New Releases by Kat Spears

“In this necessary tale grappling with some of the prickly parts of life—mental health, loss, friendship—Spears proves once again that she''s a master, not just of the teenage voice, but also of carefully crafting stories with both heart and teeth. Stories that bond themselves to readers and live with them—in them—far after the last page.” —Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Stamped and Long Way Down A teen confronts his feelings about his father’s death, his new family, and the girl next door in this emotional young adult novel from critically-acclaimed author Kat Spears Dane Riley’s grasp on reality is slipping, and he’s not sure that he cares. While his mother has moved on after his father’s death, Dane desperately misses the man who made Dane feel okay to be himself. He can’t stand his mother’s boyfriend, or the boyfriend’s son, whose favorite pastime is tormenting Dane. Then there’s the girl next door: Dane can’t quite define their relationship, and he doesn’t know if he’s got the courage to leave the friend zone. An emotional novel about mental health, and dealing with grief and growing up, The Tragedy of Dane Riley is the story of a teenager looking to make sense of his feelings in the wake of tragedy, and finding the strength he needs to make life worth living.

A use of narrative and biographical history to describe how economic creolization developed French Louisiana.

Luke Grayson’s life might as well be over when he’s sent to live with his Baptist pastor father in rural Tennessee after getting kicked out of his DC private school. His soulless stepmother is none too pleased to have him, and Luke’s bad boy status has done him no favors with his new principal or the local police chief. He’s also an easy target for Grant Parker, the local golden boy with a violent streak, who has the community of Ashland under his thumb and Luke directly in his crosshairs. But things go topsy-turvy when, after a freak accident, Luke replaces Grant at the top of the social pyramid. This fish out of water has suddenly gone from social outcast to hero in a matter of twenty-four hours. For the students who have lived in fear of Grant all their lives, this is a welcome change. But Luke’s newfound fame comes with a price. Nobody knows the truth about what really happened to Grant Parker except for Luke, and the longer he keeps living the lie, the more like Grant he becomes. Kat Spears returns with this explosive coming of age story that explores not only the labels put on us by society, but the labels we put on ourselves, and the work it takes to find out who we really are underneath all the lies.

Un esordio esilarante e intenso Jesse Alderman, detto Sgaggio, è all’ultimo anno delle superiori e riuscirebbe a vendere sabbia nel deserto. È anche bravissimo a trovare ciò di cui la gente ha bisogno: compiti di fine semestre, un appuntamento con la reginetta della scuola, documenti contraffatti. Ha pochi amici e non si lascia mai ostacolare dalle emozioni. Per Jesse, la vita è soltanto una serie di transazioni d’affari. Ma quando Ken Foster, capitano della squadra di football e stronzo a tutto tondo ingaggia Jesse per aiutarlo a conquistare il cuore dell’angelica Bridget Smalley, Jesse si ritrova a provare tutta una serie di emozioni. Seguendo Bridget e imparando i dettagli più privati della sua vita, si innamora per la primissima volta. Stringe anche amicizia con il fratello minore di Bridget, un ragazzo aggressivo, diffidente e colpito da disturbi motori. Jesse inizia così a far visita agli anziani nelle case di riposo per incontrare Bridget, a offrire aiuto ai meno fortunati e ad affezionarsi al ragazzino che lo idolatra. E se l’uomo di latta avesse un cuore, in fondo? Una sorta di Cyrano de Bergerac moderno, Un cuore di pietra è raccontato dal punto di vista di Jesse in modo schietto e divertente, con le sue ciniche osservazioni sul mondo. Jesse sarà costretto ad affrontare il dolore che cova per un evento accaduto un anno prima e forse, ma solo forse, riuscirà a provare di nuovo dei sentimenti. Kat Spears Scrive di personaggi belli e imperfetti. Se cercate soltanto il lieto fine, non è l’autrice per voi. Scrittrice, barista, madre di tre bambini e a quanto pare l’unica persona al mondo che legge nella doccia. Autrice di Un cuore di pietra, Breakaway e di un terzo romanzo in uscita.

When Jason Marshall''s younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates—Mario, Jordie, and Chick—to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who''s not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick. Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold onto the friendships he has always relied on. A witty and emotionally moving tale of friendship, first love, and loss, Breakaway is Kat Spears at her finest.

Jesse erledigt alles – für Geld! Drogen verticken, Prüfungen fälschen, Losern zu einem Date verhelfen, alles kein Problem. Der Rest ist irrelevant. Denn Jesses Mutter ist tot, sein Vater eine Null und die Welt ein Ort, an dem man sich besser nicht zu viele Gedanken macht. Als der Footballkapitän und ausgemachte Idiot Ken Jesse 200 Dollar bietet, damit er ihn mit der engelsgleichen Bridget verkuppelt, stimmt also der Preis. Doch der Auftrag ist heikel: Jesse muss sich ins Altersheim schmuggeln, einen Opa »borgen« und sich auch noch mit Bridgets behindertem Bruder Pete anfreunden, um einen Blick hinter die perfekte Fassade dieses Mädchens zu erhaschen. Was dabei herauskommt? Bridget ist tatsächlich perfekt und Jesse hoffnungslos in sie verliebt ...

"Una historia de amor poco convencional que adapta Cyrano de Bergerac a nuestros tiempos. Él tiene el corazón de piedra. Ella es toda corazón. Pero quizá no sean tan distintos como creen. Se llama Jesse Alderman, alias Sway, y te puede conseguir lo que necesites: un trabajo de sobresaliente, un carnet de identidad falso, una cita con la chica que te gusta ... Sí, Jesse tiene influencias, aunque carezca de verdaderos amigos. No confía en nadie y tiene razones para ello, pero no se las preguntes porque no te las dirá. Está decidido a no pensar, a no sentir. Lo tiene Todo bajo control. O lo tenía, hasta que lo contratan para que le robe el corazón a la chica más codiciada del instituto, la dulce Bridget Smalley para entregárselo a otro. Con grandes dosis de ironía y unos personajes tan reales que es imposible no identificarse con ellos, "Un corazón de piedra" recoge el motivo de Cyrano de Bergerac para darle un giro absolutamente contemporáneo. Una historia sobre amistad, amor y autodescubrimiento tan ácida como deliciosa"--Casadellibro.

A YALSA 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick In Kat Spears''s hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he''s known, could sell hell to a bishop. He also specializes in getting things people want---term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs. He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way. For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions. But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming king, and all-around jerk, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things. While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the very first time. He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget''s belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him. Could the tin man really have a heart after all? A Cyrano de Bergerac story with a modern twist, Sway is told from Jesse''s point of view with unapologetic truth and biting humor, his observations about the world around him untempered by empathy or compassion---until Bridget''s presence in his life forces him to confront his quiet devastation over a life-changing event a year earlier and maybe, just maybe, feel something again.

Richmond boasts a long, rich history--early-17th-century English exploration, the 18th-century economic and philosophical road to the American Revolution, the center of the domestic slave trade in the 19th century, and the capital of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Much of Richmond''s history reflects a national history, and its important landmarks span several centuries, ranging from historic cemeteries to iconic buildings to grand-scale monuments. While these landmarks of national significance are a great draw for visitors, many of the city''s lesser-known landmarks are a great source of local pride and provide a strong sense of place for Richmond natives and residents. Utilizing the historic prints, photographs, and documents collection of the Library of Virginia, Richmond Landmarks explores some of the most iconic landmarks of the city''s social and cultural history.