By Dave McNary at Variety: Nick Pustay hired to write ‘Shiver’

Former New Line toppers Michael Lynne and Bob Shaye are moving ahead on supernatural romance “Shiver,” hiring Nick Pustay (“Ramona and Beezus”) to adapt for their Unique Features shingle.

“Shiver,” penned by Maggie Stiefvater, centers on a bittersweet romance between a teen girl and a boy who becomes a wolf each winter. As the temperature drops, the race to keep him human begins. First installment was published by Scholastic Press in August and has been on the bestseller lists for 31 weeks. Sequel “Linger,” will be published in August.

“At the core is this heartbreaking love story, between two people who know that their time together is slipping away,” Pustay said.

Read More here

by Lindsay Soll at MTV News: The Uglies’ Book Series Is Being Fast Tracked Into A Movie By Screen Gems

On June 21, 2009 sci fi author Scott Westerfeld wrote a post on his blog titled, “Update on the Uglies Movie,” which amassed many, many reader comments. In it, he explained that while his series, “The Uglies,” had been optioned to be a movie, not much else had moved forward as far as a script, director or actors. But, he continued, “the producers did say that there’s lots of support for this project at their studio.”

Well, it may be almost eight months later, but it looks like Scott finally has good reason to update that post again. Industry sources have confirmed to MTV News exclusively that Screen Gems, in the wake of the success of its current release “Dear John,” is developing — and in fact, fast tracking (!) — a film version of “The Uglies” series.

Read More here

By Bob Minzesheimer, Jocelyn McClurg and Carol Memmott at USA TODAY: Book Buzz: ‘Mockingjay’ completes ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy

The title is out for the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy…
‘Game’ over: Since the September release of Catching Fire, the second in Suzanne Collins’ best-selling Hunger Games trilogy for teens, Internet speculation has focused on the title of the third book. The most common guess: The Victors. Not even close. Today, Scholastic reveals the title and cover of the last book in the series set in a dictatorship where teens are forced to fight to the death on TV. It’s Mockingjay, out Aug. 24. In the series, mockingjays are offspring of mockingbirds and jabberjays, a government-bred mutant designed to spy on rebels. Mockingjays become symbols of resistance. Collins is finishing her screenplay of The Hunger Games, the first book.

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By Charlie Jane Anders at io9: The Great Thing About YA Fiction Is, There Are No Genre Boundaries

Nowadays, “young-adult fiction” includes every type of story, including post-apocalyptic and fantasy, says Forest Of Hands And Teeth author Carrie Ryan. And then readers reach adulthood and we suddenly expect them to choose their genres.

Talking to Magical Words, Ryan says:

“One of the great things about YA is that all the books are shelved together (or split into “realistic books” and “SFF books”). There’s no distinct category for high fantasy or science fiction or romance or historical or contemporary issues. YA books can pull from anything they want so you can have a book that’s a post-zombie apocalypse romance that may or may not have a happily ever after or you can have a book about a school where cheerleaders are high tech spies thwarting an assassination or a book about killer unicorns and the virgin descendants of Alexander the Great who hunt them or one about a high school valedictorian who ends up pregnant and doesn’t know what to do.”

Read More here

I never noticed the flow that YA books have, but it’s kind of true. There’s some sectioning of the different types, but they are separated. Which gives teens the opportunity to explore all the genres. I read (and still read) a lot of different genres, and maybe that’s where it all started. And I’m so excited about the Shiver movie. I adore that book, and I can’t wait to see who’s cast.

What do you think of the Hunger Games 3 title and cover? Did you know about all of the upcoming movie adaptations?

This week’s poll is centered around this year’s NEW book releases. In the 2009, we have had some really exciting author debuts, sequels, and the start of a new exciting book series. So as the year comes to a close, OBS wants to know out of the novels listed below, which was your favorite read?

“Which was your favorite new book release of 2009″

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• A Touch of Dead Charlaine Harris
• The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
• Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
• Evermore by Alyson Noel
• Evernight by Claudia Gray
• Hunted by P.C. & Kristin Cast

If you would like to discuss this more, and give your reasons why you choose who you did, please come join the fun debate on the OBS Forums.

You can VOTE right here on the News Blog, just look to your right >> and under “POLLS” is the question along with the answers, just click one and view the results!!

Also check back with OBS every Wednesday, and get to answer the “Poll of Week”!!

Want to view the results of our previous polls, like who was named the “Which is your favorite Mythical Character?” “ Who is your favorite Author?” or “Who is your favorite Vampire” ? You can check them out HERE

FOX DEVELOPING WEREWOLF SERIES

via atvnews
Fox is developing a new werewolf based drama titled Howl, according to Variety. The series is being co-written by Joshua Miller and is set in a small Alaskan town. The series will be an ‘epic family saga’ about warring werewolf families in the small Alaskan town – sounds rather like Dynasty with lots of fur flying.

Read more here…

ARE WEREWOLVES OVERPOWERING VAMPIRES?

via hollywoodcrush
We’re starting to think the vampire trend that’s currently taking over pop culture is getting closer to being buried in the graveyard so that other supernatural forces (including fairies) can take the lead. Fresh off the paws of the announcement that Maggie Stiefvater’s book about werewolves, Shiver, is being optioned for a movie, comes word from Variety that a new TV series about the shapeshifters is also being developed for FOX.

Read more here…

We all knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. With vampires infiltrating ever square inch of the media, the next in line had to be werewolves. It will give vampires a run for it’s money but it will make the supernatural genre that much stronger. So if any of you thought it was going away anytime soon, think again. How do you feel about vampires sharing the spotlight with weres?

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
Chapters 46-48: Sam and Grace

Olivia returns to school and talks to Grace about Jack after Grace confronts her about the photos. Grace tells Olivia that she was bitten by the wolves, but she never changed, despite what Jack said about her being cured.

