NERD BLAST: Maybe He Just LIkes You by Barbara Dee

We have a cool Nerd Blast + Giveaway to share for Barbara Dee's Maybe He Just Likes You! We are thrilled to highlight this author and her new release with praise and a cool giveaway! So... Check it out and grab your copy now!!!

Genre:

Middle Grade

Contemporary Fiction

Publish Date:

October 1, 2019

Publisher:

Aladdin

Synopsis:

Barbara Dee explores the subject of #MeToo for the middle grade audience in this heart-wrenching—and ultimately uplifting—novel about experiencing harassment and unwanted attention from classmates.

For seventh grader Mila, it starts with an unwanted hug on the school blacktop.

The next day, it’s another hug. A smirk. Comments. It all feels…weird. According to her friend Zara, Mila is being immature, overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?

But it keeps happening, despite Mila’s protests. On the bus, in the halls. Even during band practice-the one time Mila could always escape to her “blue-sky” feeling. It seems like the boys are EVERYWHERE. And it doesn’t feel like flirting–so what is it?

Mila starts to gain confidence when she enrolls in karate class. But her friends still don’t understand why Mila is making such a big deal about the boys’ attention. When Mila is finally pushed too far, she realizes she can’t battle this on her own–and finds help in some unexpected places.

From the author of STAR-CROSSED, HALFWAY NORMAL and EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT YOU comes this timely story of a middle school girl standing up and finding her voice

        

  

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Praise for MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU

"The novel’s all-too-familiar scenario offers a springboard for discussion among middle schoolers about Mila’s experience, as well as her confusion, fear, and reluctance to discuss her situation with authority figures. Easily grasped scenarios and short chapters help make this timely #MeToo story accessible to a wide audience." —Publisher’s Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"This timely exploration of a depressingly common experience should begin some useful conversations." —Kirkus Reviews

"Mila’s struggle between denying the intentions of her classmates and being self-aware and upset about their treatment of her is realistic and heartbreaking . . . an excellent choice to inspire conversations about the prevalence and scope of what’s considered sexual harassment, as well as help young readers identify what harassment could look like in their peers." —BCCB

"An important read with great potential for classroom use. Mila’s experience may resonate with young readers, who may need to follow up with a trusted adult." —SLJ

"Important for its relevance and examination of the otherwise little-discussed topic of sexual harassment among younger teens, Maybe He Just Likes You will appeal to middle-grade readers as well as parents and educators seeking to bolster a child’s awareness of this rampant problem." —Booklist

"The book is equally important for boys so that they might understand their own feelings and the feelings of those who might be victims of their adolescent humor. This title belongs in the school library as well as the classroom library." —School Library Connection

"Mila is a finely-drawn, sympathetic character dealing with a problem all too common in middle school. Readers will be cheering when she takes control! An important topic addressed in an age-appropriate way.” —Katherine Brubaker Bradley, author of The War That Saved My Life (Newbery Honor Book)

"In Maybe He Just Likes You, Barbara Dee sensitively breaks down the nuances of a situation all too common in our culture—a girl not only being harassed, but not being listened to as she tries to ask for help. This well-crafted story validates Mila's anger, confusion, and fear, but also illuminates a pathway towards speaking up and speaking out. A vital read for both girls and boys." —Veera Hiranandani, author of The Night Diary (Newbery Honor Book)

"Mila's journey will resonate with many readers, exploring a formative and common experience of early adolescence that has too often been ignored. Important and empowering." —Ashley Herring Blake, author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World (Stonewall Honor Book)

"Maybe He Just Likes You is an important, timeless story with funny, believable characters. Mila's situation is one that many readers will connect with. This book is sure to spark many productive conversations." —Dusti Bowling, author of Insignificant Events in the Life of A Cactus

"In this masterful, relatable and wholly unique story, Dee shows how one girl named Mila finds empowerment, strength, and courage within. I loved this book." —Elly Swartz, author of Smart Cookie and Give and Take

"Maybe He Just Likes You is the perfect way to jumpstart dialogue between boy and girl readers about respect and boundaries. This book is so good. So needed! I loved it!" —Paula Chase, author of So Done and Dough Boys 

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**About the Author**

Photo Credit: Randy Matusow

Barbara Dee is the author of several middle grade novels including Maybe He Just Likes You, Everything I Know About You, Halfway Normal, and Star-Crossed. Her books have received several starred reviews and been included on many best-of lists, including the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten, the Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, and the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. Star-Crossed was also a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Barbara is one of the founders of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. She lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound dog named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.  

