Wednesday, May 5, 2010

May Day Giveaway - Read Your Cares Away!

I am always on the lookout for potential books for our Mother-Daughter book club, and Simon Teen has some fabulous ones available right now! While most of the books are considered Young Adult (and the girls in our group are still tweens), I am definitely making a list so I will have them ready for a few years down the road. All of these books look like they would make for a fantastic discussion, especially between mothers and daughters. I know I personally can't wait to check these out and share my thoughts with you:

THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCE CHARMING by Deb Caletti

Summary: After Quinn’s mother makes a list of attributes that she thinks Quinn and her younger sister should seek out in guys, Quinn comments, “We’re not stupid.” Her love-worn mother replies: “You can be smart and not know. And you can know and not care.” Then Quinn’s boyfriend dumps her, and she is surprised by how hurt she is, despite her ambivalence about him. As Quinn tries to sort out her tumultuous feelings, she embarks on a road trip with karmic intentions: by returning objects that her father stole from his former wives and girlfriends, she hopes that her own luck will change. Along the way, Quinn finds a new romance, lots of fabulous kisses, and a 10-foot Big Boy mascot statue, which all add to the story’s fun. Interwoven with Quinn’s story are vignettes with women who share their experiences with her and deliver lessons about men: “If a guy seems to need saving, call the Coast Guard.” Sporadic strong language might offend some younger readers; otherwise, this is a sure hit with both Caletti’s and Sarah Dessen’s legions of fans. (Booklist)

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han

Summary: Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson

Summary: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

THE UGLIES by Scott Westerfield

Summary: Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

And now for the really fun part! Thanks to Simon Teen, I have a set of these four books to share with one lucky reader! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment (with a valid email address) telling me which one of these books most appeal to you and why! This contest will be open until Tuesday, May 18th at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day! This contest is open to those of you in the U.S. and Canada only -- no p.o. boxes please. Good luck!

61 comments:

Jackie said...

Great contest! I really want to read The Summer I Turned Pretty. I have the 2nd book in the series but saw the trailer for the first and it looked good! It's on my wishlist :-)

everexpandinglibrary@gmail.com

bermudaonion said...

I'd really like to read The Summer I Turned Pretty. Thanks for the great giveaway! milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Debbie F said...

I would like The Secret Life of Prince Charming, even though all of them look like great reads. I love coming of age books! Thanks

dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Julie G said...

I've been wanting to try out The Summer I Turned Pretty for a while now!

cla37619 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I'm interested in AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR. I love books that are told in letters, notes, emails, napkins (LOL), etc. Thanks for the giveaway!

janezfan (at) yahoo (dot) com

The Insouciant Sophisticate said...

I think Amy and Roger's Epic Detour looks really good and that's the one I most want to read. I also have read The Secret Life of Prince Charming and I can say that it's really good.

stephaniefleischer889 AT gmail DOT com

Nise' said...

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour sounds very interesting.

nisethusfarATyahooDOTcom

Kristen said...

I think Amy and Roger's Epic Detour sounds really cool with parts of it being narrated on "scraps from the road."

whitreidsmama at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld seems like a very unique premise. I've heard really good things about the author.

kzupancic[at]yahoo[dot]com

Jackie said...

They all look so good! I borrowed The Summer I Turned Pretty, and absolutely loved it. The beach was so refreshing. It is a wonderful read! The Amy and Roger's Detour looks really cute too. :) Good giveaway! Lots of good books!
jackie_love35@msn.com

Margay Leah Justice said...

It's hard to pick - they all look so good! But I think The Secret Life of Prince Charming wins out by a narrow margin.
Margay

Ma

Margay Leah Justice said...

Sorry, that email address is:

Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com

scottsgal said...

I'd pick the summer I turned pretty - sounds like a fun beach read
msboatgal at aol.com

Unknown said...

I've been keeping my eye on the Summer I Turned Pretty and The Uglies for a few weeks now. I always measure my life in summers, just like the girl from "pretty"! This would be great for my mother-daughter summer book club!

Amused said...

Oh wow they all look great but I'd love to read The Summer I Turned Pretty the most because it seems to have a great message.

Amused said...

whoops and my email is amusedbybooks@gmail.com!

Unknown said...

I'd like to read "The summer I turned pretty" most, because I like what it's about, About turning 16, about life & body changing and seeing boys in a different light.

chirth7@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

All the books sound very interesting. I am really interested in reading them all. Please enter me in contest. Thank you. Tore923@aol.com

Melissa said...

It's hard to choose, but I think I'm most inclined to win The Uglies. Thanks for the contest!

melissa[at]yabookshelf[dot]com

elaing8 said...

Great giveaway.
The Uglies really interests me.I've read this is a great series and I have book 2. I have read Scott Westerfield before and really liked his writing.

elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

traveler said...

Thanks for this lovely giveaway. I would enjoy reading The Secret Life of Prince Charming. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Karlie said...

The Summer I Turned Pretty looks like a great book.

Natalie said...

They all sound great, thanks for the giveaway! I'd love to read Amy & Roger's Epic Detour!

Cams said...

I would love to win!!
cams1031@gmail.com

Dawn M. said...

They all sound great but Uglies would be my first pick. I love dystopian books and I've heard this is a great series. :0)

Thanks!
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

katsrus said...

The Uglies would be my pick. I'm wondering what is going to happen. Great contest. Thanks.
Sue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

Kayla :) said...

They actually all appeal to me, but I am desperate to read Uglies. My friends keep telling me that it's a great book and the start off of an awesome series, but I've never gotten around to reading it. Winning it [and the other three books] would make me so happy!

kayla3193@gmail.com

Unknown said...

