The Class of 2k8!-

Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2008!  I am honored to be a member of the Class of 2k8, a merry band of 28 authors who have a debut middle grade or young adult novel scheduled for release in 2008.  I've seen the book blurbs, people, and lemme tell ya, there are going to be plenty of noses in books this year!  Yeah!

The Class of 2k8 is a spinoff of sorts; last year, several authors banded together under the umbrella of the Class of 2k7 to further their own promotional efforts.  We, the Class of 2k8, have already found that promoting ourselves as a group has given our buck that much more bang.  We've already been given a nod by Publishers Weekly, Fuse #8, and others.  Our blog will fill you in on all the details - please visit!  (And coming soon - an AMAZING 2k8 website.  Stay tune...)

So here's your list of Must-Reads for 2008:

-A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker.  Historical YA available from Holiday House April 15.

-The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem.  Fantasy MG available from Harcourt Children's Books October 1.

-Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.  Mystery YA available from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster this summer.

-Read My Lips by Teri Brown.  YA romance available from Simon Pulse June 3.

-A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce.  YA historical fantasy available from Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic this spring.

-Sleepless by Terri Clark.  YA paranormal romance available from HarperCollins in August.

-Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle.  YA historical paranormal available from Henry Holt April 1.

-The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman.  Contemporary MG available from Greenwillow March 4.

-Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer.  Contemporary YA available from Dutton Children's Books April 17.

-The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas.  Contemporary YA available from Farrar Straus & Giroux in September.

-The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher.  Contemporary YA available from Wendy Lamb Books January 8 (THIS WEEK, Y'ALL!  Run!)

-The Kulak's Daughter by Gabriele Goldstone.  Historical MG available from Blooming Tree Press in August.

-Alive and Well in Prague, NY by Daphne Grab.  Contemporary YA available from Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Books May 20.

-The Emerald Tablet by P.J. Hoover.  Fantasy MG available from Blooming Tree Press October 21.

-Third Grade Baby by Jenny Meyerhoff.  Contemporary MG available from Farrar Straus & Giroux this Fall.

-Bringing the Boy Home by N.A. Nelson.  Adventure MG available from HarperCollins June 11.

-Dragon Wishes by Stacy A. Nyikos.  Fantasy MG available from Blooming Tree Press in March.

-The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas.  MG fantasy available from HarperCollins Children's this Summer.

-I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder.  Contemporary paranormal from SimonPulse this January.  (THIS MONTH, FOLKS!  Get thee to a bookstore!)

-La Petite Four by Regina Scott.  Historical YA available from Penguin Razorbill this July.

-My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel.  Contemporary MG available from Simon & Schuster October 21.

-Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder.  Fairy tale MG available from Random House Books for Young Readers this Spring.

-I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy.  MG mystery available from Delacorte Press/Random House this December.

-Undone by Brooke Taylor.  Contemporary YA from Walker/Bloomsbury available July 22.

-Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb (ahem! :-) )   Historical MG available from Delacorte Press/Random House this Fall.

-Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in her Head by Nancy Viau.  Contemporary MG from Abrams Books for Young Readers available this September.

-The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent.  YA from Front Street Press this April.

-A Horse of Her Own by Annie Wedekind.  Contemporary MG from Feiwel & Friends available in June.

There you have it, folks.  Please, keep an eye out for these wonderful books.  2008 is going to a be GREAT year for young readers!  

Peace!