Cover Stories: The Good, the Bad and the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone

Tanya Lee Stone's latest book, The Good, the Bad and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us, has earned three stars from the publishing world and raves like this one from Lauren Myracle: "Holy belly buttons! This is no mere Barbie book. This is a how-to manual about being a girl: a strong, sparky, awesome girl, with Barbie in hand *or* Barbie in the nearest Dumpster!"
Love that. Plus, it has a sly, iconic cover. I had to ask Tanya how it came about. Here she is:

"I didn't have a picture of the front cover in my head from the beginning, but once I started playing around with all of the dolls in Peter Harrigan's collection (which we used for the photo shoot), I started thinking about the BACK cover. I pictured a border of heads peering from the edge into the middle of the cover (kind of creepy). I fell in love with the Elphaba doll from Wicked, and thought the Twilight dolls were kind of cool (and again, kind of creepy). In the end, we used a great shot the photographer took of a bunch of the international dolls, in a pinwheel formation. I love it.

"My publisher did ask for my input. We talked about what image should go on the cover. Should it be a universal favorite (there really isn't one) or not?"

Read the rest of Tanya's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com. And hear more about the book at I Heart Daily!

April: Tanya Lee Stone

A special note of thanks from author Tanya Lee Stone, author of A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, one of this month's postergirlz recommended reads. (See the April issue of readergirlz for more!)

I'm so psyched that A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL is a recommended read for April, and not just because it's National Poetry Month (all hail National Poetry Month!). This YA novel in verse first came out in 2006, but teen readers still write to me all the time and say stuff like: "Hey, how do you know exactly what my life is like?!"

Nothing makes an author more excited (well, almost nothing) than hearing from readers, and readergirlz readers are an especially special crew! So, if you've ever been played by a guy, gotten in over your head, or been the shoulder for a girlfriend who loved and lost, see what Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva have to say about the bad boy in this book -- and how the choices you make affect the path you'll take. Three girls, one guy -- who comes out on top?

And for you Judy Blume fans out there (and let's face it, who ISN'T a Judy Blume fan?), FOREVER has a cameo role in this story.

Here are a few "extras" for you -- a sneak peek excerpt, an interview with the ever-fabulous Cynsations, and a FREE Reading Guide.

Readergirlz ROCKS!

~ Tanya Lee Stone

TRW Tribute: Tanya Lee Stone 8:30

"Books are one of the safest places for teens to explore our tumultuous world. Long Live Teen Read Week!"

Tanya Lee Stone

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

It's Women's History Month, and Tanya Lee Stone's new book is about a dramatic, little-known story episode in American history that involves some truly kick-ass women.

In 1961, the scientists who had put the Mercury 7 astronauts through their paces decided to test exceptional women pilots to see if they would do as well--the thinking was that if women were equally good candidates they would save NASA millions of dollars because women took up less space, ate less food, used less oxygen, etc.

The women DID excel and, no surprise, were kept out of the space program. What happened next includes women fighting injustice, and some American heroes behaving badly. It's a riveting story that takes us up to present-day and highlights some of the women for whom the way was paved by these 13 pioneers.

Read more about Almost Astronauts here. Yay for unfair-boundary pushers!