BLOG TOUR: The Half-Orphan's Handbook by Joan F. Smith

 

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Joan F. Smith's debut YA novel, The Half-Orphan's Handbook! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND a tour-wide giveaway to share! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE.

Genre:

Young Adult

Contemporary/Coming-of-age Fiction

Publish Date:

April 16, 2021

Publisher:

Imprint/Macmillan

Synopsis:

For fans of John Green and Emily X.R. Pan, The Half-Orphan’s Handbook by Joan F. Smith is a coming-of-age story and an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief with a sharp sense of humor and a big heart.

It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules:

1. The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one.

2. Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst.

But when Lila’s mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, it’s suddenly harder for Lila to follow these rules. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad’s death.

On top of everything, there’s more about what happened that Lila doesn’t know, and facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of learning how a broken heart can love again.

      

  

*Excerpt*

I sucked my top lip into my mouth and released it. “You’re grieving all over again.”

“Exactly.”

Another person with more than one bad thing that had happened to them. It seemed like that grief lightning handbook rule was right after all. I stared at my fingernails, trying to work up the courage to ask my bunkmates how to fix me. “How do you get over it?” I whispered.

Winnie and Madison exchanged a glance. “Even though it feels mountain-shaped, I don’t know that it’s something you can get over, exactly,” Winnie said. “Sometimes you’re going up. Sometimes you’re going down. Eventually you figure out that there are tunnels and that maybe you’re on one mountain of many, but no matter what kind of hiking boots or backpack you get, you’re still climbing a fucking mountain.”

Madison nodded. “It’s not something you get over; it’s some- thing you wade through. It just becomes one of your memories.” “Which bubbles at a pretty low burn for me,” Winnie added.

“A daily simmer. Like, while I feel like every day is pretty much the same without my dad . . .”

“I get really upset on anniversaries. My mom’s birthday, death day, holidays,” Madison finished.

“I can’t concentrate.” I traced the edge of my shorts. “I think about my dad constantly. I can’t sleep. My whole life took this massive turn without me asking for it. I didn’t get to say goodbye. To use your metaphor”—here I gestured to Winnie—“one second I had a mountain guide, and the next he’d just . . . evaporated. And I don’t even know why.”

“You don’t know why he did it?” Madison asked, her voice gentler than I’d ever heard it.

“No. And I’m positive it would help.”

Winnie leaned forward. “Your mom won’t tell you? Or does she not know either?”

“She knows.”

Praise for The Half-Orphan's Handbook

“A tender, honest exploration of finding a way through the impossible.” —Kirkus

“This debut novel’s believable characters make plain that suffering the loss of a loved one while young is difficult, and common.” —School Library Journal

“The Half-Orphan’s Handbook is a masterclass in prose and character. Laugh and cry along with Lila and Noah as they navigate the complex space between tragedy and hope. Moving. Important. Beautiful.” —Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

“A beautifully written, funny, heart brimming story about a young woman’s tragic loss, the hard work and grace of healing and the irrepressible force of love.” —Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of The Memory of Light

source

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**About the Author**

Photo Credit: Sharona Jacobs

Joan F. Smith lives with her family in Massachusetts, where she works as an associate dean, a creative writing professor, and a dance instructor. She received her MFA in creative writing from Emerson College, and has written articles for The Washington Post and Thought Catalog on destigmatizing discussions around mental health and suicide prevention.

The Half-Orphan’s Handbook is her debut novel.

Stay connected with Joan F. Smith

      

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally

- ends April 29, 2021

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

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Blog Tour Organized by

NERD BLAST: It Doesn't Take a Genius by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

 

Today, we have a Nerd Blast to kick off to celebrate the release of Award-winning Author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich's It Doesn't Take a Genius. To celebrate this book birthday, we have blitz-wide giveaway to share! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now!

Genre:

Middle Grade

Coming-of-age/Realistic Fiction

Publish Date:

April 13, 2021

Publisher:

Six Foot Press

Synopsis:

Emmett and his older brother Luke have always been "Batman and Robin," though they're quick to bicker about who's who. Spending the summer at a historic Black summer camp seems like a wonderful adventure for the two to share, but since Luke is there as a junior counselor, he seems to spend all of his time being everyone else's big brother, and ignoring Emmett.

As Luke seems to be moving on to new adventures, Emmett struggles in unexpected ways, especially in swim class and the "It Takes A Village" entrepreneurship class. Without his brother to turn to for support, Emmett works to build a new crew of "superfriends," who'll help him plan something spectacular for the end-of-camp awards night and celebration. Along the way, Emmett learns that no matter what, there can be many ways to define family. 

       

  

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Praise for It Takes a Genius

"When everyone’s a star, it’s hard to stand out. African American E―who’s not named after Emmett Till, thank you very much―is used to being the cheerful sidekick to big brother Luke, but Luke has different ideas. He’s gotten a scholarship to a boarding school in Maine, and this summer he’ll be a junior counselor at DuBois, a historically Black summer camp that is a little bougie. Thirteen-year-old E has been trying to dissuade Luke by reminding him how many horror movies are set at boarding schools and summer camps, but Luke is clearly ready to step out on his own and dive into his visual art. E takes matters into his own hands by secretly applying for and getting into DuBois. He soon learns that while he may be a debate team star and talented break dancer at home, everyone at DuBois is exceptional―and they all seem to be better versed in Black excellence than he is. He quickly learns to keep his mouth shut and Google later when it comes to names he doesn’t recognize, like Toni Morrison and Marcus Garvey. E feels hopelessly shy and uncool, shining only when it comes to dance. His relationship with Luke becomes strained, with Luke wanting to break free of his little brother while E is desperate to maintain their connection. The cast of characters is fully realized, distinct, and absolutely lovable, and E’s journey will resonate. An exceptional novel with broad appeal." —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Defining Black identity is central to Rhuday-Perkovich’s endearing coming-of-age story, and a rosy ending wraps up this account of Black boy joy nicely. Readers seeking books with BIPOC protagonists like Pablo Cartaya’s The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora will enjoy this selection as well." —Booklist

"This is a great book to add to lists of titles that showcase Black joy!....Summer camp books are always possible, and I loved all of the information about Black culture and history....this is primarily a humorous, fun book." —Ms. Yingling Reads

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**About the Author**

Photo Content fro Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the author of 8th Grade Superzero, which was named a Notable Book for a Global Society, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, an adaptation for Sesame Workshop's Ghostwriter, and Operation Sisterhood. She is the coauthor of NAACP Image Award nominee Two Naomis, a Junior Library Guild selection, and its sequel, Naomis Too. She also writes nonfiction, including Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, and Saving Earth: Climate Change and the Fight for Our Future.

Olugbemisola is a member of the Brown Bookshelf, editor of the We Need Diverse Books anthology The Hero Next Door, and teaches at the Solstice MFA Program in Creative Writing. She holds an MA in education, and has written frequently on parenting and literacy-related topics for PBS Parents, Brightly, American Baby, Healthy Kids, and other outlets.

Stay connected with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

     

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter

- ends May 4, 2021

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

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Nerd Blast Organized by

NERD BLAST: The Girl With More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass

Check out this cool Nerd Blast + Giveaway for Laura Geringer Bass's The Girl With More Than One Heart!!! We even have an exclusive excerpt to share, too! So... Keep scrolling to check out all the Nerd Blast festivities and grab your copy now!!!

Genre:

Middle Grade

Coming-of-age/Contemporary

Publish Date:

April 17, 2018

Publisher:

Harry N. Abrams

Synopsis:

There are times we all feel we need more than one heart to get through. When Briana’s father dies, she imagines she has a new heart growing inside her. It speaks to her in her Dad’s voice. Some of its commands are mysterious.

Find Her!  it says. Be Your Own!

How can Briana “be her own” when her grieving mother needs her to take care of her demanding little brother all the time? When all her grandpa can do is tell stories instead of being the “rock" she needs? When her not-so-normal home life leaves no time to pursue her dream of writing for the school literary magazine? When the first blush of a new romance threatens to be nipped in the bud? Forced by the loss of her favorite parent to see all that was once familiar with new eyes, Briana draws on her own imagination, originality, and tender loving heart to discover a surprising path through the storm.

       

*Excerpt*

The day my father’s heart stopped, I discovered an extra heart deep in my belly, below my right rib. It talked to me. I wasn’t crazy. Before that day, I had just one heart that never said a word.

My little brother, Aaron, was kind of crazy, I guess, but everything in our house was what my grandpa Ben liked to call “under control.” At least I always knew what to expect.

Aaron and I had two parents, but really we each had one. Mom was in charge of Aaron. As soon as he was born, she quit her job so she could take care of him. She was his. Grandpa Ben was Aaron’s, too. Dad was mine.

I missed Mom—the mother I remembered from Before Aaron. She used to pick me up every day after school. If my nose was running, she had tissues. She took them from her purse, and they smelled sweet like flowers.

…

I tried not to pay much attention to Aaron and Mom. I really didn’t need Mom to pick me up from school. I was old enough to walk home with my friends. I played with Peter, my best friend, and Tina, my next-to-best friend, and Reena, who tagged along. They came over to my house almost every day, or I went to theirs. Actually, it wasn’t ever Reena who tagged along. It was me, but I didn’t know it back then.

