Young Adult Books

” God, I was sick and tired of having to explain my racial background all the time. Anyway, that boy kept eyeing me. I didn’t know what that meant: Could he suddenly turn threatening or was he only curious? Mama said people stared because I was beautiful, and she acted as though I should enjoy it, or at least ignore it. She had no idea what it was like when I could see men’s eyes get so weird. ” (Part I, Ch.4, p.42) Mama’s Child tells the story of Elizabeth O’Leary, who travels to the south as a civil rights worker and falls in love with an African American activist and musician, Solomon Jordan. The two move to Berkeley and have two children, Che and Ruby. Their difference in political perspective, and Elizabeth’s catch-up in the burgeoning women’s movement eventually cause their split. The divorce not only forces Ruby to confront her racial identity, it also leads to deeply entrenched conflicts between her and her white mother. The same way that households of an earlier generation spied Reds under every bed, I became adept at spotting the subtle prejudice lurking in the most trivial social encounter. Traces of discrimination, I learned, could be detected in a mere stance. (Part II, Ch.12, p.166) Mother and daughter take turn on the narrative that spans over 25 years from 1978 to 2005. Ruby’s conflict with her mother is far more than the paltry grievances in which Elizabeth forgot to pick her up after hockey practice. The issue is more rooted in identity: How black is she? How white is she? When Ruby decides she belongs more to her black father than white mother, she is determined to wash away her “whiteness” and get back to her black root. Her aunt, a social worker, also tries to file for her custody. The family struggles to understand and define who they are and what they mean to one another. Ruby and I share a bond that can never be broken, even if I never see her face again. ” (Part II, Ch.14, p.232) Ruby feels the black of a black role model in her life. She sees her mother’s kindness and solicitude for black rights a show. She is angry that her mother is treating her like a colored accessory, showing her off “like a safari trophy.” The ensuing tensions that build between her and Elizabeth culminate in Ruby moving east and cutting her mother out of her life. It’s not until she becomes a wife and mother herself that Ruby understands the many ways her mother’s love transcends race and questions of identity. Mama Child is a page-turner. Lester draws on her background as a mother of two biracial children growing up in Oakland. The novel is sentimental but illuminating, and most importantly, showing how one who uses race to filter the everyday world risks becoming a distorted human being. Ruby is searching herself, yet she continues and refines the cruelty their parents and the general racist society taught her from birth. Elizabeth also is searching herself—for that freedom of spirit that is undefined by parents, lovers, spouse, or children. This book really shows how a family struggles for intimacy across the great divide of their backgrounds and the politics of their time. 309 pp. Simon and Schuster. Paper. [Read/Skim/Toss] [Buy/Borrow]

I’m thrilled to be a part of the tour for Precious Blood by Tonya Hurley. I have a feature of Sebastian the Saint today, along with a giveaway. Also, Meet Sebastian the boy at Vampire Book Club today as well :) And be sure to check out my review of Precious Blood, which will later today :) Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur Tonya Hurley is the New York Times best-selling author of the highly acclaimed “ghostgirl“ book series; creator, writer and producer of animated and live action hit television series; writer and director of independent films; writer and director of commercials for Playstation, Gameboy and Warner Home Video; and creator of groundbreaking videogames. Her new young adult trilogy, THE BLESSED, begins with Precious Blood. ————————————- Artist Credit: Odessa Sawyer SAINT SEBASTIAN Everyone knows the infamous saint picture of the perfect guy, nearly naked, tied to a tree and pierced by arrows. This is the image of Saint Sebastian. The character Sebastian in Precious Blood shares many qualities with his namesake — bravery and fearlessness most of all.  A captain of the Praetorian Guard martyred in the Third Century AD, his superiors were unaware that he was secretly a Christian.  When he was discovered trying to convert others, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered him executed for treason and he was led to a field and tied to a wooden stake where archers shot him full of arrows.  Miraculously, he survived the assault and was nursed back to health only to persist in his taunting of the Emperor who ultimately had him beaten to death. Sebastian is the patron saint of soldiers, athletes and of a holy death.  He is the subject of some of the most iconic medieval and renaissance portraits in the history of art. —————————————- About Precious Blood:  From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy—a boy who believes he is a saint.What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them? Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief. Learn more at http://theblessed.com Like The Blessed on Facebook Follow The Blessed and Tonya Hurley on Twitter and join the conversation using #PreciousBlood Follow The Blessed on Pinterest Also, feel free to check out the super awesome trailer for the book :) Now I have a super awesome giveaway to go along with the tour as well. One person will receive      Earbuds (courtesy of Cecilia, Patron Saint of Music)      Sunglasses (courtesy of Lucy, Patron Saint of Sight)      Essie Chastity Nail Polish (courtesy of Agnes, Patron Saint of Chastity)      Copy of Precious Blood      AND winner’s choice of an Agnes, Cecilia or Lucy t-shirt Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only. Prizing & samples courtesy of Simon & Schuster. a Rafflecopter giveaway Feel free to follow along with the rest of the tour and meet the rest of the characters as well :) Monday, June 17: Meet Agnes the girl at Confessions of a Bookaholic and Agnes the Saint at Candace’s Book Blog. Tuesday, June 18: Meet Cecilia the girl at Bewitched Bookworms and Cecilia the Saint at A Life Bound by Books. Wednesday, June 19: Meet Lucy the girl at The Reading Date and Lucy the Saint at All Things Urban Fantasy. Thursday, June 20: Meet Sebastian the boy at Vampire Book Club and Sebastian the Saint at The Book Cellar. Friday, June 21: In Bed With Books has a Q&A with Tonya. Related posts: Tour: Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi Guest Post with Jackie Morse Kessler + Giveaway Blood Fever by Veronica Wolff Book Review

