And there's my completely cheesy answer...

to the rgz monthly theme.

Really. I should have spent more than those 10 minutes on it.

At readergirlz. At Buildungsroman (it's the same both times).

All the same. If you're reading this, you are probably part of the family I speak of. Unless you are reading this with malice. Then you aren't.

Also, while my blog promises tend to be hollow, I think you'll get a book review sometime this week. If you like that kind of thing. If not, well, stop being so malicious.

Rgz gets an Innovations in Reading Prize!

This just makes me so happy. Partially, because they asked me to write a letter of recommendation for them, also because they honestly needed the money to continue making it all happen, but mostly because they deserve it.

So I thought I'd share.

Here's the list o' winners. Read more about it at the rgz blog.

While we're talking about readergirlz, this month their theme is family, and we're focusing on RED GLASS by Laura Resau. I read Resau's book back in 2007 when I was a Cybils nominating panelist. Since it became a finalist, it would be safe to assume Red Glass is a good'un.

If you haven't noticed, rgz has recently separated from the refresh-madness of the MySpace forum, opting for a more live-action chat with CoverItLive on their blog. The chat with Laura Resau will occur there on Wednesday, May 20th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST.

IF you have something to say about what family means to you, get ahold of Little Willow. She'll be posting answers to that question all month long at Bildungsroman and the rgz blog. My answer should be going up tomorrow-ish.

My Rgz Top Ten read in 2008

Every year Readergirlz asks their postergirlz to come up with our individual top ten. Not specifically just the best books published of the year, but the best girl-power books that we read this year, regardless of copyright date. Each of the postergirlz (Little Willow, Miss Erin, Alexia, Hip Writer Mama, Shelf Elf) comes up with their own list, which we then send in to the powers that be, who then work through the lists and think about whether the titles would work within their vision for featured titles. If it does, and they wish to devote a month to a title, they then see if they can get the author's participation. I spend months agonizing over it - this one was started in October.

And so, after much gnashing of teeth, here are mine!

My Top Ten for Readergirlz 2008 (in alpha order, no less!)

1. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
2. Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
3. Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The by E. Lockheart
4. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Allison Goodman
5. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
6. The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson
7. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
8. Graceling by Kristen Cashore
9. Northlander (Tales of the Borderlands) by Meg Burden
10. Ten Cents a DanceTen Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Mighta made its if we hadn't picked them/the author already:

1. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
2. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White

Almost made it, but were cut at the last second:

1. A la Carte by Tanita S. Davis
2. Impossible by Nancy Werlin
2. Meridian by Amber Kizer
3. The Plain Janes (Minx) & Janes in Love (Minx) by Cecil Castelucci

What would you have included in your girl-power Top Ten read in 2008? What am I missing (Hunger Games, I'm guessing you'll say...)?

An Author-riffic Day

Today marks not only Day 2 of the Winter Blast Blog Tour, but ALSO the LIVE CHAT with Ellen Emerson White (Ellen! Emerson! White!) at the Readergirlz MySpace Forum. Last night I told my boyfriend I wanted to name a daughter Meg after Meg Powers, if that tells you ANYTHING about how much I love EEW.

Today's WBBT links:

Ellen Datlow at Chasing Ray.
Tony DiTerlizzi at Miss Erin.
Melissa Walker at Hip Writer Mama.
Luisa Plaja at Bildungsroman.
D.M. Cornish at Finding Wonderland.
L.J. Smith at the YA YA YAs.
Kathleen Duey at Bookshelves of Doom.

NIGHT BITES

I'll just let the video speak for itself, those of you who haven't seen it yet:

Roundtable: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

What would you do if you were locked up with your friend in a tower for seven years? Five people - one bookseller, one librarian, one huge Shannon Hale fan, and two published authors - gathered to chat about Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, the readergirlz book selection for May 2008. Luckily, we all brought our keys and our escape plans.

