Chat, Book Signing and Q&A with YA Author Saundra Mitchell

Sunday, Sept. 18 • 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at KHCPL Main

Saundra Mitchell, author of The Vespertine (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011) and Shadowed Summer (Random House, 2009) will be at the KHCPL Main at 220 N. Union St. Sunday, September 18^th from 2:30-4:30 P.M. for a book signing, talk, and question and answer session.

Join us for an exciting afternoon while we chat with award-winning young adult (YA) author Saundra Mitchell. She will talk about her books and the writing experience, and will answer questions from the audience.

The Vespertine is the story of a teen girl who discovers she has an unusual ability to see the future while visiting relatives in 1889 Baltimore.  It is a gripping piece of historical fiction and fantasy.  It is a 2011 Amazon Summer Reading List Selection and received excellent reviews from VOYA and Kirkus.  A spinoff novel, The Springsweet, will be published on April 17, 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Shadowed Summer was a 2009 ALAN pick, a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, and a 2010 Edgar Nominee for Best YA Mystery.  Shadowed Summer takes place in the small town of Ondine, Louisiana.  Fourteen-year-old Iris uncovers family secrets when she conjures up the ghost of a boy missing for decades and decides to solve the mystery of his disappearance




Saundra Mitchell resides in Indianapolis.  I attended a couple of her signings in Indy and she is an excellent speaker.  She can talk about writing and publishing as well as about her experiences in the process of getting her novel published.  This is an excellent opportunity for teens to meet a published author and ask questions.  I hope you will pass this information on to your students.

You may bring books to have signed or purchase books at the event.  Hardcovers of The Vespertine will be $14 and paperbacks of Shadowed Summer  will be $7.  Cash only please.

Coming Soon:

Book Review: Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Saundra Mitchell is an Indiana author.  To find out more about Saundra and her writing visit her website, Making Stuff Up For A Living.  The library owns both her first book, Shadowed Summer and her newest book that just came out on 3/07/11 The Vespertine.  Get your holds in now for The Vespertine.  This book is too good to miss!

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the Summer of 1889 Amelia van den Broek leaves her country home in Maine to spend a season with her cousins the Stewarts in Baltimore. There she will attend dinners, go calling, and even attend balls where she hopes to find a suitable husband. But as the sun sets Amelia finds more than she ever hoped for, for in the vespers she sees the future. At first intrigued and excited by this new power, Amelia is an immediate sensation, but as her darkest predictions begin to come true those she loves and trusts begin to turn on her. In a world where the slightest misstep can lead to ruin, Amelia walks a fine line between the other world and a love that is unacceptable.

I couldn't put this one down. Saundra Mitchell pulls you into the late 1800s with sounds, settings, and tea services. The novel felt so authentic that I felt like I was right there gossiping with the girls in their tight corsets at teas, dinners, and balls. She leaves you on the edge of your seat as the girl flaunt and tease with propriety knowing that if they were caught it would be ruin.

The characters in this novel are exceptionally well developed. Amelia, who doesn't understand her powers, is at once both excited by and afraid of them. The visions at first positive have a dark side that frightens her. When she meets Nathaniel, he excites her in ways she has never known before, unfortunately he is below her station and not an acceptable match for a well bred girl like her. Zora is a city girl who loves Thomas Rea who just happens to be at the very edge of what is considered a suitable match. Other characters come and go, and all hold your interest.

What I loved about this book was its authenticity. It felt like I was stepping back in time. It pulled me in and kept me reading. I had to know what happened next--every little detail. In a word, it was magic.

Overall, a great historical fiction novel with a touch of the paranormal. A book too good to miss!

Cautions for sensitive readers: Mild violence, but very clean otherwise. A good choice for those looking for novels with paranormal aspects that are also clean reads.



View all my reviews