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young adult novels
by carol plum-ucci
by carol plum-ucci
 |
Streams of Babel, Harcourt, May 2008
In a New Jersey suburb, two women die of brain aneurysms within twenty-
four hours--events that cause the government to suspect that a terrorist cell
has unleashed a deadly biochemical agent. With each glass of water they
drink, the people of Trinity Falls are poisoning themselves.
A world away in Pakistan, a sixteen-year-old computer genius working as a
virtual spy for the United States sees an influx of chatter from extremists
about a substance they call Red Vinegar that will lead to many deaths in
Colony One. Can he warn the victims before it's too late?
A Printz Honor Award winner and two-time Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist,
Carol Plum-Ucci explores disturbing new terrain in this riveting novel that
examines the heroes and victims involved in a terrifying act of bioterrorism.
Critical Reviews
"This is a story about the threat of bioterrorism as seen through the eyes of
the generation that will grow up with it as a reality, not just as a fictional
bogeyman. The teens are the focus here, all excellent character studies
drawn adeptly with few words. The swift pace grabs the reader right from
the start, with a page-turning intensity. Plum-Ucci takes the incredible and
makes it all too believable." -- Kirkus Review (starred review)
The Night My Sister Went Missing, November 2006
A tiny pistol, passed from friend to friend at a party on an abandoned pier,
suddenly fires, and Casey Carmody falls into the water below. Kurt, Casey's
older brother, endures a seemingly endless night at the police station while
the coast guard searches for his sister and his friends are questioned, one
by one.
Who was foolish enough to pull the trigger? Was the gunfire accidental or
deliberate? Or was the whole drama one of Casey's practical jokes? And
where is Casey--or her body--now?
Dark secrets are revealed and petty jealousies rear their ugly heads as each
eyewitness comes to the questioning room with his or her own version of
"the truth."
Critical Reviews
"Engrossing... Fans of the author's novels or crime fiction in general will
welcome this addition to the genre. -- School Library Journal
"Plum-Ucci can tell a heck of a story... readers will be turning pages as new
information is dispensed in each chapter, moving and changing the story in
unexpected ways. They'll race to the ending and won't guess it until they get
there. -- Booklist
The She, Harcourt, September 2003
Eight years ago, on a rainy night in November, Evan Barrett's parents were
lost at sea as a panicked Evan listened to their frantic Mayday calls on a ship-
to-shore radio. There was no way to save them, no way to explain the
deafening shrieks behind his mother's cries for mercy. Now, Evan has
returned to his home in West Hook to search for answers to his parents'
disappearance. Were they swallowed up by The She, the angry she-devil of
legend that devours ships off the New Jersey coast? Or was it something
else? Something more tangible but equally unthinkable?
Critical Reviews
“Few authors can combine the elements of supernatural possibilities and
mystery detection without making their own bias known, yet Plum-Ucci
manages to keep readers balanced on a see-saw between rationality and
the powers of the dark.” -- Kirkus Review
"Plot, character development, and action sequences all seamlessly gel into
an intriguing and structurally sound mystery novel...the author has created a
moody, spooky page-turner that juggles profound philosophical debate with
the everyday tribulations..." -- School Library Journal
"Plum-Ucci's talent for blending the supernatural and scientific worlds makes
her the literary heir of Madeleine L'Engle." -- Voice Of Youth Advocate
(VOYA)
“The twisting story…will grip readers--even those who may not be
interested in the well-researched seafaring details that add color and
depth…exciting adventure, which hardly gives readers a moment to take a
breath." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Logic and myth collide when...Plum-Ucci pulls her readers into a whirlpool of
sea-faring superstition and gives them only a captain's prayer to take with
them as The She begins to shriek again." -- Kliatt
“This thought-provoking page turner will leave teens questioning the meaning
of intuition, the definition of truth, and the often slim line between superstition
and faith.” -- Amazon
What Happened to Lani Garver, Harcourt, September 2002
The close-knit residents of Hackett Island have never seen anyone quite like
Lani Garver. Everything about this new kid is a mystery: Where does Lani
come from? How old is Lani? And most disturbing of all, is Lani a boy or a
girl?
