Awesomesauce. Andrew Smith and A.S. King

Happy day to all of you.
I am happy to be an A-Z Challenge participant this year.
Today I am talking about Awesomesauce.
I picked up this term from a student.
When adults use the parlance of younger adults it is often cringe-inducing and unfortunate.
But I'm going to use "Awesomesauce" because it makes me laugh and because it is an apt word for today's discussion.
Andrew Smith and A.S. King are writers who have unequivocally earned the term "Awesomesauce" in my classroom.
Their names also start with the letter "A". I do not think this is a coincidence.
I don't believe in coincidences.
You need to read books by these authors. Trust me on this. It doesn't matter what genre or age group you like: Good Books are Good Books.
And these authors are in my pantheon of authors of Good Books.
And it isn't just because I am a better person, writer, and teacher because I have read these books.
It's because of how my students, known as Angel Potatoes (there's the letter "A" again) feel about books by Andrew Smith and A.S. King.
They leave the class with these books and come back more comfortable in their skins and in their world.
Do yourself a big ol' favor and read Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King. All of King's books are awesomesauce, but this book is her most recent and making the acquaintance of the ants (starts with an "A") will be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. A.S. King has Magical Writing Pants and likes corn.
And about Andrew Smith's books. Just do this: Don't read jacket copy or Goodreads or any of that. Just choose one and start reading. Try The Marbury Lens on for size and have your head explode in a million parallel universes. Try Stick and see how words on a page can break your heart and fill it with transcendent beauty.
I'm telling you: Awesomesauce.
Oh. And here is an important thing to know: A.S. King's Ask the Passengers and Andrew Smith's Passenger (sequel to The Marbury Lens) will both be out Fall 2012.