BOOK REVIEWS
SAVED BY THE MUSIC
“Castrovilla writes an alluring first novel about the unusual relationship formed between two self-destructive teens...Castrovilla skillfully weaves the stories of Willow’s and Axel’s past traumas into a touching account of their growing friendship. Readers will stay on the edge of their seats to see whether the teens will be successful in overcoming their obstacles and healing emotional scars."
— Publisher's Weekly Online
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THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
“THE GIRL NEXT DOOR author, Selene Castrovilla, has written a fine Teen novel dealing with love between a dying boy and his girlfriend. Selene's writing is crisp and tight and teens (especially girls) will quickly become immersed in her story about friendship, commitment, loss and facing life's realities. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR tells a bittersweet tale between two teens who must carve a full-fledged relationship from a small allotment of time, learning about each other and themselves along the way. Readers who like this genre of fiction will love this book!"
— Lurlene McDaniel, author of DON’T DIE, MY LOVE
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BY THE SWORD
“...Castrovilla does an admirable job of portraying the tension and dread an unweathered soldier would feel in the face of battle without resorting to the grisly details of blood and death... Farnsworth's oil-on-canvas paintings, which have an aged, worn look, mix the muted browns of battlefield muck with the diffused grays of early morning fog to heighten the action of flint striking gunpowder and cannonballs raining from the sky.”
— Ian Chipman, Booklist
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UPON SECRECY
I love the way Castrovilla gets inside the heads of real life characters and brings them to life. Right away we are pulled into the story of espionage and the different factions of the Revolutionary War become so real. Upon Secrecy will have you on the edge of your seat - even though you know how it ends! Castrovilla is definitely one of my new favorite historians for children.
— Jelly Mom Book Reviews
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EVOLUTION
WINNER of THE NEW SCHOOL CHAPBOOK AWARD SERIES
The Chapbook Award Series is published by the Graduate Writing Program at New School University. Winners are selected annually from among
the graduates of the program by writers of national reputation.
“Selene Castrovilla’s Evolution accomplishes the near impossible: With its dual protagonists, it introduces not only one, but two entirely original and compelling new voices. Imagine, if you can, how a collaboration between a modern-day teenage Langston Hughes and V.C. Andrews might read. And then stretch your mind further. Raw, lyrical, and darkly humorous - and uncompromisingly honest - Selene Castrovilla’s work is poetry and prose combined to the utmost. This is a writer to watch out for.”
— Daniel Ehrenhaft
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