Claire McKenzie isn't up to tormenting Lani with the rest of the high school
elite. Instead, she befriends the intriguing outcast. But within days of Lani's
arrival, tragedy strikes and Claire must deal with shattered friendships and
personal demons--and the possibility that angels may exist on earth.
Critical Reviews
”Outstanding writing, strong characterization, and riveting plot development
make this title rise above many recent coming-of-age stories.” -- School
Library Journal
“The characterizations are superb, from Claire's troubles to her over-the-top
friends' shallow concerns to Lani's fierce individualism and his artsy, eclectic
city friends. The hint of supernatural only adds to the appeal. Successfully
raising many valid issues, this should appeal to teens from the popular to the
marginalized.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“… this taut, provocative novel… exerts a sure grip, commanding the
imagination well past the final page.” -- Publishers Weekly
“Crystalline characterizations mean even the briefest portraits are richly
drawn, and Claire herself is a reliable, stubbornly honest narrator. The
relationships in this novel--between Claire and Lani, Claire and Macy, parent
and child, doctor and patient--are eminently believable, and the result of the
extreme homophobia of the island locals is no less horrifying for being
predictable. "Recommended" rating.” -- The Bulletin of the Center for
Children's Books
“Reading this novel is like listening to one of you most insightful friends talk—
it’s that gripping.” -- YM Magazine
“Carol Plum-Ucci raises tantalizing questions around a fascinating character
in this gut-clenching story that transcends the clichés of the gay-bashing
novel.” -- Amazon
The Body of Christopher Creed, Harcourt, May 2000
Steepleton could have dealt with a runaway, a suicide, an abduction, or
even a murder. Other towns survive them. But the thing about Chris Creed's
disapearance is that he was just plain gone.
Chris Creed grew up as the class freak-the bullies' punching bag. After he
vanished, the weirdness that had once surrounded him began spreading. It
was as if a darkness reached out of his void to grab at the most normal,
happy people-like some twisted joke or demented form of justice. It tore the
town appart.
For sixteen-year-old Torey Adams, Creed's disapearance becomes a major
turning point in his privileged and sheltered life. The only apparent clue-a
cryptic e-mail message written twenty-four hours before Chris turned up
missing-draws Torey into the mystery and sets him on a path filled with
terror and pain. In his search for the truth, Torey slowly discovers that some
mysteries are not meant to be solved-they are simply meant to overcome.
Critical Reviews
“The mystery of Chris's disappearance and the intriguing characters here
will pull readers in; this is a gripping tale, with realistic, sometimes profane
dialogue. An exceptionally strong first novel, by an author worth watching.”
-- Kliatt
“...a complex, credible look at alienation, compassion, loyalty, and cruelty
among young and other adults.” -- Bulletin of the Center for Childrens
Books
“First-time novelist Plum-Ucci wraps a well-crafted mystery… builds to a
fever pitch near the conclusion, vividly describing Torey's late-night hunt for
Chris's body in a nearby Indian burial ground. Readers will likely be
enthralled.”
-- Publisher's Weekly
“This is a journey of understanding in the tradition of Cormier and the early
Zindel, as well as a taut mystery-thriller. Journalist and first-time novelist
Plum-Ucci writes hard and well.” -- Children’s Literature
“Despite the fact that Christopher Creed is a character never really "seen" in
the novel, readers will come to know him and to care about him through the
author's deft characterization… Conversations sound as if they were
recorded in any high school hallway. The open-ended conclusion will have
readers talking and discussing long after reading.” -- Voya
“This fast-paced, compelling, and suspenseful novel is a powerful coming-of-
age story, and an eye-opening account of how preconceived notions can
lead people to relate to each other in a negative and unjustifiable manner.”
