tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26326113381681330222024-03-17T19:59:10.149-07:00readergirlzThe cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading.readergirlzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05454818345877688527noreply@blogger.comBlogger2271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-30007543594455213932017-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:002017-03-01T11:11:25.150-08:0010 Year Celebration and a Fond Farewell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p2ozYim0DPk/WKX7lHxs4iI/AAAAAAAAPOo/YBQ3m92zErcOlHmSaCK2uMNFYbrhuW8OwCLcB/s1600/rgz%2Bold%2Blogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p2ozYim0DPk/WKX7lHxs4iI/AAAAAAAAPOo/YBQ3m92zErcOlHmSaCK2uMNFYbrhuW8OwCLcB/s320/rgz%2Bold%2Blogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dearest readergirlz,<br />
<br />
When we began this nonprofit organization ten years ago, readers in all demographics did not have access to authors. This access was our aim, our mission. The founders of readergirlz were driven to make those connections around the world. And we did. <br />
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Beginning in Myspace, traveling to Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter, readers connected directly with young adult authors. One such memory: midnight, October 31, 2008, readers around the world chatted with Stephenie Meyer, and we sat back with glee. Whether a best seller or not, we brought diverse books to the spotlight, including the quiet and profound, such as <i>No Laughter Here</i>. <br />
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Our second passion over the ten years has been to get books into the hands of underserved teens. Readergirlz dropped hundreds of thousands of books to teens in hospitals and on Tribal Lands with the help of amazing partners like YALSA, First Book, and If I Can Read I Can Do Anything. Around the world, readergirlz celebrated Support Teen Lit Day and Teen Read Week by leaving young adult books in public places to be found by other readers. Operation Teen Book Drop and #RocktheDrop brought joy to many. <br />
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Our motto has been: Read, Reflect, and Reach Out. We have done that together. At our busiest, there were 30 volunteers from across the industry giving their time to books that featured gutsy girls and to the gutsy readers themselves. Librarians, teachers, booksellers, bloggers, and authors gave generously. Our funding was from our own pockets, libraries and schools who generously donated, and award money we garnered from <b>The James Patterson PageTurner Award</b> and <b>The National Book Foundation's Innovation in Learning Prize</b>. We never sold ad space to remain unbiased in bringing the best literature forward to you.<br />
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In ten years, we have seen girls graduate high school, enter the workforce, go to college, pursue master's degrees, marry, and have children. Together, we mourned the passing of one of our dearest. We miss her still. <br />
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Readergirlz, you have encouraged one another and motivated authors to keep writing. Some of you have grown to become writers yourselves. And we are so happy for you! You are gutsy women, strong citizens, and it is an honor walk beside you.<br />
<br />
In light of the ease and accessibility today to find, follow, and enjoy connections between authors and readers, the co-founders, divas, and support team are returning to their own work fully, ending readergirlz. Many former contributors will continue to write the very best books for the very best readers, young adults. The readergirlz website will be active through the end of 2017. The blog is complete, archiving our past, and it will remain accessible but not active. <br />
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As an aside, I, Lorie Ann Grover, will keep the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Readergirlz-107932865956758/?ref=bookmarks">readergirlz facebook page</a> open as I love occasionally sharing what crosses my desk and having a touch point with you in the future.<br />
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So, raise a book, to what we created together, rgz. It has been an honor to read together, reflect together, and reach out together. I speak for all who worked in our organization over the 10 years: we love you so, and we will see you soon. In person or on page. <br />
<br />
<3 Lorie Ann Grover<br />
<br />
with Justina Chen, Janet Lee Carey, Dia Calhoun, Little Willow, Holly Cupala, Martha Brockenbrough, Micol Ostow, Melissa Walker, Mitali Perkins, Liz Gallagher, Elizabeth Scott, Sara Easterly, Jackie Parker-Robinson, Hipwritermama, Miss Erin, ShelfElf, Jen, Kat Ogden, Bethany Hegadus, Crissa Jean Chappell, Stephanie Guerra, Rene Kirkpatrick, Judy Nelson, Sharon Levin, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Professor Nana, Priya, Silence is Golden, Vanessa, Sarah, Enna Isalee, Jacqueline, Olivia, Alex, Marlena, Taylor, Vampire, and Nancy Pearl<br />
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<br />Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com175tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-54691486095026418082017-01-31T18:30:00.001-08:002017-01-31T18:31:28.315-08:00Picture This, How Pictures Work: Molly Bang<img alt="Picture This Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/991/151/9781452151991.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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Calling all design students, illustrators, or those who want to understand more about visual composition. Chronicle Books released a revised and expanded 25th Anniversary Edition of Molly Bang's <i>Picture This, How Pictures Work</i>. <br />
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Brian Selznick calls the work, "the Strunk and White of visual literacy." Leonard S. Marcus calls it, "a peerless handbook and guide for anyone who wishes to make picture books." <br />
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Molly's book grew organically out of her quest to understand picture structure. She first tested the concepts successfully with 8th and 9th graders and then adults. With input from Rudolf Arnheim, the dean of the psychology of art in the United States, the book took its illuminating final form. <br />
