First Page Panda

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

A WORD OF WARNING TO ALL DISRUPTIVE BOYS

The story you are about to read is true.

If parents or teachers try to tell you otherwise, don’t believe them. They’re part of the conspiracy, trying to make you believe in chocolate chip cookies and happy endings, while secretly they plot your doom.

They definitely don’t want you knowing about places like Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys.

It’s possible they’ve already begun filling out your application.

Cody Mack had never heard of Splurch Academy. He had no idea he was in danger, just from a few disruptive stunts here and there.

And look what happened to him.

Wait. You don’t know yet what happened to him. But you will.

This book is here to warn you, to save you from a fate like Cody’s. I won’t say, “Stop being disruptive forever,” because I might as well tell a hound not to bark, but I will say, “You might want to tone it down a notch,” or just, “Keep a very close eye on your parents,” and maybe also, “Look through their papers to see if they’ve been in contact with Dr. Archibald Farley, the headmaster.”

You don’t yet know who Dr. Archibald Farley is, or why you should fear him.

It’s far safer to meet Dr. Farley in the pages of this book than to face him in real life.

Read and be warned. Read and be wise. Read and know what really happens to disruptive boys once they’ve crossed that line.

I suspect you still don’t believe me.

In that case, all I can say is farewell.

And good luck.

Excerpt copyright © 2010 Julie Berry

About the book:

Splurch Academy is the last thing Cody suspects when he’s summoned down to Principal Small’s office for yet another misdeed. Something’s clearly creepy about Dr. Archibald Farley, the headmaster, but neither Principal Small nor Cody’s parents seem to notice. They sign him over to Dr. Farley’s care at the remote boarding school, confident they’re doing the very best thing possible for feisty fifth-grade Cody.

But there’s a little problem.

Dr. Farley’s a vampire. His crew of vile teachers are bone-wrenching, blood-sucking, kid-eating monsters. And reform is the last thing on anyone’s mind at this reform school. Will Cody make it to Christmas break? For that matter, will he even survive the first night? Monsters-meet-mad science-meet naughty boy mayhem in this new series by sisters Julie Berry and Sally Gardner.

Release date: August 19, 2010

About the Author:

Julie Berry holds a BS from Rensselaer in communication and an MFA from Vermont College in writing for children and young adults. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four young sons. The Amaranth Enchantment (2009 Bloomsbury) was her first book, followed by The Rat Brain Fiasco and Curse of the Bizarro Beetle, the first two titles in the Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys series of comic/graphic novels. (2010 Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin Books for Young Readers). Her latest book, Secondhand Charm, was released on October 12, 2010 from Bloomsbury.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

“Really, Jen, is it too much to ask?”

I pressed my lips together. I hated that question. Dad only used it when my answering “yes” would make me look selfish, inconsiderate, and completely unreasonable.

He speared a piece of Szechuan chicken with his fork and popped it into his mouth, undoubtedly hoping that, while he chewed, I’d agree to six weeks of hard labor at my grandmother’s bed-and-breakfast.

Was it too much to ask? No. At least it shouldn’t have been. But a familiar, anxious feeling was forming under my ribs at the thought of staying out at the Schoenhaus for more than a few days. I studied the white Chinese take-out cartons sitting on our kitchen table for a few seconds, wondering why he was trying so hard to guilt me into this. Then I found the hole in his logic.

“Grandma Kay didn’t ask me to help her,” I pointed out. “She was just giving me first shot at the job if I wanted it. That’s a big difference. I’d rather stay here in St. Louis this summer. I put in three applications today, and two of the places are hiring.”

“But Jen, the summer tourist season has already started,” Dad pointed out. “Training someone takes time. Your grandmother thinks making beds is an art form.”

“True,” I said. Then I frowned. “But wasn’t she already training someone else?”

“Well, yes. But Bri only plans to put in about ten hours a week.”

“Bri?” I asked. “Working? You’re kidding.”

Dad shrugged. “Her mom thought it would be good for her.”

“Right,” I said. My father had just given me another good reason to stay away from the Schoenhaus. Ten hours a week with Bri Harris was cruel and unusual punishment.

Excerpt © 2010 Kristin Wolden Nitz

About the book:

Jen is scheduled to spend the summer helping Grandma Kay run a Victorian bed and breakfast. But Grandma Kay’s plans include a lot more than housekeeping. She intends to solve a real mystery from the past: the disappearance of Jen’s mother. During the build-up to an elaborate, role-playing Murder Mystery Weekend, Jen’s worst suspicions are aroused. Could a member of her own family be responsible?

What people are saying:

Nitz intertwines and then untangles relationships among the teens and guests, weaving a credible mystery for a wide adolescent audience. With clues and red herrings neatly scattered throughout, the book scores as a darned good little mystery. Intriguing, suspenseful fun. (Mystery. 12 & up) -Kirkus

Release Date: October 1, 2010

About the author:

Kristin Wolden Nitz learned the subtle art of planting clues from reading–and often rereading–hundreds of mysteries. The historical building, sloping vineyards, and winding roads around Augusta, Missouri gave her both the initial idea and the eerie atmosphere for SUSPECT. Kristin, who is also the author of DEFENDING IRENE and SAVING THE GRIFFIN, lives in Southwest Michigan.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

I

In Which Liza’s
Circumstances Change
for the Worse

Liza huddled in the armchair near the window, her mother’s shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Despite the fire, she couldn’t seem to get warm. The blinds were drawn against the morning’s winter light.

It shouldn’t be sunny.

There was a discreet knock at the door. A maid in a black dress with a white apron entered, carrying a meal on a tray. “Miss Liza, you mustn’t shut yourself away like this. It’s not like you.” With a quick motion, she deposited the tray and jerked the blinds open. Liza blinked and held up a hand to shade her eyes.

“Cora!”

“With all due respect to your bereaved state, Miss, the staff is beginning to talk,” Cora scolded. “This is no life for a young lady such as you. Go out of doors, put some color back in those cheeks.”

“There’s nothing for me outside.”

The hotel suite had been her refuge since the day she had walked behind the black carriage drawn by four black horses and watched the shovelfuls of black earth rain down on her parents’ coffins. And now what? Her family had come to London to join society. But without Mama’s letters of introduction, there would be no welcome for Liza in the best homes. There would be no glittering season followed by a brilliant marriage. She was alone in a strange country; she had neither friends nor family. When her parents’ cabriolet had plunged into the Serpentine a fortnight ago, it had desolated Liza’s life too.

Excerpt copyright © 2010 Michaela MacColl

About the book:

London, 1838. Sixteen-year-old Liza’s dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady’s maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant’s world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Meticulously based on newly discovered information, this riveting novel is as rich in historical detail as Catherine, Called Birdy, and as sizzling with intrigue as The Luxe.

What people are saying:

“Prisoners in the Palace is a delightful behind-the- scenes look at Victorian royalty and the making of a queen.  I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it highly.” -Karen Cushman

“A splendid view of the Victorian world; a warm and engaging novel. I loved it.” -Patricia Reilly Giff

Release date: November 2010

About the author:

Michaela MacColl studied multi-disciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and three extremely large cats in Connecticut. This is her first book.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

ONE

Responsibility was overrated. Sure, it sounded good—take control of your own life, make your own choices—but that also meant you had to pay for your own mistakes. And if your life and choices hadn’t gone the way you’d planned, well, then your mistakes might reach deeper than your pockets could afford.

I hoped mine were deep enough for the mess I’d caused.

I watered the lake violets in the front sunroom. Just busy work, but I had to do something other than sit in the town house worrying while my friends were out risking their lives. I should have been out there with them, but I’d been recognized on our last rescue mission and it wasn’t safe outside for me anymore. Not that Geveg had been all that safe in the five years since the Baseeri invaded, but being hunted by the Duke, his soldiers, Geveg’s Governor-General, and by who knew how many trackers, added a whole new level of danger.

“Is Aylin back yet?” asked Tali, lurking in the doorway. Some girls hovered behind her, a few Takers we’d rescued last week but hadn’t managed to smuggle off the isles yet.

