Blog Tour: Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers + Guest Post

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Here We Are
Author: Oliver Jeffers
Reading Level: Picture Book
Genre: Contemporary
Released: November 2017
Review Source: Penguin Young Readers

Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it.

From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else...

Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: there are lots of us on here, so be kind.

Creatures that Live in Thin Air

Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers is a sweet book that introduces kids to the world, our world. Children are able to learn about space, our land, the sea, air and other facts about our planet. So to add to this introduction, I thought it would be great to talk about couple of creatures that live in thin air.

Alpine swift are known to be able to stay aloft in the air for up to seven months! They have very short legs which are used for clinging to vertical surfaces. They drink on the wing, but roost on vertical cliffs or walls.

Llamas! Yes, these creatures live in grassy open spaces at very high altitudes of 7,400 - 12,800 feet. They have more red blood cells per unit volume of blood than any other mammal.

Himalayan marmot is a marmot found  throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau at elevation from 3,500 to 5,200 m (11,500 to 17,100 ft). They dig large burrows, which generally restricts them to areas with light-textured and adequately deep soil.

Yak (Bos mutus) are  long-haired domesticated bovid in which their coat helps to insulate them in their cold environment. They can lives up to 6,100 m (20,000 ft) and make their homes in treeless areas which are on mountains and plateaus.. Their horns are used to break through the snow and reach
plants.

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Oliver Jeffers makes art.

From figurative painting and installation to illustration and picture-book making, Oliver Jeffers’ work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in multiple cities, including Lazarides Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Brooklyn Museum and Spring Break Fair (Armory Week) in New York, and Gestalten Space in Berlin.

Oliver’s picture books — including The Incredible Book Eating Boy,  This Moose Belongs to Me, The Day Crayons Quit  and its sequel The Day The Crayons Came Home ( both #1 NYTimes Bestsellers)  and Once Upon an Alphabet — have been translated into over 30 languages. Working in collaboration with Studio AKA, Oliver’s second book Lost and Found was developed into an animated short film that has received over sixty awards, including a BAFTA for Best Animated Short Film.

Picture book awards include the The New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Smarties Award, Irish Book of the Year, The Red House Book Award, British Book Design Award, and The Blue Peter Book of the Year. Oliver won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo. In 2013 Oliver co-directed with Mac Premo the video for Ordinary Love by U2, and more recently made art for, and helped art direct, U2’s Innocence and Experience World Tour.

Oliver is from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

#The5thWave Movie is coming + enter this EPIC Giveaway!

The 5th Wave is heading to the big screen January 2016 and USA Today wants you to read it before you see it! Well, so does Rick... and Penguin.... and me! This amazing series will blow your mind. So make sure you do read it before to show off because you obviously have to say, "Oh, I read it before the movie" to your friends.

The movie-tie-in edition is out today so make sure to go to your local bookstore to get your copy! In celebration, Penguin is hosting an epic giveaway. Enter for a chance to win:  the movie tie-in edition of THE 5TH WAVE (with its new cover!), the paperback release of THE INFINITE SEA, and a $25 Fandango gift card!!! HOW FREAKING AMAZING IS THIS?!

Go add these to your Goodreads TBR list! And don't forget to pre-order THE LAST STAR!

Giveaway INFO:
2 winners (US only), each will receive:
1 copy of THE 5TH WAVE movie tie in edition
1 copy of THE INFINITE SEA paperback
1 Fandango gift certificate for $25

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REMINDER: #PenguinTeenOnTour is TONIGHT @BooksandBooks 6:30PM!

Penguin Teen on Tour begins TONIGHT at Books and Books! 

Join us for an evening of discovery with the Penguin Reader’s tour and their impressive Young Adult titles!

Atlantia by Ally Condie

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?
For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose. Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Critically-acclaimed author Ally Condie is known for her spare, poetic prose and inventive storytelling. In 2010, her “superb” (Wall Street Journal) novel Matched became one of the most talked-about books of the year, garnering two starred reviews and widespread critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Matched is the hottest YA title to hit bookstores since The Hunger Games.” Matched was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010. The sequels, Crossed and Reached, were also critically-acclaimed and received starred reviews, and all three books are available in 30+ languages. A former English teacher, Ally Condie lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to her husband play guitar.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

“We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.”

