Monday, June 20, 2016

Week 3 of Summer Reading gets Musical!

Ahoy lovely readers!

Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Fathers Day over the weekend! It's time for another installment of the YA summer camp!




This week's read is a great one for any musically inclined kids. Get in tune with Jacqueline Seewald's Stacy's Song






Stacy's talent and love for music forces her to make hard choices. Life is risky, but she must learn to make important decisions on her own. Stacy Nelson, warm-hearted with a sense of humor, is a tall, skinny teenager, sometimes called "giraffe" by other kids. She's an average student with a lot of extracurricular interests. Her good friend Karen wants Stacy to practice with her and try out for cheerleading. Liz Norris asks Stacy to join a band that she and her brother Michael are starting, but Stacy has reservations. Her first meeting with Michael Norris is stormy, yet she is drawn in by his outstanding musical ability and joins the band. Stacy always wants to please everyone, but fails to think about who she is and what she really wants. After making the cheerleading squad, Greg Lawson, captain of the football team, becomes interested in Stacy. He is easy-going and charming, just the opposite of Michael. They start dating, and Stacy is suddenly popular in and out of school. As a cheerleader, she is accepted by the in-crowd. She tries to relax and enjoy this new lifestyle. When Stacy has difficulty meeting all of her commitments and her grades fall, her father is displeased and insists she quit the band. Stacy feels torn-wanting to please her father without letting down the other band members. Ultimately, while dealing with family and peer pressure, she must decide what is best for her.




You can find Stacy's Song at these links below:

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0177E67CQ


B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stacys-song-jacqueline-seewald/1100389252?ean=2940150872493


Kobo
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/stacy-s-song


Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/588465




What makes Stacy's Song a good summer read, you ask? Our author, Jacqueline, has a few words on that:

"STACY’S SONG is a perfect YA romance/coming-of-age novel for fun summer reading. The novel has family values and partly occurs in the summer. It also has a nice upbeat, inspiring message: be true to yourself. I hope that family and friends will gift this novel to teens."




Want a little more? Of course you do! Get hooked on this wonderful excerpt:

*****


The foyer oozed darkness; the living room was equally gloomy, even after Liz pulled back the curtains. As my eyes adjusted, I was startled to see a boy sitting in the corner hunched over a piano. Liz saw him too.

“Michael, I didn’t know you were there. Stacy, I’d like to introduce you to my brother. He’s the composer in the family. Michael, like you Stacy is very talented.”

He didn’t respond. In fact, he didn’t even look up or acknowledge my presence in the room. There was something about him that made me feel uneasy. I could see him much better now that my eyes were adjusting to the dusky room. I figured him for around seventeen, with straight, sand-colored hair long on the sides. He looked fairly tall, though I couldn’t tell because he didn’t bother to stand up. He wore dark glasses that I found particularly odd since the room was ill lit.

“What do you play?” he asked in a voice that could have frozen a lake. “I’ll need to hear what you can do. What did you bring with you?”

“I didn’t expect an audition,” I responded with equal frost.

“Yeah, well, Liz thinks you’re all right, but I’d like to decide that for myself.”

Liz seemed to sense the tenseness in the atmosphere and jumped in. “Why don’t you sit down and relax, get to know each other better, and I’ll go fix us a snack.” Coward! She didn’t even bother to wait for a response, instead hurrying off to the kitchen and leaving an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Michael didn’t look at me. He seemed to be busy composing, but I had a feeling that was bogus.

“Do you go to Wilson High?” I asked him.

An odd smile crossed his lips. “No, I’m too special for that.” There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, as if his words had some personal or private meaning.

Not easily daunted, I tried again. If you can’t discuss anything else, usually the weather’s a safe topic. “It’s turned beautiful, don’t you think? This must be the sunniest day we’ve had in months.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said in a voice I can only describe as hostile.

“Wouldn’t know or don’t care?” I was sorry I said it even as I spoke; usually I’m polite, but this boy just seemed to bring out the worst in me. I hated the way he wouldn’t even look in my direction. I guess he thought those dark glasses made him look cool. I felt a sudden urge to yank off his glasses and break them. “Look, maybe I just ought to go,” I said.

He rose to his feet with an awkward, unsteady movement. “Wait! I want you to try out some of our music. You can use Liz’s guitar.”

“I don’t know…” I said.

“What have you got to lose?”

I looked around and saw an electric guitar against the opposite wall. “I have to warn you I’m used to an acoustic not an electric.”

“It’s no big deal making the switch for a real musician. If you’re any good I can show you in minutes.” He seemed to be daring me, taunting.

“All right,” I said picking up the guitar.

As he started across the room I pushed the coffee table forward to allow more foot space. Before I could say anything Michael Norris walked into the table losing his balance. I put out my hand to steady him; he almost fell on top of me. My heart started to pound like a runner racing toward the finish line. I withdrew from him striving to regain my composure. I put down the guitar.

“Sorry,” he said, “I’m not usually this clumsy.”



Why had he walked into the table? Anyone could have seen it. Then a thought hit me. Of course! Why was I so naïve, so dense?
*****









And let's learn a little more about our author!


Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: THE WRITER, L.A. TIMES, PEDESTAL, SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY MAGAZINE, OVER MY DEAD BODY!, THE MYSTERY MEGAPACK, LIBRARY JOURNAL, and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. One of her poems recently took first place in the Reader’s Digest 2015 Poetry Contest. She’s also an amateur landscape artist. Her writer’s blog can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com


You can also find her on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.seewald

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jacquelineseewald

As well as Twitter and Goodreads






And that's it for this week! Stay tuned for more excellent reads to keep the summer fun!







Until next time, keep readin' and dreamin'




-Fred










1 comment:

  1. Thanks so much for spotlighting STACY'S SONG! I am hoping more teens will discover this novel for their summer reading.
    My personal blog is: jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com

    Drop by to visit and or comment.

    ReplyDelete