Miss Erin: Before we start, everyone should know that I am one of THE biggest Shannon Hale fans you can possibly find. I would say biggest, but I think the girls at the Little Red Reading Hood forum would protest. Over there, we all pretty much tie for that position. I just thought that everyone should know that Shannon is my hero, and the most wonderful person I've ever met. Now that we've got that clear, let the conversation commence!

Lorie Ann Grover: I'm so glad Shannon was free to participate, Miss Erin. I did hear you hit the floor when you received the news.

Little Willow: Whenever I shelve Shannon Hale's books, I think of Erin because I know how much she enjoys them. Were any of you familiar with the folktale upon which Book of a Thousand Days was based?

Lorie Ann: No, I didn't know of the fairy tale.

Dia Calhoun: I'm not sure. I remember something about a girl being locked up in a tower, but maybe I'm thinking of Rapunzel!

Erin: No. I read it after I read the book, and was astounded by how many of the novel's themes and elements Shannon pulled from the original tale.

Jackie: No, and that's actually the cool thing about Hale's books. They are just dripping with fairy tale goodness, but she always picks obscure enough tales that you really don't know what you are in for. Both comforting and familiar in style, but fresh in content. This is why Erin obsesses.

Erin: Yes. Shannon Hale books are the ultimate comfort reads. Every time I reread one I love it even more (if that is possible!) than I did before.

LW: Do you consider yourself to be a fan of fairy tales and folktales?

Jac: OMG, like, do fairies have wings, and trolls carry clubs? I totally love 'em.

LW: Oh my goodness, Jac just said OMG. I love fairy tales and tales with fairies - the two aren't mutually exclusive - but apparently, Jac's more into trolls than moi.

Lorie Ann: I'm not a huge fan. But I am interested in the classic types you find in fairy tales and how those are repeated through so many different cultures.

Dia: Absolutely! I love the tone of fairy tales and have actually written a picture book in a "fairy tale" voice. I love the simple, clear, strong language. I'd love to try to write a whole book in this voice, but alas, I tend to get too complex.

Erin: A HUGE fan! Fairy tale retellings are my favorite genre of books!LW: What is your favorite folktale, or who is your folkteller?

Dia: The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Andrew Lang.

Jac: I don't know why, but for some reason the only thing that comes to mind when you ask that question are tall tales, which I do love. My favorite is Clever Beatrice, a picture book. My mom got it autographed for me, and I loves it.

Erin: I don't think I have a favorite. I love pretty much every fairy tale in existence. Fairy tales were the first form of fantasy literature I ever read. I read books and books of them when I was younger.

Jac: Oh! Also I love all the Paul O. Zelinsky illustrated fairy tales. Those are just gorgeous.

LW: I love retold fairy tales, especially when they are done well.

Erin: What is your favorite retelling? Shannon's books aside, I love Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, and, recently, A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. To name only a few.

Jac: Oh! Ella Enchanted! Yay!

LW: I like Ella Enchanted - better book than movie, by the way - but Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is great.

Lorie Ann: I also love Donna Jo Napoli's work. Zel still haunts me! I, of course, treasure Dia Calhoun's Phoenix Dance, and Robin McKinley is just brilliant!

LW: Christopher Golden does a phenomenal job retelling well-known stories. For example, his novel Straight on 'til Morning sets the tale of Peter Pan in 1981 and makes it a coming-of-age story AND a horror novel. Brilliant. He also has a trilogy called The Veil in which a modern man must go on a quest with legends from all kinds of myths, such as Jack Frost and Kitsune, with the Sandman as their adversary.

Dia: I love Juliette Marillier's retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. And anything by Donna Jo Napoli.

LW: Which Shannon Hale book is your favorite?

Dia: Oh, what a hard choice. I'd have to say Goose Girl. I think I like it best because it was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was a girl. I particularly remember an illustration of the Goose Girl that I used to gaze at for hours.

LW: To date, I've read four of Hale's novels - The Goose Girl, Princess Academy, Austenland, and Book of a Thousand Days - and enjoyed them all. Erin: I seriously don't have one. It depends on which I've read most recently.

