Checking in with YA author Paul Greci and his new novel

2/4/2019

I meet Paul Greci when I first started going to the ALAN Workshop back in 2003. For fifteen years I have been looking forward to seeing Paul and to having a brief chat. Then, one year, Paul had a YA book of his own, Surviving Bear Island. He has a long and successful career has an educator and youth advocate.

I was able to score an early copy of his new book, The Wild Lands. It is a wonderful example of a post-apocalyptic adventure. Think Neal Shusterman’s Dry and a host of others. I think Greci’s newest book should not be ignored. If you have students that like an outdoor adventure then you should be introducing them to Greci’s books. Think Gary Paulson, Ben Michaelson, and bit of James Dashner.

To top it all off, Paul is a great outdoor photographer. Browsing his Facebook page you will find some beautiful outdoor photography. However, only spend time browsing the photos after you order a copy of the book. Below, you will find an interview with Paul. In addition, you will find some of the recent reviews that anticipated the book's release.

Don't Paul and Dana look thrilled to have this book in the world? Why shouldn't they, this book is great!

An Interview with Paul Greci

Book Reviews for The Wild Lands.

“This fast-paced book contains all the hallmarks of a classic wilderness survival novel (deadly terrain, vicious predators, literal cliff-hangers) and the best of the postapocalyptic genre ... The author’s decades of Alaskan wilderness experience is evident throughout ... A great high-stakes wilderness survival tale.” —School Library Journal

“Heart thumping suspense for readers who liked Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave.” –Booklist

“This rugged survival story places a group of teens in a dark, burned-out post-apocalyptic nightmare. Your heart will pound for them as they face terrible dangers and impossible odds. Gripping, vivid, and haunting!” — Emmy Laybourne, international bestselling author of the Monument 14 Trilogy

“A compelling story that wouldn’t let me stop reading. Greci has created both a frightening landscape and characters you believe in and want to survive it.” — Eric Walters, author of the bestselling Rule of Three series

“A brutal vision of things to come. Greci delivers an apocalyptic odyssey that’s honest, relentless, and backed by his firsthand knowledge of the wilderness.” — Lex Thomas, author of the Quarantine series

“Heart-racing… A rugged wilderness lover’s post-disaster survivalist tale.” –Kirkus Reviews
Chosen as one of January's Best New Young Adult Books from Barnes & Noble

Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator

Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.

Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
Co-Curator

Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and writing program administrator at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods. She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.

Bickmore's
Co-Edited Books

Meet
Evangile Dufitumukiza!

Evangile is a native of Kigali, Rwanda. He is a college student that Steve meet while working in Rwanda as a missionary. In fact, Evangile was one of the first people who translated his English into Kinyarwanda.

Steve recruited him to help promote Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media while Steve is doing his mission work.

He helps Dr. Bickmore promote his academic books and sometimes send out emails in his behalf.

You will notice that while he speaks fluent English, it often does look like an "American" version of English. That is because it isn't. His English is heavily influence by British English and different versions of Eastern and Central African English that is prominent in his home country of Rwanda.

Welcome Evangile into the YA Wednesday community as he learns about Young Adult Literature and all of the wild slang of American English vs the slang and language of the English he has mastered in his beautiful country of Rwanda.

While in Rwanda, Steve has learned that it is a poor English speaker who can only master one dialect and/or set of idioms in this complicated language.

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