soup of the day: up close: harper lee by kerry madden!

March 19, 2009July 25, 2011 ~ jama ~ 19 Comments

graphics by goldtrout

Break out the ham, grits, and pecan pie.

Don your prettiest orange and white.

It’s time to waltz around the Tennessee ballroom, because THE book I’ve been dying to read ever since I first heard about it back in 2007, is finally out today!! Let’s hear it for our favorite Knoxville girl, Kerry Madden, on the official release of Harper Lee (Up Close) (Viking, 2009)!!

          HARPER LEE (UP CLOSE) by Kerry Madden,
          (Viking, 2009), Ages 12+, 224 pp.

*cartwheels* *backflips* *wild cheering and moonpie munching*

I absolutely adore Kerry’s writing. You probably know her Maggie Valley trilogy: Gentle’s Holler, Louisiana’s Song, and Jessie’s Mountain — all written in beautiful, lyrical prose that sings of family life in the hills of Appalachia with so much heart and passion. Now she’s written a biography of Harper Lee, whose book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is probably my favorite novel of all time. *swoons*

As Kerry mentions in her book’s Foreword, Harper Lee (who goes by her first name, "Nelle"), is a fiercely private individual, who doesn’t believe in biographies of those still living. Her sometimes reply to interview requests is, "Hell no." Undaunted, Kerry respectfully undertook the challenge of unearthing details about Nelle’s life by visiting Monroeville, Alabama, several times to dig through courthouse archives and interview friends, colleagues, and town residents.

Aside from its powerful and enduring message of truth, justice and tolerance, To Kill a Mockingbird has always resonated with Kerry on a very personal level. Growing up as the daughter of a football coach in the South and Midwest meant that she often moved from place to place. "Each time I reread the book or showed my own children the film, I found home all over again. I could roam the streets of Harper Lee’s ‘Maycomb’ and hear the voices of Jem and Scout and Dill calling to each other. I had a cousin just like sniveling cousin Francis. I beat up a boy like Cecil Jacobs."

So far, it looks like Kerry’s created a real winner — Harper Lee (Up Close) recently received a starred review from Kirkus:

A narrative both well paced and richly detailed-even reproducing two of Lee’s stories for her college literary magazine and excerpting a recent letter to O magazine, not included in Charles Shields’s excellent I Am Scout (2008)-this biography will appeal to fans of the novel and to newcomers. Readers will find a fascinating portrait of an independent young woman stubbornly going her own way to become the one thing she wanted to be: a writer. Extensive source notes and an excellent bibliography round out this superb biography, one of the best in the Up Close series.

To Kill a Mockingbird has sold over 30 million copies to date, and is standard reading in English classes across the country. A biography written especially for young people about the woman who wrote this beloved classic will prove invaluable in countless ways. Thank you, Kerry, for all your work in completing this book. Today, we congratulate you on a stunning accomplishment. Bravo!!

Before I run out to purchase my copy (as you should, too), let’s slurp deep (with great feeling and gusto), some of this celebration soup prepared especially in Kerry’s honor:

Today’s Special: Nelle Harper Lee Green Pea (one bowl to last a lifetime).

And, there’s nothing like a little MoonPie ala Madden:

photo by lla

For more about Kerry and her books, visit her official website and Live Journal blog, Mountain Mist.

She posted the book’s Foreword on her blog recently, and it can be found here, along with this post and this one, detailing more about her research trips to Monroeville, Alabama.

Check out this review by Julie M. Prince at YA (and Kids) Book Central.

Okay now, run out to your local indie, or click through to your fave online bookseller and order Harper Lee (Up Close)!!

soup of the day: say the word by jeannine garsee

March 17, 2009July 25, 2011 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

photo by pfaff

OMG!! Have you heard?

It’s not green day, it’s purple day!!

WORD flying through the grapevine is that Jeannine Garsee, known around Live Journal Land as , has a brand new young adult novel out today — Say the Word (Bloomsbury, 2009)!

