Congratulations to this week’s winners:
Carrie * Mary Roseann * Renee
In WORDS ON FIRE, Audra Zikaris would have been happy to remain with her family on their small farm. But when her parents are arrested for smuggling, Audra is forced on the run with a small package they begged her to deliver in another village. So begins Audra’s entry into her own world of smuggling. Not for the books, or even to save her country…at first. But because it may be the only way she can ever bring her parents home again.
This is an early conversation Audra has with the recipient of the package, Milta Sabiene.
Milda put her hand on my shoulder. “If you’d like, you can stay here with me. You can come to this school, learn about the books.”
“No . . . thank you.” My chest tightened. I refused to learn from a school that taught from books that got my parents arrested. Nor could I ever learn from something that had nearly gotten me killed. I’d return to the forest alone before I opened the pages of any book.
Now Milda folded her arms and her tone became stern. “Let’s make an agreement, then. You don’t have to go to the school, but you cannot tell anyone about it either, or about the books you saw.”
“What will happen to my parents now?” I asked. Even the question sent shudders through me.
Milda frowned. “I’m afraid it’s not good, Audra. They’re not likely to be released. If they’re lucky, then they’ll be sentenced to a prison here in Lithuania.”
Prison? That was if they were lucky? A lump formed in my throat. “And if they’re not?”
“Siberia,” Lukas breathed.
I turned to him. “Where is Siberia?”
“You don’t want to know,” Lukas said.
“Hush!” Milda scolded.
But Lukas didn’t seem to notice Milda’s warning expression. He said, “Siberia is on the far eastern side of Russia. It’s cold on a good day and below living temperatures all other days. Even if you escape the prison, you’ll soon realize the place itself is a prison. There’d be nowhere to go.”
I had to force myself to swallow that thought down, and it landed in a deep pit in my stomach. Siberia sounded so awful, and so far away, I’d never be able to find them, nor would they ever escape, if they even could survive such an awful place. “They might send my parents there?”
To enter this week’s contest for any of the books pictured above, will you tell me the name of a book that had a powerful impact on who you are?
Winners will be announced on August 11. International entries are okay, but winners must be able to provide a US or Canadian address.
Or, you may wish to preorder WORDS ON FIRE today. Please order from your local indie first.
THE KING’S ENGLISH (Signed copies)
78 Comments
In the time of butterflies. Read it in college, I wasn’t the same after reading it.
The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis definitely changed me for the better. Such a great read and something I would devour again and again.
Anne of Green Gables . Devoured it and all of Montgomery’s work. Still love re-reading it!
Bible! It sums up my moral convictions, my beliefs and my future hope.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander got me into reading, into fantasy, & helped me realize that what happens in fantasy adventure stories can be applied to your real life too. I totally identified with Taran in those books.
A book that had an impact on me was False Prince. I wasn’t really into reading and only read the book to get a spirit stick. After reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was. I read all the other books and started to read more and more. Now I love to read and it was thanks to the amazing book False Prince.
The book that has made the biggest impact in my life would have to be not one book but a series The Ilyon Chronicle’s by Jaye L. Knight.
Its spoken to me so much about standing up for what you believe and never forgoing your faith just to please others.
Of the books listed, The Runaway King is the book that had a powerful impact on me (along with my family). I read the trilogy with my sons years ago. They were in grades three and six at the time. We were constantly making predictions of what would happen to Jaron next. My third grader even shared that he was having a hard time focusing during the school day because he could not get Jaron off of his mind. The minute I would pick him up from daycare, he would begin rattling off what he had been thinking about the book all day. The entire trilogy created many wonderful family discussions which I am so thankful for. My sons are now ages 19 and 22 and we still reminisce about the excitement The Runaway King, along with the other books in the trilogy, generated for all of us. I have read every book you have written and they are so popular with my students. I CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on a copy of Words on Fire. Thank you for offering this giveaway.