At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.  Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor.  The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.  This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Jandy Nelson, like her characters in I’ll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere, comes from a superstitious lot. She was tutored from a young age in the art of the four-leaf clover hunt; she knocks wood, throws salt, and carries charms in her pockets. Her critically-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling second novel, I’ll Give You the Sun, received the prestigious Printz Award and is a Stonewall Book Award honor. Both Sun and her debut, The Sky Is Everywhere, have been YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks and on multiple best of the year lists, have earned many starred reviews, and continue to enjoy international success. Currently a full-time writer, Jandy lives and writes in San Francisco, California—not far from the settings of her novels.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead. Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

Meg Wolitzer is a novelist who has written many books for adults, including The Interestings, which was named a book of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Time, and The Chicago Tribune, and was named a notable book by The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post.  She is also the author of a book for middle-grade readers, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.  Meg Wolitzer’s short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Storiesand The Pushcart Prize.  She lives in New York City with her family.

Event date: 

Monday, November 2, 2015 - 6:30pm

Event address: 

265 Aragon Ave

Coral Gables, FL 33134

#PenguinTeenOnTour begins tomorrow @BooksandBooks 11/2!

Penguin Teen on Tour begins tomorrow at our favorite local indie bookstore! Join us for an evening of discovery with the Penguin Reader’s tour and their impressive Young Adult titles!

Make sure to make you head over to Books and Books after school and/or work!

Atlantia by Ally Condie

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?
For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose. Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Critically-acclaimed author Ally Condie is known for her spare, poetic prose and inventive storytelling. In 2010, her “superb” (Wall Street Journal) novel Matched became one of the most talked-about books of the year, garnering two starred reviews and widespread critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Matched is the hottest YA title to hit bookstores since The Hunger Games.” Matched was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010. The sequels, Crossed and Reached, were also critically-acclaimed and received starred reviews, and all three books are available in 30+ languages. A former English teacher, Ally Condie lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to her husband play guitar.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

“We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.”

At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.  Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor.  The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.  This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Jandy Nelson, like her characters in I’ll Give You the Sun and The Sky is Everywhere, comes from a superstitious lot. She was tutored from a young age in the art of the four-leaf clover hunt; she knocks wood, throws salt, and carries charms in her pockets. Her critically-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling second novel, I’ll Give You the Sun, received the prestigious Printz Award and is a Stonewall Book Award honor. Both Sun and her debut, The Sky Is Everywhere, have been YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks and on multiple best of the year lists, have earned many starred reviews, and continue to enjoy international success. Currently a full-time writer, Jandy lives and writes in San Francisco, California—not far from the settings of her novels.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead. Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

Meg Wolitzer is a novelist who has written many books for adults, including The Interestings, which was named a book of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Time, and The Chicago Tribune, and was named a notable book by The New York Times Book Review and The Washington Post.  She is also the author of a book for middle-grade readers, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.  Meg Wolitzer’s short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Storiesand The Pushcart Prize.  She lives in New York City with her family.

Event date: 

Monday, November 2, 2015 - 6:30pm

Event address: 

265 Aragon Ave

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Penguin Teen at #YALLFest!

Happy November y'all!! It't that time again!

YALLFEST will be here before we know it!! We’re seriously excited about our schedule this year, and we can’t wait to bask in the book love with all of you! Read on for all of our author panels and events!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH

10 am                  OPENING KEYNOTE: From Goosebumps to Vamp Hunts – R.L. Stine & Richelle Mead (ticketed) in the MUSIC HALL

11 am                  HARRY POTTER IS LYFE  – Maya Van Wagenen, Sabaa Tahir, Melissa de la Cruz in the MUSIC HALL

11 am                  CREATIVITY & JEALOUSY & FEAR & SUCCESS – Gayle Forman and Marie Lu in the BALLROOM

11 am                  REAL TALK ABOUT WRITING – David Levithan in the MUSEUM

12 PM                  MIDDLE GRADE STORYBALL – Alexander London, Melissa de la Cruz, Curtis Jobling, Carrie Ryan in the MUSIC HALL

12 PM                  YA GENDER STUDIES 101 – David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Seth Fishman in the CINEMA

1 PM                    MG SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION – Meg Cabot in conversation with Melissa de la Cruz “Beyond Princesses & Fairytales” in the MUSIC HALL

