Monday, January 20, 2014

SORRY YOU'RE LOST by Matt Blackstone, Giveaway

Happy Monday! I'm thrilled to feature an upcoming release that's receiving a great book buzz. Though I've not yet read the book, I hear SORRY YOU'RE LOST a book that will touch all reader's hearts. Thank you to author Matt Blackstone, I've also got an arc to giveaway.

First, here's a little bit about Matt Blackstone's SORRY YOU'RE LOST.


When seventh grader Denny “Donuts” Murphy’s mother dies, he hides his grief in pranks, girls, and classroom rock stardom. Craving a larger distraction, Donuts and his best friend hatch a flabbergasting candy scheme to land dates to an upcoming dance. But dodging teachers, bullies, candy wrappers, and the truth isn’t (entirely) a laughing matter. It’s time to stop playing the fool and find out what more Donuts is made of.
Matt Blackstone’s funny and uplifting novel about friendship, loss, and healing reminds us all that life is good. Except when it’s not. And even then . . . well, as a wise person atop a mountain sipping hot chocolate and eating gourmet candy bars once said, You should read the book.

Purchase the Book from: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Praise

"A painful, funny and realistic picture of a family coming to terms with loss."   
-Kirkus Reviews
"Nothing short of heartbreakingly authentic."
-Booklist

“Blackstone (A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie) returns with a humorous and graceful novel . . . The title refers to a misspelled note of condolence that Denny receives, but it also accurately reflects his state of being, as he flounders with his withdrawn father and his peers.  The novel's middle-school dynamics are particularly strong, especially Denny's relationships with his oddball and entrepreneurial best friend Manny -- who talks like an aristocrat and cons Denny into selling candy in the halls -- and Denny's crush, the studious Sabrina.  Denny and his father’s inability to communicate, despite their shared loss, lends a stark and raw tension that eventually boils to the surface in this poignant account of a boy grappling with a gaping void in his life."    
 -Publishers Weekly

About the Author

   For as long as I can remember, I liked writing stories. In elementary school, they were about tooth fairies and snap bracelets and wrestling buddies. And about how I loved to steal rocks from the neighbor’s front yard and bash them with a hammer to see the crystals inside, which I thought were real crystals and worth bajillions of dollars, so I couldn’t wait to sell them and buy a baseball stadium and a pool and, because I’d be a wise, responsible bijillionaire, I’d invest in baseball cards. Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards.
     Well, Ken Griffey Jr.’s cards are now worth a few bucks. And those rocks, the ones I stole, the ones with the crystals inside . . . they’re just rocks. So I’m sorta glad those stories didn’t come true, because, honestly, it would suck to lose a bajillion dollars.   After not becoming a bajillionaire and losing it all, I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and taught high school English in Baltimore, New York City, and now on Long Island. My debut novel, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE (FSG, 2011), is about an anxiety-filled teen and the friend who tutors him in playing it cool. My next MG novel, SORRY YOU'RE LOST (FSG 2014), is about a 7th grader named Denny "Donuts" Murphy who hatches a flabbergasting candy/dance scheme to distract himself from the loss of his mom to cancer. 

Follow Matt: Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Giveaway:
Thank you to Matt, I've got an ARC of Sorry You're Lost to giveaway to one lucky winner. This giveaway is open to residents of the us. To enter, please fill out the form below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~