Goose Girl and Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. My best friend and I became friends through those books!
I loved goose girl!
The Giving Tree
I won it in 4th grade after writing a Thanksgiving essay. Through the years the meaning of the book has changed for me. So few words bring on many emotions.
Mine isn’t one book but a Series “The Ilyon Chronicle’s” by Jaye L. Knight.
These books have shown me how to be strong and courageous, to stand up for my beliefs, and to not differ from my faith to please those around.
This question is way to hard! I feel like every book I’ve read has changed who I was to a degree. Some more than others, of course, but all have had an impact. I suppose the one that had the largest impact was the Berinfell Prophecies. The first book in that (The Spider King) was what got me into reading. It helped me find the genres and style of literature I enjoy as well as allowing me to realise what a “good book” is. That was what got me really into reading.
WTB is one of my favorite authors; I love the Prophecies of Berinfell. In fact, I’m writing the fourth book in the series as we speak! I’m planning on self-publishing it 🙂
Actually, False Prince impacted me greatly because it influenced me to write my own book (which will be available in a few days for purchase). I don’t think I would have gotten this far if it weren’t for your book!
It would be fantastic to get a new copy of Runaway King to pair with the first book 😄
The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight. Her books have strengthened my faith in The Lord and taught me that God has amazing plans for my life that I may not see yet.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson have both shaped who I am.
I love the Wingfeathers Saga as well!!
Into The Land Of The Unicorns by Bruce Coville. It impacted me by showing me that a family isn’t just a group of people that are share the same blood, a real family is made of people who would do anything for each other and love each other even though they aren’t related.
Anne of Green Gables, for many reasons. First of all, that is the book that made me fall in love with reading, and ultimately what led to me becoming a librarian as an adult. But aside from that, Anne taught me to be myself, that it’s ok to be different from other people and that my imagination can take me far. I’m planning a visit to PEI and Green Gables next week.
My kids (at school and at home) love your books and would love to win a new one. I had a girl this year who struggled to read at the beginning of the year and in June she read The False Prince. She was spellbound!
Wonder really hit home for me. The importance of words and things you say. It is important to choose kind. I try to teach my students this lesson every year…every day.
The Harry Potter series changes my vision of myself as a reader in high school. It was the first choice book I picked up since middle school!
Three by Ted Dekker, it’s not a classic and some consider it’s a bad book but it’s message impacted my life greatly.
Ted Dekker is amazing!
Madeleine. It was the first book I read entirely by myself to the person who inspired my love of reading, my grandmother (who is now 96).
1984 was a book that really made me more of a critical thinker, and I think it is important to note that timing is important too. I was the right age for it when I read it, and pulled certain things out of it that I would not have if I had read it sooner.
Lots of books have changed the way I see things, but two (because who can really pick just one) are Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle and Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. Toby Alone is on the surface a great adventure/chase story in the whimsical setting of a tiny civilization on a tree, but as you read it the parallels to our own world and some of the ethical questions it raises really make you think as well as the characters and the choices they make, and why they make them. They are often very complex, and he as some amazing quotes in there like my favorite from the sequel, “The worst place, young man, at the worst time. But you were the right person.”. Love, Aubrey is one of the few books that made me cry. I am not a super emotional person, but the way LaFleur wrote Aubrey’s journey through grief and abandonment to moving on and thriving is just so beautiful. LaFleur really has an amazing grasp on human emotions which shows in some of her other novels too. Wow that was longer then I thought, but I definitely would risk my life over these books and can’t imagine myself without having read them.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Until I read that book, I wasn’t much of reader. It was the first book that I remember I couldn’t put down. It’s also the first book I went back and read a second time.
I AGREE! How to Kill a Mockingbird is a really good book!
