New Release: STUCK! (HELP PLEASE)

STUCK! (HELP PLEASE) by Karol Ruth Silverstein
(Charlesbridge, Oct 2022)

Grandma Ferret warns her grand-kits about the play tunnels at the Critter Family Gym--they are getting too big for the smallest tunnels.

But the twin ferret kits are just too excited to listen to all the good advice, and they of course get STUCK! Can they listen long enough to get unstuck?

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Babies imparts good values through heartwarming and humorous stories to help little ones put their best foot forward. This light-hearted board book humorously addresses the need to listen well. Good listeners are rewarded!

Select praise for STUCK! (HELP PLEASE!):

• Kirkus review: “Silverstein’s rhyming text gives the book a zippy cadence ideal for read-alouds”

New Release: CURSED

CURSED by Karol Ruth Silverstein (Charlesbridge Teen, June 2019)

A debut novel for fans of The Fault in Our Stars that thoughtfully and humorously depicts teen Ricky Bloom’s struggles with a recent chronic illness diagnosis.

As if her parents’ divorce and sister’s departure for college weren’t bad enough, fourteen-year-old Ricky Bloom has just been diagnosed with a life-changing chronic illness. Her days consist of cursing everyone out, skipping school–which has become a nightmare–daydreaming about her crush, Julio, and trying to keep her parents from realizing just how bad things are. But she can’t keep her ruse up forever.

Ricky’s afraid, angry, alone, and one suspension away from repeating ninth grade when she realizes: she can’t be held back. She’ll do whatever it takes to move forward–even if it means changing the person she’s become. Lured out of her funk by a quirky classmate, Oliver, who’s been there too, Ricky’s porcupine exterior begins to shed some spines. Maybe asking for help isn’t the worst thing in the world. Maybe accepting circumstances doesn’t mean giving up.

Select praise for CURSED:

• Booklist review: "A blistering coming-of-age tale that will propel readers into Ricky’s corner."

• Kirkus review: “Ricky’s sharp, flowing, uninhibited voice makes this a page-turner… Protagonists with chronic nonmalignant pain and illness are far too rare.”

• Publishers Weekly review: "Silverstein, who was diagnosed with arthritis as a teen, excels at evoking the physical and emotional pain Ricky endures without having Ricky’s condition define her. She emerges as a likable, relatable heroine whose wit and sense of hope will prove inspiring."

• School Library Journal review: "Readers will enjoy this contemporary coming-of-age story featuring a resilient protagonist and charming plot."

Deal Announcement: CURSED

Monica Perez at Charlesbridge has bought Karol Ruth Silverstein's debut YA novel, Cursed. Erica "Ricky" Bloom, recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that's nearly as embarrassing as it is painful, employs her best coping mechanisms—cursing and cutting class—to deal with pain, family upheaval, and the challenges of school. When she's caught, she must struggle to catch up to avoid a far worse horror: repeating ninth grade. Publication is set for spring 2019.

Deal Announcement: OTHER

Karol Ruth Silverstein's OTHER, to Laurie Hermann at Redleaf Lane, for publication in July 2019, by Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management (world). 

OTHER is a picture book about the "other" cat in the neighborhood, the one without a home. But he's not without friends: a child is determined to find shelter for Other before winter comes.