EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Alone Together
by Sarah J. Donovan
Alone Together by Sarah J. Donovan is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Sadie Carter’s life is a mess, as wavy and tangled as her unruly hair. At 15, she is barely surviving the chaos of her large Catholic family. When one sister becomes pregnant and another is thrown out, her unemployed dad hides his depression, and her mom hides a secret. Sadie, the peacekeeper and rule-follower, has had enough. The empty refrigerator, years of hand-me-downs, and all the secrets have to stop. She longs for something more and plans her escape.
However, getting arrested was not her plan. Falling in love was not her plan. With the help of three mysterious strangers - a cop, a teacher, and a cute boy - maybe Sadie will find the strength to defy the rules and do the unexpected.
Told in verse, Sarah J. Donovan’s debut Alone Together has secrets, romance, struggle, sin, and redemption, all before Sadie blows out her 16 candles. It’s a courageously honest look at growing up in a big family.
Book Video
Excerpt
SISTER SADIE
The only one of eleven
who sets the table every morning
with cereal bowls and spoons,
who matches mounds of socks
without complaint or disdain,
who obeys every stand, kneel, sing in mass
without sneaking out after communion.
The only one
who follows the rules,
who keeps the peace,
who has a chance at
joining the convent
to make her old Italian grandmother
proud.
Now
without proper punishment,
without penance or consequence,
without a way to assuage the conscience:
Destined-to-Go-to-Hell Sadie
(or at least confession),
which is okay because
I like boys too much to
become
a
nun.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Haunting, hopeful, and written in beautiful verse ...” ~ Chea Parton, UTeach Urban Teachers Outreach Director
“I loved the voice of this novel, falling hard for Sadie and her role in a big family that she both loves and feels burdened by. I read the book in one take, not wanting to put it down until I knew how Sadie would turn out.” ~ Sophia Sarigianides, co-author of Rethinking the Adolescent in Adolescent Literacy
“I was hooked from the beginning and literally did not put the book down until I had read the last page! The use of verse made the words flow effortlessly together. It felt like such an honor to be given this glimpse into Sadie's teenage life in a big family. She is hardworking, kindhearted, and lonely: I was cheering for her the whole time.” ~ Jaime L.
“With Donovan’s style, it is as if the true emotions of the characters are felt more by the reader. The use of white space and the subtraction of numerous sentences of prose allows the reader to feel the emotions of the character. Rather than just getting a play-by-play, you get to live in Sadie's thoughts as her story unfolds. […] Donovan’s first book should be put on everybody's list. I know I certainly can’t wait until she writes her next great novel!” ~ Lindsey Buck
About the Author
Sarah J. Donovan is the author of Alone Together and Genocide Literature in Middle and Secondary Classrooms. A junior high English teacher by day and college education professor by night, she spends every other moment reading young adult novels and writing. She lives with her husband in Downers Grove, Illinois, in a condo so she can write instead of mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. When she is not teaching, reading, or writing, she can be found playing sand volleyball with amazing Chicagoland women. (Yes, even in the winters.)
Giveaway
Enter the author’s giveaway for a chance to win a class set of Alone Together for your local high school (ends 7 May).
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