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Dive into this perfect work and see the connection between shapes and emotions. You'll be ready to build the emotional content of your own imagery with a book you will reach for again and again. <br />
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<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781452151991">Picture This, How Pictures Work</a></i><br />
by Molly Bang<br />
Chronicle Books, 2016Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-75650405305973228232017-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:002017-01-15T20:10:47.632-08:00Diva Delight: Hidden Figures<img alt="Hidden Figures Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/602/363/9780062363602.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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<img alt="Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/378/662/9780062662378.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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If you get a chance to see the movie, follow up with the book: <i>Hidden Figures</i>. Or if you miss the movie, be sure to grab the adult nonfiction or young reader's edition and get to know these gutsy women mathematicians: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden. <br />
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"The contributions made by these African-American women have never been heralded, but they deserve to be remembered--and not as a side note in someone else's account, but as the center of their own story. These women should be celebrated not just because they are black or because they are women, but because they are an important part of American history."<br />
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So ends Margot Lee Shetterly's prologue in the Young Readers' Edition. Be ready to be inspired by intelligent women who strode through the Cold War, the Civil Rights fight, the Space Race, and the fight for Women's Rights. These women increased airplane production in wartime and helped the US into space. There is so much, readergirlz. Read, reflect, and reach out. Girls love reading...and math. <br />
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<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062363602">Hidden Figures</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062662378">Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition</a></i><br />
by Margo Lee Shetterly<br />
HarperCollinsLorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com205tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-77610255993287531922016-12-30T18:51:00.000-08:002016-12-30T19:10:55.582-08:00Diva Delight: Hideous Love and Wicked Girls<img alt="Hideous Love Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/319/853/9780061853319.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<img alt="Wicked Girls Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/302/853/9780061853302.jpg" style="border-image: none; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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Did you get a chance to read these two beauties from Stephanie Hemphill, readergirlz? From Mary Shelley to the girls involved in the Salem witch trials, you'll be in the thick of characters longing to be esteemed and loved. <br />
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Both are novels-in-verse, with delicious poetic language. Get ready to sink into the settings and hold your breath at the turning points. <br />
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Here is what Booklist said about <i>Hideous Love</i>:<br />
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Few stories-behind-the-story get retold as much as the writing of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but the ever-reliable free-verse poet Hemphill, author of the Printz Honor Book Your Own, Sylvia (2007), manages to plumb from it her own vein of riches. For starters, Hemphill does not obsess upon the novel, instead letting it rest as a distant metaphor. Instead, she tracks Mary’s young life—and a tumultuous life it is, as she suffers multiple dead children, affairs, suicides, and deaths. First and foremost, this is a chronicle of Mary’s stormy long affair with the married poet Percy Shelley as they, often with the infamous Lord Byron and Mary’s jealous stepsister Claire in tow, outrun scandal across Europe. The girlish accessibility of the prose subtly transforms to something darker and more mature, with Hemphill’s restraint her finest quality, whether speaking about art or sex or death: “We both know / that sorrow cannot be measured / by the size of a little one’s shoe.” This is, as intended, an ideal companion piece for teens studying the original classic. Grades 7-12. --Daniel Kraus <br />
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Booklist also gave Wicked Girls a Starred Review. You don't want to miss any works from this Printz Honor Winner. Finish up your vacation with a novel-in-verse from Stephanie Hemphill!</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061853319">Hideous Love</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061853302">Wicked Girls</a></i><br />
by Stephanie Hemphill<br />
Balzer & BrayLorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-1972957242533072982016-12-21T09:57:00.000-08:002016-12-21T09:57:36.931-08:00Holiday Fun: Guilty as Charged!<img src="http://www.shop.slq.qld.gov.au/images/catalog/large/9781452151762.jpg" /><br />
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Here's a step away from the usual at rgz for the holiday season. <i>Guilty as Charged! the Party Game of Pointing Fingers</i> offers fun exchanges for friend and family gatherings. After reading a topic card asking such as, Who's most likely to:<br />
,<br />
Compliment a complete stranger on their moustache<br />
Alphabetize their book collection<br />
Take the last piece of pizza,<br />
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everyone in the group uses a pointer to reveal their answer. When we played, there was laughter, denial, and groans of agreement in our family. If you are looking for that last minute gift or searching for the perfect party spice, add this from Chronicle Books. You'll be amazed how others perceive you. It may be something to write about...<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Charged-Party-Pointing-Fingers/dp/1452151768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482342739&sr=8-1&keywords=guilty+as+charged+game"><br /></a></i>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Charged-Party-Pointing-Fingers/dp/1452151768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482342739&sr=8-1&keywords=guilty+as+charged+game">Guilty as Charged!</a></i><br />
