nic stone – Page 3

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2021) Nominees Round Up, July 14 Edition

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

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone
Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-1338585476

Princess Shuri must race to figure out what is happening to the Heart Shaped Herb, (the source for the Black Panther’s powers), before her brother’s rule as the Black Panther and Wakanda itself are threatened.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2021) Nominees Round Up, May 13 Edition

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

All-American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney; Narrated by Priya Ayyar
Dreamscape Media, LLC
Publication Date: November 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1974959310

Allie carries more of her white mother’s genes than her Circassian Jordanian father’s, and because of this, has been witness to the racism and Islamophobia of some of her peers. She has also had a complicated relationship with her Muslim faith, as her mother was a convert upon marrying her father, and her father is no longer practicing, and she seeks what it means to be Muslim for her. At her new school in Providence, Georgia she starts dating Wells Henderson, son of one of the country’s biggest Islamophobic radio personalities.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2021) Nominees Round Up, May 6 Edition

The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves; narrated by Christian Barillas
HarperAudio
Release date: 02-11-20
ISBN: 978-1094114224

When caught on video being punched by a kid in the locker room, David’s embarrassment goes viral. Feeling that the only way to save face is to beef up, he starts following a famous action star’s fitness program, with promises of incredible muscle gains in the three months of summer. He plans to go back to school as a new man. Discovering that the kinds of gains he is looking for are only possible with chemical help, he turns to steroids with the help of the owner of his gym. Further disillusioned when he finds out that the ill gotten gains will be lost if he stops taking the drugs, he starts spiraling down a road of steroid abuse.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2021) Nominees Round Up, March 17 Edition

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

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
Norton Young Readers / W.W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: September 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1324003601

Rex’s sixth grade year is characterized by the poverty he’s grown up in, as well as the abuse he suffers at the hands of his parents. The young adolescent narrating the story observes stark contrasts in adults’ expectations and their actual treatment of him. In addition to the trauma he buries at home, he faces trying to fit in like any teenager would, deciding what to hide or reveal to his peers about his personal life.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 10 Edition

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

Jackpot by Nic Stone
Crown Books for Young Readers / Random House Children’s Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1984829627

Seventeen-year-old Rico works long hours at the Gas ‘n’ Go to help support her mother and younger brother. When no one comes forward to claim a multi-million-dollar lottery prize, she teams up with Zan, whose wealthy family seems the opposite of hers in every way, in order to find the winning ticket.

This is a sweet coming of age story featuring a interracial romance. Stone’s writing is very engaging, and the short chapters make this a compelling read. Told mostly from Rico’s point of view, the story includes some quirky chapters narrated by inanimate objects, like the winning lottery ticket. Rico is a sympathetic and humorous character, and the book is manages to be somewhat lighthearted, even when tackling tough subjects like poverty and illness.

An excellent choice for readers who enjoy the family-oriented themes in the works of Angie Thomas and Brandy Colbert. This selection will also appeal to fans of “opposites attract” romances, like those by Sandhya Menon, or Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star.

–Kathleen J. Barker Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 10 Edition

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, June 4 Edition

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

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America Edited by Ibi Zoboi, with stories by Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Liara Tamani, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia and more.
Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 8th 2019
ISBN: 9780062698728

Black Enough is a collection of 17 short stories written by some of the biggest name Black authors of YA. The young Black people in these stories confront all the typical teenage life experiences as well as some atypical ones. Some have tragedy and some romance, and all of the stories are shaped with rich plots and emotions.

Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, June 4 Edition

#BFYA2019 Nominees Round Up, December 7 Edition

Mirage by Somaiya Daud
Flatiron Books
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1250126429

In a very harsh world, Amani likes to dream and write poetry. She is happy with her family and has just come of age in her culture. But one terrifying night, her life changes forever when the brutal Vathek Empire takes her away from everything she’s ever known to become a body double for the universally loathed and despised princess. Despite being determined to resist the lures of her new life and the charm of the princess’s fiancé, Amani soon finds herself swept up into a world of danger, intrigue, and unexpected love.

Continue reading #BFYA2019 Nominees Round Up, December 7 Edition

#QP2019 Nominees Round Up, November 14 Edition

The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas
Macmillan / Swoon Reads
Publication Date: July 10, 2018
ISBN: 9781250154354

In Abby Hamilton’s world superheroes are real, and she would know; her older brother Connor, aka The Red Comet, is one. When she meets the new super in town, known as the Iron Phantom, she’s not sure what to think. To her, he seems like one of the good guys, but he’s been linked several crimes in town and her superhero brother and her father, the mayor, think that he’s more supervillain than superhero. When the Iron Phantom asks for her help to clear his name and discover the secrets of city hall, she isn’t sure who to trust, who the Phantom truly is, or how she really feels about the mysterious, attractive super.

Continue reading #QP2019 Nominees Round Up, November 14 Edition

2018 Morris Award Finalists: An Interview with Nic Stone

This is a guest post from Jeff Zentner, author of the 2017 Morris Award winner, The Serpent King.

Nic Stone and I are imprint siblings at Crown and best buds for about as long as either of us have been in the publishing world. She’s the only person on Earth who’s read everything I’ve ever written. We discuss everything from the virtues of kettle corn to the foibles of child-rearing to race relations in America to…story stuff that really requires more context than I have room for here. Point being: I couldn’t be more thrilled for Nic that she’s a Morris finalist and no one is more deserving. I got to talk with her. Continue reading 2018 Morris Award Finalists: An Interview with Nic Stone

#QP2018 Nominees Round Up

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 9781481489331

Tash Zelenka is head-over-heels in love with Leo Tolstoy. She channels her passion and her prodigious snark into the Web series she creates with her best friend Jack, a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina called Unhappy Families, which boasts a modest following. When a famous Internet personality gives their series a shoutout online, Unhappy Families experiences sudden overnight fame, resulting in overwhelming helpings of accolades, inevitable trolls, and pressure to deliver like they’ve never experienced before.
Continue reading #QP2018 Nominees Round Up