Jac: This very moment I'm going to say Book of a Thousand Days, but if I ever get around to reading the Goose Girl books - ducks from invisible flying objects coming from Erin's direction - my answer might just change. I do have a special little place in me heart for Austenland, I might add. It's funny, though. Even though Austenland is the one without fairy tale/fantasy elements, it's still sort of a fantasy - just one that we create every time we open a book and start reading about the perfect love.

Erin: JACKIE! READ THEM! AAAHHH! Oh, and "the Goose Girl books" actually have the series name Books of Bayern. Just thought you should know.

Jac: I know, but I was too lazy to go look the series title up before I spoke. Remember who attended TWO Shannon Hale/Libba Bray appearances with you, WITHOUT directions, and getting LOST like five times, JUST to feed your obsession. I'm not full of ignorance. Maybe like, a quarter full...

Erin: Yes, Jackie, you rock. That night rocked. Even the getting lost kind of rocked, once we got un-lost again.

Lorie Ann: While you two carry on, I'll say the images in Enna Burning stay in my mind the most.

LW: I know Erin's answer to this: Do you tend to read and enjoy stories told in diary format? I do. She doesn't.

Jac: I do. There's just something so approachable and, if done correctly, visceral about them. Of course if they were real diaries they'd be painful to read (go ahead, try NOT to cringe at your 12-year-old self's diary), so I much prefer the fictional ones.

Erin: I'm not usually a fan of diary-formatted books. Book of a Thousand Days, however, got the feel of a real journal just right.

Dia: It depends on the book. When it's well done, as in this case, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Lorie Ann: It's not my first choice, but Shannon did so well with the format. In other books, I feel distanced from the dialogue and action - although I do love the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series!

LW: This book has a cat. Sorry, this isn't a question. This is a statement. Pardon me as I quote Holly Golightly and scream, "CAT!"

Dia: I'm screaming, too. I loved My Lord the Cat. I can imagine what a comfort he must have been to Dashti.LW: My cats were always a comfort. I miss them terribly.

Miss Erin: If I ever get a cat I will name him My Lord the Cat. Yes, I am that big of a Shan-fan. One of my two favorite scenes in the book (I'm not going to tell either because of spoilers) involves the cat.

Jac: Cat? Oh. right. He was persnickety.

LW: Make that purr-snickety.

Jac: *groan*

LW: I can't deal with it when pets don't live in books. I was quite pleased that this cat survived the tale!

Lorie Ann: The cat was wonderful! One of my favorite characters! Did everyone enjoy the drawings? Did they help set the place for you?

Dia: I loved the drawings.

LW: Kudos to illustrator James Noel Smith. Whenever books feature characters who are artists, I yearn to see their paintings or hear their performances. It was so great to see Dashti's artwork within the context of the story.

Lorie Ann: The drawings did enrich the story. They helped me to see, through beautiful lines, this unfamiliar place. Thanks, James! And thanks Shannon for bringing us even closer to Dashti by giving her an artistic hand.

LW: What did you all think of Saren?

Dia: I'm so glad that Saren evolved into a strong young woman. I was so worried for her for much of the book.

Lorie Ann: I, too, was worried about Saren. I also was irritated and frustrated with her. Weren't you all? And then I rejoiced! She grew as much as Dashti, didn't she? In a believable way.

LW: Without spoiling any big plot points, were there any parts of this story that made you cry?

Dia: Dashti's selflessness made me cry. I don't think I'd be able to do that for anyone, myself.

Lorie Ann: No, I didn't cry, but I was very engaged by the story. I love Dashti's voice and the new world she brought to me in such simple lines as this: "It's a shame I don't have fresh yak dung or anything strong-smelling to scare the misery out of her."

Lorie Ann: Didn't everyone love the songs Dashti can sing. Don't you wish you had such powers?

Erin: YES. The power to heal using songs would be amazing.

LW: I love music, and I love singing. I don't long for supernatural singing powers outright, but I'd love to one day hear that the songs I write and sing bring happiness to others!

Miss Erin: Let's talk getting locked away in a tower for seven years with someone. Would you be brave or loyal enough to do that? What would you try to do to keep yourself from going crazy?

