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A Fuse #8 Production
by Betsy Bird
May 14, 2014 by Angela Carstensen
We begin with Above by Isla Morley. When I first heard about this book in a publisher pitch, it was described as very like Room by Emma Donoghue. A girl is abducted by a survivalist, held underground for years (supposedly for her own protection from the coming apocalypse), during which time she has a child. […]
August 14, 2013 by Mark Flowers
Readers of this blog might be interested to know about a new short story by Madeline Miller called “Galatea.” Miller wrote one of our favorite books of last year, The Song of Achilles. With this story she returns to the world of Greek myth, this time to the story of Pygmalion, which many of us know […]
July 25, 2013 by Mark Flowers
I’m very excited to introduce today’s novels, all three centered on emotionally damaged young women, and two of which are debuts that earn starred reviews from us. I read the two debuts–Panopticon and Lotería–in short succession, about a month ago, and I’m hard pressed to say which I’m more excited about–both introduce readers to ferocious new talents […]
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July 10, 2013 by Mark Flowers
In just two weeks, Manchester, UK will be hosting the 11th annual International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL), an international competition for high school students to show off their skills in linguistic puzzles. The puzzles require no knowledge of specific languages, and sometimes use invented languages. Instead, the teens use logic and their general linguistic knowledge. Here’s […]
May 29, 2012 by Angela Carstensen
Ben Fountain was inspired to write his first novel by a television broadcast of the Thanksgiving 2004 Dallas Cowboys game (still available for viewing in a very blurry Youtube video). Destiny’s Child performed the halftime show, which featured men dressed in military attire and a prominent martial drumbeat. The strange combination struck him, and the result is […]
May 14, 2012 by Angela Carstensen
Ron Rash’s new novel is a mysterious story of forbidden love in which much of the story is told from a teen girl’s point of view. Rash once again showcases his beautiful writing and a North Carolinian, Appalachian mountain setting, earning an AB4T starred review. Rash is best known for Serena (Ecco, 2008), which was […]
March 6, 2012 by Angela Carstensen
One of the oldest stories in the Western canon is retold from a fresh perspective in Madeline Miller’s debut novel. I interviewed the author for the SLJ Teen Newsletter a few weeks ago, and I love the way her passion for the classics is reflected in her responses. I will share just two of them […]
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