If I Grow Up Nominated For Gateway Readers Award

The winner of the annual Gateway Readers Award is selected by Missouri students in grades nine through twelve. If I Grow Up has also been nominated for readers awards in North Carolina and Kentucky.

Wish You Were Dead Nominated for the Sakura Medal

The Sakura Medal program brings together students from 17 international schools across Japan each year to vote for their favorite books.

First Review for Blood on My Hands

From Booklist:

On the first page, Katherine lies dead at Callie's feet. What follows is a Fugitive-like mystery with plenty of disguises, double crosses, and red herrings; a race against time; and enough love triangles to do a daytime soap proud. Callie knows she didn’t kill Katherine and is determined to find out who did before the authorities find her. Although Katherine was much loved and much reviled, who could have hated her enough to kill her? And who hated Callie enough to frame her for it? Assisted in her getaway and hiding by Slade, the steadfast boyfriend Katherine forced Callie to dump while he was away at basic training, Callie works all the leads she can find. Although the final resolution may feel like a bit of a “gotcha,” this is a rare teen thriller with an actual mystery that is as quickly paced as it is heart wrenching.

— Heather Booth

Blood on My Hands

NOW IN STORES

In the dark woods behind the baseball dugout, I'm kneeling next to Katherine's body, my emotions reeling crazily at the sight on the ground before me. Katherine is lying on her side, curled up, as if she was cowering from whoever attacked her. Her body is still warm, but there's no pulse. And that means she's dead. Dead! I can't believe this is happening, that I've just touched a dead person, someone I know, someone my own age.

Someone... who's just been murdered.

The Bible ... According to Common Sense Media

Of the many thousands of books reviewed by CSM, I guess it should come as no surprise that The Bible seems to have been overlooked. So I thought I'd provide some insight as to why.

Let's look at this line from the Book of Genesis:

"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived."

According to CSM's system of icons this line would undoubtedly earn one big #! for "more extreme swearing suggested by substitutions."

I could continue giving out numerous bombs for violence, lips for sex, #! for [suggested] language, and martini glasses for drinking, but it is not my intention antagonize anyone who happens to read this blog (unless they work for CSM). Rather I am simply trying to point out the absurdity of reducing literature to a system of icons based on random sentences taken out of context, and on the subjective interpretations of amateur reviewers.

Letter to Common Sense Media

8/29/10

Ms. Elizabeth Perle Editor in Chief Common Sense Media 650 Townsend Suite 375 San Francisco, CA 94103

Dear Ms. Perle,

It has come to my attention that a reviewer for your company, Common Sense Media, gave my book Give A Boy A Gun a three #! rating for "mild to moderate [language] with more extreme swearing suggested by substitutions.”

I was not aware that I had used substitutions to suggest more extreme swearing, and am greatly concerned by it. Would it be possible for you to contact this reviewer to find out where in my book she felt these substitutions were used, and which extreme swears she felt I meant to use, so that I can avoid using such substitutions in the future?

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Todd Strasser

Wish You Were Dead ... Now Available in Paperback

The trade edition of WYWD has just been released.

Also, the Humble, TX TLF has been cancelled (see last two posts). I'm sorry about that, as I was eager to go down there and point out that I'm pretty sure the United States Constitution was not meant to be a menu from which we could pick and choose the rights we wished to embrace while ignoring the others.

So if people want to enjoy the right to bear arms thanks to the 2nd Amendment, I think it's only right that they should respect the 1st Amendment as well.

Also, as I heard from a newspaper reporter from Humble, some people claim that Ellen Hopkin's 1 st Amendment rights were not violated because her books are still on the shelves, but I have to disagree. She was invited to speak at the TLF, then disinvited specifically because of the content in her books. To me that's a clear violation of her freedom of speech.

Finally, as I told the reporter, my biggest worry now is that next year, just to play it safe, the TLF will feature Pat the Bunny, and similar milquetoast.