So if you haven’t heard about the amazing amazing book that is When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney, let me tell you all about it! IT IS AMAZING (also, just check out my review, which went up today as well). About When You Were Here: Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity. Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see. Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore. When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died. Now here is your chance to win not one, but one of  THREE copies of the book – how cool is that? Entering is super simply as well – all your have to do is share ONE of six photos somewhere with the caption of “I can’t wait to read WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney”  How simple is that? Here are the 6 photos (Each link will take you to the photo. I didn’t post all 6 here, since that would make the post extremely long): Tea at the Tea Ceremony Shoto Cafe Sponge Cake Crepes Dogs in Matching Sweaters Harajuku Imperial Gardens So there is a rafflecopter for you to turn in your entries – You can share it anywhere. I have the options of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest in the rafflecopter and you can share each one once a day. If you decide to share another place besides those 4, just plug the link in to one of the entries – it really doesn’t matter. Just make sure you use the caption above!  Any questions, comment or tweet me or whatever :) Also, totally not required, but I would love if you commented answering the question of WHY you want to read When You Were Here, just for funsies. Happy sharing guys :) Oh and it is US only and ends July 5! a Rafflecopter giveaway Related posts: The Rivals by Daisy Whitney Book Review The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney Waiting on Wednesday (127) – The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

Book Seven of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collection By Ben Aaronovitch Available now from BBC Books Review copy For the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the BBC commissioned a reprint of eleven novels to represent each of the Doctors. I love that they chose to reprint beloved novels instead of publishing new ones, to show off the history of the character. In fact, REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS is a novelization of Episode 152, also written by Ben Aaronovitch. This was his first novel, something I didn't know despite casually enjoying his Peter Grant paranormal mysteries. I'll admit to being unfamiliar with the Seventh Doctor. But I know lots of people are fans of his companion Ace, and I knew Aaronovitch, so I decided to see if this book was a good introduction. I think it was. The Doctor is still the Doctor, with a plan he keeps to himself, but different from the Doctors I know better. And I can see why Ace has a fanbase; after all, she likes to blow things up. That's a good quality in someone being menaced by Daleks. I liked the one-off characters too, particularly Professor Rachel Jensen. She's a scientist who becomes embroiled in the goings on, and is pretty appalled. It was a very realistic depiction of how a person might react to time travellers and aliens fighting each other and leaving a trail of casualties. I think there is a tad too much head hopping, which is probably a result of following the beats of an episode where not all the same characters are onscreen at the same time. REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS is rougher than ONLY HUMAN, the other anniversary collection novel I've read and reviewed. Aaronovitch is clearly playing with style. He's got a countdown, epigraphs, but little of it has enough purpose to really add to the story. At the same time, I can see seeds of the writer Aaronovitch would become. Perhaps most obviously in the passages dealing with race in England. The action of the book takes place in the 1960's, which has its own problems in that regard. But Aaronovitch definitely tackles that question as it relates to modern times in the Rivers of London series. I wouldn't pick up REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS if I wasn't at least familiar enough with Doctor Who to know what a Dalek is, but you can read it if you aren't familiar with Seven specifically. It's a straightforward adventure, with lots of action and short passages to keep the story moving quickly. Plus, the retro cool cover of the special edition looks great on my shelf. Thanks to BBC Books and TLC Book Tours, I have one book to giveaway internationally. You can choose between ONLY HUMAN, REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS, or WHO-OLOGY: The Official Miscellany. Giveaway ends June 30, 2013.a Rafflecopter giveaway

