rgz Newsflash: Thank you, everyone!

As we look back over the day, you all rocked the drop from Glasgow to Georgia, from zoos to restaurants, from one reader to the next, and we thank you! What a celebration for Support Teen Lit Day. You all posted, tweeted, tumbled, and pinned. The photos are awesome on #rockthedrop and the readergirlz facebook page. Be sure to scroll through and enjoy what we did together. It's AMAZING!

Crissa, rgz HOST, always rocks the drop with style! Take a look at her video drop. Thank you, Crissa!

And here are just a few pics to remember the day:

Thank you, publishers, such as Team Egmont!

Thank you, libraries, such as San Diego County!

Thank you, authors, such as Sara Zarr in Salt Lake City to...

Liz Gallagher in Seattle.
Thank you, schools:
Courtney Craig Merritt
I am a Spanish and English teacher at Del Norte High School and a bunch of my Education In Action club kids will be dropping off books in the 4S Ranch community. Keep your eye out! We're so excited to be a part of this wonderful, literary cause.
and thank you, readergirlz!



Bravo, everyone! Bravo!

Diva Delight: How to Save a Life

We love Sara Zarr! She's inside our Circle of Stars. And her latest release, How to Save a Life, is an excellent addition to her life work. You will agree the FIVE starred reviews are spot on.

From two perspectives, two stories are told as two girls find their identity following a crisis. Jill is recovering from the death of her father, while Mandy is pregnant, possibly by her abuser. The two find themselves in the same home as Jill's mother plans to adopt the forthcoming baby. How do you learn to trust when you never could before? Who are you following great loss, and can you ever return to who you were before? Side by side, Jill and Mandy's stories illuminate each other beautifully. Golden threads repeat from one voice into the other.

I was captivated by Mandy's asperger-like frankness, and Jill's journey through her anger. Each created such poignant, palpable moments of discomfort for the reader. This work is honest from page one.

Brava, Sara! We celebrate this story holding your voice so beautifully!

How to Save a Life
by Sara Zarr
Little Brown, 2011

Rock the Drop: Photo Op!

"I was excited to learn about rock the drop on one of my favorite websites, bookcrossing.com, and I dropped a bunch of teen books today." --Kristin Fischer

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr was left on a water fountain at a park in Phoenix, Arizona.

This book is The confessions of a heartless girl by Martha Brooks. It was left on top of a display of free newspapers in front of Souvia Tea, a tea store in Phoenix, Arizona. I thought this was a particularly appropriate place to drop the book since it has a picture of a teacup/coffee cup on the cover.

Here is another book dropped in support of Teen Lit Day. You can see in the picture that the book is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. It was left on a display of free newspapers in front of Barro's Pizza in Phoenix, Arizona.

This was left near the water fountain by the restroom between the two girls' softball fields where two other books were dropped on the bleachers. It is Money Hungry by Sharon Fluke.

This book was left near the tennis courts at a park in Phoenix, Arizona. It is Avalon High by Meg Cabot:

The one in this picture is Troll Bridge by Jane Yolen and Adam Stempler. It was left on the bleachers of a girls' softball field at a park in Phoenix, Arizona:

This book was left on the bleachers of an adjacent softball field at a park in Phoenix, AZ:

This book was left on a bench by tennis courts in a park in Phoenix, Arizona:

Story Secrets: ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr is without a doubt one of my favorite authors - she writes down-to-earth, thoughtful stories that could very well be written by your best friend, they are that true.

I first ran into Sara at the second annual Kidlit Blogger Con in an elevator (Holly's Elevator Story #1) and had to keep myself from pouncing on her with my fandom! Luckily I didn't scare her away, and I'm thrilled to welcome her todayto chat (LIVE! a video!) with us about her latest masterpiece, ONCE WAS LOST.

Welcome, Sara!

If you missed previous Story Secrets, check them out here!

rgz Street Team: Vanessa Reviews Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Vanessa reviews Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr:

"Sara Zarr did a great job handling the touchy subject of religion in Once Was Lost. We meet Samara Taylor, a pastor's daughter going through the ups and downs of life under a microscope. We see right away how hard it is for Samara to find her own faith in God when always forced to put on the happy show for the church's parishioners. Now with her mom in rehab, her dad constantly busy, and a girl from church gone missing, Sam's faith is more confused than ever before.

"Dealing with a missing person in a small town puts stress on everyone involved. With Sam's pastoral dad drawn into the mix to comfort the family, Sam ends up getting a lot of alone time. We see lots of inner conflict and self-exploration, but not in a boring way. Sam's thoughts are both revealing and confused at once. She's not afraid to say 'I don't know what I want' when she gets to those moments of unrest without explanation. We don't leave Sam there, though. We see her become true to herself, re-establish some relationships, and finally come to terms with God in her own way.

"As a church-goer myself, I will admit that I was antsy at the beginning of the story. 'Is this going to be one of those anti-God things?' I asked myself, unsure of how I would feel at the end of it. I was pleased though. Zarr brings Sam to a peaceful point with God that doesn't seem forced in any way. Readers will understand that God is available if they look, while not feeling pressured by a sparkly altar scene.

