Guest Post: A YA Author’s Guide to Holiday Gift Giving by Sharon Huss Roat

Title: Between the Notes

Author: Sharon Huss Roat
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 382

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

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A YA Author’s Guide to Holiday Gift Giving

by Sharon Huss Roat

Books for everyone this year! (Seriously. Go to one store and find something for every single person on your list. How awesome is that?) To make your shopping easier, I’ve put together a few suggestions:

For teen girls who love to read: BETWEEN THE NOTES by Sharon Huss Roat (ahem, moi.) People are saying it’s “unputdownable” and “stunning” and “the best book you’ll ever read” (okay, I may have made up that last one). My neighbor really liked it, though, and she’s a teenage girl.

For teen boys who love to read: Also BETWEEN THE NOTES! Girls read about boys all the time, yet boys are somehow expected to read only “boy books?” That’s just wrong, folks. Boys need to read about girls, too. And they would if y’all would stop telling them, “That’s a girl book.” I am not the first to say it: There are no boy books or girl books, just books.

For teens who feel misunderstood: You’ll never believe this, but Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) actually suggested BETWEEN THE NOTES for just those readers. They wrote, “Teens who feel misunderstood by their parents or their friends, and feel slighted by the world at large, will find a true champion in Ivy.” What can I say? This is getting embarrassing. 

For anyone who likes music: Did you happen to notice the piano keys in the window on the cover of BETWEEN THE NOTES? In addition to playing the piano, Ivy also makes friends with a badass clarinet player, listens to Swedish death metal with the boy next door, and fights off an ‘80s playlist with Broadway show tunes! What more could a music-loving reader want?

If one book is not enough for the avid readers on your list, please be advised that BETWEEN THE NOTES pairs up nicely with any number of other YA novels. Here are few of my favorite reads of 2015 that would also make amazing gifts:

DENTON LITTLE’S DEATH DATE by Lance Rubin

THE ONE THING by Marci Lyn Curtis

A SENSE OF THE INFINITE by Hilary T. Smith

THE SACRED LIES OF MINNOW BLY by Stephanie Oakes

HONOR GIRL by Maggie Thrash

UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee

A WORK OF ART by Melody Maysonet

Happy holidays!

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About the Author:

Sharon Huss Roat lives in Delaware with her husband and two kids. When not writing books for young adults, you might find her reading (YA of course), planting vegetables in her backyard garden, or sewing costumes for a school musical. BETWEEN THE NOTES is her first novel.

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