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Mindy is an Edgar Award-winning author and assistant teen librarian who lives in Ohio. She graduated from Otterbein University magna cum_laude with a BA in English Literature and Religion. She sees nothing wrong with owning nine cats, and has found that her two dogs balance things out nicely.

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Best Young Adult: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

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Reading for Pleasure vs. Required Reading 

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Reading for Pleasure vs. Required Reading 

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I imagine that the language and the mature nature of many of Mindy McGinnis' novels would render them inappropriate or unsuitable for the classroom as part of the required reading curriculum. That said, her novels do have quite a lot to offer to students who choose to read  them for pleasure outside of the classroom.
With books coming in at 350-400 pages on average, Mindy's novels are roughly twice as long as the average YA novel.

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Mature Content: Reader Discretion is Advised

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Mature Content: Reader Discretion is Advised

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Mindy McGinnis is refreshing because she doesn't sugar coat the tough stuff. In fact, several of her books deal with hard and uncomfortable topics like death, homicide, rape and pedophilia.
These topics can be traumatizing for young readers and for that reason it's been recommended for those 14 years old or older.

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including a preview for her next book, to be released in March!

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Three screws in her hip. Two months until spring training. One answer to all her problems.
Mickey Catalan's life has been littered with struggles-from the scars that tell of past injuries, to her parents' divorce, to the daily complexity of finding the right words to fit in socially. Mickey is no stranger to pain, emotional or physical... read more

A dark and twisted psychological thriller-perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Fight Club.
Sasha Stone knows her place-first-chair clarinet, top of her class, and at the side of her Oxford-wearing boyfriend. She's worked her entire life to ensure her path is perfectly paved. But suddenly there's a fork in the road in the shape of Isaac Harver. Her body shifts toward him when he walks by, and her skin misses his touch even though she's never known it... read more
Kings and Queens rise and fall, loyalties collide, and romance blooms in a world where the sea is rising-and cannot be escaped. (Given To the Sea Duet, Book #1) Duty, fate, desire, and destiny collide in this intricately wrought tale. (Given to the Sea Duet, Book #2) A riveting contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. A stunning, unforgettable page-turner.
Khosa is Given to the Sea, a girl born to be fed to the water, her flesh preventing a wave like the one that destroyed the Kingdom of Stille in days of old. But before she's allowed to dance an uncontrollable twitching of the limbs that will carry her to the shore in a frenzy-she must produce an heir. Yet the thought of human touch sends shudders down her spine that not even the sound of the tide can match... read more

Although she was born to save the kingdom by sacrificing herself to the rising sea, Khosa's marriage to King Vincent has redeemed her. As the Queen of Stille, she's untouchable. But being Queen hasn't stopped her heart from longing for the King's stepbrother, Donil. And it hasn't stopped her body from longing for the sea itself, which still calls for her... read more
Combining murder, madness, and mystery in a beautifully twisted gothic historical thriller, this is perfect for fans of television's True Detective and American Horror Story.
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn't feel bad about it.
Fans of classic frontier survival stories, as well as readers of dystopian literature, will enjoy this futuristic story where water is worth more than gold. (Not A Drop to Drink Duology Book #1)
Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best-the language of violence... read more
Join Lynn and Lucy on an epic dystopian cross-country journey. (Not A Drop to Drink Duology Book #2)
Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum-but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace's brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant... read more

Teenage Lynn has been taught to defend her pond against every threat: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty-or doesn't leave at all... read more

Set ten years after the first novel, as a dangerous disease strikes the community where teenage Lucy lives. When her adoptive mother, Lynn, takes Lucy away from their home and friends in order to protect her, Lucy struggles to figure out what home means. During their journey west to find a new life, the two face nature's challenges, including hunger, mountains, and deserts... read more

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Three screws in her hip. Two months until spring training. One answer to all her problems. Mickey Catalan's life has been littered with struggles-from the scars that tell of past injuries, to her parents' divorce, to the daily complexity of finding the right words to fit in socially.

