BOOK BLITZ: Summerlost by Ally Condie - Spotlight + GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

It's that time again.  Time to celebrate another TUESDAY, and we all know what that means....RELEASE DAY!  That's right.  Time for another round of books to celebrate their birthday and today's post is shining the spotlight on one title in particular.  It comes to us via Penguin Kids from an author we've grown familiar with in the Young Adult genre, that's all set to steal the hearts of Children's Fiction fans this time around.  Thanks to Word Spelunking, I was able to get in on today's FABULOUS celebration to bring this title to the forefront.  So, if you'd be so kind, clear a few moments of your day to take in the wonder that is today's BOOK BLITZ honoree...

Summerlost

by

Ally Condie

9780399187193

Dutton Books for Young Readers

About the book...

Sometimes it takes a new friend to bring you home.

It’s the first real summer since the accident that killed Cedar’s father and younger brother, Ben. Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching new novel from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy.

PUBLISHER  |  AMAZON  |  B&N  |  INDIEBOUND

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Sounds great, right?

Here's what others have had to say about it thus far...

A Spring 2016 Kids' Indie Next List Top 10 Pick!

Named one of Publishers Weekly’s Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Spring 2016

 “Condie (Matched) strikes a deep emotional chord with this coming-of-age story.” – Publishers

Weekly, starred review

 “Multiple, seemingly random details, including a family of turkey vultures that now roost outside

Cedar’s window, an absurd soap opera narrative of a woman buried alive, and Leo’s quest for a trip with his father, coalesce into metaphors that help Cedar make sense of her grief and the life she now has to look forward to. Thoughtful, poetic chapter endings guide readers new to psychological depth toward meaningful connections between plot events and thematic reflections.” – BCCB

“A moving tale of friendship and loss. I loved these characters—I wish we could have been friends when I was a kid.” –Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Five Kingdoms series

“Ally Condie’s first middle grade book might also be my favorite out of ALL her books to

date. Summerlost is a story packed with nostalgia, heart, and gorgeous prose.” – The Novel Novice

“A nuanced portrait of grief deeply grounded in the middle-school mind-set.” – Booklist

“Honest, lovely, and sad.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet, heartfelt story.” – School Library Journal

“Achingly good.” – Summer Laurie, Books Inc.

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So, have we struck your fancy yet?

Are you convinced?

While you're contemplating your final ponderings, take a gander at this special letter from the author herself to all of you to commemorate the occasion.  Take it away Ms. Condie!

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Dear Readers,

I think most of us have had our hearts broken. Sometimes we can see it coming, and sometimes it comes down with the unexpected force of a sudden gale of wind or a rising of waters that we thought were still and safe. Loss is universal to human experience, but the way we each feel and recover is one of the most personal things we do.

In Summerlost, Cedar is dealing with the loss of her father and younger brother. And my intent was to show how hard their deaths are for her. But this is also a book about the healing power of friendship.

Most of us have been broken-hearted; I hope that most of us have also discovered the miracle of friendships that were just what we needed. Cedar and Leo’s friendship is based on someone I met when I was twelve. Like Leo, my friend was fun and liked to enlist me in crazy adventures (although we never gave a secret guided tour of our town the way they do in Summerlost). And, like Leo, he thought I was wonderful and of worth at a time when I needed it most.

SUMMERLOST is my attempt to pay tribute both to the pain we feel and the friendships that save us. Thank you so much for supporting this book, and for your willingness to give Cedar’s story a try. I hope it makes you think of a wonderful friend of your own, whether that is someone you met in the pages of a favorite book or outside, in the world where it is often hard and beautiful to live.

Best wishes and happy reading always,

Ally Condie

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About the author...

Ally Condie is the author of the bestselling novel Atlantia and the critically acclaimed Matched trilogy, a #1 New York Times and international bestseller. The series has been published in more than 30 languages.


A former English teacher, Ally 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.

