February Newsflash

Hello, everyone.

Here's a challenge: Read this paragraph, the first out of our featured book this month, COPPER SUN by Sharon M. Draper:

In spite of the heat, Amari trembled. The buyers of slaves had arrived. She and the other women were stripped naked. Amari bit her lip, determined not to cry. But she couldn't stop herself from screaming out as her arms were wrenched behind her back and tied. A searing pain shot up through her shoulders. A white man clamped shackles on her ankles, rubbing his hands up her legs as he did. Amari tensed and tried to jerk away, but the chains were too tight. She could not hold back the tears. It was the summer of her fifteenth year, and this day, she wanted to die.

Now that you've read it, can you stand not reading on? If you're hooked, please join us for a month of reading and reflecting with Sharon M. Draper, and for a chat with the author herself on Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern at our blog, http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/.

Postergirlz picks
Looking for what to read next? Here's what our Postergirlz recommend:

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Day of Tears by Julius Lester
Touching Snow by M Sindy Felin
Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton
The Bite of Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland

Elizabeth Scott has started her term as our author-in-residence with a bang. She's posted a video on YouTube where she answers questions about her workspace, her writing rituals and process, the best reviews she's gotten--and the worst. She also reveals why the concept of loss figures so heavily into her writing. (You won't believe how she manages the Internet distraction!)

To get to know her better, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl62lxtt1Ko

She's also having a contest. If you're a U.S. resident, you can win a signed copy of one of Elizabeth's new books by reading her blog and posting a comment. Wuhoo! Free book! Even more wuhoo-it's by Elizabeth Scott.



Congratulations, Libba Bray
We spent a month with Libba and her book THE SWEET FAR THING last year. She just won a Michael L. Printz Award for her latest, GOING BOVINE. Exciting!
Here's her site if you want to check it out: http://www.libbabray.com/

And here's our page featuring Libba.

Operation Teen Book Drop: the countdown
This year Operation Teen Book Drop is April 15, which happens to be Support Teen Literacy Day. Along with YALSA, GuysLitWire, and If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything, rgz is coordinating the delivery of 10,000 new YA books, donated by publishers, to teens on Native American Reservations and Tribal lands. We can't wait!

You can take part in the celebration by dropping a book of your own in a public place for some lucky stranger to find. Mysterious! Serendipitous! What will you drop? Send us a line at divas (at) readergirlz (dot) com.

We're also lining up a TON of authors to participate, so watch our blog at http://readergirlz.blogspot.com on April 15, and you'll see photos of the drops in action. Who knows-you might even find one of the books!

Check out our YouTube trailer for more information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3nxeDnHmwU


And download special TBD bookplates here:
http://www.readergirlz.com/tbd.html


Lend a hand in Haiti
After the huge earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, the suffering there is enormous. You can make a donation to the International Red Cross here: http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/helpicrc

Thank you, and have a great week.


the readergirlz divas~

Dia Calhoun, Avielle of Rhia
Justina Chen, North of Beautiful
Holly Cupala, Tell Me A Secret (June 2010)
Liz Gallagher, The Opposite of Invisible
Lorie Ann Grover, Hold Me Tight
Melissa Walker, Lovestruck Summer

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