The Princess Bride. I know it sounds a little silly, but the book helped me through a pretty bad time in my life. In the novel, Westley goes through some pretty tough stuff, he even dies. But he manages to pull through in the end and rescue Buttercup. Westley, Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik may be fictional characters, but the things they had to endure hit really close to home while I was reading it. The book prompted me to conquer my own six fingered man and accomplish my goals.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. It was placed in my hands by my grade 8 teacher and opened my eyes to different books I would not have considered. I also just loved Gerry, the main character’s curiosity, and saw a bit of myself in him.
pride and prejudice
I have a few books that have stayed with me long after I read them. The first I remember is Night by Elie Wiesel. Most recently, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.
I would have to say the Harry Potter series because it got me to start writing fantasy novels. And I loved, loved The False Prince.
Hi, Jennifer! The False Prince is actually one of my all-time favorite books. I always enjoy the story, no matter how many times I reread it. The dialogue is so clever, the story is rich in detail, and all the characters are fantastic. Your writing and this book inspired my greatest literary endeavor and I’ve learned so many things (both in writing and otherwise) from all your books. I always look forward to reading your new releases! Hope you’re having a great summer! 🙂
I agree with Dina wholeheartedly. The False Prince, The Runaway King, and The Shadow Throne all opened my eyes to how amazing books could be. They helped me with a lot of things. With finding new books to read, and with my writing. (Because I want to be a writer hen I grow up.)
The Queens of Geek changed my life and allowed me to understand myself and others so much better because through the characters, my eyes were opened.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes – I love how it shows just how much kindness impacts a person, and though you may struggle to understand them, kindness is a universal language that extends beyond the borders of intelligence and vanity.
The Bible, because it gave me the principles I live by, and Poppy by Avi because it was one of the earliest books that made me realize I wanted to write stories of my own.
A book that had a great impact on me was a book called EMPTY BOTTLES FULL OF STORIES. This book is full of poems from different perspectives in each chapter with stories of love, strength, loneliness, life’s struggles, and self reliance. It has also inspired me to write my first poems anonymously which eventually was recognised by my teachers.
I think Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot had a big impact on the person I am. It was the first chapter book I read as a child, and it sparked my love for reading!
The Stand by Stephen King I read it in the 1970’s but I still think back to it. In the book there is a scene where after a flu epidemic has wiped out most people a few survivors are wandering in a house where someone has kept their “treasured items”. I was flying to my vacation destination at the time, & usually brought back the same meaningless mementos every one else does. But it gave me alot to think about. From then on anything I bought had to have a purpose.
The Mysterious Benedict Society was the book that made me love reading! I picked it up when I was 11, and started reading it because I thought it’d be a challenge to read a 400 page book. I couldn’t put it down! And when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it!
Oh my gosh, I love those books! =)
The Mysterious Benefit Society is an amazing series!!!
A book that had an impact on who I am today is The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. This story helped me realize my love for reading because it was the first series I was really exited about and actually reread. Now it still stands as my favorite series and I embrace my love for reading!
Ella Enchanted! I love how Ella changes through the book.
Gregor the Overlander series. I liked that it was more mature but still a kids book.
I wasn’t a reader until I was in my late 20s. My mom gave me a copy of Sue Gafton’s A is for Alibi. I’ve been a reader ever since. Today, in fact, I am a junior high Reading & Writing teacher.
P.S. Read Night Divided this summer. EXCELLENT!
Little Men, from the Little Women series, by Louisa May Alcott.
I am so sorry to bother you, mrs. Nielsen, but how will I receive my prize? I was so excited to see my name as one of the winners. I immediately ran to my brother, who is also a big fan, to tell him!
Hi Mary Roseann – You should have received an email from me requesting an address from you, and with a little more information. If that hasn’t come, then let me know and I’ll resend it.
I have not received it! If you could send it again that would be great!!! Thank you for your time.
Done!
There are many good books that have had an impact on who I am a few include; the Bible, Kisses from Katie, The False Prince, The Lightning Thief, The Chronicles of Narnia, Cinder, The Mysterious Benedict Society … the list could be a mile long after that. Books allow you to consider new problems, new moral questions, and different points of view.