Stay connected with Barbara Dee

    

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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

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Today, we are thrilled to celebrate the Release for All Lined Up, the first book of a new series, Rusk University series, by Cora Carmack!

Genre:

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Series:

Rusk University Series

Publish Date:

May 13, 2014

Publisher:

William Morrow

(an imprint of HarperCollins)

Synopsis:

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them knows how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

  

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Praise for All Lined Up

"Laughter + heartache + hot sexual tension = the perfect Cora Carmack book."

~Monica Murphy

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*Excerpt*

There’s only one thing in the world I despise more than football, and he’s making his way down the stairs toward me.

My eyes flit around me like I’m scanning a battlefield instead of a blowout:fraternity banners, litter of red Solo cups, and a freshman pledge dragging around a trash bag playing reluctant maid. Part of me wants to keep doing that, to pretend like I didn’t hear him.

But I can’t. If I ignore him, it will only prove to him that he still bothers me.

I face him as he steps off the last stair, crossing his arms over his broad chest and grinning at me. Levi. My ex.

He leans his hip against the banister of the grand staircase, and I spy not one but two girls sitting halfway up the stairs, obviously upset that they’ve lost his attention.

Behind me I hear someone shout, “Ready. Aim. Fire!” and I know the beer guns are back in play.

“Alcohol and bad decisions, Levi? Can’t say I’m surprised to find you smack-dab in the middle of that.”

He kicks off from the banister, swaggering a few steps closer. His dark hair and eyes are as striking as always. I’d fallen for him so hard my freshman year of high school: doodling our names together in my spiral, watching him play from the bleachers, wearing that monstrous mum he gave me for homecoming, beaming on his elbow at his junior prom.

The memory of all that just makes me nauseated now. But as Stella always says, hindsight is a pretentious, know-it-all bitch.

“You come here to make some bad decisions?” He moves closer, his voice pitching lower. Intimate. His gaze drifts down my body with an arrogant familiarity. “Because you know I can help you with that.”

Levi Abrams has been the cause of enough bad decisions for a lifetime.

Stella steps in, her voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. “I’m fairly certain she’d rather sandpaper her own skin off.”

I nod and plaster on the fakest smile in my arsenal. “And then take a bath in lemon juice.”

Levi smiles back, and I’m pretty sure the bastard is enjoying this.

He’s bigger than when I last saw him. Bulked up. I guess that’s the difference between high school and college ball. But it’s not just muscles… he reaches out a hand like he’s going to touch my hair, and as I jerk back, even his hands seem bigger than I remember. A man’s hands, rather than those of the boy I knew. Or maybe his head got so big that his inflated ego overflowed to other parts of his body. Also a possibility.

I knew Levi was here when I chose Rusk University—hard not to when he’s the starting quarterback—but I didn’t think I’d ever have to see him. Since Dad wouldn’t let me leave Texas, and only a handful of universities here actually have a true dance major, Rusk was the best option out of the schools to which I was allowedto apply.

Levi lets his hand fall away and turns to leave, but then stops to say over his shoulder, “You don’t have to pretend to hate me so much, you know. I’m here. You’re here. We could start fresh, D.”

Why does no one get that it’s impossible to have a fresh start when nothing has really changed? God, I knew that better than anybody because no matter how many new coaching jobs Dad took, every school ended up the same.

Levi is still a douche-bag who only cares about himself.

Dad still approaches parenting like I’m a member of his team.

And I… I’m still stuck. In my father’s shadow. In Texas. In this lame state school with a joke of a dance program. 

And now I’m stuck at my first frat party with the ex who broke my heart.

Yay college.

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*Book Trailer*

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**About the Author**

Photo by: Matt Tolbert

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life -- boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, Losing It, is a New York Times and USA Today best-seller.

Cora Carmack is represented by the fabulous Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary.

Stay Connected with Cora Carmack

Website

   

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway is U.S. only

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Release Day Launch Organized by