Natasha Friend

Please call to reserve your seat. 203-459-3959 The summer's best young adults come together for one amazing event. Please join us for what promises to be an evening of fascinating discussion from a panel of six popular young adult authors as they share stories about writing and talk about their newly released books. Appropriate for ages 12/14 and up, parent discrection. My Life Next Door A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.” The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over. Huntley Fitzpatrick lives in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life. Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death. Kat Rosenfield is a regular contributor to pop culture websites such as MTV.com’s Hollywood Crush blog, and she is also Auntie SparkNotes on Sparklife.com. The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life High-school senior Mary Gilhooley and her friends have spent their entire lives--but especially the last four years--feeling like underdogs and also-rans. Having suffered constant ridicule from Oyster Point's resident bully king and superjock, Jake Barbone, they are all just dying to go away to college and never come back. But with only a week until graduation, there's one last thing Mary feels they absolutely must do together: compete against Barbone in the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt--and win. Everyone is racing for the finish line with complicated motives, and Mary's all-night adventure quickly becomes non-stop drama as shifting alliances, flared tempers, and crushing crushes take over. Though they are racking up points at a rapid clip, it soon becomes clear that she and her friends must reinvent their strategy--and themselves--if they want to even stand a chance at winning. Infused with a brilliantly exhaustive list of items, clues, and tasks, this funny, frenetic read will have you rooting for Mary the whole way--hoping that glory will be hers for the taking. This follows on the heels of DREAMLAND SOCIAL CLUB, which was picked by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Teen Books of 2012. Tara Altebrando grew up on Staten Island, NY, and currently lives in Astoria, Queens, with her husband and two young daughters. For more about her visit www.taraaltebrando.com. My Life in Black and White What if you lost the thing that made you who you are? Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face. Natasha Friend is the author of three middle grade novels and one other young adult novel. The mother of three young children, she lives in Madison, Connecticut. Keep Holding On From the Author- When I was a teen, I would have been mortified to admit that I was being bullied at school. My junior high and high school years were the worst time of my life. Kids picked on me for being a science nerd. They picked on me for not wearing the expensive sweaters and jeans everyone else had. They picked on me for doing weird things like writing song lyrics on my sneakers (this was back in the day before writing on your sneakers was cool). I was embarrassed by all the ways I didn't fit in. I am not embarrassed anymore. Writing Keep Holding On was my way of turning a negative experience into something positive. I want this book to reach out to teens who are going through hard times. I want this book to help people feel less alone. And hopefully, this story will encourage readers in need to Keep Holding On. Before becoming a full-time author, Susane Colasanti was a high school science teacher for 10 years. Susane has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from New York University. She lives in New York City. Imaginary Girls A beautiful and chilling story for fans of Lauren Oliver and Lisa McMann. Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be contained or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby. But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has deeply hidden away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood. Nova Ren Suma studied writing and photography at Antioch College in Ohio and went on to receive an MFA in creative writing/fiction from Columbia University. She lives in New York City.

Location: Street: 768 Boston Post Rd. City: Madison, Province: Connecticut Postal Code: 06443 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)