HAPPY SUMMER! So, recently Jen from The Bawdy Book Blog and I were chatting about how we really needed to get rid of some of the books that were on our shelves.  Jen mentioned doing a weekly summer giveaway, and I thought it was a fantastic idea, so here we are! On Reading Teen, I will be giving you a list of books that I have available, and each week, the winner can pick which book

72 544x376 Title: Never Too FarAuthor: Abbi Glines Publisher: Self-Published Format: E-book Publication Date: February 25th, 2013 Overall: 5/5 Source: Purchased Normal 0 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} He had held a secret that destroyed her world.Everything she had known was no longer true. Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him. Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again. What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out. 72 544x376 My Review: *Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers!* Never Too Far picks up right from the end of the previous novel in the series. Blaire is now living in her hometown of Sumit, Alabama after leaving Rush behind in Rosemary. Blaire is a total disaster after discovering all the secrets that her father was hiding. Then, she discovers that she has her very own secret that must be hidden from others; Blaire is pregnant! I was refreshing that Never Too Far really moved things forward. I’m glad that Blaire ended up owning her secret and spilling it to Rush. It was the sweetest scene because Rush finally started thinking about Blaire and what was best for her and the baby. What did bother me was that while Rush was telling Blaire that he was going to take care of her, he kept putting others before her. Then, there was the whole Nan situation which was only exasperated because Abe finally came clean that Nan is NOT his daughter! The scene where Abe reveals this secret to Rush made me incredibly angry. Blaire’s whole world was shattered by that revelation, and Abe continued to keep that secret for months. Nan had always blamed Blaire for her unhappiness, however, Blaire wasn't the cause of it all; it was her mother. I was also incredibly discouraged by Rush’s behavior in the end. I understand that Nan's his sister and that the situation was nerve-wreaking, however, he shouldn't have abandoned his pregnant fiancée. By refusing to talk to Blaire didn’t help Nan get better in any way. Honestly, if I was Blaire, I’d walk my pregnant self right out of that situation. I can’t imagine that Rush is ever going to change when it comes to his family, and Blaire can’t keep getting the short end of the stick. I mean, Blaire walked three miles home because Rush abandoned her when he got the call, and then he refused to call her for two weeks. He also missed the doctor’s appointment for the baby. It was completely irresponsible of Rush, and although he kept promising Blaire that he’s going to put her first, he’s doesn't. Rush hasn't had many people that he's cared about, so his need to take care of them is undesirable. I just wish he would begin to see that Nan doesn't care about him, not like he cares about her at least. I won’t lie, the ending got me very excited, and I’m so thrilled to know the gender of the baby! However, I just feel like this book had some very unnecessary revelations just for the shock factor. I can’t wait for Forever Too Far. Hopefully, it will redeem this middle novel and clear up this crazy situation. Must Read! Highly Recommended! **Please Note: This review is my honest opinion and I received no monetary compensation from it.** Find Never Too Far onlin

