On sale today is the newest novel from Ann Brashares, author of the bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and also of The Last Summer (of You and Me). 3 Willows is young adult novel, with a sisterhood at its center but told from a very different perspective. Ama, Polly and Jo find their friendship tested by time and other forces as they struggle with growing up. Here is Brashares talking about the book. See her on tour.
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Sounds like I wasn't the only one on the blog who saw the movie based on Ann Brashares' bestselling series this weekend. And I must correct what I said in my comment to the last post, I didn't so much as take my daughter to see it, as she took me -- I'm a huge fan of the books. I really enjoyed the movie - it's tough to cover all the ground of the books in one movie, especially with the four competing storylines -- but mostly, I think it was well done and I somehow managed to cry a whole bunch (much to the amusement of my 13-year-old). The movie, while called number 2, is really based on the fourth book in the series, Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, with bits of books 2 and 3 thrown in as well. It helps that I like all of these actresses so much, as I really found myself rooting for them. Much as I am rooting, right now, for our gymnastics team in Beijing -- though my nerves can hardly take it!
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Newsweek has honored Anne of Green Gables and her importance with this article on all the hoopla surrounding her 100th anniversary. (and don't forget Diane Rehm's discussion of the book tomorrow, 7/23, on her Reader's Review). But I must disagree with Ramin Setoodeh's contention that "it's rare to find a best seller with a strong heroine anymore," in YA literature. You can read my response to his article on the Newsweek site and I've also pasted it here.
"I agree that Anne is an amazing heroine and applaud her receiving so much coverage in Newsweek, and I also agree that there are many heroines from classic YA literature who should get more respect (most notably Maud Hart Lovelace's intelligent and independent aspiring writer Betsy Ray of the Betsy-Tacy series). But I strongly disagree that "it's rare to find a best seller with a strong heroine anymore." One look at the New York Times children's bestseller list from the past five or so years will reveal the following fantastic females: Louise Rennison's hilarious and indefatigable Georgia Nicolson who was first introduced in Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging; Ann Brashares' fast friends in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (which is popular enough to garner its second feature film adaptation next month); Meg Cabot's strong and smart Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries (also a successful film franchise) as well as her Allie Finkle from Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls; Cornelia Funke's Meggie from Inkheart; Gail Carson Levine's intrepid Ella Enchanted; and brave Liesel Meminger from Mark Zusak's The Book Thief, to name just a few."
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I first wrote about Ann Brashares first book for grownups, The Last Summer (of You and Me), last year. As a big fan of Brashares' Traveling Pants series, I was so excited to read her first foray into more grown-up fare. And I wasn't disappointed. The Last Summer is now out in paperback and I have five copies to give away along with five special Last Summer beach towels! I'll choose five random winners from everyone who posts a comment on their favorite summer read of all time - the one you've never forgotten.
My favorite summer read would have to be The Thorn Birds, which I found in a house I was renting with some friends and realized I had never read. I almost devoured it in full that weekend, and was guilted into leaving it behind in the house by a super ethical friend. That Monday I scoured NYC looking for another used copy (somehow, I had to continue reading an old musty hardcover edition, new wasn't going to cut it).
I'm looking forward to hearing about all of your favorites! And for fellow Traveling Pants fans, the second movie comes out on August 6th. Check out the trailer below.
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