“No,” I said, “she’s still out looking.” So was Danello, but Tali always worried more about Aylin, which was silly. Aylin could take care of herself—Danello was the one with the street smarts of a hen.

“Is it bad that it’s taking so long?”

I hesitated. “I don’t know. It depends if the recruiters are snatching people off the street again.”

The Takers behind Tali paled and backed away. None had been grabbed by the Healers’ League’s new “recruiters,” but we all knew people who had: pulled from their homes, dragged to the League, forced to heal—even if it killed us.

It was nine shades of wrong. The League used to invite only Takers with strong healing talents to become apprentices, those who had real futures as Healers. But now? You didn’t have a choice. The Duke demanded that any Taker with even a trace of healing ability had to serve at the League. The lucky ones were trained. The unlucky—they wound up in a small, windowless room somewhere being experimented on.

The Duke of Baseer had his war to win, whatever the cost to us.

Excerpt © 2010 Janice Hardy

About the book:

Part fugitive, part hero, fifteen-year-old Nya is barely staying ahead of the Duke of Baseer’s trackers. Wanted for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, she risks capture to protect every Taker she can find, determined to prevent the Duke from using them in his fiendish experiments. But resolve isn’t enough to protect any of them, and Nya soon realizes that the only way to keep them all out of the Duke’s clutches is to flee Geveg. Unfortunately, the Duke’s best tracker has other ideas.

Nya finds herself trapped in the last place she ever wanted to be, forced to trust the last people she ever thought she could. More is at stake than just the people of Geveg, and the closer she gets to uncovering the Duke’s plan, the more she discovers how critical she is to his victory. To save Geveg, she just might have to save Baseer—if she doesn’t destroy it first.

What people are saying:

In a story thick with ruses and political intrigue, Hardy keeps the focus human by returning to Nya’s moral qualms about having to hurt one person whenever she heals another, the tough choices leadership thrusts upon her, and her smart-aleck first-person voice. –Horn Book

Nya catapults through the pages like a super-charged action figure, but her first-person narration reveals inner conflict when forced to use her healing powers to injure and kill. Again, Nya confronts impossible moral choices as she fights to find her beloved sister. Relentless, gripping adventure. (Fantasy. 10 & up) –Kirkus

Release date: October 5, 2010

About the author:

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, and BLUE FIRE from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins.  She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

All I wanted was to charm a single, stinking wart onto my face. Yes, onto, not off. A good bog-witch should have at least one. Grandmother had eleven, and a hooked nose to boot. Of course there were rare witches who could pull off a certain dark and terrible beauty. My mother was one, according to Grandmother. Maybe that’s how I got stuck the way I was.

I peered into the moon-silvered water of the rain-barrel. No wart. No dark and terrible beauty, either. Just the same clear brown skin and snub nose I’d always had. Blast it! I smacked my palm into the water. A true bog-witch wouldn’t be sniffling, I told myself fiercely. It only made the tears slip faster down my cheeks. Because I wasn’t a true bog-witch; everyone from Grandmother to my littlest cousin Ezzie knew it. That was why they were all off on a midnight mushroom spree, and I was stuck here, alone, keeping watch over Grandmother’s garden.

I blinked up at the moon. If I closed my eyes, I could almost see them: my cousins, my aunts, my great-aunts, my second-cousins-twice-removed. All of them out there under that brilliant silver eye, laughing and teasing and dancing. I could almost smell the sweet wood-smoke, taste the earthy, buttery fried mushrooms. I loved fried mushrooms. But more than that, I loved being a Bogthistle witch. Even if no one else thought I was one, really.

Excerpt © 2010 Deva Fagan

About the book:

All Prunella wants is to be a proper bog-witch. Unfortunately, her curses tend to do more good than harm, and she hasn’t got a single stinking wart. When her mixed-up magics allow a sneaky thief to escape her grandmother’s garden, Prunella is cast out until she can prove herself. It’s hard enough being exiled to the decidedly un-magical Uplands, but traveling with the smugly charming young thief, Barnaby, is even worse. He’s determined to gain fame and fortune by recovering the missing Mirable Chalice. And to get what she wants, Prunella must help him. But what if the aspiring villain and the would-be hero are on the right quest . . . for the wrong reason?