Mia Kish is afraid of the dark. And for good reason. When she was a toddler she fell deep into her backyard well only to be rescued to great fanfare and celebrity. In fact, she is small-town Fenton,Colorado’s walking claim to fame. Not like that helps her status at Westbrook Academy, the nearby uber-ritzy boarding school she attends. A townie is a townie. Being nationally ranked as a swimmer doesn’t matter a lick. But even the rarefied world of Westbrook is threated when emergency sirens start blaring and the school is put on lockdown, quarantined and surrounded by soldiers who seem to shoot first and ask questions later. Only when confronted by a frightening virus that ages its victims to death in a manner of hours does Mia realize she may only just be beginning to discover what makes Fenton special. The answer is behind the walls of the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics. Mia’s dad, the director of Fenton Electronics, has always been secretive about his work. But unless Mia is willing to let her classmates succumb to the strange illness, she and her friends have got to break quarantine, escape the school grounds, and outsmart armed soldiers to uncover the truth about where the virus comes from and what happened down that well. The answers they find just might be more impossible than the virus they are fleeing. Guys, I am so excited today to feature The Well's End, an upcoming novel by Seth Fishman from Putnam Juvenile! This awesome new addition to the world of YA is set to release on February 25, 2014 (one day apres my birthday, mind you), and it promises a whole lot of mystery, thrilling adventure and maybe just a touch of terror to make you think twice about those things that go bump in the night. Seth dropped by to answer a few of my questions today....and there's even a giveaway for all of you lovelies, so stick around to the end! 1. What inspired you to set The Well's End in Fenton, Colorado? Hi Melissa! First of all, thanks to you and your kind readers for their time. I hope this is something interesting to you, and that I provide some vague form of entertainment for your day! This is a good question, with a fairly nebulous answer. I'm from West Texas, which means that if we wanted to go skiing, we went to New Mexico and Colorado on these long trips, so I've been there a number of times in snow and in summer, and feel a sense of teenage familiarity with the area. I made up the town, of course, but I also needed mountains, snow, and the ritz of places like Aspen and Vail nearby. So, it all came together. 2. You have an MC that's a swimmer! This speaks to me (ie: the blog title)...of all the sports in all the world, why swimming? I'm kinda terrified that you'll read the book and be like, 'no way, swimmers don't do that...' But I made Mia Kish a swimmer for a number of reasons. One is that she fell down this well, which means she was in the dark and in/around water. So she swims to conquer her fear. Another reason is that I wanted her to swim under the ice of a frozen lake, and she has to be good to be able to do that. I interviewed my friend, Matt Block, who used to be nationally ranked in college, about swimming and learned all sorts of things I never knew, like drag suits and how you sweat tons in a pool but never realize. I hope it all works realistically! 3. Mia is terrified of the dark, and it sounds as though The Well's End might be just creepy enough to terrify your readers. What do you think might be the scariest aspect of this book for us? Great question. I think I made a number of scenes scary (at least, to write, ha), and I hope that comes through. But specific moments aside, I wanted to tackle the idea of trauma defining a person, and how everything they do will be seen through the lens of that trauma. Creepy death, icy cold water, these things, in the book, are more than just plot points, but efforts to make Mia confront herself and her p

I'm excited today to have author Deborah Valentine stop by the blog to talk to us a little bit about love and her new historical time travel fantasy, The Knightmare. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Deborah!LOVE BY MANY NAMES“The name of wife may seem more sacred or more binding, but sweeter for me will always be the word mistress, or, if you will permit me, that of concubine...”Now there’s the way to decline a marriage proposal! Incredibly, this is a quote from the 12th century from the brilliant scholar and eventual Abbess of the Paraclete Convent, Heloise. Could 20th century bra-burners have done it more eloquently – or elegantly? Heloise was a master (or rather, mistress) of words. Her affair with her tutor, the great philosopher Peter Abelard, was the stuff of legend, though it was indeed a true story. How far ahead of her time was this charmingly independent Heloise? Or perhaps it isn’t that she was ahead of her time, but that across millenniums many women have thought as she did and some are just better advertised.So why do I bring this up? Because, as a writer, we all have read stories that have touched us, inspired us, made us look at the world differently and have served as a jumping off point for our own imaginations. For me, Abelard and Heloise is one such story, lurking round the corners of my mind for many years. I read their collected letters as a teenager and they stuck with me becoming an – I hate to use to the word ‘obsessive’ – let’s just say an intense and much loved area of research. Finally, it became a pivotal point for my book, The Knightmare.As the saying goes, it is love that makes the world go round; and love is nothing if it doesn’t encounter an obstacle or two, or more. And what is great about writing is that you don’t have to be literal, one story breeds another. The Knightmare came about because I imagined what might have happened to their son, because they did indeed have one who has disappeared from history. What would he be like? What choices would he make in life when his parents’ love affair had such tragic consequences? For they were tragic. To cut a convoluted story short, Heloise’s guardian had Abelard hideously mutilated and he became an abbot while Heloise was forced into a convent (where she excelled, by the way, as a brilliant administrator).And so a character was born, my Knight Templar, trying to avoid love, a medieval workaholic falling headlong into his own series of unfortunate decisions while trying desperately not to repeat what he saw as his parents’ mistakes. Many of us have done the same, ergo no matter how fantastical the story what the writer hits on is a universal truth about the way human beings behave. The idea of using a genuine historical figure and naming them as such – putting words in a real person’s mouth or purporting to know what they thought as if I’d witnessed events personally – gives me the heebie-jeebies.I’ve changed many things – the names, played with the time frame, juggled things round, lied as writers do. I’m sure the real son of Abelard and Heloise didn’t become a Knight Templar, fall in love with a ‘witch’ (although I do hope he found someone equally unsuitable), participate in sword fights or the Albigensian Crusade, or assisted an alchemist in pagan rituals, or has been reincarnated as an career-focused Formula One driver. But I still hope I’ve done the lad justice and given him an adventure, even if it is fiction. In its own way, it is a homage to real people I admire greatly. As I said before, this is a great joy of writing, you don’t have to be literal. In fact, it’s better if you’re not.As a postscript to Abelard and Heloise, after ten years of separation they started working together as abbot and abbess. A different kind of relationship, a different kind of love. Perhaps not so tragic after all, just not the conventional happy ending. Perhaps even, one day, a whole other story.• • • • • • • • • • DEBORAH VALENTINEDeborah Valentine is a British au