    SAY THE WORD by Jeannine Garsee,
    (Bloomsbury, 2009), Young Adult Fiction, 368 pp.

Woo Hoo!! On the heels of her very popular and successful, Before, After, and Somebody In Between (Bloomsbury, 2007), Say the Word has been generating positive buzz among loyal fans. They are anxious to read this compelling coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Shawna Gallagher, who must cope with an overwhelming array of problems during her senior year.

The world expects perfection from her, and for the most part, that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every rule. But when her lesbian mother (who deserted her years ago) dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take. Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing.

Say the Word has already garnered some glowing reviews. Kirkus notes, "Garsee manages to give every character depth and dimension without falling into the trap of making the children too perfect and angelic and the adults imperfect to the point where the reader loses sympathy for them," and Publisher’s Weekly says, "Garsee’s second novel hits the ground running and never lets up." Sounds like a lot of interesting storylines and plot twists to keep readers glued to the page!

photo by Fields of Cake.

I hope you’re in a grapenutty mood today, because in honor of Jeannine, we’ve concocted a special soup that’s sure to make your friends purple with envy. Please join in and stomp your feet in celebration if you like. Whether you’re shy one grape or two, let’s throw a big bunch of congratulations out to Jeannine for a job well done!

Today’s Special: Grape Gumbo (guaranteed to make you nuts).

Say the Word can be ordered through IndieBound or your fave online bookseller. Oh, and help yourself to a cupcake to eat while you’re reading:

photo by cupcakeenvy.

For more about Jeannine, visit her official website and Live Journal blog.

soup of the day: the battle of the red hot pepper weenies by david lubar

March 3, 2009 ~ jama ~ 28 Comments

Hot diggety dog!!

Have I got a book for you.

Put on your flame retardant jumpsuit and sombrero, then let out a big OLÉ, for the master of the macabre and undisputed King of the Weenies, David Lubar, on the official release today of The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies (Starscape, 2009)!!

     THE BATTLE OF THE RED HOT PEPPER WEENIES
       by David Lubar (Starscape, 2009),
       Ages 9-12, 192 pages.

Ay Carumba!!

Si, it’s time for a brand new collection of 35 short stories — strange, weirdo, bizarre little gems that’ll make you laugh and creep you out at the same time. There’s the girl who doesn’t have a date for the school dance, until her father makes her one in his lab. The family who’s enjoying a nice Thanksgiving dinner, until a torrent of turkeys seek revenge. A princess who must face a pea-brained suitor. And, *wait for it*, a scorching battle between two red hot pepper weenies that ends in flames!

Call the fire department!

That David. He’ll do anything for a good story. Yes, this man has a rare, ointment-laced, demented mind. Case in point: three previous collections of wildly popular Weenie stories — In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, and The Curse of the Campfire Weenies. These books were gobbled up by middle grade readers and left them begging for more. The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, which includes a Reader’s Guide and David’s comments about what inspired the stories, looks like a sure-fire, made-to-order feast on a bun that will satisfy any craving.

Legions of Lubar fans waiting for him to cut the mustard.
(photo by KS Girl)

Hungry yet?

Sometimes we all need a little freaky fare, and David always delivers. So, grab your biggest spoon, slather yourself with hot sauce, and dive into this bowl of celebration soup (seasoned liberally with red pepper flakes), especially for our favorite book weenie. Come on, all together now: "Señor David, Congratulacion!!"

Today’s Special: Hot Tamale Tomato with a Side of Bourbon
(don’t worry about the fly — he won’t eat much).

To learn more about David and his books, including Hidden Talents (ALA Best Book for Young Adults), visit his website and Live Journal blog , Gadfly in the Ointment (bring your own swatter).

If you’d like the scoop on all the Weenies, click here for "A Guide for the Perplexed" (fully downloadable)!

The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies can be ordered through IndieBound or any of the usual suspects. Relish it!

