Indie Next Picks!

Congratulations to all the authors on the Winter 2011 Kids’ Indie Next List, but especially to kt literary clients Maureen Johnson, Matthew Cody, and Stephanie Perkins!

Maureen’s The Name of the Star is #8 on the Top Ten list, with this great blurb:

Louisiana teen Rory Deveaux arrives in London to attend Wexford Academy just as a series of Jack the Ripper copycat murders grips the city. Rory may hold the key to finding the murderer. A ghost story with a twist, this is sophisticated and sassy, with more than enough suspense to keep you madly turning pages. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thanks, Joanne R. Fritz of Chester County Book & Music Company, West Chester, PA!

Matt’s The Dead Gentleman is a pick on the Ages 9-12 list, with this write-up from Ellen Klein of Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, VA:

This fantastic time-travel tale with a scary twist is great for reading with a flashlight under your bedcovers! While exploring the mysterious basement of a New York City hotel, 12-year-old Jezebel Lemon encounters the ‘ghost’ of Tommy Learner, a time-traveler from the 19th century. Together, they must thwart the evil Dead Gentleman, who wants to kill every living thing on Earth. Their desperate mission takes them to places you can only begin to imagine!

And last, but certainly not least, more love on the Teen list for Steph’s Lola and the Boy Next Door, with this fun blurb from Jenny Cohen of Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, OR:

Familiar characters Anna and St. Clair appear in this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss. Lola, who wears outrageous, fun outfits, thinks she has the perfect life with her family and hot rocker boyfriend. But then her old next door neighbors, the Bell twins, move back into their house. Cricket Bell, ‘the boy next door,’ was one of her good friends growing up, and Lola finally has to deal with her feelings for him. As in her previous novel, Perkins accurately describes what it is like to be a teenager and the angst of figuring out a relationship.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m using this list as a great source of ideas for Christmas presents!