Chronicle BooksLorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-21361615446394549372016-12-08T08:30:00.000-08:002016-12-08T08:30:00.184-08:00Celtic Tales: Kate Forrester<img alt="Celtic Tales Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/755/151/9781452151755.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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Everything about <i>Celtic Tales, Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales</i> calls to be held, read, and visually absorbed. The design is simple but beautiful. Kate Forrester's imagery is beguiling. I've awaited this release with images from the catalog taped to my wall. In the sophisticated art, there's a refined simplicity. The Celtic tales themselves are fresh and surprising. <br />
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This is a beautiful pick to gift someone for the holidays. Just be aware:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
"Do not think the fairies are always little.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Everything is capricious about them, even their size...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Their chief occupations are feasting, fighting, and making</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
love, and playing the most beautiful music."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
~William Butler Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.</div>
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<i>Celtic Tales</i><br />
illustrated by Kate Forrester<br />
Chronicle Books, 2016<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" data-pin-nopin="true" id="thumb_img_0" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" title="" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-18429556068625834922016-12-04T15:33:00.000-08:002016-12-04T15:36:30.551-08:00Famous Friends: Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring<img alt="Famous Friends Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/539/942/9780545942539.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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In the spirit of celebrating friendship, check out <i>Famous Friends</i> by Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring. The cover doesn't do justice to the breadth of the text. From John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, and John Lennon to Paul McCartney, the little features and anecdotes are delicious. I found myself smiling over the bromance between Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. So fun and dear. Kindred spirits finding each other on our planet should be treasured. Go through a trove in <i>Famous Friends</i>. Too much fun. Yay for Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. I mean, seriously! #beautyallaround<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545942539">Famous Friends</a></i><br />
by Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring<br />
Scholastic, 2014<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" id="thumb_img_0" title="" /></a>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-87270325869222313052016-11-14T11:05:00.001-08:002016-11-14T11:42:15.934-08:00#andnowwewriteOver on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Readergirlz-107932865956758/">readergirlz facebook page</a>, we are sharing the thoughts of YA writers and industry professionals post U.S. election, 2016. Feel free to add your views as well. #wethepeople #inked #andnowwewrite #love.<br />
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Onward, rgz. Read, reflect, and reach out! ~Lorie Ann Grover<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aa3NBfxc_84/WCoJ-OHSelI/AAAAAAAAOP8/OGj9kxUAj9o10m9KKTVsV6UxEWPKSKZogCLcB/s1600/rgz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aa3NBfxc_84/WCoJ-OHSelI/AAAAAAAAOP8/OGj9kxUAj9o10m9KKTVsV6UxEWPKSKZogCLcB/s400/rgz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-22553664037225195822016-10-17T10:07:00.003-07:002016-10-17T10:07:45.324-07:00#RocktheDrop Thanks! Thanks to all who celebrated #TRW16 with #RocktheDrop! It was a great event filled with love of YA lit. Thanks for impacting communities with joy, readergirlz! Brava!<br />
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Check out a few pics from<a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=images&vertical=default&q=%23rockthedrop&src=typd" title="#rockthedrop pics on Twitter"> twitter</a>!<br />
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<img alt="Rock the Drop 16 AJ" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2709" height="300" src="http://janetleecarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rock-the-Drop-16-AJ-400x300.jpg" width="400" /><br />
AJ Pine<br />
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<img alt="rock the drop 16 window" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2710" height="225" src="http://janetleecarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/rock-the-drop-16-window-400x225.jpg" width="400" /><br />
Katie Bayerl<br />
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<img alt="Rock the Drop 16 Melissa W" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2711" height="277" src="http://janetleecarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rock-the-Drop-16-Melissa-W-400x277.jpg" width="400" /><br />
Melissa Walker<br />
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<img alt="Rock the drop 16 starbucks" class="aligncenter wp-image-2712" height="394" src="http://janetleecarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rock-the-drop-16-starbucks-400x533.jpg" width="296" /><br />
Valerie Lawson<br />
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<img alt="Rock the Drop 16 books" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2716" height="225" src="http://janetleecarey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Rock-the-Drop-16-books-400x225.jpg" width="400" /><br />
Sara Fujimura<br />
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Onward, rzg! Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-52482414947876931582016-10-14T09:14:00.002-07:002016-10-14T09:16:47.466-07:00#RocktheDrop for #TRW16!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7os91_Bdgc/WAEENNtJ7VI/AAAAAAAAN_o/gSMBew5vP2gNWpYYytBvVv2cz6SebqBawCLcB/s1600/rtdsqgreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7os91_Bdgc/WAEENNtJ7VI/AAAAAAAAN_o/gSMBew5vP2gNWpYYytBvVv2cz6SebqBawCLcB/s320/rtdsqgreen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's time to #RocktheDrop! Right now!!! Let's wrap up #TRW16 by leaving a YA book in a public place to be found and treasured. Here are your bookmarks. Full info <a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><span style="color: #21bba0;">here</span></a>. <br />
