CYA: The Sext Crime - Jason Ancona - Blog Tour Review

SNAP--a girl sexts racy pics of herself.

She thought the fun shots would stay between her and her boyfriend.

SNAP--an anonymous hacker hijacks her photos.

If she doesn't obey, she'll be exposed.

SNAP--the Covert Youth Agency takes the girl's case.

The agents jump headfirst into Operation: Sext Crime. Their new client has less than a week to surrender to the hacker's ultimatum. Or else the naughty photos go "wide."

SEND--a squad of goons are closing in on C.Y.A. members.

Agent identities may be unmasked.

REPLY ALL--end communication.

It's not safe.

WARNING--this book contains NO explicit sexual content.

Material suitable for ages 12 and above. May contain some humor.

Synopsis taken from goodreads. 

Title: The Sext Crime (C.Y.A. #2)

Author: Jason Ancona

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publication Date: February 27, 2011

Format: E-book

Source: Received from author courtesy of the Teen Book Scene. Many thanks goes to Jason Ancona for sending me a copy of his book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Tour: Teen Book Scene. You can follow along with the rest of the tour here, or by clicking through the banner located below the review.

Look for it: Amazon, Amazon Kindle Edition

My rating: 4/5 

In their second mad-cap adventure, Pi, Lightman, and Tollhouse are on the case to find out who would sabotage the presidential campaign at their high school. They take the case and immediately try finding out who has hijacked certain pictures from a cell phone. They have to be wary though, as Deeks is still upset from his last altercation with the C.Y.A. team and is bound and determined to uncover their identities. Will he be able to this time around, or will they be able to outsmart him? Will they also get to the bottom of Operation: Sext Crime before the inevitable happens? 

Pi, Lightman, and Tollhouse are coming into their own with this, the second book in the Covert Youth Agency series. Their personalities, and characters are rounded out more, and as they all take different undercover positions, it's nice to see how they interact with others around them, and not necessarily just with each other. I have to say their mothers are hilarious as they are trying to set them up with each other. We all know how embarrassing that can be, and it was neat to be able to relate to each of the characters in that way. Pi, as the central lead and main control in the C.Y.A. is a real cutie. It was great to see him thinking out different plans, and then being schooled in electronics by Lightman. His dance moves are legendary and it was great to see him come into his own. I enjoyed the balance between the case, and their personal lives. 

There are several different threads in this story, and it was great to see them all come together, as you didn't know who was going to be found out, or if they were going to be found out. Even though the book is about a "sext crime" it is surprisingly quite tame, and there is no explicit sexual content to be found. 

All in all, a great installment in the Covert Youth Agency series. Each book is better than the last, and I love how this one hooked me instantly. Mystery abounds, and everyone will be holding their breath as they wonder if the team will stop the crime in time, or if they will be found out. I think a lot of tween and teen readers will enjoy this one, and will be wishing they had a secret spy team at their school that they could go to when needed. I'm looking forward to their next adventure!

Blog Tour: CYA: The Sext Crime - Jason Ancona - Author Interview & Giveaway

Today, Jason Ancona is here with a different type of author interview. He'll be using lines from his book, The Sext Crime, as answers courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for his newest release. Thank you for being here, Jason! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

Which character do you most identify with and why?

"Pi reaches for another pillow and sandwiches his head in-between, his maroon tie trailing out. But he still can't tune out the romantic lyrics. In his hypoallergenic vice of darkness, he sees the light that is Vera, who is so beautiful. Who is such a wonderful person. Who is so genuine. And embodies everything that he wants in a girlfriend. Pi wishes they were more than just friends. More than just neighbors. More than just classmates. And dreams that she was dating him instead of JackO."

Would you have been a member of the CYA back in high school?

"I am in the C.Y.A."

What piece of advice would you give someone who needs the sleuthing abilities of the CYA team?

"You need to pay attention to your surroundings. But don't be obvious about it."

What is your favourite line from THE SEXT CRIME?

"It's my school. She just works here."

Oh no! The CYA's member identities are about to be unveiled. Who found them out and how did they do it?

"Haven't been able to crack it yet. I've got the botnets working on hacking the password."

These are great, Jason! I love your book line answers! 

Giveaway

Jason Ancona has graciously provided Lost For Words with an E-copy of his book, The Sext Crime. 

Thank you, Jason!

Giveaway is open internationally, and will end on June 6, 2011.

Please fill out this FORM to enter. 

Comments, while appreciated, will not be counted as entries. 

Thank you!! =)

Also, Jason is providing everyone with the chance to win a copy of his first CYA novel free of charge for the next 24 hours. 
To receive the free copy, you will have to friend Jason through one form of social media-- Goodreads, Shelfari, Twitter, or Facebook. You will then have to email him through his website with the subject header stating my blog name and the promotion. 
Thank you!

C.Y.A.: Covert Youth Agency: The Case of Tangled Love - Jason Ancona - Blog Tour Review

An elite group of nerds fight injustices by running a clandestine operation in high school. The C.Y.A., a.k.a. Covert Youth Agency, hacked into the digital school sign and posted their message: - - - If ever you're in need of help and you have nowhere else to go, seek out the C.Y.A. We're always watching and we're here for you - - - Peter "Pi" Samuels, a fourteen-year-old sophomore, runs the shadow operation. Pi's obsessed with the high school band's lead violinist, who's as beautiful as the music she plays. When she contacts the C.Y.A. to find out if her boyfriend cheated on her at a party, Pi's objective becomes clear. Prove that her beau was unfaithful. Then maybe Pi will be the perfect shoulder to cry on. Pi schemes to destroy his love's boy-toy, all while avoiding a deranged coach bent on exposing an untraceable geek squad for hire. The Covert Youth Agency.

(Synopsis taken from goodreads.)

Title: C.Y.A.: Covert Youth Agency: The Case of Tangled Love

Author: Jason Ancona

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publication Date: August 2, 2010

Source: Received from author. Many thanks goes to Jason Ancona for sending me a copy of his book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for Jason Ancona.

My rating: 3/5

Peter is the founding member of the Covert Youth Agency. He along with his two friends are on the job, ready to help those in need. The current case they are working on will require Peter to set aside his feelings as he hunts down answers for his friend, and unrequited love interest, Vera. The group has an intricate system in place for those requesting help so they do not arouse suspicion within the faculty. They already know of one teacher who may or may not be appreciative of their skills with helping those in need.

I quite enjoyed reading about the application system, and liked how interactive it was with those reading along. Ancona has also created a website for the Covert Youth Agency where you can apply certain elements of the book to the website. Specifically how the C.Y.A. can be reached by those needing help. I think that added an element of interest to the book. 

I did find the book was dialogue heavy, but I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. I found that things jumped around between the characters a lot giving an omniscient view of what they were thinking without getting into that specific character's head. Though with the steady stream of dialogue and the pace it was set at, it seemed to work out well. Ancona uses subtle humour throughout the book to keep things interesting. The back and forth between Peter's friends, Tollhouse, and Lightman, added an element of fun as they would try to one up each other. The ladybug code was also interesting, and there is a passage that the reader has to decipher as a last parting message. Ancona has included the ladybug code on his website for those wanting to decipher the hidden message included there as well.

All in all, a light, cute read with good bones. I'd suggest this book more so for younger teens. The characters all have their own distinctive personalities, and I could see them sticking around as part of a series. I would love to see what trouble this trio gets up to next. 

Blog Tour: Covert Youth Agency: The Case of Tangled Love - Jason Ancona, Interview and Giveaway.

I'd like to welcome author Jason Ancona to the blog today. He is here answering some off the wall questions today, all in the name of his new book, Covert Youth Agency: The Case of Tangled Love. This interview kicks off the blog tour, hosted by The Teen Book Scene. You can find all of the tour details here. You can learn more about the Covert Youth Agency on Jason's website located here. Be sure to look for the giveaway at the bottom of the post! 

What did you enjoy the most about creating a team of students who investigate cheating?

The C.Y.A. wasn't created just to investigate cheating, it just happened to be the case that they were currently working on. The thing I love most about the team is that they are trying to help out other students, even though they all have issues of their own.

The sleuths of the Covert Youth Agency notice that their school is being invaded by a paranormal creature, what kind of creature is it, and how would the team react to the invasion?

The creature is E.T., who's planning to seize all of the Reese's Pieces at school. Instead of thwarting him, the C.Y.A. joins forces with E.T. to rule the universe as intergalactic spies.

Does the Covert Youth Agency have a theme song? If so, what is it?

It would be, “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,” by U2. The three members of the C.Y.A. all have a void in their lives, and they yearn to fill it.

What would the front page headline of a newspaper say about you?

I don't think I'm front page material. It would have to be something shocking, or tabloid fodder. “Jennifer Aniston caught sneaking out of Taco Bell with Jason Ancona.” He says, “They're just friends.”
Honestly, it would be cool if the headline read, “Jason Ancona, author of the Covert Youth Agency series, has just sold movie rights to X,Y,Z studio for a three picture deal.” And even cooler if I'd actually get to write the screenplay. That's what I first started writing. You may have noticed my novel is very dialogue heavy. Working on getting better at writing books.

What kind of tree would you describe yourself as, and why?

If I were a tree, I'd like to be an apple tree so people could bake pies from my droppings. Cinnamon apple pies for everyone.


Thank you Jason for answering these questions, and being here today! 

Giveaway

Jason has graciously provided an e-copy of his book, Covert Youth Agency: The Case of Tangled Love up for grabs to one lucky winner. Thank you, Jason! 
I'll make this one easy to enter. It is INTERNATIONAL. Just comment on this post with your email address to enter.
Contest ends October 15, 2010. Thank you! :) 
Contest has ENDED. Thank you to all who participated!