June: rgz LIVE! Twitter Chat Recap!

Okay, this is a tad long, but I really only picked highlights! This is for our non-Twitter peeps! Listen in to John, rgz:

I hope to tour again sometime next year, but we'll see.

I'm a very amateur philosopher, but I'm fascinated by the same big ?s that obsessed me as a teen.

I really liked Vonnegut, Toni Morrison, and Salinger.

I think I was inspired by the IDEA of books--using ink on paper to communicate something--more than particular books.

Yeah, I was really deeply engaged in the religion classes I took as a student (but that was in college).

In a very broad sense, my current novel is set on a beach.

I started writing as a kid, but I got serious in high school and more serious in college.

I can't find just one thing I love about nerdfighteria. It's a huge, huge part of my life.

Well, I believe the world is essentially broken, and I guess I think the only true ending is an ambiguous one.

Oh sure, sometimes I feel misread. But my books don't belong to me. They belong to their readers.

I feel happy if I write more than 1,000 words in a day, but sometimes I make more progress deleting 1,000 words.

No, I write alone these days (well, aside from skype friends).

My advice to other writers is to read and read and read and read. And listen to criticism. It hurts but it's right.

I write for my readers. I am inspired by them, and I feel challenged by them.

I am inspired by this infuriatingly broken world we live in. I want to put it back together in my head.

Well I think one of the general challenges in life is being sociable without being untrue to one's self.

I loved the babysitters club when I was growing up. I loved series. I was like Eudora Welty in a sweet devouring.

Hank takes it personally that I've never written a protagonist with a sibling. I haven't stolen much from Hank.

Nerdfighteria has profoundly influenced my writing by showing me how smart and engaged contemporary teens are.

I wrote Alaska because I was obsessed with the problem of theodicy--how evil can exist with an omnipotent god.

Well I think one of the points of literature is to help us understand how to be human in a compromised world...

Although you won't like this answer, I think intense critical analysis of literature is a hugely important skill.

Broadly speaking, I wanted to write because I loved reading and wanted to be on the other side of the page.

I still don't think of writing as a career. I love it, but I don't know that I'll be able to do it in 20 years.

That was fun! AND CRAZY! You guys are the best.

It was a super fun chat. Join us next time if you can!

Art Saves: Janine aka Jeanie

Click the thumbnail to see the full-sized image.

I've always found that the act of creating art is not only a way to express oneself, but a way to maintain a certain degree of sanity.

Sometimes the only way to filter through the "white noise" of everyday life is by sitting down with a sketchbook and a pen or pencil and just doodling.

Some of my favorite drawings have started with a random squiggly line and grown from there.

It's not so much the end product, but the act of creating said picture, painting, paper lantern, sculpture, story, song, dance... or other work of art that saves us.

...Well, it does for me, at any rate.

~ Janine Sebastian
aka: Jeanie Tortoisefly

More about MINX

Our July 2009 pick, The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, was our first graphic novel spotlight. It also was the first book published by DC Comics on its MINX imprint. Promoted as "the first graphic novel imprint designed exclusively for teenage girls" and featuring new works by a variety of artists and writers, Minx was launched in 2007...and, sadly, canceled in 2008.

Here's a list of all of the Minx titles in order of publication:
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Re-Gifters by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel
Clubbing by Andi Watson and Josh Howard
Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm
Confessions of a Blabbermouth by Mike Carey, Louise Carey, and Aaron Alexovich
Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich
Burnout by Rebecca Donner and Inaki Miranda
Water Baby by Ross Campbell
The New York Four by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
Token by Alisa Kwitney and Joëlle Jones

I've read them all. Which ones have you read? What were your favorites?

As we wrap up July and clean up our Art Saves easels, here are a few more things to consider from other sources:

Connect With Your Teens asks: Do teenage girls read comics? (YES!)

Is art vandalism? Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the "Hope" poster of President Barack Obama, plead guilty to three vandalism charges in Boston.

Google now offers iGoogle themes from daily comic strips, manga, comic books, and graphic novels. Superman, Mutts, Peanuts, Iron Man, Beat Girl, Robot Dreams, and more - take your pick!

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.

Chat with Sara Zarr TONIGHT!

Come back here to the the readergirlz blog TONIGHT, Wednesday, June 17th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST for a live chat with author Sara Zarr!

While you're here, take a minute to read and consider the Bully Bust post, then enter to win a free T-shirt!

See you at the chat tonight!

Bully Bust 2009 T-Shirt Giveaway and STAND UP Pledge

Last month, I learned about Bully Bust 2009 and posted about it at my blog immediately. This month, it's the featured outreach program in the June 2009 issue of readergirlz.

Bully Bust 2009 is a "community-led concerted effort to reduce bullying in schools" sponsored by the Center for Social and Emotional Education and Boy Meets Girl. Bully Bust encourages people to speak up when they see bullying happening in their schools, in their neighborhoods, or online.

We have a very special giveaway connected to Bully Bust - but before I tell you about that, I want you to really consider what bullying does to a person, how often it happens, and what you can do to help stop it.

Turn the Statistics Around!

CSEE offered the following facts, then added, "Make a difference to turn the statistics around."

* Schools are the 3rd most common location for hate crimes.
* Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
* For every 25 middle school kids, an average of 2 kids are harassed daily.
* 1 in 4 students say they are unsure of their safety at school.
* When there is a school-wide commitment to end bullying, it can be reduced by up to 50%.
* Suicide remains among the leading causes of death of children under 14.

Take the STAND UP Pledge

Support those around me who are being bullied or victimized
Tell a friend, teacher or parent when I see someone being bullied
Ask myself, "How would I want to be treated?"
Note where and when bullying occurs (bathroom, playground, online) and
Do something when I see someone being bullied – be an UPSTANDER

Understand why bullies bully
Practice being a good role model for my fellow students and share "STAND UP to bullies" strategies

Visit BullyBust.org today to sign the STANDUP pledge, consult valuable resources, and discover the 10 ways to be an upstander. You may also join Bully Bust on Facebook.

T-Shirt Giveaway

Bully Bust sent readergirlz a STAND UP T-shirt designed by Stacy Morgenstern Igel, the founder of the clothing line Boy Meets Girl. This limited edition shirt is made out of 100% organic cotton. (Woo hoo!) It is a white T-shirt, size medium.

Want to win the shirt? Leave a comment below with your email address. That's it! One lucky winner will be selected at random and get the shirt for free.

Update: The contest is now closed. Congratulations, Charley! Thanks to everyone who entered.

You can see the shirt in this video featuring teen actress Sammi Hanratty, the spokesperson for Bully Bust.



Books About Bullying

Looking for a book about bullying, gossiping, or peer pressure to discuss in class or in a book group? Try one of these titles:

Suitable for high school:
Looks by Madeleine George
Read My Lips by Teri Brown
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Walking Naked by Alyssa Brugman
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy (quirky and comedic)
Good Girls by Laura Ruby (content for older teens)
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (content for older teens)

Suitable for middle school or upper elementary school:
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

- and this is just the tip of the iceberg. For more books about bullying, peer pressure, and other such topics, consult my Tough Issues for Teens booklist.

Share the Love

Send the Bully Bust link to your friends and family members and encourage them to sign the STAND UP pledge. If you're a teacher or a librarian, I hope you'll tell your students and patrons about it, too.

June: Sarah Darer Littman

I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I heard that the postergirlz recommended my most recent novel, Purge, to accompany Sara Zarr's Sweethearts. I'm a huge fan of Sara Zarr, both as a writer and as a person. As someone who is passionate about the subject of body image, her blog post on being unwillingly Photoshopped by a photographer is a must read.

Like Jenna in Sweethearts, Janie [the protagonist in Purge] has a complicated relationship with food, and there is a strong emotional component to her eating - when she is bingeing she is eating without enjoyment, but rather to fill what she calls "the black hole" inside.

My mom was taking her old pictures out of albums and scanning them onto the computer and she sent me this picture of myself on a Caribbean holiday when I was 14.