Jac: Gosh. It is highly unlikely that I would be loyal enough to that princess to do it. I think maybe if the tower had computer access and a library. Then maybe. But not that tower, or that princess, or those RATS!

LW: I couldn't be locked up anywhere for any duration of time. I am constantly in motion - my legs are dancing, walking, my lips are moving, I'm talking, singing. If and when I'm sitting, my fingers and eyes are moving because I'm reading, writing, typing.

Lorie Ann: For my children, I would. And you can always write. John Bunyan was locked in a tower prison and wrote Pilgrim's Progress. Perfect!

Dia: Does the tower have a big window that looks out onto a splendid ever-changing view? Then maybe, if I had books and paper and a treadmill! But I still think I would want a change after about a month. Is there chalk? Can I draw on the stone walls? Three things I take into the tower with me: Cat. Books. Paper/pen.

LW: I like the sound of that. Let's end the roundtable on that note.

Discuss Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale at the readergirlz forum.

Learn more about the book and its author in the May 2008 issue of readergirlz.

Check out previous roundtable discussions at Bildungsroman.

Operation Teen Book Drop

RECORD NUMBERS OF YOUNG-ADULT BOOKS WILL BE DONATED TO TEEN PATIENTS AS PART OF READERGIRLZ AND YALSA LITERACY PROGRAM

“Operation TBD” puts 10,000 books into North America’s top pediatric hospitals
in celebration of Support Teen Literature Day on April 17

April 14, 2008 (Seattle, Wash.) – Teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States and Canada will receive 10,000 young adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels Thursday as readergirlz and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) celebrate the second annual Support Teen Lit Day on April 17.

This unprecedented teen literacy program, coined “Operation TBD” (short for Teen Book Drop), will put free books—altogether valued at more than $175,000—donated by 20 book publishers into the hands of many of the teens most in need of solace, entertainment and a sense of personal accomplishment. After all, long-term hospital stays can be difficult on many levels—for teenagers and their families.

Justina Chen Headley, co-founder of readergirlz and award-winning novelist, wanted to find a way to support teen patients going through such difficulties through a massive book drop. “While touring my local children’s hospital to research my novel, Girl Overboard, I couldn’t help noticing that teen patients didn’t seem to have the comfort objects that the little ones did,” she said. “As an author, I knew that YA books—books with exceptional characters and fabulous stories—could provide teen patients with some of the escape and inspiration they needed. And I knew that readergirlz and YALSA were just the groups to spearhead a teen literacy program of this magnitude.”

Operation TBD also aims to encourage teens to choose reading for pleasure as a leisure activity, as young adults now have many options for entertainment and often choose reading less often. This meshes well with YALSA’s Support Teen Literature Day, which kicks off Teen Read Week, a weeklong event held the third week of October that encourages teens to read, just for the fun of it. Teen Read Week 2008 is Oct. 12-18, with the theme of Books with Bite @ your library^®.

To help incite the broader teen community to participate in Operation TBD in its drive to spur reading on a national scale, readergirlz has invited all teens and YA authors to leave a book in a public place on April 17. When visiting www.readergirlz.com, participants can download bookplates to insert into the books they’ll leave behind, which explain the surprise to the recipient and tell them to read and enjoy.

”By working with children’s hospitals to connect with teens, generous publishers who are donating the books that will be supplied as a part of Operation TBD and the readergirlz, YALSA is bringing together a powerful partnership uniquely positioned to provide hospitalized teens a chance to explore the growing and vibrant world of teen literature,” said YALSA President Paula Brehm-Heeger. “Teens will be encouraged to pass along the books received through Operation TBD to another teen after they’re finished reading them, allowing this new initiative to ensure that Support Teen Literature Day has lasting impact.”

Participating book publishers who have donated books or audiobooks include Abrams Books, Bloomsbury USA, Candlewick Press, Da Capo Press, Full Cast Audio, Harcourt, HarperCollins, Hyperion Books, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Marshall Cavendish, Mirrorstone (imprint of Wizards of the Coast), Newmarket Press, Orca Book Publishers, Peachtree Publishers, Perseus Book Group, Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster Children's Books, TOKYOPOP, and Tor Books.