-- Barnes & Noble
In a New Jersey suburb, two women die of brain aneurysms within twenty-
four hours--events that cause the government to suspect that a terrorist cell
has unleashed a deadly biochemical agent. With each glass of water they
drink, the people of Trinity Falls are poisoning themselves.
A world away in Pakistan, a sixteen-year-old computer genius working as a
virtual spy for the United States sees an influx of chatter from extremists
about a substance they call Red Vinegar that will lead to many deaths in
Colony One. Can he warn the victims before it's too late?
A Printz Honor Award winner and two-time Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist,
Carol Plum-Ucci explores disturbing new terrain in this riveting novel that
examines the heroes and victims involved in a terrifying act of bioterrorism.
Critical Reviews
"This is a story about the threat of bioterrorism as seen through the eyes of
the generation that will grow up with it as a reality, not just as a fictional
bogeyman. The teens are the focus here, all excellent character studies
drawn adeptly with few words. The swift pace grabs the reader right from
the start, with a page-turning intensity. Plum-Ucci takes the incredible and
makes it all too believable." -- Kirkus Review (starred review)
The Night My Sister Went Missing, November 2006
A tiny pistol, passed from friend to friend at a party on an abandoned pier,
suddenly fires, and Casey Carmody falls into the water below. Kurt, Casey's
older brother, endures a seemingly endless night at the police station while
the coast guard searches for his sister and his friends are questioned, one
by one.
Who was foolish enough to pull the trigger? Was the gunfire accidental or
deliberate? Or was the whole drama one of Casey's practical jokes? And
where is Casey--or her body--now?
Dark secrets are revealed and petty jealousies rear their ugly heads as each
eyewitness comes to the questioning room with his or her own version of
"the truth."
Critical Reviews
"Engrossing... Fans of the author's novels or crime fiction in general will
welcome this addition to the genre. -- School Library Journal
"Plum-Ucci can tell a heck of a story... readers will be turning pages as new
information is dispensed in each chapter, moving and changing the story in
unexpected ways. They'll race to the ending and won't guess it until they get
there. -- Booklist
The She, Harcourt, September 2003
Eight years ago, on a rainy night in November, Evan Barrett's parents were
lost at sea as a panicked Evan listened to their frantic Mayday calls on a ship-
to-shore radio. There was no way to save them, no way to explain the
deafening shrieks behind his mother's cries for mercy. Now, Evan has
returned to his home in West Hook to search for answers to his parents'
disappearance. Were they swallowed up by The She, the angry she-devil of
legend that devours ships off the New Jersey coast? Or was it something
else? Something more tangible but equally unthinkable?
Critical Reviews
“Few authors can combine the elements of supernatural possibilities and
mystery detection without making their own bias known, yet Plum-Ucci
manages to keep readers balanced on a see-saw between rationality and
the powers of the dark.” -- Kirkus Review
"Plot, character development, and action sequences all seamlessly gel into
an intriguing and structurally sound mystery novel...the author has created a
moody, spooky page-turner that juggles profound philosophical debate with
the everyday tribulations..." -- School Library Journal
"Plum-Ucci's talent for blending the supernatural and scientific worlds makes
her the literary heir of Madeleine L'Engle." -- Voice Of Youth Advocate
(VOYA)
“The twisting story…will grip readers--even those who may not be
interested in the well-researched seafaring details that add color and
depth…exciting adventure, which hardly gives readers a moment to take a
breath." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Logic and myth collide when...Plum-Ucci pulls her readers into a whirlpool of
sea-faring superstition and gives them only a captain's prayer to take with
them as The She begins to shriek again." -- Kliatt
“This thought-provoking page turner will leave teens questioning the meaning
of intuition, the definition of truth, and the often slim line between superstition
and faith.” -- Amazon
What Happened to Lani Garver, Harcourt, September 2002
The close-knit residents of Hackett Island have never seen anyone quite like
Lani Garver. Everything about this new kid is a mystery: Where does Lani
come from? How old is Lani? And most disturbing of all, is Lani a boy or a
girl?