“The Cloak of the Light” by Chuck Black =)
Actually, The False Prince was the book that changed my life. I remember I had just come to the U.S and I barely knew how to speak English, and I wasn’t into reading at all those days. This one day when I went to my school library, I picked up the False Prine just because I had to choose a book. I gave it a try and I could not stop reading it. The False prince made me start to love reading, and will always be one of my favorite series
I really enjoyed this series called the Hunter’s Chronicles. The first book is called Return to Exile and follows a young boy name Sky. It deals with supernatural creatures in modern times and is really clever and funny! It’s by EJ Patton, an author also in Utah. The books were so so good!
So many! Number the Stars was my gateway into study of the Holocaust. The Alchemist left beautiful, motivational one-liners in my heart. The Little Engine That Could was repeated so many times I could tell it by heart as a child.
Little house on the prairie. It was the first real book I read with my mother, and I loved the reality of it, especially since I have pioneer (ish) ancestors. To this day I still love the books, and it sparked my love of reading, which is still very exercised.
Salt to the Sea. It was so horrific and painted the most vivid gruesome pictures in your head. It was very sad, and it changed me in so many different ways.
Salt to the Sea
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman, Truly made me understand the importance and the struggles of mental illness through the perspective of a brilliant protagonist who taught me how to overcome my fears, anxiety and hardships.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Hawk of May. It follows one of the knights from Arthurian legend and isn’t horribly long, so I don’t have to take too much effort to read it. I also love the characters and their development, I get so engrossed in the main character that I forget the world around me.
The book that affected and impacted me the most was the Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien because it sparked a love of imagination in me and truly made me love creating things.
The books that had the biggest impact on my life was the Nancy Drew series. I struggled with reading, but one summer my mom offered to pay me to read and it worked. I started devouring Nancy Drews and by the end of the summer, I was hooked and never went back.
The book with the biggest impact of who I am? That’s a hard question. They all have shaped me. ‘Percy Jackson’ in my religious beliefs (that there is one being that changes for each person to be what ever they need). ‘The Monster Calls’ for my view of inner monsters and different ways to handle things. ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ for getting me into reading. ‘The Female Of The Species’ formed my views of right and wrong, aside from what the law says. And believe it or not ‘The False Prince’ for teaching me about composure, wit, a good plot twist, and simply for being my favorite book. I love your writing and your such a fun person (I met you at the author meet up in Washington).
I own all those books but the new one so my choice if I win is the new one.
The Edge Chronicles. There’s not a lot of novels anymore that have positive masculine characters, but the edge chronicles bad guy characters and female characters who got along without bringing each other down. That really built my confidence as a kid.
*had
I think that the book that has influenced me the most is The False Prince because it was the first book that I ever read of yours and it got me into your other books. I love your writing style. Your writing has influenced me to give writing a try too!
Emily by Jack Weyland was a book that had a great impact on me when I was an early teen. It’s about a girl who gets burned severely on her face and she has to learn to navigate life differently than she had dreamed as she’ healing, physically and emotionally. She has to decide to be happy with who she is no matter what others think, say, or do. And that her dreams are still attainable. Beautifully written and touched my heart. My uncle was severely burned over his whole body a couple years before I read this book. It was a miracle he survived. After watching his healing and therapy, then reading this book (which is set at the medical center my uncle received care from as well as featuring one of the nurses who cared for my uncle) I truly felt like I had a better understanding of what his healing entailed. A definite favorite and one that I still think about regularly.
The 1902 version of Robin Hood!
Narnia because it provided a means of escape from my life and helped me feel better about myself
I loved the Wings of Fire series. All 13 books. The main characters are all so in depth and there are a lot of really good themes in the series.
Totally loved the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sandersen.
omg good book the book words on fire is awesome
Thank you, Adeline!