"With my background, I think this book is the perfect exploration of some of teens' big worries about religion. Sam voices the very questions on God that every teen asks. Do her answers come? Not really. At the end Sam finds peace in faith, but without any blazing lights or theological discussions. And that is how faith is, stepping out of the box and realizing that some things are not meant to be completely understood. Sara Zarr plays neutral, but hits with 100% accuracy. Job well done." -Vanessa

PS-Read the Cover Story for Once Was Lost.

Cover Stories: Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

The amazing Sara Zarr told the Cover Story behind Story of a Girl on my blog last spring, and it's a great one. Had to share it with readergirlz. Here's Sara:

"I am not at all arty. In fact, I am a little challenged when it comes to visualizing the abstract in any way, shape, or form. All the furniture in my house is pushed up against the wall because I can't visualize any other way of doing it. I can barely read a map! So when it came to the cover my first book, Story of a Girl, I had literally no clue what to expect. I do remember saying to my agent, 'I'll be happy with anything, as long as it doesn't have a big giant photograph of the character's face on it.'

"My publisher didn't ask for ideas or give me any hints. I didn't even know the cover was coming when one day I got an image in my email. And, guess what? A big giant photograph of the main character's face! My gut reaction was pure disappointment, to the point of feeling queasy and like I was going to cry. I could see where the concept made sense but I didn't like the girl in the picture. To me, her face and expression were all wrong. Her hands were too small and delicate. She was too pretty. Just not Deanna. I talked to my agent on the phone and we commiserated. He showed it around his office and they all felt like it was a good cover, in terms of marketing and representing the story. I tried to be happy and reconciled to it, but, honestly, it was a big disappointment.

"A few weeks later I got another email. They'd decided not to use the photo. They were going to stick with the concept but do a shoot with a model, and I could give my input when it came to picking the model. Yay! Not long thereafter, I saw the cover for an adult novel---Janet Davey's FIRST AID. And there was the image for my original cover (left).

"On my original cover, this same photo was less zoomed---you could see more of the girl's face, including her eyes. You can see that there's something about the way she's holding her hands that feels a little bit like a model and not a real girl.

At least not the real girl in my story. I wish I could show you the original, but...oh, wait! Here it is on a recent YA book from the author of GO ASK ALICE (right).

"But back to Story of a Girl. The cover designer sent me head shots of the two models they were choosing from. The first attachment I opened was of a girl who looked normal enough, but to me she screamed 'East Coast.' She was tough-looking, like Deanna, but almost too tough, almost a little gangsta. I crossed my fingers, hoping that the next model would be better suited. When I opened up the picture files, I almost cried again, but this time they would have been tears of joy. The model, Linsday, was, to me, the embodiment of Deanna. And then she did an amazing job at the cover shoot capturing the emotion that is just right for the story. It's the kind of picture you can look at and think she's feeling hopeful, or you can look at and think she's feeling sad. Awesome. In addition, they used a printing process for the hardcover that made the majority of the cover matte while the title is glossy.

"The paperback cover is a little bit different, foregoing the glossy cover font for easier-to-read white and moving it around a bit to make more room for quotes and what have you. And of course, my favorite thing about the current incarnation of the cover is the sticker from the National Book Foundation. Yay!

"For my second book, SWEETHEARTS, once again I had no idea what the art department could possibly come up with. But in this case, it was total love at first sight."

I'm so glad Sara got to find the girl who really represented Deanna for Story of a Girl! And Sweethearts, well, what can I say? I want a frosted cookie.

Speaking of Sweethearts, it was the June readergirlz pick, so check out that issue and let us know what you think of Sara's covers.

TRW Tribute: Sara Zarr 6:30

"Reading is the key that unlocks everything. This key is available to everyone and transcends any real or perceived barriers of class, race, income, or history. It opens doors to knowledge, experience, compassion, and perhaps most powerfully of all, imagination. Without imagination, there is no hope for change. With it, everything seems possible."

Sara Zarr

Cover Stories: Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

The very cool Sara Zarr, our featured author from May for Sweethearts, is here to talk about the cover of her latest book, Once Was Lost. We're excited to have her stop by!

Here's Sara:

"Once Was Lost is set in this very small, rural town, and there was a point during the writing process when I was

reading Sinclair Lewis' MAIN STREET and found this cover I loved (left).

"I became somewhat obsessed with it and imagined a similar cover--the silhouette of the main character, Sam, looking at a small town main street, kind of separate from it, and observing. I send this picture to the designer, Alison Impey, not to try to tell her what to do but just throw some inspiration out there. Other than that, I really had no clue what would work or what to expect. I'm definitely a word person and not a design person.

"Obviously there is nothing of the Sinclair Lewis cover in the final cover for Once Was Lost. I think they tried that direction but decided the end results didn't look YA enough. My publisher sent me the two concepts they'd narrowed it to:

"My initial reaction to the one with the vase was that I didn't like it at all, at least for the story. It was a little too pretty, maybe? And didn't hint at the content in any meaningful way, I thought. I loved the second one, with the flower and the very stark background. My only comment at this part of the process other than that was that my most enthusiastic fan mail came from readers who loved Sweethearts, and I felt we needed to have the Sweethearts title on the cover, not just Story of a Girl.

