About the book:

Emerson Price cannot remember a time when life was ordinary. She was four-years-old when she and her mom were diagnosed as HIV-positive – infected with the virus that causes AIDS, and eight when her parents divorced. Now she is thirteen and her mother is dead. Emmy moves in with her father and stepmother, but she feels completely alone. Even though everyone has always accepted her, no one – not her father, or stepmother, or even her best friend – understands what it’s like to have to take medicine every single day, to be so afraid of getting sick, and to miss her mom more than she ever thought she would.

When Emmy’s dad and stepmother send her to Camp Positive, a camp for HIV-positive girls, Emmy is certain she is going to hate it. But soon she realizes that she is not so alone after all – and that sometimes letting other people in can make all the difference in the world.

The author is donating a portion of her proceeds from this book to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

I read Courtney’s first book, My So-Called Family, and loved it. I, of course, told her I *had* to get an ARC of Positively–or else. She sent me a copy and I fell in love with Emerson and her story.

The most touching and vibrant part of the book is Emmy’s relationship with Lisa, her dead mother’s best friend. Lisa, my favorite character next to Emmy, is less of a mother-figure and more of a friend to Emmy, which is exactly what she needs.

This book will not only introduce young readers to HIV and AIDs, but it will also spread the message that most kids with HIV or AIDs aren’t asking for special treatment–they want to be like everyone else. Their lives are different and they can’t ignore or forget about the daily pills or frequent doctor visits, but they can strive to live a normal life.

The best thing about Positively? The honesty of how kids with HIV deal with it day by day. Courtney’s own background of volunteer work with Elizabeth Glaser’s foundation adds definite authenticity to the story.

Positively releases in hardcover from Simon & Schuster on September 15. Find out more by visiting Courtney’s Website.

Recently, I finished debut YA author Maggie Stiefvater’s LAMENT. Faeries. Tension. Romance. Thrill. LAMENT has all of those and more. The book opens with sixteen-year-old Dee Monaghan trying not to, well, throw up from stage fright. (A girl after my own heart! We both share that pesky stage fright thing…) But lucky Dee gets a beyond gorgeous guy to swoop in and help her feel better.

The tension between Dee and Luke (the previously mentioned hot guy) is INSANE. (Damn, Maggie! Seriously!) I was getting Edward and Bella hotness vibes.

Maggie turns up the heat and makes LAMENT a page turner when Dee discovers she’s a cloverhand–one who can see faeries. This sets Dee, her family and her friends on a dangerous path with killer faeries on the loose.

Do Dee and Luke stick together and make it out alive? You’ll have to read LAMENT to find out!

Maggie’s writing is edgy, fresh and beautiful. The book has several lovely illustrations and after reading LAMENT, it made me realize just how perfect the cover is for the story.

I absolutely can’t wait until BALLAD comes out in fall 2009. I’ll be begging Maggie for an ARC! 🙂

Recently, I had a chance to read an ARC of Courtney Sheinmel’s debut novel–My So-Called Family. Unfortunately, I had a problem…I had to stop working because I couldn’t put it down!

The book follows thirteen-year-old Leah Hoffman-Ross–a smart, artistic and identifiable girl. Leah’s family moves to New York City and Leah thinks she’ll be able to have a fresh start. She desperately wants one after being teased for something she tried to keep secret–she has a donor, not a father.

But Leah soon realizes that moving doesn’t solve her problems. Something–or someone–is missing in her life. Leah embarks on a journey to meet the other children of her donor and Leah’s choices teach her more about the word family than she ever imagined.

Author Courtney Sheinmel writes with honesty and clarity about Leah’s feelings. My So-Called Family has a tight plot, strong voice and memorable characters. The book makes me think about my definition of “family.” The diverse cast of characters sticks with me and each character’s voice is clear and defined. I sincerely hope Sheinmel considers a sequel as there are many threads of the book that I would love to revisit. This is a stunning, moving debut and I will be purchasing any future books by Sheinmel.

My So-Called Family comes out on October 21 (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), but it’s available NOW for pre-order on Amazon. It’s a must read for anyone who wants to discover the true meaning of family.

A couple of days ago, I finished reading On Writing by Stephen King. It’s not a brand new book, since it came out in 2000, but it certainly is a relevant book. The only other King book I’ve ever read is Misery and that’s all I could take! I’m too affected by his work to not be scared to death when I read it. After I read Misery, I couldn’t sleep for days as I was haunted by vivid scenes from the book. That’s good writing. Don’t you think?

I loved this book because it walked you through King’s life as a writer and damn he went through rough patches. I loved learning how this successful author navigated magazine writing and then turned to novels. For King, he had no connections in NYC, yet he got an agent and started selling his work. See? So many people think there’s a big secret about getting an agent and that you must have connections to do so. I’m the first to step up and say that’s not true at all. That’s coming from someone with zero connections, parents who aren’t famous and no White House internship.

If you haven’t read On Writing, I’d suggest you pick it up.

The next craft book I’m reading? How to Read a Novel. I want to try and review craft books as I read them because I’ve gotten a dozen e-mails (thank you!) from people asking what writing books I’d recommend. I may go back and review some of the recent writing books, if you all like the book reviews.

Congrats to everyone who sweated last week! If you haven’t posted your stats, there’s still time! 🙂