CARMAN, Patrick. Pulse. 368p. (Pulse Trilogy Series). HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208576-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208578-8.

Gr 9 Up–A mix of dystopian, adventure, romance, and superhero origin tale, this book covers all the bases admirably as long as readers are able to suspend their disbelief. Faith Daniels lives in between the strictly government controlled Western and Eastern States, in a zone whose population is dwindling daily through the promised advantages of immigration to the west or east. She also has the Pulse. Dylan has been watching over Faith to find the right time to explain about the supernatural power of the rare few who have it. As events unfold, he is forced to reveal his secret and hers. Faith must adjust not only to her newfound powers but also come to terms with the loss of her parents and the unexpected murder of her best friend. All this must be done pronto, as the evil forces that wish to kill the duo and rule the world are gathering. Faith and Dylan find an ally in nerdy genius Hawk, who is able to hack into the tablets that control all communication and information. As Pulse comes to a close, the forces of good and evil face off for a showdown. Faith, Dylan, and Hawk await the chance to use their intellect and powers to save the world. Engrossing and suspense-filled, this book is sure to find an audience, and readers will eagerly await the sequel.–Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

Each season, all the independent bookstores in the country get to vote on their favorite upcoming books. It’s called the Indie Next List, and it’s tough to get on that thing. There are 50 books chosen for each season, and for the Spring 2013 Indie Next List, PULSE is #2! It’s like a Christmas miracle wrapped in a David Copperfield illusion! The top ten list was just posted. Here’s what it says about PULSE:

“Pulse is a brilliant combination of thriller, mystery, and dystopian adventure. Set 30 years in the future in a world of amazing technology, dwindling energy, and imminent environmental disaster, this is a story of an independent teenager whose life is turned upside down when she discovers she can move objects with her mind. Can she master her new abilities in time to save herself and her friends from those who would hurt them? A fantastic beginning to a mind-bending new series that will leave readers eagerly waiting for the next book.”

Find the preview list of top 10 here:

http://news.bookweb.org/news/spring-2013-kids’-indie-next-list-preview

It’s a new year and a new Intersect Podcast! On the first episode of 2013 we are talking to author and illustrator, Jon Agee. Jon teaches us about palindromes, and talks about how he landed in children’s publishing.


Jon Agee went to The Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. While there he took up painting, sculpture, lithography, photography and film making, but what he loved most was sketching out cartoons and comic strips in his spare time. He is the illustrator/author of such books as Ludlow Laughs, the story of a grumpy guy who laughs in his sleep, and The Incredible Painting Of Felix Clousseau. One of the first people to see it and give it the thumb’s up – literally, hot off the press – was Maurice Sendak. However, that was all a long time ago. Since then he’s written several other picture books including “Terrific”, and “My Rhinoceros”, illustrated a few by other authors, and created a series of offbeat wordplay books, beginning with the Book of Palindromes.


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Tags: author  books  felix clousseau  illustrator  Intersect Podcast  jon agee  listen  palindromes  Patrick Carman

I had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Eulberg this week on the Intersect Podcast. Elizabeth’s lifelong love of music inspired “Take a Bow”.  Although she didn’t attend a performing arts school, she is currently trying to make up for it in karaoke bars throughout the greater New York area. She is also the author of The Lonely Hearts Club (and a huge Beatles fan!) and Prom & Prejudice. She lives outside of Manhattan with her three guitars, two keyboards, and one drumstick.

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Tags: beatles  beer  elizabeth eulberg  eulberg's beer  Intersect Podcast  lonely hearts club  Patrick Carman  Prom & Prejudice  take a bow  wisconsin

New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi has been creating books for over a decade. From his fanciful picture books like Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure, Adventure of Meno (with his wife, Angela) and The Spider & The Fly (a Caldecott Honor book), to chapter books like Kenny and The Dragon and The Search for WondLa, Tony always imbues his stories with a rich imagination. His middle-grade series, The Spiderwick Chronicles(with Holly Black), has sold millions of copies, been adapted into a feature film, and has been translated in over thirty countries. On the Intersect Podcast we talk with Tony about Star Wars, Spiderwick, Wondla, and so much more!

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Tags: holly black  Patrick Carman  podcast  ring dings  spiderwick  star wars  the search for wondla  tony diterlizzi  twinkies  wondla