Looking at it as a woman with two kids in my mid-forties, my first thought was: "Wow, I had a nice figure!" But it only took a second for the voice of the girl in the picture to start up in my head - the one that told me she was fat and ugly. I started thinking about how throughout my life how much time and energy has been wasted obsessing about food and body image and feeling bad about myself - and, ultimately, being bulimic for six years as an adult - and I wanted to write a story that might help others avoid making that same mistake.

I'm so excited and grateful to be in such great company. I know E. Lockhart from our NYC Teen Author Drinks Nights and adored The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and now have a great list of other books on my always growing "must read" list.

Thank you, readergirlz and postergirlz!

~ Sarah Darer Littman



Purge is one of the additional titles recommended in the June issue of readergirlz. Here's the summary from the jacket flap of Purge:

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That's what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

June: Platonic Friendships

Jenna and Cam's relationship isn't really romantic, and it isn't really platonic. Sara asks, "What is challenging about that kind of friendship?"

June recommend: Hold Me Tight

"In Miami, Florida, ten-year-old Essie has trouble finding the strength and courage to overcome her feelings of fear, guilt, and shame when her father abandons their family, a classmate is kidnapped, and then a family friend molests her." Annotation from Barnes & Noble

Lorie Ann here! I have to thank the postergirlz for recommending my most recent novel, Hold Me Tight, to accompany Sara Zarr's Sweethearts. It is such an honor!

Like Cameron's disappearance, Chris in my novel disappears. My main character, Essie, is left wondering what has happened and where Chris is.

Essie seeks to define herself in the midst of her trials as Jenna has worked so hard to do by the opening of her story. Both girls experience abuse from adults and try to manage it. Both have childhood sweethearts. Yes, I see the similarities!

Here are a few facts that are little known about Hold Me Tight:

* Essie is mostly me.
* My brothers really are named Dale and Kevin.
* I did know a boy in 5th grade who sat in front of me and was kidnapped. He was shot, stabbed, and left for dead in the Everglades.
* I saw Chris, as an adult, on Oprah and Dateline.
* A reporter was able to reconnect us when my book launched.
* Chris' daughter wrote me when she was 10 and thanked me for writing about her father's experience as it gave her more understanding. (How full circle is that?)

Thank you, postergirlz, for the nod for Hold Me Tight! I'm so touched to be among your amazing June recommends!

June: Do you use food for comfort?

Jenna uses food for comfort when she's anxious or unsure. Hence, the cover of Sweethearts. Is this something that you do or have done?

June: Things to Know About Featured Author Sara Zarr

The incredible Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts, has shared a few things about herself with us:

Favorite bookstore: The King's English in Salt Lake City - comfy store, great selection, amazing staff.

Favorite library: The Salt Lake City Public Library, main. (Named 2006 Library of the Year! Booya!)

Pets: One very talkative parakeet named Peanut.

Dream book tour: The Lake District in the UK, Venice, and then a special appearance on a cruise ship going up the Inside Passage to Alaska...

Favorite outfit: Jeans, sneakers, comfy shirt.

Laptop or longhand? Laptop, usually.

Stilettos or Uggs? Actually, I pretty much never take off my ecco sneakers!

Next up: A short story in Geektastic this summer. Then, my third novel, Once Was Lost, coming in October.

I could hang out with Sara all day long, in jeans (Sweetheart jeans from Old Navy, in fact, are a favorite of Sara's) and a t-shirt. She's the coolest. I want to know: What can Peanut say? Find out more about her on readergirlz.com!

June: Parents Making Mistakes

In Sweethearts, Jenna's mom makes some mistakes when it comes to dealing with Jenna's past and current issues. What do you wish parents would do differently when you confide in them?

June: Transforming yourself

Between 4th grade and high school, Jenna transforms herself into a different person physically and socially. Have you ever wished you could reinvent yourself? Why?

June: The Sweethearts Playlist

Sara Zarr's Sweethearts playlist is in the right sidebar and appears as part of our full issue about Sara--check it out for some lovely, nostalgic sounds. It's an amazing mix, and I'm totally taking it to my 10-year college reunion this weekend (!).

Some artists involved include: