Libby's Books

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PRAISE
for
Fire Me!
by Libby Malin
(Trade paperback, humorous women's fiction, Sourcebooks May 2009)

“Fire Me is a zany, laugh-out-loud novel that will satisfy the mischievous child in all of us; an office worker’s dream come true!...An absolute must-have…” Book Reviews By Bobbie

"Fire Me… had this reader chuckling out loud.” Jo-Ann Greene, Lancaster Sunday News

“Anne is just too hilarious for words, her schemes to get fired, along with her co-workers, are laugh-out-loud funny… I love the book. And I definitely want to read more of Ms. Malin's. And I think you should too.” OMG It’s Wendy Blog

“This fast-paced, humorous book kept me giggling throughout the night…For anybody who’s ever had it ‘up to here’ with their job… this book is a fun read and will bring you lots of laughs.” A Novel Menagerie

"...hilarious...inspired...provides a tongue-in-cheek look at the corporate mentality." Eye on Romance website

“...really funny…a fast paced page turner… I couldn’t wait to see what Anne would do next to foil her boss’s schedule…Fire Me is Libby Malin’s first chick lit book in four years – I hope she writes faster in the future!” Romance Reader at Heart

"Humorous and full of heart, Fire Me! is a sharply written novel about life, love and the good ole 9-5." -- Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and Questions To Ask Before Marrying

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PRAISE
for
Recovering Dad
by Libby Sternberg
(Hardcover YA mystery, Bancroft Press, November 2008)


Tri-State Young Adult Book Reviews: “Just enough humor and action that the story doesn’t get bogged down, and a spunky, believable heroine make this a fun and exciting read. Recommended for high school and older middle school mystery collections.”

Kirkus“This third installment in the Bianca Balducci mystery series finds its titular character struggling with family and boyfriend problems . . . Through it all, however, Bianca comes across as a smart, spunky, and sensitive girl . . . and her story emerges as intriguing.”

Kliatt: “What strikes the reader most about this series is just how all-American girl-next-door Bianca is. So many mysteries written for YAs have characters that are so much more courageous and intelligent than their readers; Bianca is a girl her readers will find familiar, like them . . . The sisters Balducci operate frequently out of emotion, not exactly cool reasoning, but that makes them all the more believable to YA readers.”

Harriet Klausner: “Young adults will be fascinated by brave Bianca, who packs more activities into a week than most teens need a year to complete (boomers need a decade). However, her prime effort is to help her normally wiser older sister from doing something insane and potentially deadly. Bianca struggles to understand Connie’s motives in investigating Steve Paluchek’s involvement in her late father’s death, because Steve has always been nice to her, and because she does not really know her dad except from what her siblings and mom told her. In between sleuthing and saving her sister, Bianca worries about her SAT scores, the junior prom, and first love. In her latest Bianca case (see also Uncovering Sadie's Secrets), Libby Sternberg provides a very personal mystery for her teen sleuth to investigate.”

Teens Read Too: “Recovering Dad is the third book in the Bianca Balducci mystery series, but it serves quite well as a standalone. I hadn’t read either of the previous books before reading Recovering Dad, and I found myself comfortably ensconced in a story bursting with likeable characters, everyday problems that every teenager will be able to relate to, and a murder mystery that twists and turns on its journey enough to keep readers guessing. Bianca’s voice is light and entertaining, and the balance between the mystery and the everyday was well done. I thoroughly enjoyed Recovering Dad, and I look forward to reading more of Sternberg’s work.”

Roundtable Reviews: “Recovering Dad is an excellent story and one most teens will enjoy. I grew up with Nancy Drew, and Bianca tends to be a shrewder heroine. Libby Sternberg is an Edgar Allan Poe award finalist for her first Bianca novel, and now that I've read this novel, I can understand why.”

I Love a Mystery: “The Balducci sisters and their mom are believable and warm characters. I highly recommend this book... especially for the ‘tweens.’”


