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    The Children's Book Review

    Best Young Adult Books with Mary Amato, Author of Get Happy

    Guest PostsBy Guest Posts5 Mins Read Book Lists Chapter Books Teens: Young Adults
    Get Happy By Mary Amato
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    Mary Amato | The Children’s Book Review | November 16, 2014

    gethappy_web

    I recently appeared at the Children’s Literature Festival of the Ozarks and had the opportunity to meet YA authors Roland Smith, Obert Skye, Antony John, Mary Casanova, and Heather Brewer among many other children’s book authors, all of whom have had books nominated for various state awards.

    Whenever I meet other authors, I wonder what drives their passions to write and am curious to find out what kind of voices speak to them. Writing is an often isolating and difficult task. Writers have to be in love with their characters in order to wrestle with the process.

    I’m putting the following books on my to-read list. I chose these particular books of the many the above authors have written because either these particular characters or the genres (fantasy, adventure, and historical fiction) are the most different from my own work.

    Pillage (The Pillage Trilogy (Pillogy)) (Pillage Trilogy (Quality))The Pillage Trilogy

    By Obert Skye

    Skye is one of the funniest people I’ve met. I’ve heard from his many fans that his books are both suspenseful and funny—that’s a great combination for a potential page turner. The book focuses on 15 year-old Beck Phillips, a trouble-maker who discovers some surprising family secrets, which includes the unusual ability to influence the growth of plants.

    Ages 10+ | Publisher: Shadow Mountain

    The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Boxed Set (4 Books)The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series

    By Heather Brewer

    Vladimir Tod has an unusual family tree: his mother was human and his father was a vampire. Loved by her fans for her sense of humor, Brewer shows in these tales how difficult it can be to be different. The series chronicles Tod’s life from grade eight through his high school years. I’d like to see how this character evolves and grows each year.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: Speak

    Frozen (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage)Frozen

    By Mary Casanova

    Five-year old Sadie Rose was found, orphaned and unable to speak, in a snow bank. Frozen is the story of Sadie’s journey during her teen years to discover her past and her voice. Among the issues the character struggles with are the discovery that her mother worked in a brothel and the fact that her foster parent—a senator—is corrupt. I have never written historical fiction, but I enjoy reading it. The themes here—prohibition, women’s rights, and political corruption—have dramatic appeal.

    Ages 14+ | Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press

    Elemental By Antony JohnElemental Series

    By Antony John

    Outsider stories can be powerful. The main character of this series, sixteen-year-old Thomas, is a remarkable outsider: He is the first child born without the power of an Element—earth, water, wind or fire. This author’s fans get hooked on the imaginative world he creates and they root for a character who starts out believing that he is worthless and ends up finding his own power.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: Dial

    Peak By Roland SmithPeak

    By Roland Smith

    The premise of Peak—that a 14-year-old delinquent is pressured by a self-centered father to climb Mount Everest—caught my attention. Peak Marcello (yes, that’s the main character’s name) is arrested for climbing an NYC skyscraper, and it’s that bit of trouble that ends up reconnecting him with his father, the owner of a mountaineering expedition company. Although I’ve never written an adventure, I enjoy novels that show teens wrestling with family conflicts, discovering flaws in their parents and well as themselves, and finding the inner strength to grow.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: Harcourt

    About the Author
    Mary Amato
    Mary Amato

    Mary Amato is an award-winning children’s book author, songwriter, musician, puppeteer, and poet. She writes for children of all ages, and is beginning to focus on YA. Her first YA novel was Guitar Notes. Mary lives with her family outside Washington, DC, where she also performs regularly, singing and playing her own songs. Mary is a popular speaker and runs numerous workshops for teachers and students, including many on all aspects of creative writing, even songwriting. The author lives in Silver Spring, MD. You can visit her online at   https://www.thrumsociety.com/.

    Get Happy By Mary AmatoGet Happy

    By Mary Amato

    Publisher’s Synopsis: In this poignant, realistic, contemporary YA by a state master list star, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Gayle Forman, a young songwriter builds a substitute family with her friends in place of the broken family she grew up with.

    Minerva has been raised by her single mother after her father left them both. On her 17th birthday, she is shocked to discover that he has been trying to keep in touch, but her mother has been sabotaging his attempts. Furious at her mom, she begins to investigate her dad, a famous marine biologist, only to discover that he has a new family, including a beloved, and perfect, stepdaughter–a girl Minerva already knows and despises.

    As she makes her way, trying to build her performing and songwriting career, her jealousy takes over and threatens to derail her life completely. It is only through the efforts of her best friend, Fin, and the introduction of Hayes, a new young man in her life, that she is able to see clearly who she is and who makes up her family.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: EgmontUSA | October 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-1606845226

    Enter to win a hardcover copy of Get Happy, by Mary Amato. Giveaway ends December 15, 2014.

    Check out all of the stops on Mary Amato’s Get Happy blog tour: www.news.egmontusa.com. Discover more articles on The Children’s Book Review tagged with Best Young Adult Books.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Best Selling Young Adult Books | June 2014
    2. Best Selling Young Adult Books | October 2014
    3. Best Selling Young Adult Books | November 2014
    4. Best Selling Young Adult Books | December 2014

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Anne Dinshah Antony John Best YA Dial books Egmont USA Books Harcourt Books Heather Brewer Mary Amato Mary Casanova Obert Skye Roland Smith Speak Books Univ Of Minnesota Press Young Adult
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    The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by a guest author.

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