(Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when...)
Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret - behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime. In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.
(Things should be great for Janie - she has graduated from...)
Things should be great for Janie - she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she’s totally in love with. But deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people’s dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time - and he’s in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.
(Kendall loves her life in small-town Cryer¹s Cross, Monta...)
Kendall loves her life in small-town Cryer¹s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind. But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico. Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search and stumbles upon some frightening local history.
(The tiny town of Cryer's Cross is shocked when a local sc...)
The tiny town of Cryer's Cross is shocked when a local schoolgirl disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, sixteen-year-old Kendall is freaked out by seeing the empty desk in the one-room schoolhouse, but somehow life goes on! until Kendall's boyfriend disappears. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects the missing. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk that they both sat at! Then she begins receiving messages. Can her boyfriend be alive somewhere? How can Kendall help him? The only person who will listen is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating!and attractive.
(Following the life-altering events at the conclusion of T...)
Following the life-altering events at the conclusion of The Unwanteds, the stark world of Quill and the magical haven of Artimé are now home to whoever wants to live there, whether they are Wanteds, Unwanteds, or Necessaries. In Artimé, Alex Stowe and his friends continue to hone their artistic magical spells while welcoming newcomers, wondering how long this peace between Quill and Artimé will last. Alex is stunned when Mr. Today comes to him with a very special request - one Alex questions his readiness for, until circumstances offer a dramatic answer.
(Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just s...)
Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle… at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that's keeping his memory blocked.
(If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trou...)
If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first in a series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy. Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that. What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow. The vision is everywhere - on billboards, television screens, windows - and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees.
(Janie Hannagan lives on the fringe, cursed with an abilit...)
Janie Hannagan lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control: She gets sucked into other people’s dreams. Things go from bad to worse when Janie is sucked into a chilling nightmare - and for the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant. Janie discovers that local burnout Cabel is the person having the nightmares - and that Cabel is hiding a few secrets of his own. As these two outsiders come together to learn more about how to harness Janie’s ability, they also find themselves growing ever closer...
(Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives ...)
Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives and she’s finally with Sawyer, pretty much the guy of her dreams. But the nightmare’s not over, because she somehow managed to pass the psycho vision stuff to Sawyer. Excellent. Feeling responsible for what he’s going through and knowing that people’s lives are at stake, Jules is determined to help him figure it all out. But Sawyer’s vision is so awful he can barely describe it, much less make sense of it. All he can tell her is there’s a gun, and eleven ear-splitting shots. Bang. Jules and Sawyer have to work out the details fast because the visions are getting worse and that means only one thing: time is running out.
(The magical world of Artimé is gone. The Unwanteds have n...)
The magical world of Artimé is gone. The Unwanteds have no food, no water, and no hope. And everyone is looking to Alex Stowe for answers. Overwhelmed and feeling totally helpless, Alex knows it’s up to him to find a way to restore Artimé, rescue his captive friends, and free Megan from her voice-stealing necklace of thorns - three impossible tasks. But could help lie with the silent, orange-eyed newcomers?
(As Alex grows more confident in his role as the mage of A...)
As Alex grows more confident in his role as the mage of Artimé, he expands his skills and brings his first creature to life - with results that are both painful and wonderful. A team from Artimé heads out to rescue Sky and Crow’s mother from underwater Pirate Island and discovers there are more creatures than they ever imagined in the ocean surrounding the islands - and not all of them are friendly. Meanwhile, in Quill, Aaron faces threats to his leadership as Gondoleery hones her rediscovered magical abilities and Eva and Liam form a secret alliance against him.
(After narrowly surviving two harrowing tragedies, Jules n...)
After narrowly surviving two harrowing tragedies, Jules now fully understands the importance of the visions that she and those around her are experiencing. She’s convinced that if the vision curse passed from her to Sawyer after she saved him, then it must now have passed from Sawyer to one of the people he saved. That means it’s up to Jules to figure out which of the school shooting survivors is now suffering from visions of another crisis.
(Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which...)
Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double meatball–shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that. What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow. The vision is everywhere - on billboards, television screens, windows - and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows.
(Alex and his friends from Artimé are stranded on a newly ...)