"When I saw the final version (right), they had kind of blended the image of the single flower with the more layered, gauzy look of the vase photo, and tweaked the color scheme. At first, I was all about keeping the starkness and eliminating the soft focus, but everyone at Little, Brown overwhelmingly liked the one with more depth. And, they are professionals, so I trusted them!

"I love it. When you see the whole thing put together, in hard cover, in your hand, it's so much more powerful than just seeing an image on the screen. The background is matte and the title and flower are glossy. They were so right about the depth of the photo, because even that fuzzy table in the background tells you there is a home here, a family.

"And, the book is so much about decay and brokenness, and also unexpected life, so the flower with the dropping petal is perfect. I also like that it's consistent with the Sweethearts cover in a way--a central image that is of a pleasant thing (a cookie! a flower!) but there's something off and missing. That works for my books! Also I love the color palette and what Alison did with the back, spine, and inside flaps. You'll just have to go get a copy to see what I'm talking about!"

I need a copy right now! I love this cover unabashedly and I think the combination of the photos is just right. What about you guys?

Rgz Street Team: Traci Reviews Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Traci reviews Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. [And yes, I should have posted this last month during Sara's featured time! My bad. --Melissa]

"Change... it's one word that most people fear or just refuse to acknowledge. In Jennifer Harris’ old life things hadn’t been so good, but at least she had Cameron, her true friend. Even though Cameron’s father was abusive and Jennifer was having problems at school and in her social life, as long as they both were close, it made things tolerable. Problem is, one day Cameron disappeared, tearing Jennifer apart. Multiple years later he reappears, but by this time Jenna has a new name, new life, is popular at school, has friends, and “change” is her middle name. Will she have room in her life for him or will she refuse to help a friend because it requires her to look back into a past life which brings up painful truths and secrets?

"Sweethearts is a very different book. From the beginning, Sara starts addressing drama in schools, abuse, bullying, big moves, parents, boyfriends, emotions, etc. All things which individually or united are dealt with by teens on a daily basis, especially today. I applaud books such as this one because it has a message of hope while staying in reality. One of my biggest pet peeves is books (or movies, at that matter) that try to reach out to people or broadcast messages and completely overdo it to a point where the book will be put down or movie turned off." --Traci

June: Discussion Questions Roundup

Did you miss any of the discussions this month? Check out these posts and weigh in. The last was particularly strong! Thanks again, Sara! We heart you like a pink frosted cookie.

Welcome, Sara Zarr!
postergirlz June recommended reads
Sweethearts roundtable
June recommend: The Year We Disappeared
June Playlist
June recommend: Hold Me Tight
June recommend: Purge

Is there a limit to Loyalty?
Transforming yourself
Parents making mistakes
Do you use food for comfort?
Platonic friendships
Is there a Cameron in your life?
rgz LIVE! with Sara Zarr
Ditched by a friend
The controversial ending of Sweethearts
Thank you, Sara Zarr!

Thank You, Sara Zarr!

Here's a big merci to the awesome Sara Zarr for joining us at readergirlz this month! Sweethearts is a treasure of a book, and we'll be thinking about it for years to come. Plus, we can't wait for Sara's next book, coming this fall. It's called Once Was Lost (just look at that amazing cover!), and here's the description:

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

Having Sara here this month has been beyond awesome. Thank you, Sara, for spending time with readergirlz!

June: The Controversial Ending of Sweethearts

And finally, Sara asks, "The controversial ending: Love it or hate it? Discuss it! :)"

*Spoiler warning for the comments!*

June: Party It Up!

Sara Zarr gave us great suggestions on how to celebrate, Sweethearts style. So take notes and throw your own book club bash!

Invite: Heart-shaped cards if snail mail, pictures of cookie hearts, or heart-themed Evite

Food: Frosted heart cookies, NECCO sweetheart conversation candies, and French fries with fry sauce (a Utah specialty Jenna mentions - mix mayo and ketchup about 50/50 - yum!)

Décor: More hearts. T-shirts that say, "I survived childhood and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." Toy rings to honor the ring that Cameron leaves in Jennifer's lunch box.

Movies: Slumdog Millionaire (main character forges bond with girl through childhood, and devotes his life to finding her). Also, the TV show My So-Called Life was all about this teen girl shedding an old identity and looking for a new one, but people and things from her past self keep intruding on her efforts to be different.

And, may I just add the BEST. CLIP. EVER. from My So-Called Life? If you're unfamiliar, prepare to swoon:

June: Ditched by a Friend

In the book, Jenna's friend Katy complains that Jenna hasn’t been a very good friend since starting to date Ethan. Have you ever felt ditched by a friend who spends a lot of time with a boyfriend or girlfriend?

June: A Cameron in your life?

Sara asks, "Have you ever had a Jenna or a Cameron in your life? Are you still in touch?"

rgz LIVE! with Sara Zarr

Welcome to rgz LIVE! Welcome to our chat with Sara Zarr.