SITE  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to Word Spelunking and Penguin Kids for the chance to bring this title to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, publisher, or those promotions on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY TODAY via Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

BEFORE YOU GO, DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SOME AWESOME ALLY CONDIE TITLES YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO ADD TO YOUR SUMMER READING LIST!  JUST CLICK HERE TO BE WHISKED AWAY TO THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM TO ENTER TO WIN!

Until next time...happy reading!



Happy Book Birthday to...MATCHED by Ally Condie

Hi there, readers!

You are in for a special treat today...trust me...for today is a BOOK BIRTHDAY celebration of grand proportions.  What's that?  You didn't get an invite?  Pfft!  Don't be silly...I've got one for you right here.



That's right!

Today is the release of this highly sought title, this talk of the town, this wonderful addition to the world of YA literature that's received so much buzz months and months before it ever hit shelves...and with good reason.  Let's get on with the party!  Today's book of choice (if not obvious by now) is...

Matched

by

Ally Condie

Cassia, Xander and Ky.  All teens of a certain age, ready to make that leap into the great unknown...or are they.  You see, in their world, unlike yours, The Society makes all their choices for them.  From school to career, clothing to food, life and love...all their needs are taken care of, so what more could they want?  A choice but due to their acceptance of everyday life being as it is, this does not occur to them...at least until now.  There comes a time in each young persons life where they decide whether or not to stay as a 'single' or be 'matched'.  That's right.  Matched.

Matching is done through a process like everything else; in this world, they look at everyone from a genetic standpoint almost like a blueprint and find the best combinations amongst the selections available.  Normal procedure...they attend a matching ceremony, their match is displayed on the giant screen for all to see, and they live happily ever after.  For Cassia, the circumstances are different as her match is local...an unusual occurrence to say the least...so the getting to know you phase is a fair bit less extraordinary; in fact, there's not even really a need for her to explore the get to know your match information given to each participant, but out of curiosity she does...and gets a lot more than she bargained for.  The disc containing Xander's profile...pictures, stats, and more...ALSO contained a brief glimpse of another young man.  One that is an exception to the rules and one that will play a big part in events yet to unfold.  Oh Cassia...whatever will you do?  Be ruled as you are by The Society and the way of life that you know or take a chance on the unknown to discover a future you could scarcely dream of?  The stakes are high, the ending unclear, but the journey to get there....memorable beyond compare.

I was so sad to see this one come to an end! I'd been savoring this one for about a month or two and can honestly say it was a GREAT read. The way it is written allowed me to pick up the book, read a chapter, and then come back to it another day, week, etc, and still be drawn right back into the story...no questions asked...sounds simple, but that's quite a feat in my book.  The characters and their relationships with each other are memorable and heartbreaking all at the same time. Cassia is such a smart girl; accepting what she is told but learning to question things along the way.  Xander...her steadfast, strong, reliable best friend and match, or so The Society tells her so.  Then there is Ky.  He is the exception to the rule and was never supposed to be in the pool of those to be matched...or was he?  After all, The Society controls all they see, who's to say what really happened?  (Okay, sorry that's all the mysterious alluding I will do.)

Funny this is, it's really not hard to see a glimmer of reality in the world the author has created in this novel....a sad and scary truth to be sure. I mean imagine not having to make a decision about anything since they are already made for you.  Sounds ideal in some cases, no more bad dates or trying to decide what's for dinner (really, I can't be the only one that this particular question creates a rousing round of "I don't know, what do you want"'s)...but it also takes away that freedom and adventure that comes with making the choice ourselves.  If we choose wrong, it's a learning experience, but if you we choose correctly, the rewards are that much sweeter.  It just goes to show us that perfect is not always what it appears to be....sometimes we need the messiness of life to help us remember.

Recommended reading for one and all....if it's not in your hands or on your reading list, you don't know what you're missing.  ARC received courtesy of Dutton Children's Books / Penguin USA.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title and their full catalog, visit their website or follow along on Twitter.  One quick final note....there is a special website to give that interactive touch to this book (very appropriate considering all the technology in the story) where you can watch the trailer, read or listen to an excerpt, check out other reviews of the book, and get matched yourself (pretty cool if you ask me)! 

Until next time...happy reading!