1 PM                    THAT TIME THAT I SUCKED – Brendan Reichs, Curtis Jobling, Renee Ahdieh in the MUSEUM

1 PM                    BRAVE NEW WORLDS – Richelle Mead, E.K. Johnston in the CINEMA

2 PM                   JEDIS VS. SUPERHEROES – Adam Gidwitz in the MUSIC HALL

2 PM                   ONCE UPON A(NOTHER) TIME: FAIRYTALE REBOOTS – E.K. Johnston and Renee Ahdieh in the BALLROOM

2 PM                    FUR, FANGS, & SCALES: CREATING CREATURES  – Carrie Ryan, Curtis Jobling, Alexander London in the CINEMA

3 PM                    FROM DOTHRAKI TO DRONES: SCI-FI FANTASY MASHUP  – Marie Lu, Richelle Mead, Brendan Reichs in the MUSIC HALL

3 PM                   SPACE, THE FINAL YA FRONTIER – Adam Gidwitz, Rick Yancey in the MUSEUM

3 PM                    SHOW SOME EMOTION – Sabaa Tahir in the CINEMA

3 PM                    YALLFEST GOES TO HOLLYWOOD – Carrie Ryan, Rick Yancey in the MUSIC HALL

4 PM                    BAD WRITING, GOOD WRITERS: OUR EARLY WORK – Alexander London in the BALLROOM

4 PM                    STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS, UGH! – Maya Van Wagenen the MUSEUM

4 PM                    MY BIG BREAK Q&A: INDUSTRY INSIDERS – Seth Fishman in the CINEMA

6 PM                    YA SMACKDOWN – Brendan Reichs in the MUSIC HALL

WHO IS GOING TO YALLFEST THIS YEAR? 

LET US KNOW!

Book Review: Stolen by Melissa de la Cruz + Michael Johnston

Stolen
Heart of Dread #2
Author: Melissa de la Cruz, Michael Johnston
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: November 18th 2014
Review Source: Penguin Young Readers Group

Who is Eliza Wesson?

Months after Nat and Wes said good-bye on the shores of the Blue, Nat is learning how to control and use her new power. She and her drakon are the last of their kind—and she’s risked her life for their reunion. When she receives a mysterious distress call, she races to help, soliciting the guidance of her new friend, the beautiful and aloof Faix Lazaved of the Blue.

Still heartbroken over losing Nat, Wes is racing cars on a New Vegas racetrack while his team is scattered and lost. When he finds out that his sister, Eliza, is being held in the golden domes of El Dorado, he does what he’s best at—running to her side—and gambles on luck to see him through one more time.

Magic, romance, and danger collide as Nat and Wes become entangled in a dark new adventure that leads right to the heart of the mystery of their frozen, broken world. They soon discover that the answer to both their quests lies in the same question: Who is Eliza Wesson—what is she capable of, and why was she stolen from her family so long ago?

Can I get legally married with a book cover? Highly doubt it, but that is how much I love this cover. The change in the cover of this book is amazing! I’m not into the whole changing the covers for sequels, but I love how shiny the books are now. I’m all about cute covers that will blow my socks off. I love the facts that I got so hooked to Stolen just like I did with Frozen.

This sequel revolves around the mystery regarding Wes sister, Elissa, who was kidnapped when she was younger. Nat is now out there with her drakon discovering all the new powers she possess and what she can do with them. After the sad goodbye between Wes and Nat, Wes is now without a team and participating in dangerous race cars. After he hears information about her sister, he decides to follow the information given to him.

*SLOW CLAP* Thank you Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston for still giving me a badass Nat. When I tell you this book got me hooked is because of Nat is this badass girl with badass powers. A girl that can kicks butt is the best quality that a character can have. This is a strong girl that gave up something so she could be free and help people in the Blue. Wes is this adorable/badass that I loved since Frozen. The situation that he is now in this second book lets you see this totally different side of him that is outstanding. His character has gone through hard stuff and it’s good to see how he is doing now.

The writing in this book is just outstanding. I found myself liking the same things that I did when I read Frozen. I can picture this world, I can see Nat flying around on her drakon and that is a wonderful thing that Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston can do at the moment of writing. They are not only telling a story, they are showing with their words of how big and powerful this world is.

I totally recommend The Heart of Dread series. This is a series that will take you into the world that you are reading and will totally make you proud reading a badass girl-character.

Check out Bianca's review on Frozen (first book of this series!)

For the Fantasy Fan! Brought to You by @penguinteen

Any fantasy lover would love these! 

Not sure what to get for that reader in your life who blew through Game of Thrones? Treat their fantasy withdrawal with FALLING KINGDOMS, FROZEN, and THE YOUNG ELITES! 

Shared from penguinteen