Charley by Donna SeimPublished Date: September 2013Publisher: Peter E. Randall Publisher Genre: MGThe Story: Charley is based on the true story of a twelve-year-old boy living in Boston in 1910. Suffering from abandonment he winds up on the steps of an orphanage. Charley, blessed with a beautiful voice, joins the traveling choir. When his hopes are all but dashed, he sings his way into a family in rural Maine.My Review: This is such a cute and heart warming story. Charley doesn't want to leave his older brother or younger brother and sister, but when his dad leaves to find work, his older brother tells Charley that they need to go to the orphanage. After the choir director finds out Charley can sing very well, he joins the choir who travels all over the east, in hopes of finding homes for the children. This story also breaks my heart, with knowing even now, children are hoping to find a family to call their own. I had a hard time reading it, only because it brought tears to my eyes, and it's really hard to read while you're crying. But I love this story! Donna Seim paints a picture and you imagine you're there in Boston, or in Maine. You can hear the language of the time too. About the Author: Charley is award-winning author DONNA MARIE SEIM's second middle grade novel. Her first novel, Hurricane Mia, was praised as "a 5 star young reader's book that should be in every library, every classroom, and every home," by Readers' Favorite Book Reviews. Donna is the author of two picture books, Satchi and Little Star and Where is Simon, Sandy? Donna holds a BSSW in social welfare, and a MA in Special Education. Donna lives in Newbury, Massachusetts. SUSAN SPELLMAN is a fine artist and illustrator who resides in Newburyport, Massachusetts. She illustrates for Highlights magazine and has illustrated more than thirty titles for children since 1979, including: Mabel Takes a Paddle, by Emily Chetkowski, Draw History, the Civil War, by Nancy Clayton and Pinky & Bubs' Stinky Night Out, by Frankie Spellman.

Alex London is the author of many kids' books, and his first YA novel, Proxy, came out on Tuesday! To celebrate the release, Alex is touring the blogosphere, sharing mini excerpts of his book and giving readers extra insight into the characters.More about Proxy:"The adventure novel of the year! Inspired by The Whipping Boy and Feed, this adrenaline-fueled thriller will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games for its razor-sharp insights into the nature of human survival and its clever writing.Knox was born into one of the City's wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own. Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid. A fast-paced, thrill-ride of novel full of non-stop action, heart-hammering suspense and true friendship—just as moving as it is exhilarating. Fans of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, James Dashner's Maze Runner, Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series, and Marie Lu's Legend will be swept away by this story."Here is the excerpt:“’Watch the projection,’ his father commanded without even turning to look at him. ‘This is all pointless if you don’t watch the projection.’ So that’s what this was: proxy business. What a hassle.Knox wanted to be left alone to heal. He needed his rest. He was injured. He was in pain. His punishment could wait, couldn’t it? It’s not like his proxy was going anywhere.” – page 51, PROXYAlex says about Knox:"I had the most fun writing Knox and struggled with him the most. He is not a terribly likable boy at first and is, I hate to admit it, a lot like me when I was a teenager. Like Knox, I grew up privileged. Like Knox, I was a trouble maker and like Knox, I rarely interacted with those less fortunate than me. I too nursed some hidden anger and built walls between myself and those around me. Of course, I wasn’t nearly as big a jerk as he is! Knox doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions because he isn’t the one who suffers for them. He has this amazing sense of entitlement and a complete lack of empathy for others. He doesn’t see his proxy as person in the beginning of the book, at least not as a person who matters to him. To Knox, Syd is just a product to be used as necessary. He has no more moral feeling about Syd’s suffering than he does about his robotic vacuum cleaner. Of course, he has his reasons for cutting himself off from feeling and the book explores those as he grows and expands his world view. I hope, by the end, readers can sympathize with him a little, or at least understand, if not forgive. The book is, in a way, his journey as much as it is his proxy’s. Knox isn’t seeking redemption, but I like to believe, to an extent, he finds it. But I also don’t want to tell readers what to think. Knox is a flawed kid, like most kids, with moments of cruelty and moments of grace. I’ll let the reader sort out where he lands for them, but I certainly grew to love him."Sound good? You can learn more about Alex by following him on Twitter, and checking out his website. Learn more about Proxy by jumping over to Bookalicious tomorrow for the next tour stop!And enter the form below for a chance to win a copy of the book!Loading...