It's my anniversary today (12 years!) and that can only mean one thing ... I'm going to announce the winners of my latest giveaway. Without further ado, here they are:


The winner of 1 copy of Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer is Tiffany (whose email begins td.ss...)!




The winner of 1 copy of Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson is AMPM of Wicked Fun Reads!

Congrats, ladies! Shoot me an email (blogginboutbooks[AT]gmail[DOT][COM]) with your snail mail address and I'll get your books in the mail ASAP. Thanks for playing, everyone. More giveaways are coming soon, so check back often.

Turning 13 can be an adventure for anyone, but when you're part of the Beaumont clan, it's a

little more ... um, exciting ... than usual. When Rocket Beaumont hit 13, he created a crackling, lightbulb-popping electrical storm; with his brother, Fish, it was a swirling, whirling hurricane. Now, it's Mibs' turn to discover her "savvy" - will it be electricity, hurricanes or something less destructive, like her mother's perfect-in-every-way savvy? Whatever it is, one thing's for certain - no one outside the family can know about it. A Beaumont's 13th birthday is, and always has been, a very private affair.

Savvy by Ingrid Law begins two days before Mibs' big day. Even though Rocket insists that "Girls don't get the powerful jujubes," Mibs can't wait to see what she will get. She's excited, nervous and most of all, thrilled that she won't have to attend public school any longer. Since savvies can't always be controlled, she'll be homeschooled until she learns to "scumble" her powers. She can definitely do without a bunch of snotty kids reminding her what a freak show her family is. Mibs is delighted to spend her birthday at home in the midst of that very freak show - the people she loves the most.

When the Beaumonts receive an urgent phone call, all plans are thrown out the window. Poppa's been injured in a 10-car pileup on the freeway. Their beloved, non-savvy father lies in a coma at Salina Hope Hospital, 60 miles away. Momma and Rocket rush to Poppa's side, leaving Mibs, her grandpa, and 3 of her siblings, in the care of the preacher's wife. Miss Rosemary Meeks "had her own matching set of rights and wrongs - like suitcases she made other people carry - and she took it upon herself to make everything and everyone as shipshape and apple-pie as she felt the Lord had intended them to be" (17-18). Part of her plan includes a very public, 3-ring circus of a birthday party for Mibs. The birthday girl knows any crazy thing can happen - and it does. Before she realizes it, she's stowing away on a pink bus, convinced she can save her father with her new-found savvy. But, the bus is headed in the wrong direction; she's unexpectedly taken along a whole crowd of hostages; her savvy's not performing quite like it should; and Poppa's getting worse by the day. Despite all the magic inside her, Mibs has managed to get herself into the biggest pickle of her life. Is she savvy enough to get herself back out of it?

Savvy's gotten a lot of buzz in the book blogosphere; I, for one, think it's well-deserved. This quirky story charms from its colorful front cover, to its jacket flap plot summary, to the story itself, to Law's author bio. I loved this description:

First off, don't forget to enter my giveaway. I've got two YA novels up for grabs - don't miss the chance to nab them. I will be drawing the names of two winners (one for each book) tomorrow. All the info is on my right sidebar. Good luck!

Next, I found this meme over at Book Gazing, a blog I discovered recently. I haven't done one in awhile, so I thought it would be fun. I'd love to hear your answers.

Here's the deal: Answer each question using the title of a book you've read this year. Try not to repeat titles. It's not as easy as it looks!

Describe yourself: Lucky Girl (by Mei-Ling Hopgood)

How do you feel: Savvy (by Ingrid Law)

Describe where you currently live: The Other Side of Paradise (by Stacey Ann Chin)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Honolulu (by Alan Brennert)

Your favorite form of transportation: Wings (by Aprilynne Pike)

Your best friend is: Time Managment in an Instant (by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey)

You and your friends are: The Mighty Queens of Freeville (by Amy Dickinson)

What's the weather like: A Crooked Kind of Perfect (by Linda Urban)

You fear: Angels of Destruction (by Keith Donohue)

What is the best advice you have to give?: If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (by Pseudonymous Bosch)

Thought for the day: Handle With Care (by Jodi Picoult)

How I would like to die: Just Take My Heart (by Mary Higgins Clark)

My soul's present condition: Paradise Valley (by Robyn Carr)

Give it a try :)

Since last year saw me fail SPECTACULARLY at all the challenges for which I signed up, I have been trying to restrain myself from joining any in 2009. I've literally been sitting on my hands to stop myself from doing Carl's RIP Challenge. I've got waaaayyy too much to read and review right now. So, when I heard about Linda Ellen's Middle Grade Book Challenge, which doesn't end until next year at this time, I thought, "Now, that's one I can handle." Since I'm already reading so much MG literature, it should be "easy cheesy" as my kids say.

If you're interested in joining me, you can find all the info here.

Even though a list is not required, I love lists, so I'm making one. Just try and stop me :) Here goes:

1. This Book Is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch - my review

2. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

3. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

4. Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko - my review

5. Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix - my review

6. Ever by Gail Carson Levine

7. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall - my review

8. The Penderwicks of Gardham Street by Jeanne Birdsall - my review

9. My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

10. Heaven Eyes by David Almond

11. Skellig by David Almond

12. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

13. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

14. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

15. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

16. The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristen Kladstrup - my review

17. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

18. The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

19. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

20. Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

21. The Treasures of Weatherby by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

22. Beauty by Robin McKinley

23. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

24. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

25. Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach