‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’ To Be Adapted For TV In 2023

On September 5, Deadline reported that Holly Jackson’s NYT Bestseller A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder is being adapted into a television series through BBC Three, with filming confirmed to start in 2023!

Good Girl’s Guide follows Pippa Fitz-Amobi, who chooses the closed case of five years centering around the murder of schoolgirl Andie Bell as the subject of her final-year project. As she starts to uncover secrets and piece together the clues, the real killer desperately wants to stay hidden. So the question remains…how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

According to BBC, production company Moonage Pictures will be behind the six-part series with Poppy Cogan of BBC Three who will adapt the novel for screenplay alongside writers Zia Ahmed, Ajoke Ibironke and Ruby Thomas. Florence Walker will also produce the project.

“I am beyond thrilled that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has found its perfect home with Moonage Pictures and the BBC,” stated Jackson, “It is a privilege to be working alongside such a talented and creative team who are as invested in the characters and story as I am. I can’t wait to introduce Pip and Ravi to a whole new audience, and to welcome back readers who have missed our partners in crime.”

Confirmed by BBC, the series will start filming in 2023 for broadcast on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

Matthew Read, executive producer for Moonage Pictures, had this to say about the novel “As soon as we read Holly Jackson’s ruthlessly compelling page-turner, we knew it had all the elements for a piece of must-see television…”

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder is the first of a trilogy, followed by Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead. The novel has been altered for American audiences, though it can be concluded the adaptation will follow the original UK setting.

No further information as to casting or release date has been announced.

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson is out now! Are you looking forward to this adaptation? Have you read the novel?

‘We Were Liars’ Prequel Announced For 2022

As of November 10, Barnes & Noble announced that E. Lockhart’s 2014 novel We Were Liars, which became a #Booktok sensation and a #1 NYT Bestseller is getting a prequel titled Family Of Liars, slated for May of 2022!

We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair who returns to her family’s private island for the summer joined by her cousins and family friend off Cape Cod. As Cadence recovers from a head injury, the group known as the Liars uncover secrets and truths that no one wants to speak of.

The forthcoming prequel will follow a previous generation of the Sinclair family during the summer of 1987 on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. The summary promises a “summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.” Following the Liars’ mothers during a “notable summer” the novel centers around them as teenagers as they see what it means to be a Sinclair.

In addition, the online retailer stated that its B&N Exclusive Edition will include “a unique jacket and a customized case and endpapers! Exclusive bonus content includes a map of Beechwood Island and a Sinclair family tree, both hand-drawn by the author, as well as an author Q&A, a playlist/mix tape, Tipper’s lemon pound cake recipe, and more.”

The full summary description reads:

The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come. 

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. 
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. 
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
 
Welcome back to the Sinclair family. 
They were always liars.

Family Of Liars by E. Lockhart is set to be released May 3, 2022!

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky Cover Reveal

On October 1, Goldy Moldavsky revealed through Twitter, the cover to her 2021 YA Thriller titled The Mary Shelley Club!

The novel follows Rachel Chavez who has a fresh start at Manchester Prep, but after a prank gone wrong she attracts the attention of a mysterious club with an obsession for horror.

According to the author via her original tweet, the book features, “A secret society, masks, scary movie talk, teens behaving very badly, a game they probably shouldn’t be playing.”

Moldavsky is a Contemporary author and this is her third full-length novel. The creative director for the cover is Rich Deas.

New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.

To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.

When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past.

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky is set to be released April 13, 2021!

5 Spooky Young Adult Books To Read During Latinx Heritage Month!

The spooky season is finally here and that means it’s the perfect time to read all the mystery, thriller and paranormal books!

As part of my Latinx Heritage Month series, I’m recommending 5 books by Latinx authors you should be reading this season!

1. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

2. Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

Lost to time, Tuck Morgan and his crew have slept in stasis aboard the USS John Muir for centuries. Their ship harbors a chunk of Earth, which unbeknownst to them, is the last hope for the failing human race.

Laura Cruz is a shipraider searching the galaxy for the history that was scattered to the stars. Once her family locates the John Muir and its precious cargo, they are certain human civilization is saved.

When Tuck’s and Laura’s worlds collide―literally―the two teens must outwit their enemies, evade brutal monsters that kill with sound, and work together to save the John Muir . . . and the whole human race.

3. Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal

Five friends cursed. Five deadly fates. Five nights of retribución.

If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico.

But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends. And if they want to catch the killer, they’ll have to step into the shadows to see what’s lurking there—murderer, or monster?

4. The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored.

One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life. 

5. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Thanks to Tor Teen for contacting me to join their Latinx Heritage Month campaign to promote Ann Dávila Cardinal’s sequel to Five Midnights, Category Five!

Tiny Pretty Things Is Coming To Netflix!

As of August 6, Epic Reads announced that Tiny Pretty Things, a contemporary duology that centers around students at an elite ballet school written by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, was picked up for a 10-episode series for Netflix!

Set to be released in 2020, the cast was also revealed via both Variety and Deadline. The series also has a screenwriter, Michael MacLennan, who is also planning to be the showrunner and executive producer.

According to the Deadline article, “Tiny Pretty Things is set in the world of an elite ballet academy and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin. As Chicago’s only elite dance school, the Archer School of Ballet serves as the company school for the city’s renowned professional company: City Works Ballet. The Archer School is an oasis for an array of dancers: rich and poor, from north and south, and a range of backgrounds. Yet they all share a rare talent and passion for dance, a loyal sense of community… and when it comes to their dreams, no Plan B…”

The cast is currently underway with shooting in Toronto.

” Out little bad ballerinas are coming to @netflix in #TinyPrettyThings. @sona_c and I are super excited to share this adaptation w/y’all…”

dhonielle clayton via twitter

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette’s desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.

When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton is out now!