Kate Karyus Quinn

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2021) Nominees Round Up, May 5 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

Not Hungry by Kate Karyus Quinn
West 44 Books / Enslow Publishing
Publication Date: August 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1538382707

June is secretly starving herself in an effort to lose weight. When she gets caught “purging” in the bushes by another student – who is new to her school and destined to be one of the popular kids – she is terrified of the ridicule and bullying she will get if he exposes her secret. As June spends more time with him, she discovers he has his own secrets, and one of those secrets is that he and June are hanging out together.

Jukebooks: Don’t You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

They come to Gardnerville after hearing that it’s a magical town where no one gets ill. When they are met at the train station, the newcomers hear about the downside. Every four years, the benign magic of the town turns evil, forcing a teenager to commit a horrible crime. Skylar has lived in Gardnerville all her life. She’s seen it happen. Four years ago, it was her sister, Piper, who led a group of teens to their death. Now, Skylar is sure, it will be her.

The two sisters, Piper and Skylar, had been recording over some old mix tapes that belonged to their mother, telling their own story. One of the tapes was labeled, “Don’t You Forget About Me.” This song, performed by the band Simple Minds, can be heard at the beginning and end of the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. The video clip below blends the song with clips from the song.

-Diane Colson, currently reading Euphoria by Lily King

Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before

I love books and I love music. That being said, it should not be a surprise to learn that I am a big fan of crossovers between the two.

The Hub is no stranger to this fantastic pairing, either: every Wednesday Diane Colson shares with us a book-and-song match in her Jukebooks series, Jennifer Rummel recently used country music as the basis for a booklist, and I referenced my love of book-themed playlists in a previous post.

While scanning through a list of new YA releases recently, I couldn’t help noticing that many of the titles seemed awfully familiar: quite a few of them share (or are very similar to) titles of songs. They may not be similar topically as the pairings in Diane’s posts, but there is no denying that some of these will have you humming the second you see the covers:

Since You’ve Been Gone

When you hear the title of this contemporary story of best friends, summer vacation, and list completion from author Morgan Matson, you may immediately think of Kelly Clarkson’s 2004 chart-topper, “Since U Been Gone.”

(Don’t You) Forget About Me

This new release from Kate Karyus Quinn is a near-match for the Simple Minds classic “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” but that is where the similarities end between this suspense-filled mystery and The Breakfast Club’s theme. Additionally, Quinn’s debut Another Little Piece immediately resulted in Janis Joplin singing “Piece of My Heart” in my head.

Continue reading Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before