Alex and his friends from Artimé are stranded on a newly discovered island after barely surviving a storm that destroys their ship. And it turns out they’re not alone… Back in Quill, Aaron’s power base grows as he aligns himself with an unlikely ally. Together, the two enact a drastic, risky plan to finally conquer Artimé - a plan that could ultimately leave everyone in both Artimé and Quill in far more danger than Aaron realizes.
(Charlie Wilde knew her life would change forever when her...)
Charlie Wilde knew her life would change forever when her family moved from the city of Chicago to the suburbs of Arizona… and that was before she found the bracelet. After putting it on, she notices odd things start to happen. Suddenly Charlie seems to have the speed of a cheetah and the strength of an elephant - and that’s just the beginning. She would be thrilled about her transformation if she had any idea how to use the device or control her amazing powers.
(In Predator vs. Prey, Charlie Wilde’s dad has been abduct...)
In Predator vs. Prey, Charlie Wilde’s dad has been abducted by masked figures who might not even be completely human. And it will take more than her incredible bracelet - which gives her powers from the animal kingdom - to rescue him. Luckily, Charlie’s friends now have bracelets of their own with all-new abilities… they just have to work through a few issues first. Maria’s device has hair-raising side effects. Mac can’t wait to hack into his. And their frenemy, Kelly, swears hers is a dud. If Charlie is going to have any hope of saving her dad - and the world - from their beastly foes, she’ll have to help her friends master their powers and come together as a team.
(Charlie, Mac, and Maria managed to rescue the Project Chi...)
Charlie, Mac, and Maria managed to rescue the Project Chimera scientists from the devious Dr. Gray, but they couldn’t stop him. Now he’s closer than ever to enacting his dreadful master plan to transform all of humanity into a monstrous new species. And even worse, Kelly has betrayed her friends and joined forces with him. To defeat their beastly foes, Charlie and the others are going to need help.
(Identical twins Fifer and Thisbe Stowe have amazing yet u...)
Identical twins Fifer and Thisbe Stowe have amazing yet uncontrollable magical abilities. They’re naturally more gifted than even their brother, Alex, the head mage of Artimé could hope to be. But when they accidentally use their magic in the jungle of Artimé to strike down a beloved creature, Alex is furious and threatens to lock them away until they can learn to control their power. The threat is soon forgotten, though, when Hux, the ice blue dragon, comes to Artimé bearing the horrible news that his siblings have been enslaved by the notoriously evil Revinir, ruler of the dragon land.
(The Artiméans have suffered some devastating blows. After...)
The Artiméans have suffered some devastating blows. After years of peace, the recent daring adventure of twins Thisbe and Fifer Stowe have brought about dire consequences. Thisbe has been captured, Fifer is injured, and Sky is lost at sea. The twins’ older brother Alex, head mage of Artimé, is paralyzed with fear of losing anyone else he loves. Fifer must convince him to finally trust her to help in the battle ahead now that their true enemy has been revealed.
(Ten years after Alex and Aaron Stowe brought peace to Qui...)
Ten years after Alex and Aaron Stowe brought peace to Quill and Artimé, their younger twin sisters journey beyond Artimé in the third novel in the New York Times bestselling sequel series to The Unwanteds, which Kirkus Reviews called “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.” Devastated by loss and hampered by war, Fifer struggles to regroup and continue the search for her twin.
(At last, after harrowing battles and devastating losses, ...)
At last, after harrowing battles and devastating losses, the three Stowe siblings are reunited. Back in Artime, however, their joy at finding one another is short-lived. Fifer loses her leadership position and struggles to find her place and purpose, while Thisbe is relentless in her determination to return to the land of the dragons and help Rohan rescue the other black-eyed children. Aaron fails to ward off increasing opposition from a resentful Frieda Stubbs and the dissenters, leading to a shocking and dangerous turn. Meanwhile, the Revinir pursues Thisbe and Drock all the way to the seven islands, putting the people of Artimé in peril. To save them, Thisbe makes an unthinkable sacrifice that leaves Fifer, Aaron, and the others to face political eruption and destruction in the formerly peaceful magical world.
(Artimé is at war. Led by the reckless new head mage, Frie...)
