A third *starred* review and more are in for
Kathryn Ormsbee’s
TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY
“Funny, well written, and compulsively readable, this will especially appeal to readers with an interest in web series. A strong voice for YA shelves.”
—School Library Journal, starred review
“Kathryn Ormsbee does voice like no other… Tash is witty, smart, flawed, messy, and just damn amazing.”
—Ashley Blake, author of Suffer Love and How To Make A Wish
“[A] powerful coming-of-age exploration… spot-on narrative voice, make this a compassionate and frank look into challenges that can seem to fly at teenagers from all directions.”
“…this book was well written and simply fun. It follows an amazing friendship, a summer of fun, but also deals with hard truths that come with growing up… I ate this book up.”
One of Barnes & Noble Teen’s “24 Most Anticipated June YA Books”
One of Barnes & Noble Teen’s “23 Most Anticipated LGBTQA YA Books of 2017”
And
One of BuzzFeed’s “21 YA Books You’ll Want to Get Your Hands on this Summer”
*Press kit attached*
Agent: Beth Phelan
Simon & Schuster, June 2017. World English.
Brazil: Companhia das Letras. Poland: Wydawnicto Otwarte.
Manuscript available.
A Bustle YA Book to Have a Summer Fling With
A Bustle YA Book about Online-Turned-Offline Relationships that Will Make You Love Again
A Barnes & Noble Teen New YA Romance Perfect for Your Summer Beach Bag
For readers who loved Fangirl and Girl Online: The First Novel by Zoella.
After a shout-out from one of the Internet's superstar vloggers, Natasha "Tash" Zelenka suddenly finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust in the limelight: She's gone viral.
Her show is a modern adaption of Anna Karenina—written by Tash's literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich "Leo" Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the 40,000 new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr gifs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.
And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash's cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she's romantic asexual.
Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top?
What would Tolstoy do?
“It’s beyond refreshing to see an asexual character, and the complexities of Tash’s relationships with Thom, her friends, her sister, and, yes, fame make this a home run. The flip, irreverent tone, literary references, and peek into the creation of a web series are just icing on the cake.”
—Booklist, starred review
“Whip-smart, funny, flawed, and compassionate, these are characters readers will want to know and cheer for. A clever, thoroughly enjoyable addition to the growing body of diverse teen literature.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Also by Kathryn Ormsbee:
Agent: Beth Phelan
Simon & Schuster, June 2016. World English.
Finished books available.
Charming, poignant and bittersweet, LUCKY FEW is perfect for readers who loved Harold & Maude, Jesse Andrews’ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and John Hughes’ films.
Homeschooler Stevie Hart’s life gets shook up when she meets a strange boy, Max, who survived a school stabbing and is now obsessed with death. He enlists her and her best friend, Sanger, to help him complete his absurd “23 Ways to Fake My Death Without Dying” checklist. What starts off as fun begins spiraling downward when Stevie’s diabetes sabotages her fumbling romance with Max, Sanger announces she’s moving out of state, and then death—real death—cuts close to home.
“Winsome characters, crackling dialogue, and an effortlessly enjoyable writing style help this one stand out in the crowded contemporary YA marketplace. But what may linger most in readers’ minds is how differently Stevie, who has type 1 diabetes, and Max conceive of death and the extent to which each of them fear it. A well-rounded cast of secondary characters, a slant approach to a serious topic, and an sensitive exploration of the fraught dynamics of a home-schooling co-op add further depth. Hand this one to fans of Jesse Andrews and Stephanie Perkins.” —Booklist, starred review
“Ormsbee writes with an occasionally tongue-in-cheek tone that manages to be authentically emotional while delivering a realistic picture of a population that rarely gets much scrutiny in fiction for young adults: home-schoolers. The smart, efficient language features dialogue that pops. A sweet story told with intelligence, humor, and just the right amount of kissing.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“This second novel from Ormsbee (The Water and the Wild) shines in its offbeat humor…the sincere reconciliation of Stevie, her friends, and members of the co-op tenderly illustrates Ormsbee’s theme of embracing life’s unexpected moments.” —Publishers Weekly
"Whip-smart dialogue, top-notch writing, and truly unique characters make for the perfect reading combination: quick-pacing and heart-aching. This book is alive in so many ways.” —David Arnold, bestselling author of Mosquitoland
"A beautifully written story of loss and acceptance, of humor and tragedy, of finding yourself by losing yourself.” —Marci Lyn Curtis, author of The One Thing
"LUCKY FEW swings between a wholly immersive search for a hand to hold in the midst of fear and loss, and navigating the vulnerable joy of true friendship and first love—a totally unique, beautifully crafted story at once hilarious and heartbreaking, exhilarating as the waters of Barton Springs. This book absolutely sings, without forsaking the honesty of loneliness and self-doubt—and the bravery it takes to become who we truly are.” —Jennifer Longo, author of Six Feet Over It and Up to This Pointe
"This quirky novel brings humor, relatable characters, and an inside look into the world of homeschoolers. VERDICT: A fun, character-driven novel likely to find readers among fans of realistic fiction.” —School Library Journal
“First of all: I need this book cover as a giant framed print on my wall. Second: You have got to read this sweet, quirky (and yes, diverse!) novel about three misfit teens. There's home-schooled Stevie Hart and her BFF Sanger, who happens to be bi-cultural and the child of a lesbian couple. The friends' world is all shaken up when they meet Max, the new boy in the neighborhood with a quest to fake his death in 23 different ways after surviving a near-fatal accident. But the "faking" starts to be questioned as Stevie falls for Max, and things come tumbling down when Sanger announces she is moving and a real death hits them hard.” —Bustle
The Great Unknowable End
Agent: Beth Phelan
Category: Young Adult
Simon & Schuster, Sumer 2018. World English.
Manuscript available.
This novel will appeal to fans of Welcome to Nightvale and Stranger Things, against a rich backdrop of Star Wars, Elvis’s death, and deep space exploration.
Stella Kay Mercer has given up on her dreams of becoming a NASA engineer, deciding to live out a quiet life in her small town with her younger sister and widower father. The only thing she has to herself is the secret letters she writes to her older brother Craig, who abandoned them to join the local hippie commune where he now calls himself “Phoenix.” But then odd things start to happen in her town: like mysteriously dead animals, blood-red rain, and a strange holographic countdown over town hall that matches the one that suddenly appears on her foot. No one is sure why this is all happening. Could it be aliens? A nuclear attack? The apocalypse? Whatever it is, a chance meeting with a commune insider makes this much clear to Stella: she has to see her brother again, face-to-face, before what may be the end of the world. Except what she doesn’t know is that this insider, Galliard, has been answering her letters addressed to Phoenix all along.
Galliard was born and raised in the Red Sun commune, but his loyalty is shaken when the rare position of resident artist goes to newcomer Phoenix instead—and his deceptive letters, pressure from Stella, and these strange occurrences in town all seem like consequences for his lack of faith. As things escalate, the two teens form an uneasy friendship, but the truth will come out… if the earth doesn’t swallow up the whole town first. Stranger things have happened.
About the Author:
Kathryn (K.E.) Ormsbee writes middle grade and young adult books. Her debut novel, The Water & the Wild, is a middle-grade fantasy published by Chronicle Books in April 2015. It was a Spring Indie Next Pick and 2015 Parents’ Choice Award Winner. The sequel, The Doorway & the Deep, was published in October 2016 and a standalone, The House in Poplar Wood, is slated for Fall 2018, both by Chronicle Books.