“Books have always been a form of escape and entertainment and Mirrorstone is thrilled to have the chance to participate in this very worthy cause,” said Shelly Mazzanoble, associate brand manager for Mirrorstone Books. “Our hope is that the donated books really connect with the teen patients who need them, as well as inspire all teens to turn to reading for pleasure.”

Pediatric hospitals that have signed up to receive books include All Children's Hospital Foundation (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Children's Hospital Boston, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, Children's Medical Center (Dallas, TX), Children's Memorial Hospital (Chicago, Ill.), Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics (Kansas City, MO), Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health—Library Library/Family Resource Center (Palo Alto, CA), Seattle Children's Hospital—Children's Hospital Foundation, SickKids Foundation (Toronto, Ontario), St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation, Texas Children's Hospital (Houston, TX).

“Participating children’s hospitals are most grateful for the generous donations of books,” said Marion Woyvodich, executive director of The Woodmark Group, an organization that represents 24 prominent children’s hospitals of North America.

Everyone who participates in Operation TBD is invited to celebrate at the TBD Post-Op Party on April 17th on the readergirlz MySpace group forum: http://groups.myspace.com/readergirlz.

To promote teen literacy and leadership in girls, readergirlz features a different YA novel and corresponding community service project every month. For more information about readergirlz, please visit www.readergirlz.com and www.myspace.com/readergirlz, or contact divas@readergirlz.com

For more information contact:
Sara Easterly, Publicist for readergirlz
Sara Easterly & Friends
sara@saraeasterly.com
206-632-8588

©2008 readergirlz

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October 1st!

So today is huge.

First, starting today (6 am Central Time), you can head on over to the Cybils and nominate your favorite 2007 title in each of eight categories. Nominate! Nominate! Each title needs only one nomination, so be sure to check what's already been submitted and enter in your OTHER favorite 2007 title (cause, who, really, can pick just one?!).

Also, today starts Reader Girlz 31 Flavorites!! Chat with your favorite teen lit authors every night this month. EVERY NIGHT! 8 pm EST. Is there anything more awesome than that?!

I'm really excited about both the Cybils and 31 Flavorites. Really Excited.

Just for convenience sake, here's the reprint of 31 Flavorites:

Week One
Oct 1. Meg Cabot
Oct 2. Tiffany Trent
Oct 3. Brent Hartinger (I'm playing moderator)
Oct 4. Lorie Ann Grover
Oct 5. K.L. Going
Oct 6. Nikki Grimes


Week Two
Oct 7. Ellen Hopkins
Oct 8. Justina Chen Headley
Oct 9. Chris Crutcher (I'll be moderator)
Oct 10. Ann Brashares
Oct 11. Sarah Mlynowski
Oct 12. Cecil Castellucci (moderating again. hopefully by then I'll have read BEIGE. Assuming someone nominates it for the Cybils YA, 'cause those are the only books I'll be reading for a while. 'Cept those book group books. Sigh. Boring adults.)
Oct 13. Kirby Larson

Week Three
Oct 14. Tanya Lee Stone
Oct 15. John Green
Oct 16. Sara Zarr
Oct 17. Deb Caletti
Oct 18. Rachel Cohn
Oct 19. Kirsten Miller
Oct 20. Mitali Perkins

Week Four
Oct 21. Sonya Sones
Oct 22. Lisa Yee
Oct 23. Carolyn Mackler
Oct 24. E. Lockhart
Oct 25. Janet Lee Carey
Oct 26. Gaby Triana
Oct 27. Lauren Myracle

Week Five
Oct 28. Holly Black
Oct 29. Cynthia Leitich Smith
Oct 30. Dia Calhoun
Oct 31. Stephenie Meyer (midnight EST)

Perhaps I'll review books again someday. I read a really good one this weekend. But right now I'm going to go to bed. I's tired.