Booktalk and a contest!
Nov
26
2010

EDITED: THE WINNER IS SPAV! SPAV – please email me your mailing address and I’ll get the book sent your way!

So this week, my wonderful friend Caridad Ferrer had a book release – When The Stars Go Blue – a fantastic contemporary YA spin on the opera Carmen. Only this time with Soledad, a talented dancer who gets the opportunity to dance with a competitive drum and bugle corps as they perform Carmen over her last summer living at home. In a clever echo – we’ve got Jonathan, the boy she’s totally into and all the sudden, we’ve got Taz, whose appearance turns Soledad’s world upside down.

Now, if you’ve read my blog for any time at all, you know I have a thing about perseverance. About how I think the only road to success in publishing is that “get back up again, damn it” quality after you’ve been knocked down. Caridad’s got that. Like whoa. You can read the tale here, where she details the amazing, and at times heartbreaking story of this book.

Stars is a fabulous book. It’s alive with music and dance – Ferrer’s portrayal of this world is so good. This is stuff I love – music, dancing, the arts in general are great favorites and I fell into Caridad’s writing right away. The way she wrote this world, the way she wrote these characters, each with their own unstoppable drive to succeed in this competitive universe just blew me away. There is an authenticity to how each of these people views their lives and their passions that is so special and really, to me, it’s what makes this book just that one extra bit special. I could read Caridad’s love of the arts on every single page.

And Soledad – how much did I love her as a main character? Smart, driven, competitive without seeming too hard. It’s so difficult to get all that right in a character but Ferrer does it. This is a main character with meat. With guts and drive and even when she stumbles, she doesn’t really lose her way. When The Stars Go Blue is an excellent book. Vivid. Fully of life, music and energy and I totally dug every page.

So how about I give a copy away so one lucky reader can see just how amazing this book is for his or herself?

All you need to do is respond to this post with your favorite book or movie about the arts (can be any of them). I’ll choose a winner on Sunday at 3 pm pacific time. Good luck!

8 comments to “Booktalk and a contest!”

  1. Rachel Riddles
    November 26th, 2010 at 2:36 pm · Link

    I love the movie Center Stage which is about ballet. Instead of casting actors and teaching them to dance they cast actual ballet dancers. I’ll admit the acting isn’t the best, but its a fun movie to watch.



  2. Marlene Breakfield
    November 26th, 2010 at 5:41 pm · Link

    I always enjoyed the show Fame.



  3. Eva SB
    November 26th, 2010 at 10:40 pm · Link

    As a child of the 1980s I have to admit that I was a great fan of Fame!
    As a child I loved the book Ballet Shoes and another one of her books about skating called White Boots



  4. Sabine
    November 27th, 2010 at 4:57 am · Link

    I love poetry, so yes, after I read Inside Out I was very surprised to find it in one of your books too.
    I loved and still love watching Dirty Dancing but I dont think that’s what you ment about art 🙂
    We had a mini ballet series on german tv called Anna but that’s been when I was twelve. I So much loved the show then but I haven’t learnt dancing or ballet my whole life 🙂



  5. Angie
    November 27th, 2010 at 7:25 pm · Link

    My favorite poetry book is “love that dog” by Sharon Creech. I teach elementary school, I love to use that book as a book talk it helps get them interested in writing poetry outside the world of acrostic poetry. 🙂



  6. Spav
    November 27th, 2010 at 7:29 pm · Link

    Does Glee count? I love that show, I think it’s one of the best ones out there.



  7. Ina S.
    November 28th, 2010 at 10:53 am · Link

    honestly, my first thought was Center Stage too – I loved the message behind and it was the beginning for my love for dance movies 🙂



  8. Melissa
    November 29th, 2010 at 6:41 am · Link

    I remember Fame the movie, and the show from when I was a teenager ~ I was totally glued to the tv, and convinced I was going to grow up and be on broadway, lol!!