Artimé is at war. Led by the reckless new head mage, Frieda Stubbs, and swayed by her stoking their fear of the Revinir’s return, the people of Artimé have turned against the Stowe family. Aaron and his allies are captured while Fifer is left exposed to mortal danger. Thisbe and the team of black-eyed children from Grimere journey to Artimé to help, leaving Dev behind to fend for himself against the increasingly powerful Revinir. Thisbe grapples with guilt and worry from multiple directions as her relationship with Fifer continues its downward spiral. When things are at their bleakest and everything is on the line, Fifer is forced to make a decision that could change her destiny forever.
Lisa McMann is an American writer, novelist, and is the New York Times bestselling author of the middle-grade dystopian fantasy series The Unwanteds, the YA paranormal Wake trilogy, and several other books for kids and teens. Her popular Wake trilogy won an American Library Association designation and a Gateway Readers Award nomination, among other honors.
Background
Lisa McMann was born on February 27, 1968, in Holland, a fine little Dutch-type city on the shore of Lake Michigan. She was raised in the big family with her two elder brothers and her younger sister. Her father worked in a factory for 47 years before he retired. Her mother was a hairdresser and she used to play the organ at church.
Education
Lisa McMann attended high school in Holland, Michigan in 1975. She graduated from Calvin University in 1990.
Before her writing career started, Lisa McMann was a blueberry picker, bindery worker, bookstore clerk, and later worked as a manager, and a realtor. She started writing during and after college in the early 1990s. After she moved from her native Michigan with her husband and two children in 2004, she made writing her priority. Her first novel, Wake, debuted on the New York Times best-seller list for children’s chapter books. She is also the author of Fade, which debuted on the New York Times best-seller list and remained there eleven weeks, and of Gone, the last book in the Wake series, which was released February 2010.
McMann, a mother of two, has published many short stories, including the creative nonfiction essay, “When You're Ten,” featured in Literary Mama, and the award-winning short story, “The Day of the Shoes,” in 2004. One year later, her story, “Like Waves on Rocks” was published in the Gator Springs Gazette. McMann's short stories are written for adult audiences while her novels are intended for young adults.
(In Predator vs. Prey, Charlie Wilde’s dad has been abduct...)
2017
Views
Lisa McMann has drawn most of her ideas for her books from her own experiences and the world around her. She came up with the idea for the Wake series after she had a dream that she was a part of her husband’s dream. This gave her the inspiration for a girl who gets sucked in other people’s dreams: the basis for her successful trilogy. The idea for her Unwanteds series came from budget cuts to her own children’s art classes at schools. This gave her the idea for a world in which children were punished much more severely for being creative.
Quotations:
"I’m pretty sure everyone feels unwanted at one point or another. There were several years there where I felt like Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my only friend. And when it came to my secret desire to be a writer, I just never felt like I could tell people that for fear of being teased. Being a writer wasn’t something people around me aspired to be. It was very “artsy” and out there, not at all cool."
"I believe kids know the difference between fantasy and real life. A few parents might wince at the “to the death!” concept, worrying that their vulnerable little one isn’t ready for such a heavy topic. But children view the scary stuff in literature as a chance to experience risk and adventure from the safety of the couch. The truth remains that characters in grave danger and extreme peril make us care deeply about them, no matter what our age. And I’ve seen it time and again - when children feel uncomfortable with a book, they put it down. They are not going to waste precious fun time reading a book that makes them feel yucky."
Personality
Liza always had a passion for writing, even since about 4th grade: "I remember writing a story called “Baby May’s Birthday.” It’s my first book that I ever remember writing. I wrote it for an assignment for school. My teacher picked my story out of the whole class, for a young author’s conference, and I got to go spend the day with authors at a local college. I remember thinking back then, “I want to be a writer.”
When she isn’t writing, she spends her spare time cooking and watching cookery shows on the TV. She also enjoys mountain-climbing that she usually does with her husband, Matt.
Interests
cooking, traveling
Writers
Chris Crutcher, Sara Zarr, Lois Lowry, Elizabeth Scott, Madeleine L'Engle, Gordon Korman, Michelle Magorian, Heather Bouwman
Sport & Clubs
mountain-climbing
Connections
Lisa McMann lives and writes in Phoenix, Arizona. She’s happily married to her husband Matt and has two awesome kids, Kilian and Kennedy.