*****

PRAISE
for
The Case Against My Brother
by Libby Sternberg
(Hardcover YA mystery, Bancroft Press, November 2007)


Library Journal: In 1922, the Ku Klux Klan led the drive for an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant referendum that made it illegal for Oregon parents to send their children to parochial schools. Against this historical backdrop, teen brothers Carl and Adam Matuski travel to Portland, after their mother's death to live with their Uncle Pete. Unfortunately, life in a bigotry-poisoned town is unbearable, and 15-year-old Carl wants to go back east until Adam is accused of stealing jewelry from an affluent family whose daughter Adam had been dating. Addressing themes of religious intolerance and ethnic discrimination, this YA novel is taut, vivid, and stirring and will appeal to all ages. Highly recommended.

Booklist "… The time is 1922, and her protagonist, Carl Matuski, is a Polish Catholic 15-year-old, who, along with his older brother, Adam, lives with taciturn Uncle Pete in Portland, Oregon. When likable Adam is accused of stealing jewelry belonging to the family of a girl he has been dating, Carl sets out to prove him innocent. In so doing, he finds a hidden side to his beloved brother and discovers deeply rooted ethnic and religious prejudice in his community. The controversy surrounding the passage of Oregon's 1922 compulsory public-school referendum, which spelled the demise of parochial schools (it was later struck down) is a large, and very interesting part of the backdrop…. the issues raised and the difficult choice Carl must ultimately make give this inspirational, nicely written story an underlying strength.

School Library Journal: "This fast-paced novel has an interesting blend of fiction and fact, illuminating many issues plaguing immigrant families during a volatile time in America. Polish and Catholic, the main characters not only face stereotypes that accompany poverty, but also combat harsh racism… readers are easily swept up in the adventure as the eye-opening mystery unfolds."

Catholic Explorer (Joliet, IL): "In a book written with a teen-age audience in mind, author Libby Sternberg projects an 'unsinkable Molly Brown' quality in the protagonist, 15-year-old Carl Matuski, whose contagious energy is certain to maintain the interest of today's multi-tasking young adult readers. At the same time, there's much in this book for not-so-young adults to consider—specifically the political and social environment leading up to a referendum, passed in the 1920s in Oregon, prohibiting the existence of Catholic and other private schools. Readers might shake their heads in disbelief over the possibility that such a movement would prevail in 20th century America. Yet nearly a century later, issues of unwillingness to accept the immigrant, and intolerance for another's faith, continue to spread poison, like venom from a snake . . . Carl's fidelity and devotion for his brother, his unswerving loyalty, the beautiful innocence of brotherly love and faith-filled forgiveness should put this book on the first shelf. The ability to simultaneously sustain a sense of mystery with a purveying sadness, while preserving a surprise ending, are three key elements that put Sternberg's writing style in a class with other talented writers in this genre. This book is recommended for a junior high and high school social studies reading list and would fit nicely into religious education class discussions."

Tri State Young Adult Book Review Committee (PA, NJ, DE) "Sternberg brings the Prohibition era to life (and) provides a strong historical novel using the mystery genre to provide the details of prejudice in the 1920s…Strongly recommended… Outstanding"

Young Adults Book Central (Terry Miller Shannon): "This is a compulsively readable page-turner with thought-provoking social issues, a fascinating peek into a little-known time and place, and a thoroughly real protagonist. The relationship between the brothers is nicely complex. Readers will be intrigued by the mystery, root for Carl's coming of age, and be reminded that prejudice shifts to target all different groups. Highly recommended."

VOYA: "Although the book is set in the 1920s, it reads like a modern mystery. The author does a fine job of interweaving the story with the historical campaign for the Oregon School Question of 1922, which tried to outlaw parochial schools. The story also does a fine job of explaining the anti-immigration mindset of the country during that period. Sternberg is quite descriptive in her character development while keeping the story line moving at a good pace. Readers will enjoy the inspiring story of Carl finding his way in the world among the bigotry and spread of Bolshevism. This page-turner will keep teens interested, making it a good addition to any library."

TeensReadToo.com "The Case Against My Brother is a very well-written mystery with wonderful characters and a suspenseful plot featuring a backdrop of intolerance and bigotry in a dark, little known corner of American history . . . Libby Sternberg is a master at characterization and plotting, and this story will keep you reading straight through to the end."
Lancaster (PA) Sunday News "The book is carefully researched, exposes religious and ethnic prejudice, and portrays Polish-American characters realistically and sensitively. . . . But Sternberg's target audience, mystery-reading teens, will be more interested in the book's likable yet unlikely hero and the issue he faced then and they face now: what it means to grow up. Of course, a daring impersonation, visits to a speakeasy, an encounter with Klansmen, and a fight to the death will help keep young readers focused on the essential question of whodunit."