Claire McKenzie isn't up to tormenting Lani with the rest of the high school
elite. Instead, she befriends the intriguing outcast. But within days of Lani's
arrival, tragedy strikes and Claire must deal with shattered friendships and
personal demons--and the possibility that angels may exist on earth.
Critical Reviews
”Outstanding writing, strong characterization, and riveting plot development
make this title rise above many recent coming-of-age stories.” -- School
Library Journal
“The characterizations are superb, from Claire's troubles to her over-the-top
friends' shallow concerns to Lani's fierce individualism and his artsy, eclectic
city friends. The hint of supernatural only adds to the appeal. Successfully
raising many valid issues, this should appeal to teens from the popular to the
marginalized.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“… this taut, provocative novel… exerts a sure grip, commanding the
imagination well past the final page.” -- Publishers Weekly
“Crystalline characterizations mean even the briefest portraits are richly
drawn, and Claire herself is a reliable, stubbornly honest narrator. The
relationships in this novel--between Claire and Lani, Claire and Macy, parent
and child, doctor and patient--are eminently believable, and the result of the
extreme homophobia of the island locals is no less horrifying for being
predictable. "Recommended" rating.” -- The Bulletin of the Center for
Children's Books
“Reading this novel is like listening to one of you most insightful friends talk—
it’s that gripping.” -- YM Magazine
“Carol Plum-Ucci raises tantalizing questions around a fascinating character
in this gut-clenching story that transcends the clichés of the gay-bashing
novel.” -- Amazon
The Body of Christopher Creed, Harcourt, May 2000
Steepleton could have dealt with a runaway, a suicide, an abduction, or
even a murder. Other towns survive them. But the thing about Chris Creed's
disapearance is that he was just plain gone.
Chris Creed grew up as the class freak-the bullies' punching bag. After he
vanished, the weirdness that had once surrounded him began spreading. It
was as if a darkness reached out of his void to grab at the most normal,
happy people-like some twisted joke or demented form of justice. It tore the
town appart.
For sixteen-year-old Torey Adams, Creed's disapearance becomes a major
turning point in his privileged and sheltered life. The only apparent clue-a
cryptic e-mail message written twenty-four hours before Chris turned up
missing-draws Torey into the mystery and sets him on a path filled with
terror and pain. In his search for the truth, Torey slowly discovers that some
mysteries are not meant to be solved-they are simply meant to overcome.
Critical Reviews
“The mystery of Chris's disappearance and the intriguing characters here
will pull readers in; this is a gripping tale, with realistic, sometimes profane
dialogue. An exceptionally strong first novel, by an author worth watching.”
-- Kliatt
“...a complex, credible look at alienation, compassion, loyalty, and cruelty
among young and other adults.” -- Bulletin of the Center for Childrens
Books
“First-time novelist Plum-Ucci wraps a well-crafted mystery… builds to a
fever pitch near the conclusion, vividly describing Torey's late-night hunt for
Chris's body in a nearby Indian burial ground. Readers will likely be
enthralled.”
-- Publisher's Weekly
“This is a journey of understanding in the tradition of Cormier and the early
Zindel, as well as a taut mystery-thriller. Journalist and first-time novelist
Plum-Ucci writes hard and well.” -- Children’s Literature
“Despite the fact that Christopher Creed is a character never really "seen" in
the novel, readers will come to know him and to care about him through the
author's deft characterization… Conversations sound as if they were
recorded in any high school hallway. The open-ended conclusion will have
readers talking and discussing long after reading.” -- Voya
“This fast-paced, compelling, and suspenseful novel is a powerful coming-of-
age story, and an eye-opening account of how preconceived notions can
lead people to relate to each other in a negative and unjustifiable manner.”
-- Barnes & Noble
| Copyright © 2007-08 Carol Plum-Ucci. All Rights Reserved. |
| New Release! |