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Show us your pic and post: #RocktheDrop and #TRW16. Happy #RocktheDrop to you and your community! <br />
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<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" data-pin-nopin="true" height="71" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IwJUuvYd83c/V_XglVkDGoI/AAAAAAAAAYg/w088ULdT7O4xHUguSbXJuw5U9QhUOfx8wCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-blue.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" data-pin-nopin="true" height="70" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IvZo-XBEaaE/V_W0lhrZubI/AAAAAAAANog/HmwQfhs4-8AxxvY1WMs_SVBdvYMT4NGQwCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-green.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" data-pin-nopin="true" height="71" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnlDJljlsCQ/V_W1ffaTFBI/AAAAAAAANos/TY9DTF1JPUoRuIMKipeMU7F3V9JsvZxtwCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-peach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-6900583284885526762016-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:002016-10-07T08:46:41.133-07:00#RocktheDrop and #TRW16<a h="ID=images,5519.1" href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=teen+read+week+2016+image&view=detailv2&&id=58840A45632AF19A579AFC3826E7BDC7CA6C0D60&selectedIndex=0&ccid=GA4oj5kJ&simid=608029918464379663&thid=OIP.M180e288f9909f3fb5b1fa84e25505e7co0" id="detail" style="height: 192px; width: 300px;" title="View image details"><img data-bm="75" role="presentation" src="https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=OIP.M180e288f9909f3fb5b1fa84e25505e7co0&w=300&h=192&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0&r=0" /></a><br />
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It's coming! Sunday is the first day of #YALSA Teen Read Week, readergirlz! Did you remember we are celebrating with <b>#RocktheDrop</b> on <b>Friday, October 14</b>? Instead of dropping YA books in public places in April for Support Teen Lit Day, we are collectively leaving our books in the wild a week from Friday for Teen Read Week, <b>#TRW16</b>. So here are your bookmarks. Print and place them in your favs, and be ready to leave the books someplace special for a happy reader to find. Full info <a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html">here</a>. <br />
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As always, snap a pic and post: #RocktheDrop and #TRW16. We want to see your contributions! Let's get ready. One, two, three...GO!<br />
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<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IwJUuvYd83c/V_XglVkDGoI/AAAAAAAAAYg/w088ULdT7O4xHUguSbXJuw5U9QhUOfx8wCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-blue.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IvZo-XBEaaE/V_W0lhrZubI/AAAAAAAANog/HmwQfhs4-8AxxvY1WMs_SVBdvYMT4NGQwCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-green.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<a href="http://readergirlz.com/tbd.html"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnlDJljlsCQ/V_W1ffaTFBI/AAAAAAAANos/TY9DTF1JPUoRuIMKipeMU7F3V9JsvZxtwCLcB/s400/rockthedrop2016-peach.jpg" width="400" /></a>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-57568287761203875812016-09-18T14:49:00.000-07:002016-09-18T15:01:38.369-07:00Comics Confidential: Leonard S. Marcus<img alt="Comics Confidential Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/387/659/9780763659387.jpg" style="border-image: none; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); max-width: 300px;" /><br />
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I've only popped open this exquisite work and already have quotes to share:<br />
<br />
"Art-making at its best is a confrontation with the mysterious and the irrational. If we listen to the people concerned mainly with classification or marketing, we end up not making honest and true works of art, but only <i>product</i>, rubber-stamped and made to fit into a prefab box that might as well be a casket." David Small<br />
<br />
"Without quite realizing it, these indie artists and writers had invented a new art form--a new kind of book for which people at first did not have a name. By the early 2000s, the books were everywhere." Leonard S. Marcus<br />
<br />
Whether you call them graphic novels or comics, the current creators are a force in the publishing industry. <i>Comics Confidential, Thirteen Graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box</i>, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, is a documentary treasure of the creative contribution from thirteen viewpoints. Each interview includes a comic and sketches or manuscript pages about "the city." Those nest among personal stories of out of the box artists, including Harry Bliss, Hope Larson, and Sara Varon. <br />
<br />
Thank you, Leonard, for stopping and sharing so beautifully the backstories, practices, and thoughts of this group. And thanks, Candlewick Press!<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763659387"><br /></a></i>
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763659387">Comics Confidential</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763659387">Thirteen graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box</a></i><br />
compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus<br />
Candlewick Press, 2016<br />
<br />
~Lorie Ann Grover<br />
<br />Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-34780635129897129302016-08-27T10:43:00.003-07:002016-08-27T10:48:01.289-07:00The Poetry of SummerEvery week, poets, book bloggers, librarians, and other bookworms share their original or favorite poems as part of <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/children/articles/detail/68886" target="_blank">Poetry Friday</a>. <i>(Learn more at <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/children/articles/detail/68886" target="_blank">Poetry Foundation</a>.)</i> I participate at my blog, <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">Bildungsroman</a>. I tend to select poems based on my mood or recent events. This month, I shared four <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/tag/mary%20oliver" target="_blank">Mary Oliver</a> poems, including her aptly-titled piece <b><i>August</i></b><i>:</i><br />
<br />
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<i>When the blackberries hang<br />swollen in the woods, in the brambles<br />nobody owns, I spend<br /><br />all day among the high<br />branches, reaching<br />my ripped arms, thinking<br /><br />of nothing, cramming<br />the black honey of summer<br />into my mouth; all day my body<br /><br />accepts what it is. In the dark<br />creeks that run by there is<br />this thick paw of my life darting among<br /><br />the black bells, the leaves; there is<br />this happy tongue. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
What poems or poets make you think of summer? Leave a comment below and let us know!<br />
<br />
Special thanks to my friend and fellow writer <a href="http://www.courtneysheinmel.com/" target="_blank">Courtney Sheinmel</a><i> </i>for introducing me to Mary Oliver's poetry a few years ago!<br />
<br />
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<br />Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-16119657381108343882016-06-27T18:50:00.002-07:002016-06-27T18:50:25.198-07:00The Ghosts of Heaven: Marcus Sedgwick<img alt="The Ghosts of Heaven Cover" src="https://images.booksense.com/images/258/721/9781626721258.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
Master storyteller Marcus Sedgwick winds four separate tales along a connecting spiral shape. Twirling from prehistory into the future, characters face the symbol of life that "copies itself and builds on itself, forever."<br />
<br />
A girl in a cave with a charred stick, an accused woman plunged below water, a poet in a sanitarium, and an astronaut turning in a spiral in space all find the stair to climb higher and higher, while they remember the past and reach forward into the future. <br />
<br />
Marcus' woven stories turn the reader round and round, yet he leaves them before the light of wet grass, an apple tree, and love. If you didn't cross paths with <i>The Ghosts of Heaven</i> last year, readergirlz, find it and turn, turn, turn. <br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781626721258">The Ghosts of Heaven</a></i><br />
by Marcus Sedgwick<br />
Roaring Brook Press, 2015<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" id="thumb_img_0" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" title="" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-62707348631701760082016-06-19T11:45:00.002-07:002016-06-19T11:45:36.473-07:00Just. One. Book.Margaret at the blog <a href="https://throwingchanclas.com/2016/06/07/just-one-book/" target="new">Throwing Chanclas</a> recently shared the plight of a school in her neighborhood:<br /><br /><i>The
local junior/senior high school has not been able to purchase new books
since the 90s. Some of the "check outs" for old books are in the 1980s.
There are no books by people of color in the library. Hardly any books
by women are in the few book cases except your standard Austen and Lee.
It's an uninviting place. There hasn't been a librarian for nearly a
decade. And volunteers weren't allowed. The last eight years students
couldn't even check out books. <br /><br /><b>But all that is changing now.</b></i><br /><br />Margaret is now collecting books for the library. Let's help out! You can donate books via their <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/giftlist/2ZIQ8N3ROWEVV/ref=topnav_lists_3" target="new">Amazon wishlist</a> or by sending books directly to the address below. For more informaion, please <a href="mailto:writerchickmama@gmail.com">email Margaret</a> and <a href="https://throwingchanclas.com/tag/book-campaign/" target="new">visit her blog.</a><br /><br />Greenville High School/Indian Valley Academy<br />Library Project Attn: Margaret Garcia<br />117 Grand Street<br />Greenville, CA 95947<br /><br />If sending during the month of July, when school is closed, please send to:<br /><br />Library Project/Margaret Garcia<br />PO Box 585<br />Greenville, CA 95947Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-91636376061983152882016-06-06T10:23:00.000-07:002016-06-06T10:23:55.580-07:00All We Have is Now: Lisa Schroeder<img src="https://images.booksense.com/images/536/802/9780545802536.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
My most recent read is <i>All We Have is Now</i> by Lisa Schroeder. With the end of the world quickly approaching, how would you spend your last hours? What if you were a homeless teen, what choices would you make?<br />
<br />
Lisa explores the value of now and the gift of kindness. A diverse group of characters is met and wishes are fulfilled as humanity explores compassion when all is to be lost in moments. <br />
<br />
Thought provoking and hopeful, be kind to yourself and read <i>All We Have is Now</i>, rgz. A great follow-up movie would be <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307068/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Seeking a Friend for the End of the World</a></i>.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Poster" itemprop="image" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk4MDQ1NzE3N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjA0MDkzNw@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg" title="Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Poster" /><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545802536">All We Have is Now</a></i><br />
by Lisa Schroeder<br />
Point, Scholastic, 2015<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" id="thumb_img_0" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" title="" /></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-398574524031677622016-05-25T10:52:00.000-07:002016-05-25T10:55:17.877-07:00Memory of Light: Francisco X. Stork<img src="https://images.booksense.com/images/320/474/9780545474320.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
Just finished <i>The Memory of Light</i> by Francisco X. Stork. The exploration of depression is honest and may give words as well as hope to those within the condition. Learning to exist in the midst of the trial is displayed with a tender compassion.<br />
<br />
Watch for Vicky's story of crisis and recovery. It may help you find your own memory of light or assist another along the path beside you. <br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545474320"><br /></a>
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545474320">The Memory of Light</a></i><br />
by Francisco X. Stork<br />
Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic, 2016<br />