On weekends, it was harder not to notice Mom and Aaron in their own little bubble, but Dad was more fun than Mom and we had adventures, just the two of us. We’d sneak out of the house without letting Mom and Aaron know where we were going. Mostly, we just went to the movies at the Loews around the corner. Or we rode our bikes in Inwood Park. Or we went swimming at the Y. Or we took the subway to museums like the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the one with the giant yellow slide and the see-through floor and the water wheel in the play-ground. Dad walked on a weird treadmill there once with special sensors in the handlebars. It spat out a crinkly blue slip of paper like the fortune in a cookie. Dad read the paper and looked annoyed. He crumpled it into his fist and shook it at the machine. “What else is new?” he said.

I hopped off my treadmill. It was a twin to Dad’s, but it spat out a red paper. Don’t quit now, it said. Go for pro.

I showed Dad my printout. “What does yours say?” I asked. “I’ll trade you. I like blue better.” He handed his to me in an angry little ball. I rubbed it with my finger to flatten it out. It said: Your heart is working too hard.

“You may as well tell me I’m alive,” said Dad to his machine.

“Mine didn’t say that,” I said. “I’m alive.”

“You may as well tell me I have a family,” he said.

“I do, too,” I pointed out.

“And that I love my family no matter what,” he added, not looking at me. He was still talking to the treadmill. “If you’re human, your heart is working too hard,” he said.

I wondered if my treadmill could tell I didn’t love Mom and Aaron no matter what. I wondered if it knew that when it came to Mom and Aaron, I wasn’t sure I had a heart at all. When Dad was tired, the pale scar on his forehead from when he was a little kid and rode his bike through a glass door bulged a bit, as if a worm had gotten under his skin. It did that now. I wondered if Mom and Dad had been up all night again, talking about Aaron, worrying about him.

“I’m human,” I reminded Dad.

He looked at me then and smiled. “As human as they come,” he said.

“I love you, Dad,” I burst out. I hugged him. I reached up and touched his scar and then his beard gently, the way I’d seen Mom do it. “I’m not so sure about Mom and Aaron. I guess I love them—but not as much.”

He didn’t correct me. He didn’t say, “Of course you love Mom and Aaron.” He gathered me in his arms and squeezed me tight. He said, “I love you, too, Beautiful.”

Copyright © 2018 by Laura Geringer Bass

Praise for THE GIRL WITH MORE THAN ONE HEART

"Bass tackles some heavy issues—having a sibling with a disability, losing a parent suddenly and at a young age, and coping with a parent's depression—but she manages to do it with grace and empathy." ―Kirkus Reviews

"In this tenderhearted tale, Bass (Sign of the Qin) conveys the complex, conflicting emotions that arise in a family facing the unexpected death of a parent . . . It’s an emotionally nuanced exploration of grief and resilience." ―Publishers Weekly

"Bass excels in portraying the family members, their relationships, and how they shift when one person is no longer there . . . A heartfelt story of loss, grief, and healing." ―Booklist

"Bass balances the coming-of-age narrative with a grief journey that sensitively and realistically shows how friendships and family relationships change after a tragedy." ―School Library Journal

"Readers struggling with responsibility for younger siblings might especially relate to this." ―The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Throughout The Girl with More Than One Heart, Briana reflects on happier days with her late father . . . and those memories propel her to find her own way, to “be her own” (as her second heart tells her) and embrace her new life." ―BookPage

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**About the Author**

Photo Content from Laura Geringer Bass

As publisher of the award winning imprint, Laura Geringer Books, editor, story advisor, teacher and writer, Laura Geringer Bass has collaborated with many celebrated authors and artists in the field of children’s books. She has worked with numerous publishing houses and entertainment studios including HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Scholastic, Houghton Mifflin, Hyperion/Disney, Dreamworks, Fox, and CBS. She develops picture books, illustrated novels and YAs in partnership with Shannon Associates LLC a global talent agency representing over 200 writers and artists worldwide. She teaches writing workshops privately and at the JCC and is a faculty member of New York Writer’s Workshop (NYWW), an instructor for Prison Writes serving teens at risk through New York City's Administration for Children’s Services' Close to Home program (ACS), and a mentor for Girls Write Now. Laura is the author of twenty books for children including the bestselling A THREE HAT DAY, an ALA Notable Book illustrated by Arnold Lobel, a Top Ten featured selection on LeVar Burton’s Reading Rainbow. Her YA fantasy, SIGN OF THE QIN, an ALA Best Book was shortlisted for the Printz award. MYTH MEN, her popular series of graphic novels was adapted by CBS as an animated TV show. Her love of story informs her service on the board of First Book, a non-profit organization that has delivered over 150 million books into the hands of children in need. Her new novel for middle graders, THE GIRL WITH MORE THAN ONE HEART, was released from Abrams on April 17, 2018.

Stay connected with Laura Geringer Bass

    

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

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Nerd Blast Organized by