Tash Hearts Tolstoy

Tash Hearts Tolstoy
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2017-06-06
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1481489356

From the author of Lucky Few comes a “refreshing” (Booklist, starred review) teen novel about Internet fame, peer pressure, and remembering not to step on the little people on your way to the top! After a shout-out from one of the internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka suddenly finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust in the limelight: She’s gone viral. Her show is a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the 40,000 new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr gifs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever. And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with a fellow award nominee suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual. Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

Lucky Few

Lucky Few
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2016-06-07
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1481455303

In the tradition of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl comes a hilarious, madcap, and “quirky novel” (School Library Journal) about a group of oddball teens struggling to find themselves when facing their own mortality. The life of homeschooler Stevie Hart gets all shook up when she meets Max, a strange boy who survived a freak near-fatal accident and is now obsessed with death. He enlists her and her best friend, Sanger, to help him complete his absurd “23 Ways to Fake My Death Without Dying” checklist. What starts off as fun begins spiraling downward when Stevie’s diabetes sabotages her fumbling romance with Max, Sanger announces she’s moving out of state, and then death—real death—cuts a little too close to home.

The Great Unknowable End

The Great Unknowable End
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2019-02-19
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1534420525

“Unlike any book I’ve read.” —David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik “Breathtakingly imaginative and ambitious; dazzlingly beautiful and profound.” —Jeff Zentner, Morris Award–winning author of The Serpent King “A coming-of-age novel like no other.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces From the author of Tash Hearts Tolstoy comes a funny, moving novel about the lengths we’ll go to make our dreams come true that’s perfect for fans of Shaun David Hutchinson and Rainbow Rowell. Slater, Kansas, is a small town where not much seems to happen. Stella dreams of being a space engineer. After Stella’s mom dies by suicide and her brother runs off to Red Sun, the local hippie commune, Stella is forced to bring her dreams down to earth to care for her sister, Jill. Galliard has only ever known life inside Red Sun. There, people accept his tics, his Tourette’s. But when he’s denied Red Sun’s resident artist role, which he’d believed he was destined for, he starts to imagine a life beyond the gates of the compound... The day Stella and Galliard meet, there is something in the air in their small town. Literally. So begin weeks of pink lightning, blood red rain, unexplained storms...And a countdown clock appears mysteriously above the town hall. With time ticking down to some great unknowable end they’ll each have to make a choice. If this is really the end of the world, who do they want to be when they face it?

Tash Hearts Tolstoy

Tash Hearts Tolstoy
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2017-06-06
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 148148933X

Fame and success come at a cost for Natasha "Tash" Zelenka when she creates the web series "Unhappy Families," a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina--written by Tash's eternal love Leo Tolstoy.

The Water and the Wild

The Water and the Wild
Author: K.E. Ormsbee
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 473
Release: 2015-04-14
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1452130566

A green apple tree grows in the heart of Thirsby Square, and tangled up in its magical roots is the story of Lottie Fiske. For as long as Lottie can remember, the only people who seem to care about her are her best friend, Eliot, and the mysterious letter writer who sends her birthday gifts. But now strange things are happening on the island Lottie calls home, and Eliot's getting sicker, with a disease the doctors have given up trying to cure. Lottie is helpless, useless, powerless—until a door opens in the apple tree. Follow Lottie down through the roots to another world in pursuit of the impossible: a cure for the incurable, a use for the useless, and protection against the pain of loss.

The Sullivan Sisters

The Sullivan Sisters
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2020-06-23
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 153442055X

From the author of the “intense coming-of-age story” (School Library Connection) The Great Unknowable End and the “beyond refreshing…irreverent” (Booklist, starred review) Tash Hearts Tolstoy comes an introspective, atmospheric novel about sisterhood, coming-of-age, and learning that it’s never too late to reconnect with those you love. Time changes things. That painful fact of life couldn’t be truer for the Sullivan sisters. Once, they used to be close, sharing secrets inside homemade blanket castles. Now, life in the Sullivan house means closed doors and secrets left untold. Fourteen-year-old Murphy, an aspiring magician, is shocked by the death of Siegfried, her pet turtle. Seventeen-year-old Claire is bound for better things than her Oregonian hometown—until she receives a crushing rejection from her dream college. And eighteen-year-old Eileen is nursing a growing addiction in the wake of life-altering news. Then, days before Christmas, a letter arrives, informing the sisters of a dead uncle and an inheritance they knew nothing about. The news forces them to band together in the face of a sinister family mystery…and, possibly, murder. The Sullivan Sisters is an unforgettable novel about the ghosts of the past, the power of connection, and the bonds of sisterhood.

Growing Pangs

Growing Pangs
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2022-05-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593301315

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR Introducing an irresistibly relatable graphic novel about friendship and growing up, "an excellent companion to Raina Telgemeier's Guts and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends series."—Booklist, Starred Review New Friends. New grade. New worries? Katie's always felt different. She's homeschooled, she has freckles, and her teeth are really crooked. But none of these things matter to Kacey. They’re best friends forever—just like their necklaces say. But when they go to summer camp, Kacey starts acting weird. What happened to the “forever”? And when Katie gets home, she can’t stop worrying. About getting braces. About 6th grade. About friends. She knows tapping three times or opening and closing a drawer won’t make everything better . . . but sometimes it helps stop the worrying. Is something wrong with her?

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Publisher: Clarion Books
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2019
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1328635198

Living with her aunt's family in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for a few months before turning eighteen and starting college, Edie is torn between Sebastian, the boy next door, and playboy Henry.--

Candidly Cline

Candidly Cline
Author: Kathryn Ormsbee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0063060019

A must-read for fans of Julie Murphy and Ashley Herring Blake, this queer coming-of-age story from critically acclaimed author Kathryn Ormsbee sings with heart, warmth, and hope. Born in Paris, Kentucky, and raised on her gram’s favorite country music, Cline Alden is a girl with big dreams and a heart full of song. When she finds out about a young musicians’ workshop a few towns over, Cline sweet-talks, saves, and maybe fibs her way into her first step toward musical stardom. But her big dreams never prepared her for the butterflies she feels surrounded by so many other talented kids—especially Sylvie, who gives Cline the type of butterflies she’s only ever heard about in love songs. As she learns to make music of her own, Cline begins to realize how much of herself she’s been holding back. But now, there’s a new song taking shape in her heart—if only she can find her voice and sing it. “Empowering, affirming, and sweet as all get-out.” —Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll, Please

That's Not What Happened

That's Not What Happened
Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2018-08-28
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 133818654X

From New York Times bestseller Kody Keplinger comes an astonishing and thought-provoking exploration of the aftermath of tragedy, the power of narrative, and how we remember what we've lost. It's been three years since the Virgil County High School Massacre. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall during the mass shooting. Everyone knows Sarah's story--that she died proclaiming her faith. But it's not true. I know because I was with her when she died. I didn't say anything then, and people got hurt because of it. Now Sarah's parents are publishing a book about her, so this might be my last chance to set the record straight . . . but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did--and didn't--happen that day. Except Sarah's martyrdom is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. And the more I learn, the less certain I am about what's right. I don't know what will be worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up . . .