Edited by Cheryl Klein<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" id="thumb_img_0" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" title="" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-80122454867386861882016-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:002016-05-23T10:00:34.681-07:00This is the Story of You: Beth Kephart<img src="https://images.booksense.com/images/845/142/9781452142845.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000; max-width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
Each Beth Kephart book which sails onto the shelf is like polished sea glass refracting the light of truth. <i>This is the Story of You</i> is a poetic rendering of loss and isolation after an epic storm. Mira is asked if she is strong enough to stand on her small, destroyed island and help the community that has shaped her every heartbeat. With her mother and brother off-island, she finds her family is broader than she ever expected.<br />
<br />
Find the work, readergirlz, and listen to Beth's love of the sea. Draw your mind in directions unexpected, and finish the last page with the sound of the ocean and one girl's resilience shoring you up in your own story of you.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781452142845">This is the Story of You</a><br />
by Beth Kephart<br />
Chronicle Books, 2016Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-65899630001315803662016-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:002016-04-13T18:52:57.472-07:00Dan vs. Nature: Don Calame<img src="http://images.booksense.com/images/719/670/9780763670719.jpg" style="border-image: none; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); max-width: 300px;" /><br />
<br />
With this on the cover: "An outrageously funny and wickedly raunchy romp in the woods," how could I NOT crack the book open? <i>Dan vs. Nature</i> delivers. Author Don Calame caught me from the first line and kept me beside Dan the entire way. I was laughing out loud through the 375 pages. Seriously. <br />
<br />
Dan sets out on a wilderness adventure with his future stepfather and his best friend. The mission, apart from survival, is for the teens to stop Dan's mother's upcoming marriage. Matters are complicated by Dan's assignment to care for the Life Skills class baby doll along the journey and the addition of a geektastic hot girl being added to the group. From bears to bugs to lightning storms, the group is tested and tried. The male author carefully unwraps the emotional journey of one boy recovering from abandonment by his father, hit by hilarious physical trials, amidst a group of hard-earned friendships.<br />
<br />
I zipped through this work, rgz, laughing and thinking of who to loan it to next. Find it. Laugh. And look for more by Calame. Well done!<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763670719">Dan vs. Nature</a></i><br />
by Don Calame<br />
Candlewick Press, 2016<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" id="thumb_img_0" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" title="" /></a>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-11032338890339664572016-04-03T23:05:00.000-07:002016-04-09T19:51:51.730-07:00Rock the Drop, October 14, 2016! <img border="0" height="71" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JrT0NZ3JNUE/Vwm_SqWwhwI/AAAAAAAAAXk/xRmDHwW0_MIlqyygLfCG4-KiS80_YN2PQ/s400/rockthedrop2016-blue.jpg" width="400" /><br /><br />
Hey rgz!<br />
<br />
We have a giant update for you. YALSA has decided to discontinue <b>Support Teen Literature Day</b> in April. We've enjoyed celebrating the day for 8 years by rocking the drop through Operation Teen Book Drop. We've donated thousands of books to teens in hospitals and those on Tribal Lands. We've left young adult books around the world to be found by happy readers. Well done, all! <br />
<br />
SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE ANYWAY! We are going to <b>#RocktheDrop in October</b>, <b>on Friday, the 14th, of Teen Read Week</b>. Deal? For now, stash those books to the side, and we'll collectively drop them together next fall. We'll give you a heads up as the time approaches. Let's get those donation piles taller in the meantime. <br />
<br />
Be ready to #RocktheDrop on October 14th. It's going to be a great addition to Teen Read Week. Ready, set, go!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/" style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 100%/normal Georgia, serif;"><img alt="LorieAnncard2010small.jpg image by readergirlz" class="media" src="http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u146/readergirlz/th_LorieAnncard2010small.jpg?t=1285212827" id="thumb_img_0" title="" /></a>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-78859050005635326132016-03-28T16:26:00.002-07:002016-03-28T16:30:31.153-07:00Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hermione Winters is about to start her senior year of high school. As
summer draws to a close, she heads off to cheer camp with her coach and
her teammates, including Polly, her best friend and co-captain, and Leo,
her boyfriend. Knowing this will be the last time she attends the camp,
Hermione intends to make it the best one ever, to work hard, to enjoy
the challenges and the routines and the music and the friendships, and
to set a good example for her teammates and friends.<br />
<br />
Then, on the
night of the camp dance, Hermione is raped - her cup of punch drugged
by a boy, she blacks out and wakes up in the hospital. The night holds
no memories for her past the blackout. She cannot remember the face of
her attacker, nor does she have any recollection of what he actually did
to her. All she knows is what the doctors, nurses, and detectives have
put together from examining her. <br />
<br />
Her town is small; everyone
knows what happened. The hallways of her school are filled with whispers
and judgmental looks, and her relationship with her boyfriend
dissolves. But Hermione doesn't withdraw from social interaction or
change schools - the latter doesn't even occur to her. She doesn't like
being the subject of gossip or scorn or pity. She remembers who she was,
she knows who she <i>is</i>, and she is determined to stay true to herself while dealing what has happened.<br />
<br />
<b>Exit, Pursued by a Bear</b>
by E.K. Johnston was above and beyond what I hoped it would be.
Compelling writing, complex characters, realistic dialogue - there is
much to praise here. This book could have been riddled with cliches; it
was not. It could have been predictable or saccharine; it was neither.
