness and warrior.

(Image and summary via Goodreads)

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Echo
By Alicia Wright Brewster
Dragonfairy Press

A young adult science fiction adventure novel, this story features a strong, but flawed heroine and themes of friendship, loss, faith, tolerance—and the end of the world. With the countdown clock showing 10 days until the end of their planet, everyone has been notified and assigned a duty—but the problem is no one knows for sure how everything will end. Energy-hungry Mages are the most likely culprit, traveling toward a single location from every corner of the continent. Fueled by the two suns, each Mage holds the power of an element: air, earth, fire, metal, water, or ether. They harness their powers to draw energy from the most readily available resource: humans. Ashara has been assigned to the Ethereal task group, made up of human ether manipulators and directed by Loken, a young man with whom she has a complicated past. Loken and Ashara bond over a common goal: to stop the Mages from occupying their home and gaining more energy than they can contain. But soon, they begin to suspect that the future of the world may depend on something unexpected—Ashara’s death.

(Picture via Goodreads and summary via Amazon.com)