What people are saying:
“Spunky characters and surprising plot twists will keep readers laughing and turning pages.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This colorful, fast-paced fantasy is recommended for fans of funny, fairy-tale-inspired stories.” —Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library in School Library Journal

Release date: June 2010

About the author:
Deva Fagan lives in Maine with her husband and her dog, where she has had numerous misadventures. The magical ones are (mostly) confined to her imagination.

The pandas are on vacation, but they took a minute out of their beach time to choose winners for our latest book giveaways.

The winner of My Forever Friends by Julie Bowe is:

Rhonda Phillips!

The winner of Scary School by Derek Taylor Kent is:

Melissa!

The winner of Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray is:

Chris Tsang!

The winner of Pearl by Jo Knowles is:

Becky Levine!

Congrats to the winners!

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

1.

I met Fred first.

At a party on Orchard Ave. that Charlotte Kincaid took me to.

Him: “Need a beer?”

Me: “I’ve already got one.”

“Well, drink up,” he instructed. He was pale and skinny and who wears
Docksiders and corduroy? “When you’re ready I’ll get you another.”

Charlotte and I stood shoulder to shoulder chomping pretzels and watching the drunk crowd rock. Charlotte nursed her canned Bud Light and I picked at a pebble of salt wedged between my two front teeth.

“You’re new.”

“Right.” You’re new. No question mark.

I’d been in Meadow Marsh a week. I missed home. And Evie. And Charlotte Kincaid would never be Evie. She was soft-spoken and smelled like baby powder and dryer sheets. She had none of Evie’s charm or spark.

“Let’s sit,” Fred suggested.

“I’d rather not.”

Charlotte shot me a look, then wandered away. Where was she going? Bathroom? Food foraging? “I want to be alone,” I told him, downing the rest of my beer and grabbing another out of the six pack on the floor by his feet.

“You’re at a party.”

I felt my face flush, then twisted the top off the bottle and shoved the cap in my coat pocket.

“You don’t really want to be alone…”

True. I wanted to be with Evie. Or home with Mom and Dad watching crappy TV. I took a bitter swig of beer and handed the bottle back. “You want the rest?” It was time to go.

Excerpt © 2010 Lauren Strasnick

About the Book: First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.

Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred–and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred–and something about Adina–that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world, no matter the consequences.

Release Date: October 5, 2010.

About the Author: Lauren Strasnick is a graduate of Emerson College and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) MFA Writing Program.  Her first novel, NOTHING LIKE YOU, was published by Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster in Fall 2009.  Her second book, HER and ME and YOU, another S&S teen title, hit shelves in October 2010.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Meg put the back of one hand to her forehead and leaned against the window sill of her chamber, looking out over the royal vegetable garden to the city of Crown, her imagination flying across the rest of the Kingdom of Greeve and into the wide world beyond. Her green gown flowed gracefully down her semi-slim sides. Her golden tresses—well, her light brown tresses—flowed almost as gracefully down her back. “Alas and alack,” Meg said in a breathless voice, “will no one come to take me away from this foul place?” She snickered. Boring place was more like it.

Meg’s mother was worried about the lack of princes coming to court her daughter. Meg wasn’t. She was more interested in coming up with a way of convincing her parents to let her go on a quest.

Meg left the window to change into a more serviceable skirt, tunic, and short, soft boots. She clipped her hair back and buckled on her sword, then headed downstairs for her first class of the day. She nearly crashed into Dilly, who was coming up the stairs. Dilly used to be Meg’s maid, but now she was Meg’s one and only lady-in-waiting. “Sword lessons?” Dilly asked, after neatly stepping out of Meg’s way.

“Sword lessons,” Meg answered. Swordplay was Meg’s favorite class, followed by statesmanship, a class taught by the austere Lady Fralen. Meg had expected to hate it, but to her amazement, she was pretty good at diplomacy and sort of liked it. Years of trying to get around her mother so she could hunt for frogs or roam the woods with Cam the gardener’s boy had taught her a lot about smooth talking, and it turns out that’s what statesmanship was. That and figuring out what the other person wanted.

