The third book in the Tyme series is a slam dunk from beginning to end. In GROUNDED and DISENCHANTED, Morrison turned familiar fairy tales on their heads; in this outing, she goes one step further and upends readers’ understanding of the first two books. That’s because Prince Frog, Rapunzel’s small green companion, turns out to be none other than Prince Syrah of the Olive Isles, a loathsome, selfish lad who made the wrong wish on a well. While roaming the land of Tyme with Rapunzel and Jack, Syrah has tried desperately to get home, to someone who might be able to help him turn human again, and the All Tyme Championships in Yellow Country are his chance. But when a mysterious illness cuts the competition short and the governor lapses into a coma, Syrah has to become the world’s smallest detective to figure out what’s happening and how to be a decent human being to break the curse.

There is so much I love about this book. I love that Syrah is a royal jerk. I love that, just as she did with Rapunzel, Morrison has given us a protagonist who is not immediately likeable but is definitely relatable, and then plops us right into his perspective and shows how he justifies everything to himself. I love everything about the ending, which I won’t give away, but just trust me, READ IT. I love how much we learn about Jack and Rapunzel, even though this isn’t their story. I love how badass and awesome Deli, the object of Syrah’s affections, and her grandmother both are, and how nuanced the relationship between them is. I love how Syrah learns how he must transform to be transformed. And I love how Morrison pulls in real-world issues like GMOs, election politics, and women’s rights with the lightest touch, weaving a spell that will have readers demanding more tales from the land of Tyme.

TRANSFORMED is out now.

Read This!: IMMERSE by Tobie Easton

March 19, 2019Read This, Reviewsimmerse, tobie eastonkathymacmillan

Immerse by Tobie Easton

Summary: Lia can’t wait for her parents’ coronation. Now living in the sparkling palace beneath the waves, she sneaks off to Malibu whenever possible to see Clay. Tucked away in an abandoned seaside mansion, Lia and Clay devise a plan to ensure they can stay together forever. But when an old enemy resurfaces and Lia is restricted to the palace for the safety of all Merkind, she and Clay are ripped apart once more. She fears not only for Clay, but for her best friend Caspian, who seems to be swimming down a dangerous path. He has invited the conniving Melusine to the coronation ball, convinced she’s capable of change. And no matter how hard Lia fights it, showing up on Caspian’s arm is just the start of Melusine’s insidious return to her life. With threats Below growing more ominous by the day and a powerful ancient ritual looming, soon the two girls can’t escape each other. As their fates grow increasingly intertwined, Melusine might be the only one who can help Lia find the answers she desperately needs to save everyone she loves and to achieve her happily ever after. But can Lia trust her?

EMERGE gave a thrilling love story; SUBMERGE let us delve deeper into Tobie Easton’s meticulously built underwater world. Now, with IMMERSE, the triumphant conclusion to the Mer trilogy, Easton challenges the reader’s assumptions, letting us see Lia, the great heroine who saved the Mer, from the perspective of her enemy, Melusine. As the two characters play off one another in alternating point of view chapters, the strengths and flaws of both are thrown into sharp relief, reminding us how easy it is to dismiss what we don’t understand. Despite all they’ve been through, they face their greatest challenge when the two of them – one impulsive, warm, and sheltered, the other cool, distant, and calculating – must come together to stop a plot that would destroy the human world. This is a series finale that has it all: sigh-worthy romance, nail-biting adventure, and a gripping story of two very different girls navigating the shifting tides of family and societal expectations.

IMMERSE is out now.

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Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8, 2019Contests and Giveaways, Interviews, She Spokekathymacmillan

She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World is getting a lot of love today!

My co-author Manuela Bernardi and I participated an in international interview for International Women’s Day over at the Reading with Your Kids podcast! We got to discuss our inspirations (including each other) and the amazing women in the book. Listen to it here.

We were also interviewed by CLCD’s Read and Shine blog. Read it here.

If you haven’t gotten to see She Spoke yet, check out this video to see my reaction the first time I got to hold this beautiful thing in my hands:

Don’t forget to order your copy by March 31, 2019 to receive a prize pack!

Read This!: THE TRUTH ABOUT LEAVING by Natalie Blitt

March 5, 2019Read This, ReviewsNatalie Blitt, The Truth About Leavingkathymacmillan

The Truth About Leaving by Natalie Blitt

Summary: Lucy Green thought she had her senior year in the bag. Cute boyfriend? Check. College plan? Check. But when her boyfriend dumps her the week before school starts and she literally stumbles into Dov, the new Israeli transfer student, on her first day of school, Lucy’s carefully mapped-out future crumbles. Determined to have a good senior year, and too busy trying to hold her family together while her mom is across the country working, Lucy ignores the attraction she feels to Dov. But soon, Lucy and Dov’s connection is undeniable. Lucy begins to realize that sometimes, you have to open yourself up to chance. Even if the wrong person at the wrong time is a boy whose bravery you admire and who helps you find your way back to yourself.

Here’s the truth about The Truth About Leaving – this book broke me in the best way possible. Lucy is such a caring, open-hearted character, a girl who, as many girls are taught to do, takes care of everyone else’s needs before her own. So it’s perhaps inevitable when she falls for handsome, damaged Dov. Blitt gives us a portrait of two young people with a strong sense of responsibility and honor – and their romance both honors that in both of them and helps each find their own path, even when that means finding the courage to stand up for their own needs. I was honestly not sure how Blitt would be able to pull a satisfying ending out of their predicament, but oh yes, she did, and I’ll be thinking about Lucy and Dov and this gem of a book for a long time.

The Truth About Leaving is out now.

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SHE SPOKE releases today!

March 1, 2019Contests and Giveaways, She Spoke, Upcoming eventskathymacmillan

Today’s the day! She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World releases today! Co-authored with my dear friend Manuela Bernardi and illustrated by Kathrin Honesta, this book is one I am so excited to share with readers of all ages!

This unique nonfiction picture book highlights 14 women who raised their voices and changed the world! Learn about heroes such as Dolores Huerta, Dr. Maya Angelou, Suzan Shown Harjo, Dr. Temple Grandin, and Malala Yousafzai – and hear their inspiring words in their own voices at the touch of a button.

“A chorus of voices for justice and change, diverse alike of identity and cause.” –Kirkus Reviews

Purchase by March 31, 2019 and get a free prize pack! Click here to claim yours!

Purchase links:

Order signed copies and support Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program!

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Order from IndieBound.com and support your local independent bookseller!

Order from Familius.com