Shame on you! Don’t even go there!
(photo by grizzly_lightning)

soup of the day: waiting to score by j.e. macleod

February 26, 2009 ~ jama ~ 3 Comments

SWISH — WHACK — SCORE!!

*and the crowd roars*

Tap your hockey sticks together and scream out, "Hip Hip Hooray," for debut novelist J.E. MacLeod, a.k.a., , on the official release today of Waiting to Score (WestSide Books, 2009)!

      WAITING TO SCORE by J.E. MacLeod (WestSide Books, 2009),
      Young Adult, 200 pages.

February has been a kickin’ month here for new releases, especially by first-time authors. My kitchen helpers and I have been busy busy busy preparing ~~bowls of~~, ~~big kettles of~~, a virtual flood of alphabet soup. Yep, we’ve been drowning in the stuff, but couldn’t be happier to get in on the excitement of freshly baked, intriguing, awesome new stories — probably the best reason in the world to dish it up!

Continue reading →

soup of the day: the great call of china by cynthea liu

February 19, 2009July 25, 2011 ~ jama ~ 11 Comments

It is written: On Thursday, February 19, 2009, a cleverly composed young adult novel called The Great Call of China will be set free into the world.

It is also written: Author of cleverly composed novel is none other than Live Journal’s very own ~~Snoop~~ Cynthea Liu! There will be countless blog celebrations today all over the internet for this long awaited, momentous event — so what are you waiting for?

Twirl your chopsticks and do your happy panda dance in honor of Cynthea!! Woo Hoo!!

    THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA by Cynthea Liu,
     (Puffin, 2009), Ages 12+, 224 pp.

The Great Call of China was written especially for Puffin/Speak’s Students Across the Seven Seas series (S.A.S.S.). It’s about an adopted 16-year-old Chinese girl, Cece Charles, who travels to China via the S.A.S.S. program. She’s excited about the chance to indulge in her passion, anthropology, explore her roots, and have some fun, but when she finally arrives in Xi’an, she receives quite a culture shock.

To make matters worse, finding out more about her birth parents only increases her apprehension. Will the cute guy she met on the plane, who’s also in the program, be able to help smooth out the bumps in the road? The Great Call promises to be a captivating look at coming to terms with one’s cultural identity, as Cece connects with her past and develops a new appreciation for her adoptive parents.

Cynthea, author of the highly acclaimed, Writing for Children and Teens: A Crash Course (Pivotal Publishing, 2008), and founder of AuthorsNow!, is pulling out all the stops in celebration of her first published young adult novel. She’s written a series of articles, called, BEHIND THE BOOK: Writing for Children’s or Teen Book Series (all installments can be found at the Writing for Children and Teens website), and from now until December 18th, Cynthea is waiving honorariums for school visits (and travel fees!) in the Chicago, Dallas and Tulsa areas. Plus, everyone is invited to the official release party at Cynthea’s website!

Beloved by her fellow writers for her unfailing generosity and kindness, many of them are blogging about Cynthea’s book today, and Tara Lazar is hosting a special release party for writers at her blog, Writing for Children (While Raising Them), which includes great giveaways and an exclusive interview with Cynthea! The only possible downside in all this revelry is that a certain brown rabbit might eat your manuscript (stock up on carrots).

Snoop says: Big deal. Cynthea would be nowhere without me.

So, are you ready to slurp your congratulations to Cynthea? The official alphabet soup kitchen helpers and I had planned to serve a traditional egg drop soup, to help us get into the "travel abroad to China" frame of mind. But, we changed our recipe, under heavy whiskered duress, just to please a certain patron named Snoop, who claims to have played a major role in the completion of Cynthea’s book.

Who are we to question such a hare-brained claim? We hope you find our offering adequate, so much so, that you will be compelled to hop on over to your local indie or fave online bookseller, and snatch up a copy of The Great Call of China, pronto.

Today’s Special: Cream of Carrot (with touches of ginger, essence of cashew,
and whole wheat bunny crackers). Guaranteed to put a hop in your step!