Meg tried not to think about her other classes for today, etiquette and magic and dance. She was bad at all three.

“Lucky you,” said Dilly.

“Why, where are you going?”

Dilly made a face. “Eugenia invited me again.” Queen Istilda’s ladies-in-waiting were trying to turn Dilly into a fluffbrain, but so far, Dilly was resisting.

“You can tell me about it tonight.”

“Oh, I will!” Dilly gave a positively evil little laugh. Her reenactments of the embroidery-and-gossip sessions put on by the queen’s ladies were getting better with practice, though Meg suspected Dilly left out some of the talk about Meg not being courted by anyone. Laughing more normally, Dilly went on up the stairs, her brown gown and tidy black hair looking suitably demure.

Excerpt © 2009 Kate Coombs

About the book:
In this sequel to The Runaway Princess, Meg goes on a quest to find her runaway dragon, Laddy, but she gets tangled up with an enchanted forest, an angry giant, and a “mean girls” teen sorceress. Will she and her friends be able to escape with their lives, let alone find the missing dragon?

Release Date: September 2009

About the author:

Kate Coombs lives in the Los Angeles area, where she teaches sick kids in their homes for the school district. Kate is also the author of a picture book called The Secret-Keeper and a comic fantasy for middle grades called The Runaway Princess. In her alter-ego as Book Aunt, she writes a weekly children’s book review blog.

The pandas are on vacation, so while they’re off playing in the sun, we’ll be taking a look back at some previously-featured first pages. Enjoy!

It takes less time for them to conquer the world than it takes me to brush my teeth. That’s pretty disappointing.

I’m in history listening to Mr. Whitehead’s description of the Great Depression. “Everything was changed,” he says, tapping his desk with two fingers the way he does when he wants to call attention to something he’s said. I know he’s about to repeat himself because he always does after the little finger tap. I turn to Jackson to mouth the sentence as Mr. Whitehead speaks it, which is something we do to combat the big yawn boredom.

But we don’t. The second sentence never comes from Mr. Whitehead. It doesn’t come from Jackson either. Instead a voice comes into my head. THAT’S RIGHT. A VOICE. NOT MINE. IN MY HEAD. The voice says. “You are one of the few product who can hear and who have survived. Congratulations. Stand by for a message.”

Excerpt © 2010 Brian Yansky

About the book:

Jesse is in history class when a formidable, efficient race of aliens quietly takes over the earth in less time than it takes him to brush his teeth. Most humans simply fall asleep and never wake up. In moments, everyone Jesse knows and loves is gone, and he finds that he is now a slave to an alien leader. On the bright side, Jesse discovers he’s developing telepathic powers, and he’s not the only one. Soon he’s forging new friendships and feeling unexpectedly hopeful. When a mysterious girl appears in his dreams, talking about escaping, Jesse begins to think the aliens may not be invincible after all. But if Jesse and his friends succeed, is there anywhere left to go?

What people are saying:

“Fast-paced, sly, and surprisingly humane, Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences is the most fun I’ve had reading a Young Adult Novel this year.”-Gabrielle Zevin, author of, among other novels, Elsewhere.

“Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky combines humor, philosophical depth and a sparkling imagination to create a work that is thoroughly enjoyable.” -Francisco X. Stork, author of, among other novels, Marcelo in the Real World.

“Wry, fierce, richly imagined-the total conquest of humanity has never been so entertaining.” Bestselling author of, among other novels, Eternal, Cynthia Leitch Smith.

“A clever premise, a fast pace, and characters I’d like to hang out with if they’d let me. Eminently readable and thought provoking, too. A+” Ron Koertge, author of, among other novels, Stoner and Spaz.

“Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences is a fast, fun, funicular of a joyride. Aliens, telepathy, rebels, romance, and humor-what’s not to like? Climb aboard and hang on tight!” National Book Award winner for Godless, and author of many other novels, Pete Hautman

Release date: October 12, 2010

About the author:

Brian Yansky lives in Austin, Texas. He’s written two other novels: My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World and Wonders of the World.