They all sound great! But "The summer I turned pretty" really sounds great because it reminds me when I was a teen because I loved summers and they where always so important to me, I always felt if I didnt have a really good summer then my whole year was wasted! Thanks for entering me into this giveaway!

unforgetable_dreamer_always(at)hotmail.com

J.T. Oldfield said...

The Uglies most appeals to me because of all of the fantastic reviews I have read on it!

j.t.oldfield[at]gmail.com

Stephanie said...

I've seen the Uglies series around but have never picked them up. I'm definitely interested in that! :)

stephaniedekeyser AT gmail.com

Andrea said...

I would most like to read The Summer I Turned Pretty. I remember back in high school and summer was always magical.

Andrea
belle2211(at)yahoo(dot)com

angie said...

The Summer I Turned Pretty really intrigued me. Now I want to know what happens during that summer!
Thanks for the giveaway!
bangersis at msn dot com

enyl said...

These novels make excellent alternative read choices for my classroom library.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

holdenj said...

What a great contest. They all sound wonderful. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour really appeals to me. I like the idea of the coming of age/road trip story. Thanks for the chance to win.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

tetewa said...

I've been hearing alot about The Uglies, sounds good! tWarner419@aol.com

Unknown said...

The Summer I Turned Pretty appeals more to me since I already started reading it and was loving it! I didn't get a chance to finish it though :( Seemed like a really cute story.

lcintocable[a]gmail[d]com

Mel (He Followed Me Home) said...

oh this is hard to pick, I <3 Jenny Han & don't have a copy of THe Summer I Turned Pretty! Then again I haven't started the UGLIES series & want to. They all look great.

Thanks so much for the contest,
Mel
hefollowedme AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

Ohh...it's hard to pick just one that I want to read. "The Summer I Turned Pretty" sounds interesting. I've also seen a lot about the "Uglies" series. Coming of ages books. Great contest!

blessedwkids@att.net

vvb32 reads said...

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti sounds like a beautiful one. I like how it mentions women sharing their experiences.
vvb32 at yahoo.com

Cecelia said...

I've liked the couple of Deb Caletti titles I've read, so I'd be really interested to read this new one. They all sound great, though. Thanks for the chance to win!

celialarsen(at)gmail(dot)com

throuthehaze said...

I would love to read The Uglies because I have heard such great things about it.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Jolee said...

I have to pick one?!? :-) Seriously, they all look great, but _The Uglies_ is one I've been watching for awhile. Would love to try. THanks so much! joleehamlin@comcast.net

Jolee said...

I have to pick one?!? :-) Seriously, they all look great, but _The Uglies_ is one I've been watching for awhile. Would love to try. THanks so much! joleehamlin@comcast.net

Jonnie (JB) said...

The Summer I Turned pretty appeals to me most because the synopsis reminds me of myself when I was younger

dftrew(At)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Please enter me. All of them appeal to me, lol.

thesilverdevil at gmail dot com

Stiletto Storytime said...

I'd really like to read The Summer I Turned Pretty. I think a lot of teens have that phase and it is very true and honest....I also LOVE Uglies!

Thanks,
Courtney
stilettostorytime(at)gmail(dot)com

Darcie K. said...

I would love to read The Uglies. To choose between being pretty and your friend is pretty intense.
dmkayes@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I'd love to read The Summer I Turd Pretty, but they all sound wonderful!
Homeschooled_qt@yahoo.com

Patti L said...

They all sound great to me too--count me in :)!
bkwmn1992@yahoo.com

Thanks!

susan259 said...

Uglies is a great book which I loved, but I haven't read any of the others yet. The book I most want to read is the Caletti, as Honey, Baby, Sweetheart is still one of my favorite books of all time.

cindysloveofbooks said...

What a great contest Julie. Thanks for hosting it.

I am really interested in reading The Summer I turned pretty. Sounds like a great summer read. Also The Secret Life sounds good too.

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com

Nancye said...

Awesome giveaway!! All of the books sound amazing, but the book I most want to read is "Amy and Roger's Epic Detour." Great story and very originally written.

nancecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

angrypanda said...

Although all the books are appealing to me, I'd choose Uglies. The themes about conformity, individuality body image and self esteem are relatable to everyone, especially in this day and age. I've heard there is also a message relating to technology and the way we're using our resources and destroying the environment, all of which are big issues right now. I can't imagine a world where everyone looks perfect. All the books look great!
x_pansyx@hotmail.com

Steve Capell said...

AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR sound like and emotional book that I would like to read because I remember my first road and all the emotion that went with that trip. Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway.

steven(dot)capell(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour appeals to me most because I also moved in high school :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!
theluckyladybug[at]gmail[dot]com

Sara said...

I would say AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR appeals to me the most, but I've already read (and loved) it, so I'll have to say THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCE CHARMING. I have a soft spot for romance and road trips and this one seems to fit the bill!

Sara @ The Hiding Spot
grochowskis@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'd love to be entered, please. THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY sounds the best to me because I remember the summer when I turned pretty! Best summer ever :)

martinack_75 AT hotmail DOT com

Mystee said...

These all sound like really great reads and definitely ones I'd read with my daughter. I think the book that most appeals to me is AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson. It's about loss and change and going on...things we all have to do and handle through life. A great lesson in *survival* for any young adult that may pay attention.

Thanks so much for this fab contest

majik.of.mystee(at)gmail(dot)com

enyl said...

I would like to have a copy of the Uglies primarily to see how my students will respond to the ideal of a world where everyone is beautiful.
enyl(at)inbxo(dot)com

karenk said...

'the secret life of prince charming' is my choice...i've read several reviews and they are all positive.

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Jenna said...

Great giveaway! I'd love to win this set... not only for me, but it would be a great addition to my classroom "private" collection for my YA readers.

Im reading Uglies right now, but I think The Summer I Turned Pretty sounds excellent too!

papajm25{AT}gmail{DOT}com