Synopses & Reviews
For fans of Beautiful Creatures and Wicked Lovely comes this New York Times Bestselling modern fairy tale from National Book Award Finalist Nancy Werlin.
Inspired by the classic folk ballad Scarborough Fair,” this wonderfully riveting novel is rife with suspense, romance, and fantasy. Seventeen-year-old Lucy discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old Elvin curse that requires women in her family to complete three impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, Lucy has the support of her fiercely protective adoptive parents, and her best friend Zach, whose friendship may be turning into something more. But do they have enough love and resolve to conquer this age-old evil?
The Scarborough Girls story continues in Unthinkable and the companion novel Extraordinary.
Teens, especially young women, will enjoy this romantic fairy tale with modern trappings.”School Library Journal (starred review)
Showcases the authors finesse at melding genres [with its] graceful interplay between wild magic and contemporary reality [and its] catapulting suspense.”Booklist (starred review)
The melding of magic and practicality produces a lovely whole.”Kirkus (starred review)
Review
"With highly imagistic descriptions and savvy dialogue, Madigan offers a rewarding and credible story that uses fantasy elements to bare truths about family ties."--
Booklist, starred review
"Mixing supernatural elements with the types of family problems and growing pains she explored in Flash Burnout, Madigan introduces Lena, a girl obsessed with the sea and learning to surf . . . emotions at play feel very real, and Madigan does a good job of evoking the fog of uncertainty that envelops Lena as she uncovers long-buried secrets--she truly is like a fish out of water."--Publishers Weekly
"Be rewarded with a heartthrob of a merman, enthusiastic surfing scenes, and a well-integrated blend of magic and realism both on land and underwater."--Bulletin
Praise for FLASH BURNOUT Fall 2010: New England Childrens Booksellers Advisory Councils Fall Top Ten List Winner of the 2010 William C. Morris Award "With just enough humor to diffuse the tension and the art and science of photography as a backdrop, this rich romance explores the complexities of friendship and love, and the all-too-human limitations of both. Its a sobering, compelling, and satisfying read for teens and a promising debut for a new young-adult author."—Booklist, starred review "Flash Burnout gets high marks from me in all categories. Voice? Check. Plot that matters? Check. Writing style? Flawless. I would say that this book could be described as Laurie Halse Anderson meets John Green, with a whole new set of humor and imagery that is all its own."—Holly, Annie Bloom's Bookstore, Portland OR #4 on Indiebound's Top Ten List
Review
"Werlin earns high marks for the tale's graceful interplay between wild magic and contemporary reality." -
Booklist, starred review
"This unique story flows smoothly and evenly, and the well-drawn characters and subtle hints of magic early on allow readers to enter willingly into the world of fantasy." - School Library Journal, starred review
"Modern logic and methodology mesh splendidly with fairy lore. . . The conclusion is startingly wholesome, comfortable and complete. . . the melding of magic and practicality provides a lovely whole." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
[werlinÆs] skill in sketching out family dynamics and probing the difficult issues of adolescence mark her as a writer worth watching. (Publishers Weekly)
Synopsis
Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter.
Inspired by the ballad aScarborough Fair, a this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.
Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their childas birth. But Lucy is the first girl who wonat be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?
Synopsis
Inspired by the ballad Scarborough Fair, popularized by Simon & Garfunkel, this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance. It tells the story of a teenage girl who has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter.
Synopsis
A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin
Inspired by the classic folk ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this is a wonderfully riveting novel of suspense, romance, and fantasy. Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil?
Synopsis
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena has just one wish: To learn to surf. She's been drawn so strongly to the waves off the coast of California her entire life, but her father, a former surfer himself, will not allow her to take lessons. When Lena begins sleepwalking to the beach--seemingly drawn by an unrecognizable force--she is compelled to learn to surf even if it means putting herself in grave danger and going against her father's wishes.
That force is the presence of a woman. A woman who finally reveals herself--and her silvery tail--to Lena. She has a message. She has a key. The key opens a brown leather sea chest Lena's father has kept hidden for many years, and when Lena discovers what's inside her life, and what she thought she knew about it, will never be the same.
Synopsis
As the orphaned daughter of a wildly successful inspirational singer/author, Marnie Skyedottir stands to inherit great wealth. But until then, Marnie has to survive a dreary life in private school. She endures by escaping into an online role-playing game as much as possible and steering clear of the other students. So when Marnie is kidnapped by someone who also claims to be Skye?s daughter, she is worried. With her reclusive tendencies, will anyone even know she?s gone? And will her online gaming skills be of any help to her in this real-life drama?
Synopsis
Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange new girl in school, and the two soon become as close as sisters. Then Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate hold on Phoebe - but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon Phoebe discovers the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that they are from the faerie realm, here to collect on an age-old debt. And the price of that debt could cost Phoebe everything. But with the help of her friend Ben, Phoebe ultimately learns her own worth and breaks the generations-old curse.
"Werlin crafts her characters so deftly and unrolls the story so cleverly . . . readers will be under the spell to the end." - Booklist
"A compelling tale of friendship and a refreshing antidote to faerie stories about that one special girl deserving of supernatural love." - Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Harry Roth is the bane of Alison shandlings existence. Hes obnoxious and rude, and thinks nothing of taunting brainy Alison or making comments about her autistic twin brother. Alison tries to ignore him, but since she sees him at school and at synagogue, hes hard to avoid. then Harry is injured in a diving accident and winds up in a wheelchair. Now Harry is vulnerable, too, and Alison finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. initially cautious, these unlikely companions begin to understand each other, and their relationship grows first into a friendship and then into something more. . . .
Synopsis
After being accused and acquitted in the death of his girlfriend, seventeen-year-old David is sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and young cousin to avoid the media frenzy. But all is not well at his relatives? house. His aunt and uncle are not speaking, and twelve-year-old Lily seems intent on making David?s life a torment. And then there?s the issue of his older cousin Kathy?s mysterious death some years back. As things grow more and more tense, David starts to wonder?is there something else that his family is trying to hide from?
Synopsis
A compelling thriller from a National Book Award Finalist author
Frances Leventhal refuses to look in the mirror; she can't bear to face her reflection. She has hidden from herself and everyone around her for such a long time, and now that her brother Daniel has committed suicide, she can't help thinking that it's somehow her fault. If she hadn't been so caught up in her own pain, maybe she would have noticed her brother's. It's time to stop hidingto reach out to Daniel's friends at their private school. Daniel had been deeply involved in Unity Service, the charitable group on campus, and Frances is determined to join the group and to make amends.
But something's not quite right about Unity, and soon Frances finds herself in the middle of a puzzle too ominous to ignore. Exactly what are the Unity members trying so hard to hide? And why does no one else on campus, adult or teen, seem suspicious of them? This time Frances won't scurry away to hide. The memory of her brother is at stake.
Synopsis
A message. A key. A mirror. A secret world unlocked. Lena has lived her whole life near the beach, walking the shore, breathing the salty air,swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows to learn to surf. Her father forbids it. But something Lena cant identify at first—an ancient, powerful magic—keeps drawing her to the water. One day, she finally catches sight of it: a beautiful woman, with a silvery tail. Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerouswaves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And what Lena sees in the mermaids mirror will change her life forever.
About the Author
Nancy Werlin was born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts, USA and now lives near Boston. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Yale.
Since then, she has worked as a technical writer and editor for several computer software and Internet companies, while also writing fiction. She is a National Book Award finalist.