Congratulations and a mighty Woo-HOO to fellow Class of 2k7 member Eric Luper, for the recent release of his young adult novel, BIG SLICK!!
Big Slick is a novel about poker, dry cleaning, girlfriends, and muscle cars…but not necessarily in that order. Well, maybe it is in that order. Andrew Lang loves to play Texas Hold’em at the illegal card room in his town. That’s not such a bad thing until he starts losing. The register at his father’s dry cleaners is as good a place as any to grab a few dollars, but what happens when Andrew loses that too? Big Slick explores how far some people will go to fulfill a need, and how treacherous, yet entertaining, the road back can be!
“…powerful momentum, upping the ante and racing the reader’s pulse like an amphetamine.”–Kirkus Review
“BIG SLICK is filled with colorful characters, poker action, humor, romance, and illegal deals that will keep you turning the pages. Teen readers – both guys and girls, poker fans or not – will be fighting over who gets this one first.”–ReadingJunky of TeensReadToo.com
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Congratulations and another mighty Woo-HOO also to Barry Lyga, for the recent release of his powerful young adult novel, BOY TOY, (Houghton Mifflin,) that has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus!
Five years ago Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand.
But they don’t—they can’t.
And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.
Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won’t stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink.
And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past. It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was . . .
“Lyga’s portrayal of the fight between Joshua and Sherman’s husband is riveting and tense; the main character’s later reflections on that confrontation are equally powerful. Deftly weaving together a painful confession and ambiguous ending, Lyga’s dynamic writing style creates an emotionally wrenching and haunting tale.”–Kirkus, starred review.
Click here to read the opening chapter.
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And while you’re clicking, there’s some great interviews being posted on the Class of 2k7 blog for debut novelists Paula Chase Hyman, Judy Gregerson, S.A. Harazin and plenty more to come. Check it out, y’all!
Have a great one!
