"Waiting On" Wednesday #31: Virals, A Tale Dark & Grimm, Crossing Over, Hunger & Dash & Lily's Book of Dares!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

So, this week's my-can't-wait-to-read choices are:

 

 

 

Virals

by

Kathy Reichs

Publication date:

November 2, 2010

 

 

Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage 'sci-philes' who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.
As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot - if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.
Fortunately, they are now more than friends - they're a pack. They are Virals.

 

 

 

A Tale Dark & Grimm

 by 

Adam Gidwitz

 

Publication date:

October 28, 2010

 

 

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.
Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.

 

 

 

Crossing Over

by

Anna Kendall

 

Publication date:

October 14, 2010

 

 

Roger Kilbourne has the ability to 'cross over' into the land of the dead and speak with its residents. It is a startling gift, and not a pleasant one. Roger manages to escape his brutal uncle, who has exploited his talents for years; after he gets a job in the palace laundry, he thinks he will be safe. Instead, there are worse dangers. First, he falls hopelessly in love with the bewitching, willful Lady Cecilia; next, he is pulled into the midst of life-threatening court intigue. Soon Roger is using his gift as a way to get the life he dreams of - even if it means bringing the dead back to the land of the living.

 

 

 

 

Hunger

by

Jackie Morse Kessler

 

Publication date:

October 18, 2010

 

 

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she's been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home--her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power--and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

 

 

 

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

by 

Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Publication date:

October 26, 2010

 

 

'I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please.'

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.