The events and reactions were feasible, believable, never farfetched or
contrived. The story was layered and nuanced, allowing for warmth and
humor sometimes when you least expected it (and most needed it). <br />
<br />
Hermione
tells her story in first-person narrative. She is an intelligent,
resilient, mature young woman who is stronger than she knows. The
characters that surround her are so vividly drawn - especially Polly,
the fierce and loyal best friend who is equal parts fire and compassion -
that any one of them could have a book of their own. And that is one of
the loveliest things here: that the supporting characters are truly
supportive of Hermione, that she is not dealing with this alone - and
also that the supporting characters have their own arcs, their own
problems and heartbreaks and priorities.<br />
<br />
There is so much I want
to say about this book. How it treats subjects such as sexual assault,
doctor's visits, therapy, and victim shaming head-on, honestly and
openly; how it encourages cheerleaders to be seen as athletes, not
airheads; how it includes a variety of characters of various ages and
personalities; and, most of all, how it allows its protagonist to be
human, to wrestle with emotions and choices and ultimately emerge
triumphant not because of or in spite of what happened/happens to her,
but because of how she chooses to see herself, not a victim, not a
statistic, not diminished, and how she chooses to live, unashamed,
undeterred, always moving forward. <br />
<br />
<i>I knew before I was raped that this year would be the end of something. I just thought I'd be able to control the ending.</i><br />
<br />
And,
again, the magnificent writing: the choice of words, the steady pacing,
the characterizations; the importance of a chair, a song, a friend; the
details of a waiting room, a quiet house, an exuberant squad; the
feeling of flying -- There is so much to applaud here.<br />
<br />
Both thought-provoking and profoundly memorable, <b>Exit, Pursued by a Bear</b>
by E.K. Johnston is a triumph. I encourage people to read and re-read
this book and to share it with others. Don't be surprised if you find
yourself both crying and smiling as you turn the final page - and then
start reading it all over again.<br />
<br />
If you like this book, you will also like <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/274458.html">Swollen by Melissa Lion</a> and <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/807330.html">All the Rage by Courtney Summers</a>.<br />
<br />
Exit, Pursued by a Bear is included on my <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/74061.html">Tough Issues for Teens booklist</a>.<br />
<br />
This review was <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/829327.html" target="_blank">originally published at my blog</a>, <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">Bildungsroman</a>.<br />
<br />
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<br />Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-10810792019238583982016-03-13T13:37:00.003-07:002016-03-13T13:39:20.606-07:00The Battle of Darcy Lane by Tara Altebrando <br />
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<br />
<b>The Battle of Darcy Lane</b> by Tara Altebrando is a great pick for our middle school readers!<br />
<br />
All Julia really wanted to do this summer was hang out with her best
friend, Taylor - and maybe her neighbor/friend/secret crush Peter, too.
Then Alyssa moves into the neighborhood. Julia immediately doesn't like
her; Taylor does. And just like that, Julia's best friend has a new
friend, and Julia has a rival.<br />
<br />
Alyssa is really into a
ball-bouncing game called Russia. At first, Julia doesn't care for it,
but then she realizes that she might be able to beat Alyssa at her own
game. Over the course of the summer, while Julia tries to hang on to her
friendship with Taylor, she also attends band camp, bonds with Peter
over a TV show she's not supposed to watch, and challenges Alyssa to an
epic game of Russia. She also avoids cicadas and tries to talk her
parents into letting her move into a different room in their house.<br />
<br />
Julia's
an only child, born to parents who love her and - get this - love each
other. It's refreshing to read a book in which the parents are happy
together, and it's wonderful to see how the child reacts to that
relationship. In this case, Julia feels left out, not only because she
is the youngest member of the household AND the only kid AND she has to
go to bed earlier than her parents, but also because her parents are so
close, she feels like there's no room for her sometimes - like she's
interrupting something. There's a beautiful moment in which Julia
overhears her parents talking outside, their voices drifting up to her
window:<br />
<br />
<i>They were laughing a lot, and they sounded like
something other than a husband and wife, something other than a mom and
dad: they sounded like best friends.</i><br />
<br />
Not only does this
perfectly capture their relationship, it also ties back to Julia's
concerns about her own best friend. Taylor is spending more and more
time with Alyssa and less time with Julia. Teasing, confusion, and
jealousy ensue. (Goodness, I don't miss middle school!) But thankfully,
instead of being your typical mean girl story, this book offers
something more plausible, something more satisfying and more
age-appropriate, with the Russia showdown and the additional revelations
in the denouement.<br />
<br />
<b>The Battle of Darcy Lane</b> is a solid story for
young readers. It's kind of like a modern-day Now and Then. Julia tries
to test the boundaries a little a couple of times, and she sometimes
struggles over the right thing to do, but overall, she has a pretty good
head on her shoulders. Though the word "tweens" or the term "tween
fiction" may not appeal to everyone, it's appropriate when you consider
what it means: be<b>tween</b>. When you're eleven and twelve, you might
feel trapped between your little kid years and your teens, torn between
wanting to feel more grown up and wanting to stay a kid. This is best
exemplified by the scenes in which Julia feels compelled to put away her
dolls and knickknacks, even though she still kind of likes them.<br />
<br />
Tara
Altebrando has a knack for depicting honest relationships between
protagonists and their families and friends, and I regularly recommend
her YA books to teens looking for realistic modern-day stories. Now I
can give The Battle of Darcy Lane to slightly younger readers. I also
plan to read her other middle grade novel, My Life in Dioramas.<br />