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Annotated Bibliography #3: A MADNESS SO DISCREET

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Annotated Bibliography #3: A MADNESS SO DISCREET

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McGinnis, M. (2015) A madness so discreet. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The story is about Grace, a girl locked away in an asylum to protect her secret. She keeps her sharp mind hidden behind silence, because Grace has one mission: never return to her family, even if that means she has to act like a mental patient. There is one person who sees her potential and he helps her escape to another asylum where Grace makes friends and has hope of a new life.

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Annotated Bibliography #1: THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES

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Annotated Bibliography #1: THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES

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McGinnis, M. (2016) The female of the species. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

When people look at Alex Craft, all they see is Anna, her dead sister. When Anna's rapist and walked free, Alex felt it was necessary to serve up her own form of justice. Alex is intense and full of rage to the point that she doesn't trust herself around others and pursues a vigilante lifestyle-- until she lets her guard down and becomes friends with Peekay and Jack Fisher.
The Female of the Species does not sugar coat the hard subjects like assault and 🤬, choosing to be blunt and brutally honest instead.
Trigger warning: gore, 🤬, abuse, animal cruelty and pedophilia

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11 Good Feminist Books for Teenage Girls

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Annotated Bibliography #2: NOT A DROP TO DRINK

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Annotated Bibliography #2: NOT A DROP TO DRINK

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McGinnis, M. (2013) Not a drop to drink. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The story is set in a dystopian United States decimated by disease, where the surviving population's access to water is strictly controlled. Lynn and her mother do not mess around when thieves try to steal their limited water supply, shooting them without hesitation on more than one occasion. Not a Drop to Drink is a unique story, different than many other dystopians which follow a revolution led by a Katniss Everdeen-type character or an impossible love interest that defies all odds and works out in the end. The story is an eerily plausible future, and tells the story of two strong women capable of surviving on their own.

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Describe The Female of The Species in just one emoji:

#powellsrecommends

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Mindy McGinnis has an Interview with Writers Digest  

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Mindy McGinnis has an Interview with Writers Digest  

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A prolific Edgar Award–winner, Mindy McGinnis’ stories cross sub-genres of young adult fiction, from fantasy to dystopian to contemporary. Her novel confronting rape culture, The Female of the Species, was named to an impressive roster of “Best Of” lists in both 2016 and 2017, including those from School Library Journal, Bustle, Mashable and Seventeen.Her short story “Do Not Go Gently,” about a teenage mother struggling to finish high school while working nights as a nurse’s assistant, won the 2017 Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Literature. A fixture at book festivals across the Midwest, she runs the Writer Writer Pants on Fire blog and podcast for aspiring authors.

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Where writers talk about things that never happened to people who don’t exist

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Today's guest is Anica Mrose Rissi the author of the Anna, Banana chapter-book series, the picture books Watch Out for Wolf! and The Teacher's Pet, as well as a YA novel, Always Forever Maybe. Her essays have been published by The Writer and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica grew up in Maine and spent many years in New York City, where she worked as an executive editor in children's book publishing.

Anica joined me today to talk about writing from a place of pain, and methods to redirect the endless feedback loop of anxiety towards something creative and productive, as well as how process can change from project to project and across age categories. Also covered: considering the performance of reading aloud versus the narrative that is meant to be read silently, writing for other writers, and how essays can both remind of your own authority on the subject, as well as open yourself up to vulnerability.
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A New Look On Books Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

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Today's guest is Anica Mrose Rissi the author of the Anna, Banana chapter-book series, the picture books Watch Out for Wolf! and The Teacher's Pet , as well as a YA novel, Always Forever Maybe .

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Where Mindy McGinnis stores her extra words

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Author Gail Shepherd shares her experience balancing promotion of one book while writing another, all while debuting.

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Mindy has always used strong female characters as the protagonist, which explore the different ways in which a woman can be strong. The goal is to challenge our definition of strength as a one-note trait and physical strength is just one way to be strong. Having the strength of your convictions, of self-worth in general, are necessary as well in order to present a well-rounded individual.