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Autumn Falls
Author:
Thorne, Bella
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Series:
Autumn Falls novel, #1
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 12-19
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.T392
Grade: 7-12
Print Run: 250000
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ISBN-13: 9780385744331
LCCN: 2014009484
Imprint: Delacorte Press
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Pub Date: 11/11/2014
Availability: Out of Print Confirmed
List: $18.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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217 pages ; 22 cm
H 8.5",
W 6.75",
D 1",
0.8 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Action/Adventure
Family Life
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / School & Education / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Parents
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Contemporary
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LC Subjects:
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Diaries, Fiction
Diaries, Juvenile fiction
Fathers, Fiction
Fathers, Juvenile fiction
High schools, Fiction
High schools, Juvenile fiction
Magic, Fiction
Magic, Juvenile fiction
Schools, Fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Diaries, Fiction
Fathers, Fiction
High schools, Fiction
Magic, Fiction
School stories
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.4
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Points: 7.0
Lexile Level:
650
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 11/01/2014 |
| Heading to a new school in Florida after her dear father's death seems easier for Autumn Falls when she busies herself with the mysterious journal that makes anything she writes a reality. Autumn soon vows to discover if her late father's spirit has something to do with the magical journal. 224pp. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 11/01/2014 |
| Grades 7-10. After a cross-country move following her father's death, Autumn Falls is having a hard time finding her footing. Several social gaffes at school immediately cement her outsider position, while attention from crushworthy Sean makes her the target of Reenzie, the resident queen bee, who has launched a school-wide campaign to humiliate Autumn. Her grandmother, Eddy, gives her a posthumous gift from Autumn's father--a journal that Eddy claims will change Autumn's life. Autumn is skeptical, but when wishes recorded on its pages start coming true, she can't deny the journal has special powers. The question is, How will she use them? Media-savvy actress Thorne adds another feather in her cap with this formulaic but entertaining novel about the importance of staying true to oneself. Colorful secondary characters, especially the anagram-spouting J. J. Austin and loud-mouthed Amalita, help add dimension. Humorous dialogue and awkward high-school moments keep things light, even while exploring ethical choices that teens face on a daily basis. Name recognition guarantees a built-in fan base for this breezy first novel. Hayes, Summer. 224p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 3. Autumn Falls resents her family's move to Florida following her father's death. But things look up once her father's journal, given to Autumn by her superstitious Cuban grandmother, starts granting her wishes. As Autumn adjusts to her new school and makes friends--and enemies--she realizes the repercussions. A breezy, undemanding high-school story with a touch of magic and some satisfying surprises. keh. 215pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 10/01/2014 |
| A magic diary handed down to a teen girl following her father's death eases and complicates her transition to a new school. Sophomore Autumn Falls, so named because it was her dad's favorite season, quickly connects with a group of quirky classmates when she starts at Florida's Aventura High. Unfortunately, when clever, kind, gorgeous Sean takes notice of her, she unknowingly incites the wrath of Reenzie, his childhood best friend, who's in love with him. Some truly wicked bullying follows, and once Autumn begins to understand that her dad's old diary seems to make her wishes come true, it becomes hard for her to resist using it to fight back. This light read by teen actress Thorne mixes realistic drama with the vague paranormal power of the diary, explained by Autumn's grandmother as having to do with the zemi on its cover, an icon believed by the ancient Taino people of Cuba to house spirits. There are other references throughout to Bella's Cuban heritage, so while it's not completely out of context, more development of this concept would have strengthened the story. Bella's moral quandaries about the diary are believable though too easily resolved at times.A somewhat open ending suggests there is more to come. Fans of teen romance will be glad of it. (Paranormal romance. 12-18). 224pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2014. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 10/20/2014 |
| Ages 12-up. In actress Thorne's YA debut, sophomore Autumn Falls, stuck with a name "that calls me out as a complete klutz and seasonally challenged," moves with her family to Florida after her father's accidental death. There, Autumn's Cuban grandmother gives her a magical journal and tells her it "could change your life." And the journal does seem to make Autumn's wishes come true, leading to the temptation to seek revenge when she is bullied by pretty, popular Reenzie ("Pro tip... you want to take care of out here. Heat can make breakouts even worse"). Thorne's book has a fun premise and some silly moments (such as when one of Autumn's written wishes has Reenzie slip and fall in a pile of dog poop during track practice), and a few of the characters have inauthentic affectations, such as Autumn's grandmother's belief that there are sleeping pills in the ice cream at her assisted living home. But as Autumn begins to realize the problems with payback, her insights help compensate for an over-the-top and oversweet final scene. Agent: Matthew Elblonk, DeFiore and Company. (Nov.). 224p. Web-Exclusive Review. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2014. |
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| School Library Journal | 11/01/2014 |
| Gr 7 Up. At the start of this realistic novel by the Disney Channel actress, Autumn Falls's father dies in a car accident. Already planning to move to Aventura, Florida to take care of Eddy, their grandmother, the grieving family settles in the quiet town. Switching to a new school gets even harder for Autumn, when on her first day at Aventura High, her brother runs his skycam into her, which leaves a giant bump on her forehead. Someone takes a photo and posts it on the student portal. Not long after that, her lock is switched on her locker and she can't open it. The pranks continue to make her adjustment period difficult. Autumn begins to write in a journal that Eddy gave her, and magical things occur. Every time the protagonist writes "I wish" in her journal, she receives her wish, just not always how she expects it. A feel-good book with believable and well-developed characters and an evenly paced plot. Teens will appreciate how Autumn learns to be true to herself in this interesting twist on wish-fulfillment. Its discussion of bullying, death, friendship, and family makes it a timely and resonant read. Jesten Ray, Seattle Public Library, WA. 224p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2014. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 02/01/2015 |
| 4Q 4P M J. Autumn Falls, named by her beloved father for his favorite season, is moving to Florida. Her father has died in a car accident after moving his mother into an assisted living facility. Her family is now moving--without him--to be near her grandmother, uprooting Autumn and her brother from all their friends because her mother believes it is what her father would have wanted. Autumn befriends some quirky teens, J. J., Amalita, and Jack. Each has a "thing" that they love: anagrams, makeup and fashion, and comics. Even her brother has digital photography. Handsome quarterback Sean is her real love interest, but he is best friends with Reenzie, who is a jealous mean girl. When her grandmother says she has something special for Autumn from her father, telling her it will change her life, she is puzzled. It is a blank journal. But as she begins to write her thoughts and wishes, somehow they begin to come to fruition--a wish for pizza to replace the cafeteria tamales, a wish for Sean to invite her to the formal, and much more. She begins to believe that her father has given her something truly magical and special, perhaps to help her through her grief, or maybe to guide her into her new life in Florida and to find her own "thing" at last. This captivating first novel will have huge appeal for middle grade and high school readers and will have them begging for more. It is highly recommended for school and public libraries.--Rachel Axelrod. 224p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
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9780385744331,dl.it[0].title
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