<br />
And who knows - maybe I'll have the opportunity to play Russia somewhere along the way, too.<br />
<br />
<i>This review was originally published at <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/827654.html" target="_blank">Bildungsroman</a>. </i><br />
<br />
<i>The
end of the book includes instructions on how to play the ball-bouncing
game referred to as Russia or Onesies, Twosies. I also found
instructions at the website <a href="http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/crafts/seasonal/spring/sports-games-for-kids6.htm" target="new">howstuffworks.com</a>. Have fun!</i><br />
<br />
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<br />Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-51064813070346906082016-02-03T11:47:00.001-08:002016-02-03T11:48:16.050-08:00We Loved Your Light, Marlena<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/12654266_958767960873240_6072475651603965778_n.jpg?oh=0fbc5dec8410c35140d56a3f04511602&oe=576DA1FC" style="height: 694px; width: 521px;" /><br />
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Our hearts are so saddened by the passing of one our dearest readergirlz. Marlena Carcone was a light to our group in our earliest days at Myspace. She was full of life and joy and compassion for others. We shared our passion for books, especially all things Harry Potter. Here are her words:<br />
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"i love being a part of readergirlz, i feel so special! i feel like i finally belong somewhere, finally!" <br />
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Sending our love to her loved ones and family. Thank you for touching our lives with your light, Marlena. <3<br />
<i><u><br /></u></i>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Lorie Ann Groverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07894901682181719593noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-48751695884137406132016-01-21T17:52:00.003-08:002016-01-21T17:54:31.388-08:00#tothegirls2016Last year, author Courtney Summers posted:<br />
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<i>"I write about girls.<br /><br />"I write about girls because every girl deserves the opportunity to pick up a book and see herself in its pages.<br /><br />"I write about girls because girls, and their stories, matter.<br /><br />"It's my way of letting them know."</i><br />
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On April 14th, 2015, she posted this with the hashtag #tothegirls to tell girls all over the world that they are seen, heard, and loved. People all over the world chimed in on social media, posting messages of support and encouragement, sharing thoughts and quotes both funny and profound.<br />
<br />
Today, January 21st, it's time to spread the word again. Use the hashtag #tothegirls2016 along with your personal message of support and encouragement on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, your blog, your vlog, wherever you see fit. Write a note on your wipe-off board on the door of your dorm room or stick a Post-It note on your family's fridge or bathroom mirror. Share the message, and share the love.<br />
<br />
For more information, visit <a href="http://tothegirls2016.tumblr.com/">http://tothegirls2016.tumblr.com</a> and follow Courtney Summers <a href="https://twitter.com/courtney_s">@courtney_s </a>on Twitter.<br />
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<a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/825137.html" target="_blank">A few thoughts from me to the girls in 2016 and beyond:</a><b> </b><br />
<b><br />You are awesome.<br />You can do this.<br />Just breathe.<br />Just believe.</b><br />
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<br />Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2632611338168133022.post-70034681922805915032016-01-18T12:16:00.003-08:002016-01-18T12:16:57.361-08:00 Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song by Sara Bareilles <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In her book <a href="http://slayground.livejournal.com/820860.html" target="_blank"><b>Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song</b></a>, Sara
Bareilles proves to be just as candid and charming on the page as she is
on stage. Whether it's talking about her grade school years, her
anxieties, or the true story behind her hit <i>Love Song</i>, Sara is
frank, funny, and open about her life, her career, her struggles, and
her triumphs. Her very naturalistic, conversational writing style makes
her comes across like a friend talking to you at the dinner table or
over the phone, equal parts self-deprecating, hopeful, grateful, and
humble.<br /><br />Sara relates her stories in nine chapters - or essays, if
you prefer - each bearing the title of a song she's written. (The
section also begins with that song's lyrics, handwritten, which is a
very nice touch.) As one might assume with a biography, the book begins
with her childhood and ends with her current work on the musical <i>Waitress</i>
and is lightly peppered with photographs. In-between, we get a glimpse
into her early songs and shows, the year she spent in Italy in college,
and her first love and heartbreak. Fellow performers will enjoy the
details of life on the road, the gigs when she was just starting out as
well as the times she performed in large arenas or on television shows,
and so forth, but moreover, they will find connection and comfort in
knowing the difficulties Sara faced breaking into the business (and the
continued difficulties staying there) as well as the doubt, worry, and
vulnerability she feels when writing new songs, collaborating with
others, or trying to express her truest feelings in music and words. <br /><br />Mid-way through the book, in the chapter <b>Beautiful Girl</b>,
Sara writes letters to her younger self. This is possibly my favorite
section of the book, and it serves as a reminder to be our own best
friends, to stop putting ourselves down and to keep our chins up,
because time and experience can truly make things better and clearer. <br /><br />This
book will be treasured by Sara Bareilles's fans. I also hope it reaches
people who perhaps haven't heard her music, who find her through this
book first, because what an amazing experience that would be, to be
moved enough by this book and these words to go pick up her CDs. I only
wish this book contained all of her albums - but, wait, I already have
those. :) Little Willowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17058463472836988047noreply@blogger.com6