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This week's Sizzlin' Summer Reads features a book by a first-time author whose real-life story is about as interesting as the one he wrote. G.P. Taylor's career has taken him from the world of British punk-rock music, to law enforcement, to church ministry and his current role as the vicar of Cloughton, a small village in Yorkshire, England.
Despite the stacks of rejection letters, Taylor was determined to see Shadowmancer in print - so determined that he sold his motorcycle to pay for a small number of the book to be published by a local writers' group.
Those copies sold - quickly.
Word of mouth finally reached a major publishing house in Britain, the book was a phenomenal hit first as a hardback, then paperback, and then a movie deal came. According to the publisher, Shadowmancer is "the next Harry Potter."
Whoa - talk about your tall orders. Ignore all the hype. This is a red-hot, sizzlin' summer read.
* * *Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor (Penguin Putnam Publishing Group, ages 11-17)
Wandering through a bookstore looking at books is great, but when the books are looking at you - well, that's just a little creepy. If you've been to a local bookstore lately and wandered over to the young adult section you may have seen a pair of glowing red eyes staring at you from the promotional display for Shadowmancer. Again, the word here is "creepy" - creepy display, creepy book cover and a be-careful-about-reading-this-book-late-at-night creepy story.
A classic tale of good vs. evil pits the young hero Raphah against the powerful villain of the piece, Vicar Obadiah Demurral. Drawn into this dangerous battle against the powers of darkness are 13-year-olds Thomas and Kate. The stakes are high: keeping the evil Demurral from taking over the world. Heart-pounding stuff here, readers.
* * *The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (Viking Press, ages 13-17)
This is one for your beach bag, girls. Truth is the ultimate summer read. Macy is about to turn sweet 16 and is trying to keep busy during her long boyfriend-free summer (Jason's off at "Brain Camp"). She is working at the library, studying the SAT vocabulary and keeping her perfectly constructed life, well, perfect.
Yawn, right? The real truth here is that Macy is still trying to deal, or not, with the sudden death of her father. An emotionally remote, work-obsessed mother and control-freak boyfriend aren't much help for Macy in this department.
Enter former reform-school student and sensitive artist-type Wes. The guy most likely to make even the most reasonable girl completely and utterly unreasonable. Will the witty banter of a truth-telling game be enough to keep Macy and Wes in the safe "just friends" zone?
And new this summer are paperback editions of author Dessen's earlier works: That Summer, Someone Like You, Keeping the Moon and Dreamland, with redesigned covers.
* * *Here's a recommendation from Deanna Bousalis, 10, a former Times We're Talkin' Books Here book club member, who will be in the fifth grade at St. Petersburg's North Ward Elementary:
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (Farrar Straus & Giroux, ages 9-12).
Anybody who likes a great story would like this one. Humor, drama and a recipe at the end of each chapter make this a great book to read. It's about a girl named Primrose who moves in with her wacky uncle after her parents are lost at sea.
There are many surprises in this book that include a not-so-nice guidance counselor, an old neighbor obsessed with mothballs and an unusual cook who owns a restaurant where everything on the menu is served on a waffle. I can assure you that if you read this book, you will not want to put it down.
* * *- Holly Atkins teaches seventh-grade language arts at Southside Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg. If you have some Sizzlin' Summer Reads to share, send your recommendations along with your name, age, school, grade you will be in in August, address, phone number and e-mail address to Holly Atkins, c/o Newspaper in Education, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. You can also send recommendations to hollysatkins@yahoo.com