The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch

Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 - 9
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545512239
ISBN-13: 978-0545630627

Praise for JEFF HIRSCH

"The Eleventh Plague hits disturbingly close to home....An excellent taut, debut novel." ―Suzanne Collins, New York Times best selling author.

"A gripping survival drama." ―USA TODAY

"Sure to be a hit among fans of dystopias." ―BOOKLIST

"An impressive story with strong characters." ―PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

USA TODAY bestselling author Jeff Hirsch once again creates a futuristic world with stunning, dramatic realism.

A civil war rages between the Glorious Path–a militant religion based on the teachings of a former US soldier–and what’s left of the US government. Fifteen-year-old Callum Roe and his younger brother, James, were captured and forced to convert six years ago. Cal has been working in the Path’s dog kennels, and is very close to becoming one of the Path’s deadliest secret agents. Then Cal befriends a stray dog named Bear and kills a commander who wants to train him to be a vicious attack dog. This sends Cal and Bear on the run, and sets in motion a series of incredible events that will test Cal’s loyalties and end in a fierce battle that the fate of the entire country rests on.

You can purchase The Darkest Path at the following Retailers:

  

Photo Content from Jeff Hirsch

HERE ARE A FEW POTENTIALLY INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT ME"

• I'm originally from the suburbs just south of Richmond, VA. I currently live in the great, tiny state of Rhode Island. 
• I started writing because of a 7th grade homework assignment. My teacher Denise Stewart (A towering woman with incredible diction and a mass of curls who, in my memory, looks exactly like Lynn Redgrave) told me my story was good and that I should consider continuing to write. I've been taking her advice for roughly the last 27 years.
• Towards the end of Junior High I attended the University of VA's Young Writers Workshop, which is basically writers' camp. It was exactly as nerdy and as utterly fantastic as you might imagine. If you're a teen into writing, definitely check it out.
• During High School, when not writing, I was pretty wrapped up in the process of becoming a big ol' theater nerd. I wrote stuff and directed plays and performed in shows like Indians, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Taming of the Shrew, The Man of La Mancha and various others.
• After HS I went to study acting at East Carolina University then moved to New York right after that to ply my new trade. A few years later writing reared it's head again and I left NY and headed out to UC San Diego where I got an MFA in playwriting.
• A year or so after grad school I started reading books from writers like M.T. Anderson, KL Going, and David Almond and was blown away by the quality of writing that was going on for teen audiences. I was hooked.

BONUS RANDOM FACTS:

I know how to escape from a straitjacket while suspended from the ceiling by my ankles. I can also eat fire, walk on broken glass and hammer a nail all the way up into my nose.

My favorite movie is either The Outsiders or Harold and Maude or The Fisher King. I can never decide which. Oh! Maybe it's My Dinner with Andre. Have you seen My Dinner with Andre? You totally should. Team Wally!

I can't honestly point to one favorite book (I've just read way too many) but the most formative book for me, the book that made me a reader and eventually a writer, was The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.

I'm torn as to whether the coolest human being to ever live is A) Tom Waits or B) Prince.

I bake to relax. My triple chocolate espresso cookies will renew your faith that there is something good and holy in this barbaric world.

I've known three of my current best friends since I was 15.

Apparently I like writing about my animals. Hopkins the cat in Magisterium is based on my cat Henry. Bear the dog in The Darkest Path is based on my dog Rosie.

        

WEEK ONE

SEPTEMBER 20th FRIDAY JeanBookNerd VLOG & REVIEW

SEPTEMBER 21st SATURDAY Rose’s Book Corner REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 22nd SUNDAY Cover2Cover Blog REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 22nd SUNDAY Chapter by Chapter REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 23rd MONDAY DanaSquare REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 23rd MONDAY Mom with a Kindle TENS LIST
SEPTEMBER 24th TUESDAY Beneath the Cover THIS OR THAT

SEPTEMBER 25th WEDNESDAY A Dream Within a Dream REVIEW & DREAM CAST

WEEK TWO
SEPTEMBER 25th WEDNESDAY Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf GUEST POST
SEPTEMBER 26th THURSDAY Ya-aholic INTERVIEW
SEPTEMBER 26th THURSDAY Best Books REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 27th FRIDAY Once Upon a Twilight REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 27th FRIDAY Sassy Book Lovers FAVORITE THINGS
SEPTEMBER 28th SATURDAY Racing to Read SPOTLIGHT
SEPTEMBER 29th SUNDAY Read My Breath Away REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 30th MONDAY Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace REVIEW

jbnpastinterviews