Great news for Kiki!

 Author Kiki Hamilton is proud to announce that her YA novel, THE MIDNIGHT SPY (first book in a series), was named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2015 by Kirkus Reviews!

Hamilton's popular books include the four-book FAERIE RING series, and the contemporary novel THE LAST DANCE.

Congratulations, Kiki! Well deserved!

We HEART Martha!

Martha Brockenbrough, author of THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH, attended the Kirkus Prize ceremony last night in Austin, Texas as a nominee in the Young People's Literature category.

Alas, the award went to Pam Munoz Ryan's ECHO, but Martha immediately sent out a gracious post on Facebook and high-fived the winner in the process:

"A truly great book won the Kirkus Prize for young literature tonight. I was so shocked and thrilled to be a finalist, and am so happy with how this adventure has turned out. Thanks for all the good wishes, friends! And read ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan. It's wonderful."

Kudos to Martha--we're so proud of you for your book and your tireless support of other writers near and far.

Martha B's big news!

The second year of the Kirkus Prize, nominees of which have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, is upon us.

Or, shall I say––it's upon MARTHA BROCKENBROUGH, who just this morning found out that her book, THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH, is a finalist for the 2015 Kirkus Prize in the Young Readers' Literature category!


The full list of finalists for Young Readers' Literature can be found HERE.


Congratulations to Martha! An amazing honor for an amazing book!

Smells like a good review

Suzanne Selfors joins the elite ranks of people not eviscerated by Kirkus; indeed, the notoriously critical journal gives her a STAR.

It's for SMELLS LIKE DOG, out on May 1 from Little, Brown.

In other news, she's hired an animator to create fun new home page for Smells Like Dog on her website.

Here's that review. Congratulations, Suzanne!

Starred Review, Kirkus
"Selfors offers up an adventure tale that features a humorous, high-stakes mystery and a lovable hero. Twelve-year-old Homer Pudding lives on a goat farm but dreams of growing up to be a great treasure hunter like his uncle, Drake Pudding. Drake spent most of his career searching for the greatest mass of loot collected by another great treasure hunter, the late Rumpold Smeller. When Drake dies under mysterious circumstances, he bequeaths a sad-eyed basset hound named Dog to Homer. Attached to Dog’s collar is a coin etched with the letters L.O.S.T. As Homer races to decipher the meaning of L.O.S.T., find Smeller’s treasure and locate the whereabouts of Drake’s vast library, he discovers a valuable secret about Dog. Along the way, Homer encounters the devious Madame la Directeur, the pink-haired homeless girl Lorelei, Ajitabh, the inventor of the cloudcopter, and other equally memorable characters who help or hinder his quest. Peppered with funny dialogue, this joyous romp is a page-turning adventure that will appeal to enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike."

Kirkus Reviews back on track

From Publishers Weekly:

By Diane Roback -- Publishers Weekly, 2/11/2010 12:30:00 PM

On hearing the news of the sale, and rebirth, of Kirkus Reviews, to Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon, we spoke with children’s and YA editor Vicky Smith, about moving forward.

The February 1 and February 15 issues, she said, were being worked on by Kirkus staff as they awaited completion of the deal. Those issues have been combined into one and will mail imminently. March 1 will likely still be “a smidge late,” but the plan is to be completely back on schedule starting with the April issues.

Smith said she has hardly skipped a beat, in terms of scheduling reviews. “When the interested buyers presented themselves,” Smith said, “I just went straight back to work and assigned as if there had been no absence.” She gives much credit to her core group of “incredibly dedicated and wonderful” reviewers. “They were so eager to start writing again,” she said. “I’m incredibly grateful to them.”

Read the rest.

Kirkus Reviews back from the dead

Hooray! Insert your own zombie joke here as you read about the news.