After school, Sam asks Grace to go somewhere with him, somewhere out of town. They head toward Duluth to visit a candy shop Sam knew. Sam asks Grace to really smell the shop, not just the chocolate, but the ingredients themselves. Sam buys them hot chocolate, and the girl behind the counter asks how long they’ve been together. “Six years”; and both of them learn how long they’ve really cared for each other. When they leave the shop, they see ripped cloths and a pair of fresh paw prints in the snow.

On the way back from Duluth, Sam’s phone rings, which Grace didn’t even know he had. Beck wanted to know if Sam was ok since it was so cold, and to try to make Sam understand what he’d done. Grace admits that she wants to meet Beck. Sam tells Grace the story of how he was bitten, though now he sees it in a completely different light. They get back to Grace’s empty house, where they go straight to bed, but do very little sleeping. Later Grace wakes up to a phone ringing, and picks it up before she realizes it’s Sam’s. Beck is calling to tell Sam that Paul has been very badly hurt, and it had to be a wolf that did it. Beck asks Sam to come, and tells Grace (whose name he doesn’t know yet) that he wants to meet her.

Memorable Quotes:

“His sad eyes implored me to explore something I’d left untouched for years. Something more than untouched-something I’d buried alive.” (279)

“I wasn’t quite bold enough to look at either of them when I admitted, ‘Well, it was love at first sight” (282)

“She looked beautiful, moonlit, tempting, smelling of peppermint and soap and skin.” (292)

Questions for consideration

Why is it so important for beck to meet Grace?

More here.

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
Chapters 43-45: Sam and Grace

Olivia returns to school and talks to Grace about Jack after Grace confronts her about the photos. Grace tells Olivia that she was bitten by the wolves, but she never changed, despite what Jack said about her being cured.

After school, Sam asks Grace to go somewhere with him, somewhere out of town. They head toward Duluth to visit a candy shop Sam knew. Sam asks Grace to really smell the shop, not just the chocolate, but the ingredients themselves. Sam buys them hot chocolate, and the girl behind the counter asks how long they’ve been together. “Six years”; and both of them learn how long they’ve really cared for each other. When they leave the shop, they see ripped cloths and a pair of fresh paw prints in the snow.

On the way back from Duluth, Sam’s phone rings, which Grace didn’t even know he had. Beck wanted to know if Sam was ok since it was so cold, and to try to make Sam understand what he’d done. Grace admits that she wants to meet Beck. Sam tells Grace the story of how he was bitten, though now he sees it in a completely different light. They get back to Grace’s empty house, where they go straight to bed, but do very little sleeping. Later Grace wakes up to a phone ringing, and picks it up before she realizes it’s Sam’s. Beck is calling to tell Sam that Paul has been very badly hurt, and it had to be a wolf that did it. Beck asks Sam to come, and tells Grace (whose name he doesn’t know yet) that he wants to meet her.

Memorable Quotes:

“His sad eyes implored me to explore something I’d left untouched for years. Something more than untouched-something I’d buried alive.” (279)

“I wasn’t quite bold enough to look at either of them when I admitted, ‘Well, it was love at first sight” (282)

“She looked beautiful, moonlit, tempting, smelling of peppermint and soap and skin.” (292)

Questions for consideration:

Why did Sam never realize Beck bit him on purpose until now? What does this change?

Why is it so important for beck to meet Grace?

More here.

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
Chapters 37-39: Sam and Grace

Sam rushes downstairs to see Grace pinned to the cabinets by Shelby, in wolf form. The moment Grace sees him, she cries out to him. Sam grabs a skillet and hits Shelby in the hip. She turns and snarls, in her eyes Sam sees the flash of her plan: Grace dying on the kitchen floor while Shelby watches. Sam jumps at her, grabbing her wind pipe, just like Mr. Dario’s dogs, and pins her to the floor. Behind him he hears Grace call out a warning to her dad, then an explosion happens close by. Shelby falls out of Sam’s grip; shot. Sam looks at his arms and sees blood. He flashes back to his parents counting back from three, and somewhere far off he hears Grace call for her parents to help her move him someplace warm.

At the hospital, Grace has explained to her parents what Sam’s parents did to him. Grace’s mother expresses her concern that Sam could become unstable someday, and that maybe Grace shouldn’t see him. Grace says not a chance, and her mother gives up easily. When Sam comes back in, he admits that he doesn’t feel bad about Shelby being dead. Grace and Sam both get rabies shots, because neither of them are going to tell the hospital what was really going on with the wolf. After the shots, the nurse is called away to a female patient going crazy in another room.

The next day, Sam feels exhausted from fighting his almost-change the day before, and Grace tries to finish her homework; but they end up talking about how werewolves came into being. When Grace’s dad comes home, she asks what he did with the body. He tells her he moved it to the porch, and assumes it’s gone because someone called animal control. Grace said she didn’t and her mother is never that on the ball. Sam and Grace realize that Shelby must be alive.

Memorable Quotes:

“Grace. I held on to that one name. If I kept that in my head, I would be okay. Grace.” (237)

“But what if-I asked you not to see him?’ I hadn’t expected that. My voice was brittle. ‘I would say that by virtue of your not acting parental up to this point, you’ve relinquished your ability to wield any power now. Sam and I are together. It’s not an option” (239)

“Grace persisted, ‘Tell me, then. Is it science? Or magic? What you are?’  ‘Does it matter which?’ ‘Of course,’ she said, and her voice was frustrated. ‘Magic would be intangible. Science has cures. Haven’t you ever wondered how it all started?” (244)

Questions for consideration

What does Grace hope to find out about a cure? Do you think there is one?

More here.