wtf

Six people, six secrets. One night, one party, one hideous accident that blows everything apart. On November 10, 2009, my young-adult novel wtf (Simon Pulse) was released. It’s intense, funny, and raw (for older, mature readers!) — the kind of off-the‑wall, pulse‑pounding adventure I like to read.  Already the reviewers have been chiming in.

School Library Journal: “Shortly after nine p.m. on a Friday evening in October, things fall apart for six young adults tangled together by drug deals, debts, and greed. The cinematic narrative flashes forward and back and alternates among the various characters’ viewpoints over the course of one night. Lerangis’s novel demonstrates how one stupid decision can have a wicked snowball effect that leaves everyone asking, ‘WTF’?…. Fans of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist will appreciate this even faster paced, smart-aleck-toned partying misadventure, and the steady action and short chapters will appeal to reluctant readers.”

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates): “Written in ever-widening circles and loops, this novel’s structure nearly becomes a character in its own right, lending an unpredictability and urgency to the events. The pacing of the story is well done, and when a chapter moves back to another character in a different place, clues help the reader to switch gears. The story takes place predominantly on one night (with only a few necessary flashbacks), making the read compulsive and surreal. Male and female characters from a variety of backgrounds will give the book broad appeal.… Sex, drugs, and strong language are prevalent —as might be supposed by the title … giving an air of realism to a horrifying night.”

Booklist: “surreal … very believable, smart urban teens … teens will be eager to see how Lerangis stitches [the plot points] all together ... and the event-filled chases through the streets of Manhattan will remind readers of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: “Plot-rich and quirky, with echoes of the Coen brothers and Weekend at Bernie’s.”

Publishers Weekly: “Action-packed from first page to last ... with danger and surprises around nearly every corner.”

BookPage: “From the shocking beginning to an ending that still manages to surprise, this is one book readers won’t be able to put down.” 

BookKids Blog: “ … fast-paced romp of a novel.  If you’re looking for something edgy and original, wtf is a great pick.” 

Katie’s Book Blog: “wtf was an awesome book. I read the whole thing in one day because once I started it I couldn’t put it down. It was so good and I just had to know how everything was going to end.... I laughed out loud so many times at all of the impossible situations … it will keep you enthralled from beginning to the very end.”

YA Bliss: “Whoa! I LOVED this book! I had SO much FUN reading it.... There are so many WTF moments and so many OMFG moments you just can’t stop reading.  The writing was awesome. The characters were cool, I felt I was watching a really fun movie. The plot was just so twisted and fun.  It’s entertaining/ funny/ modern/ light/ cool book that you just can not miss! Definitely recommended.”

Just Your Typical Book Blog: “There’s no doubt that this book could easily play out into a movie. It’s very fast paced and makes for a quick read.…  There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t cracking up.… The ending to WTF seriously had me going wtf?!”

Perfect (A Trilogy)

I am delighted to announce my upcoming three-book series, Perfect, which will be published in late 2011/ early 2012 by Egmont.  All I can tell you is it takes place in the future, and it’s such an exciting idea I can’t wait to get started!

“I, Blooder” (A Vampire Short Story)

One morning while jogging in Central Park, I saw a red-tailed hawk viciously attacking its hapless prey on the ground.  The hawk would try to fly, the prey would fall from its talons, the hawk would tumble to the ground and attack again.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered the hawk was trying to massacre … an empty plastic water bottle.  I stood there wondering what is that bird thinking?  Naturally           Bitesthis brought to mind a tale involving blood, genetics, shape-shifting, overpop-ulation, and a secret vampire society under Belvedere Castle.  It’s called “I, Blooder” and it’s the final story in a collection called Bites (Scholastic), edited by Lois Metzger.  I’m in great company, with writers such as Neil Shusterman and Christopher Paul Curtis.

Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am (2011)

I’m thrilled to report I’m cowriting a novel with Harry Mazer, one of the finest authors for young readers and a mentor and good friend of mine.  The working title is Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am.  It is about a young soldier who must reconstruct his life when he returns from battle with his memory gone due to a traumatic brain injury, and it will be published in fall 2011 by Simon & Schuster.

Three Investigators: Brain Wash (Germany only, 2011)

How many writers can claim they waited twenty-two years for a manuscript to be published? Originally written for the Three Investigators Crimebusters series in 1989, my manuscript for a volume called Brain Wash was orphaned when the series was canceled. Imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail inviting me to Stuttgart, Germany for a celebration announcing (1) that the German publisher Kosmos-Verlag had gained the rights to the series, and (2) they wanted to publish my old book. After a near-panic, my editor (long-since retired) found it — on a 3½-inch diskette that she happened to have kept all these years! It will be published in German in spring ’11.