Pick the Lock

November 22, 2024November 22, 2024 by onemoreexclamation

Welcome to the Pick the Lock by A.S. King book tour hosted by Suzy Approved Book Tours.

About Pick the Lock

Title: Pick the Lock

Author: A.S. King

Pub Date: September 24, 2024

Find it: Amazon

Pick the Lock is the latest masterpiece from bestselling author and two-time Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King. Known for her innovative storytelling and deep explorations of the teenage experience, King shares a fresh, compelling, surreal journey that challenges societal norms and illustrates the struggles faced by young women in oppressive relationships and dynamics.

Jane Vandermaker-Cook would like her mother back. As Jane’s mother tours the world to support the family, Jane lives and goes to school in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their mendacious father who confines Jane’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. And then there’s weirdly ever-present Aunt Finch, Milorad the gardener, and his rat, Brutus. For Jane, this all seems normal until she suddenly gains access to the files for a lifetime of security-camera videos—her lifetime.

A.S. King’s latest surrealist masterpiece follows Jane’s bizarre and brilliant journey to reconnect with her mother by breaking out of her shell and composing a punk opera.

Blurbs for Pick the Lock

“A worthy literary heir to feminist novels like The Stepford Wives, updated and recast for a new generation, this is a much-needed, thought-provoking tale of survival and triumph.” —BCCB, starred review

“Printz Award–winning King has written another remarkable, character-driven book that dazzles with its originality. With that and its employment of magic realism, it is sui generis, and at 400-plus pages, it is one of King’s most ambitious, and most successful books. And that, God knows, is no lie.” —Booklist, starred review ⭐️

“Helmed by Jane’s penetrating commentary, this unconventional narrative melds punk anthems and bewildering interludes from a shape-shifting rat with King’s quirky blend of present-day issues and mind-bending twists to unlock complex, thought-provoking insight.” —Publishers Weekly

Review for Pick the Lock

What do you get when you mix in a little sci-fi, a lot of drama, a dash of fantasy, and a sprinkling of mystery? Pick the Lock. Jane is our main character who is home schooled. Her and her brother face a bully of a dad who has wild mood swings. Their aunt magically appears. And disappears. Mom is mostly disappeared as she tours with a punk band. Then Jane finds home videos and everything turns upside down. This is a story about domestic violence. As a volunteer for our local crisis center, I see a lot and am not sure any of the women chose her circumstances. I don’t understand why the Sci-Fi Underground and Punk Rock Opera were necessary and am disappointed that many loose ends weren’t tied up. It was worth the read as I’m always interested in new literature.

About The Author

A.S. King is the bestselling and award-winning author of many acclaimed books for young readers. Her novel Dig and the anthology The Collectors both won the Michael L. Printz Award, and her novel Ask The Passengers won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The New York Times called her “one of the best YA writers working today.” In 2022, she was awarded the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant contribution to YA literature. King spends many months of the year traveling the country talking to teenagers about writing, mental health, and succotash. She lives in Pennsylvania.

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