Bookhounds YA

Books, Gardens, and Dogs

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Giveaways
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Review Policy

$20 #Giveaway The Weight of the Sky by Caroline Schley @carolineschley Ends 6.3

May 20, 2021 By Mary



The Weight of the Sky
Caroline Schley
Publication date: May 20th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

For every important decision in her life, fifteen-year-old Chris Miller relies on silence rather than courage. In her rough Bridgeport neighborhood, Chris bites her tongue when her best friend gets sent to juvenile detention for a crime she didn’t commit. As a scholarship kid at St. Catherine’s Prep, Chris acquiesces to ‘drinkstagram’ at tony sleepover parties. At home with her overbearing mother, she swallows her questions about her father’s identity. Chris understands that quiet insecurity isn’t the most valiant approach to life, but it gets her through the day unscathed. Until she’s sexually assaulted.

In the aftermath, Chris’s tenuous happiness crumbles alongside her grades, yet she can’t find the courage to report the assault. At a crossroads, Chris is forced to volunteer at an afterschool program for low-income families to maintain her scholarship. Catapulted back to the very neighborhood she struggled to escape, Chris finds her family thrust into the crosshairs of a gang war. When one of the students from her afterschool program is put at risk, Chris discovers just how much damage her silence can cause. Ultimately, she must decide if she will remain quiet as others call the shots and remain a victim or if she can forge the strength to stand up, speak the truth and call herself a survivor.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Chris’s fingers trembled over the email icon on the cracked screen of her Samsung phone.

“It’s from St. Catherine’s. Oh my God, Lesley, I’m going to pee my pants.”

“Spelling Bee, there’s no way they didn’t accept you. Get that tremble outta your pale-ass chin.” Lesley pulled her full lips and dark eyebrows into an assured pout. “You’re the smartest freshman in the history of Bridgeport High School. All that shit about string theory you were spouting off in the hallway last week? I didn’t even know you were speaking English. I thought Mr. Idelson was going to nut himself.”

“Eww.” Chris wrinkled her nose at the thought of her ancient Biology teacher doing anything that resembled nutting himself.

“Eww.” Lesley jutted her chin in agreement. “The point is, you’re a genius. Just open it.”

Chris pushed her brown hair behind her ears and attempted to duplicate Lesley’s self-confident posture. It was true. She was smart. At public school. St. Catherine’s Prep existed in a different universe. It was, without question, the best high school in the area, possibly in the whole state of Connecticut. The campus gleamed like a bastion of perfection, nestled securely into the part of Fairfield County dominated by large, estate-style houses and private waterfront property. The girls wore charcoal grey uniform skirts and the boys wore monogrammed blue blazers. The tuition was $35,000 a year. The thought that they might accept her there on a full scholarship for tenth grade seemed as ludicrous as Hagrid the groundskeeper sweeping into her mother’s postage stamp apartment to let her know she’d been accepted to Hogwarts.

Chris took a breath and clicked on the screen with shaking fingers. She blinked as the words swam into coherent sentences in front of her.

Dear Ms. Miller,

The admissions committee at St. Catherine’s School…outstanding application…meaningful performance…blah, blah, blah… Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to St. Catherine’s School for the 2020-2021 school year.

“I got in.” Chris almost choked on the words.

“Told you.” Lesley deadpanned for a beat before she let out an excited scream. The noise ricocheted over the cracked cement courtyard of the K Street Housing Project. “Maybe now your mom will get off your case about hanging out with me.”

Chris grimaced. “Maybe.” Maybe not.

Lesley shimmied into a victory dance. “We need to celebrate!” Chris could predict the next words to come out of her mouth as clearly as if Lesley were reading off a script. “Do you have ten dollars?”

This is why my mother doesn’t like you, Chris thought, smiling.

Author Bio:

Caroline Schley is a YA author and high school science teacher. Originally from New York City, she currently lives in Madrid and will happily travel long distances for white sand beaches, high-quality chocolate and alpine hiking trails. You can find out about her current writing projects and stay in touch at carolineschley.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
XBTBanner1

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • More
  • TSU
  • Share on Tumblr

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
#Giveaway Excerpt CURSE UNDONE by Brandie June @brandiejune @CamCatBooks @RockstarBkTours Ends 11.22
#Giveaway Why STEM? by Valerie Tripp #Win Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad #3: The Law of Cavities Ends 11.13 @mediamastersbks
#Giveaway How I Came to Write The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick #Win THE TILTERSMITH @AmyEHerrick @AlgonquinYR @mediamastersbks Ends 11.6
#Giveaway NO ADMISSIONS by Brittany Geragotelis @TheBookSlayer @PixelandInkBks @HolidayHouseBks @RockstarBkTours Ends 10.25
#Giveaway Excerpt ZARA’S RULES FOR FINDING HIDDEN TREASURE by Hena Khan @henakhanbooks @SalaamReads @SimonKIDS @RockstarBkTours Ends 10.18

Comments

  1. Bea LaRocca says

    May 20, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Congratulations on your debut book release! I like the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like a must read for my granddaughter and I

  2. Gwendolyn Jordan says

    May 21, 2021 at 4:28 am

    Sounds interesting

  3. beth shepherd says

    May 21, 2021 at 5:58 am

    This looks like a great read! I love the cover and the blurb. Thank you

  4. Maria Malaveci says

    May 21, 2021 at 6:26 am

    Sounds like a wonderful read!

  5. shelly peterson says

    May 21, 2021 at 7:32 am

    sounds like a good read

  6. Angelica Dimeo says

    May 21, 2021 at 7:55 am

    sounds like a good book

  7. Cathy French says

    May 21, 2021 at 9:54 am

    Sounds like her silence isn’t going to help especially after being assaulted. Interesting read.

  8. Nancy says

    May 21, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    I think that the cover of your book is attractive.

  9. bn100 says

    May 21, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    nice cover

  10. Mary Preston says

    May 21, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    Chris Miller’s life sounds awfully rough and tough.

  11. Bonnie says

    May 21, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    Sounds interesting

  12. Julie Bickham says

    May 21, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    I look forward to reading this!

  13. Cindy Merrill says

    May 22, 2021 at 8:28 am

    I have a dear friend with a college age grand daughter- I think the girl would like this book.

  14. Susan Smith says

    May 22, 2021 at 10:00 am

    Sounds great! I like the cover and the excerpt.

  15. Antoinette M says

    May 22, 2021 at 10:18 am

    I like the title and cover of this book.

  16. Sarah L says

    May 22, 2021 at 11:21 pm

    Looks like an interesting book.
    Thanks for the contest. 

  17. Karen H says

    May 29, 2021 at 10:45 am

    Sounds like a good story

  18. Denise Duvall says

    June 2, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    Very appropriate title. She has the weight of the world on her.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Goodreads
  • Email

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 29,786 other subscribers
You'd have to have, like, a lentil for a soul to hate wiener dogs. ~Zuzana from The Daughter of Smoke & Bones by Laini Taylor

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 ·Modern Blogger Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Design by Imagination Designs all images form the Future is Steampunk kit by Marta Van Eck WordPress · Log in