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PRAISE FOR
Uncovering Sadie's Secrets
by Libby Sternberg
Teen Mystery
(Dorchester Publishing, August 2005;
hardcover: Bancroft Press)

• Edgar nominee
• Featured Title, Brodart’s GEMS program
• Young Adult Top 40 Fiction Picks – Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

“...an extra entertainment for mystery fans, one for those who want a puzzle without a ghost or a murder...” Kirkus

“An engaging young teen mystery that’s fun to read.” Harriet Klausner

“A great start to what looks like a continuing series.” School Library Journal

“...you'll so enjoy watching this contemporary Nancy Drew save the day...” Romantic Times

“Combining slapstick with intelligent wit, Uncovering Sadie's Secrets is an entertaining mystery for young adult readers.” Burlington Free Press

“Uncovering Sadie's Secrets by Libby Sternberg will please both young people and their parents...” Mystery Scene Magazine

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PRAISE FOR
Finding the Forger
by Libby Sternberg
Teen Mystery
(Dorchester Publishing, March 2006;
hardcover: Bancroft Press)

“Bianca is an extremely likable character: smart, funny, and able to find humor in the worst situations. The author does a great job of capturing her voice, conveying all of Bianca's insecurities and doubts as well as her triumphs...An entertaining read.” School Library Journal

“What’s fun about this is Bianca’s first-person voice––droll, yet totally teen. Bianca is a kid who seems very real....a good alternative to Nancy Drew.” Booklist

“...simply a delight to read. Bianca is one of the funniest characters to come out of young adult fiction in years...” Mystery Morgue

“...lively and captivating...” VOYA

“An enjoyable read, Sternberg’s book will appeal to teen girls. Bianca’s career choice is interesting, and she’s an engaging character concerned with more than clothes.” Four stars, Romantic Times Book Club

"Mix one part Nancy Drew, one part Mia Thermopolis (THE PRINCESS DIARIES), and one part Carrie Bradshaw (SEX AND THE CITY), and you come out with the very whacked out, yet hilariously funny, Bianca Balducci. Bianca is the girl that every teenager wants to be - sans the bad-smelling hair. She's tough, headstrong, sassy, and fashionable. Libby Sternberg created an enjoyable piece of teen fiction with UNCOVERING SADIE'S SECRETS, but she's struck gold with FINDING THE FORGER. A can't-miss, must-own novel for all mystery lovers." Erika Sorocco , Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper


".... a delightful read. Teens and tweens alike are sure to enjoy this witty tale. Because it's filled with typical teen folly, hair fiascos, and boyfriend stealing, I found myself transported
back to my own teen years. Libby Sternberg does an excellent job making the characters come to life. The entire story kept me guessing until the very end. Awesome job, Ms. Sternberg. "
-ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS


"Finding the Forger is a great contemporary mystery. I enjoyed revisiting Bianca and her friends . . . . While there is some romance, the mystery is the most defining aspect of this book. Far from a rehash of other teenage mysteries lining bookstore shelves, Finding the Forger is an entertaining original, and one that every young adult and teen is likely to enjoy." -ROMANCE REVIEWS TODAY

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PRAISE FOR
Loves Me, Loves Me Not
by Libby Malin
(Trade paperback women's fiction,
Harlequin’s Red Dress Ink, October 2005)

“...the love story is charming and will be appreciated by any woman with bad taste in men who somehow inexplicably ends up with Mr. Right.” Washington Post

“...a whimsical look at the vagaries of dating... an intriguing side plot adds punch and pathos to the story....” Publishers Weekly

“Malin’s clever debut toys with chick-lit stereotypes and offers quite a few surprises along the way.” Booklist

“... I was hooked!” Freshfiction.com

“LOVES ME, LOVE ME NOT is a sensitive, inspiring tale that will leave the reader feeling refreshed and hopeful. Ms. Malin has written a simply terrific book and made my auto-buy list.” a “Top Pick” at Romance Reader at Heart web site