I'm a writer of fantasy novels for children and young adults. My debut novel, INTO THE WILD, was published by Penguin Young Readers in June 2007. Its sequel, OUT OF THE WILD, is coming out in June 2008. I'm very, very, very excited about this.
Come hang out with me online at my website:
http://www.sarahbethdurst.com
And my blog:
http://sarahbethdurst.blogspot.com
About INTO THE WILD:
"Let me put it this way: when your mom cooks, she doesn't have to close the doors to make sure the Gingerbread Men don't run outside."
Junior high is tough enough, even when your family is ordinary. And Julie Marchen's family is anything but ordinary: her brother is a talking cat, her grandmother is a bona fide witch, and her mother is Rapunzel. Yep, that Rapunzel -- long hair, tower, prince... Long ago, Rapunzel escaped the fairy tale with her fellow storybook characters to live incognito in our world. But Julie's world, our world, is about to change -- the fairy tale wants its characters back.
Now Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers, fly griffins, and outwit magicians in order to rescue her mom and save her town from becoming a fairy tale kingdom.
Read the first chapter
2007 Andre Norton Award Finalist
2007 Cybils F/SF Award Finalist
2008 E. B. White Award Nominee
"INTO THE WILD is VERY cool, with a unique look at the great fairytale characters. I couldn't put it down until I knew how this brave, extraordinary girl could face such powerful magic!"
-- Tamora Pierce , New York Times bestselling author of Terrier (Beka Cooper) and The Will of the Empress
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"Sarah Beth Durst's INTO THE WILD is fabulous in the oldest, truest, and best sense of the word, harking back to fables, wonder, and magic unleashed. It's bold, sassy, and utterly engaging. I can't wait to see what she does next!"
-- Bruce Coville , author of The Unicorn Chronicles and Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
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"INTO THE WILD's fairy-tale characters are fascinating, and Julie is everything one could want in a heroine -- she's intelligent, practical, determined and brave; at once more ordinary and more extraordinary than she herself thinks she is. I'll be keeping an eye out for more work from Sarah Beth Durst."
-- Patricia C. Wrede , author of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Read more reviews
About OUT OF THE WILD:
Ever since twelve-year-old Julie Marchen defeated the fairy-tale world of the Wild, life's been pretty much back to normal, as normal as it can be for a girl whose brother is Puss-in-Boots, grandma is a witch, and mom is Rapunzel. (Yes, that Rapunzel.)
The Wild is safely back under Julie's bed, but when it suddenly spits out her long-lost dad -- Rapunzel's prince -- things take a seriously enchanted turn. He's gallant, he's handsome, and he's totally clueless about life in the 21st century! (You try teaching a five-hundred-year-old prince how to text message.) Julie couldn't be happier to have her family back together, but when Dad dashes off to save a damsel who's distressing, it's up to Julie to bring him home, protect the family secret, and while she's at it, save the world.
Join Julie on a magical road trip across America. A flying bathmat, a very drowsy princess, a fire-breathing dragon, and several thousand magic beanstalks... Julie's world, our world, will never be the same again.
Read the first chapter
"An enchanting romp full of adventure, humor and cleverness!"
-- Holly Black , New York Times bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tithe
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"An amazing, wild ride with very high stakes, and the fate of humans and fairytale people alike on the shoulders of one determined girl. This is even better than the first book!"
-- Tamora Pierce , New York Times bestselling author of Terrier (Beka Cooper) and The Will of the Empress
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"This is one of those rare occasions when the sequel is as good as the first book, if not better. Though, in my estimation, they make two halves of one story, and what a wonderfully entertaining story it is."
-- Charles de Lint , author of The Blue Girl and Widdershins
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"Head-spinning fun! Any book that mixes fire breathing dragons and Elvis Presley is a rare treat."
-- Michael Buckley , New York Times bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm series