Release Day Celebration: Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert (+ Giveaway)

Conviction

by Kelly Loy Gilbert

Release date: May 19th 2015

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Genres: Contemporary, realistic fiction

Age category: Young adult
No. of pages: 352 pages (ebook)

Synopsis:
Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn’t fall apart the way he feared.

But Braden got it wrong: his older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden’s father, a well-known Christian radio host, has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son’s hands; Braden is the key witness in the upcoming trial.

Braden has always measured himself through baseball. He is the star pitcher in his small town of Ornette, and his ninety-four-mile-per-hour pitch al- ready has minor league scouts buzzing in his junior year. Now the rules of the sport that has always been Braden’s saving grace are blurred in ways he never realized, and the prospect of playing against Alex Reyes, the nephew of the police officer his father is accused of killing, is haunting his every pitch.

Braden faces an impossible choice, one that will define him for the rest of his life, in this brutally honest debut novel about family, faith, and the ultimate test of conviction.

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Advance praise for Conviction:
“While the mystery of what really happened on the foggy stretch of highway is the driving force behind the narrative, it is Braden’s unfolding story that will captivate readers ... Both hopeful and devastatingly real.” - Kirkus, starred review

“A poignant look at the messiness of love, faith and humanity.” - School Library Journal, starred review

“Braden is a deeply sympathetic character ... a moving debut.” - Booklist, starred review

About the author:
Kelly Loy Gilbert is a fiction writer who believes deeply in the power of stories to illuminate a shared humanity and give voice to complex, broken people. She is passionate about social justice, the San Francisco Giants, and organizing things by color. Kelly studied writing at the University of California—San Diego and at San Francisco State, and enjoys serving on the NaNoWriMo Associate Board and leading creative writing workshops for teens. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family in a home teeming with books.

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