Just completed Nothing Special, the sequel to Stupid Fast (coming in spring 2012). I am burned out, so I’m going to stay off the blog for a couple more weeks…
Seems like most peeps get here looking for Stupid Fast, so here are a few things I’d like to leave you with… A few bits from my favorite reviews…
This from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
“Whip-smart and painfully self-aware, Stupid Fast is a funny and agonizing glimpse into the teenage brain…Young readers looking for a genuinely memorable first-person narrator — in the vein of Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian or Pete Hautman’sGodless – should really catch up to Stupid Fast this summer.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 8, 20011
This one is from VOYA, a mag that serves kids’ librarians:
“In the tradition of great young adult protagonists like Holden Caulfield and Eric “Moby” Calhoune comes Felton Reinstein, soon to be sixteen… This novel is Herbach’s first for a teen audience, but you would not guess that from the authentic teen voice of his protagonist. The author manages to deftly balance humor with high-stakes, emotional storytelling and even includes some romance to boot. Surprises abound in this future youth classic, not the least of which is how Felton comes to terms with his newfound inner jock. While male reluctant readers with an interest in football or running will especially connect with this novel, it is difficult to imagine a reader who will not find Felton’s tale compelling and highly entertaining.” —VOYA, June 2011
This one is from Shelf Awareness, which serves Indie Bookstores:
“It’s rare to gain access to a male teen’s thoughts at his most vulnerable… Felton is a hero for all readers–male and female. And Herbach (who admits to growing up in Wisconsin as “both a dork and a jock”) is a writer to watch.”– Shelf-Awareness, May 18
And… You know who I really like? YA bloggers. What an incredible community of book lovers are out there. They do such an amazing job spreading the word about good books. They are so thorough and dedicated and careful. Here are a few Stupid Fast blog reviews, etc. that I just really like a lot.
- Sarah at YA Love is a high school teacher who put the book in a classroom.
- Carol at Carol’s Corner is a mom and educator who considered the book and her boys.
- Lisa the Nerd got caught up in the painful drama, which I appreciate!
- The awesome Cari – Cari’s Book Blog – didn’t follow Felton’s rambling at first (this is a fair criticism, of course — I live or die with the ramble), but stuck with it and uncovered the story. Good stuff.
- Grace at Bunny Blogs (associated with The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop) focused on the lack of coming of age books for boys.
- I love these guys: The bloggers who participate in Teen Book Scene tours have done really wonderful stuff: Great reviews for instance from Jessica at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile and Jami at YA Addict. Jami also did a really good “character” interview of Felton. And, I really, really love Kari’s interview with Andrew in her good addiction blog. There’s a ton more, too. These people are really fantastic! If you like YA, follow them!
- Finally, Barry Eva, from Book and a Chat, did an hour long interview with me on his blog radio channel. We talked about everything. Eva is a very funny fellow (in a Monty Python sort of way). You can listen to that here!
The list is definitely not comprehensive. I just wanted to highlight a few. Before I wrote young adult, I had no idea that such a large, serious online book community existed. It’s been a huge joy to interact with these like-minded book peeps. I’m so happy they’re here. Thank you, bloggers!
Now, I’m going to go to work. For four weeks. Nonstop. (Except for the
Literary Death Match on Sunday night, which might kill me).
BEA Books of Wonder -- photo by book blogger Alex Bennett, electrifyingreviews.com
