Thank You, John Green!

We have loved spending the month of June with John Green, discussing his fantastic novel Paper Towns! Things we've learned:

* John's next book involves a beach.

* John is super-fast on Twitter (read the chat recap!)

*John believes the world is essentially broken, and true endings are ambiguous.

This deep thinker inspires us. Thanks for joining us here, John, and making our month full of Awesome!

June: PAPER TOWNS, The End of the Book

John asks, "Why do you think Q makes the decision he does at the end of the book? Do you agree with his decision regarding the invitation?"

Follow-up: What do you think makes a good book ending, as a reader? What do you like to be left feeling or thinking?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Reactions

John asks, "Discuss the scene where Q finally finds Margo. How does her reaction to seeing her friends make you feel?"

Follow-up: Have you ever been in a situation where someone reacted to you in an unexpected way? How did that feel?

Paper Towns: John Green on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Little Willow remembered a discussion that went on a little while ago that centered around an article in Onion A.V. Club about the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (MPDG), girls like Natalie Portman in Garden State (shown) who--according to writer Nathan Rabin--"exist solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Jezebel weighed in too, and so did our featured author John Green, in regards to Margo of Paper Towns:

"Margo is certainly presented by Q as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl at the beginning of PT. Absolutely. But that only acknowledges that some boys believe in Manic Pixie Dream Girls; it doesn't argue that MPDGs actually exist, or that Margo is one." --JG

Read John's full post here. What do you think of the MPDG?

June: PAPER TOWNS, False Impressions

John asks, "Do you think that Margo meant to give her friends a false impression of herself?"

Follow-up: Have you ever given anyone a false impression of yourself?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Which Cover is True?

John says, "The Paper Towns hardcover was released with two different covers (below). What does each version say about Margo? Do you think either one is 'correct'?"

June: PAPER TOWNS, Finding What's Lost

John asks, "If you were in Q's position, would you look for Margo or let her go, like her parents did? Why?"

Follow-up: Have you ever had to find someone who seemed lost, either physically or emotionally?

Party It Up: Paper Towns

Planning your own book group get-together for Paper Towns? Here are some party ideas from author John Green!

Invite: A coded message

Décor: A dozen tulips, maps, mirrors

Food: Gas station snacks, a la road tripping

Project: Scavenger hunt

June: PAPER TOWNS, Music That Inspires

John asks, "Radar says, 'Coltrane's playing is literally the most convincing proof of God's existence I've ever come across' (p. 112). What music would be this important to you?"

rgz LIVE! Twitter chat with John Green!

Join us tonight for a twitter chat with this month's featured author, John Green! We'll be talking about Paper Towns, spontaneity and well--who knows???

The chat will start live at the top of the hour over at twitter. John Green can be found on twitter at realjohngreen and don't forget to put the #rgz tag on your questions to him!

June: PAPER TOWNS, Running Away and Being Found

John asks, "Do you think Margo wants to be found? Do you think Margo wants to be found by Q?"

Follow-up: Have you ever felt like running away? How did you deal with that feeling?

Reach Out: The National Center of Missing and Exploited Children

Margo goes missing in Paper Towns, just like many kids do every year in the US and around the world.

The National Center for Missing Exploited Children's mission is, in their own words, "to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them."

The NCMEC, which has been operating since 1984, relies on volunteers. If you are interested in being a volunteer or an intern at one of their local branches or at their national headquarters in Virginia, please click here to learn more about such opportunities.

Their website and toll-free tipline 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have any information regarding a missing or exploited child, whether it is a recent and ongoing related investigation or a cold case, please contact the NCMEC. Your assistance could help save a life.

June: PAPER TOWNS, Best Friends

John asks, "Describe Q's best friends. If you had to choose one of these characters as your best friend, who would you pick? Why?"

Follow-up: What do you look for in your best friends?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Revenge

John asks, "Do you think the characters Margo targets for revenge get what they deserve? Does Lacey deserve to be included?"

Follow-up: Have you ever felt like you wanted revenge? Did you act on it?

June: The Soundtrack to Paper Towns

Featured Author John Green hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Paper Towns this month (and how cool is that peek at the mix, left?). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or in the June issue!

June: PAPER TOWNS: Who's your accomplice?

John asks, "Why do you think Margo picks Q as her accomplice on her campaign of revenge in Paper Towns? Whom would you choose if you went on such a mission?"

Things to Know About Featured Author John Green

On the nightstand: No nightstand, just a pile of books!

Pets: Willy, my Yorkshire Terrier

Place to write: Local coffeeshop; my house

Inspiration: My readers

Dream book tour: I love touring in the Netherlands

Cure for writer's block: Giving myself permission to write poorly!

Favorite outfit: Jeans and a T-shirt

Author idol: J.D. Salinger

Next up: Another book, God willing.

Other YA Novels: Looking for Alaska; An Abundance of Katherines; and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan)

Read more about John in this month's issue of readergirlz!

June: PAPER TOWNS, People as Mirrors and Windows

John says, "Q's parents describe people as 'mirrors' and 'windows' (page 198). What does this mean? Can you relate either of these metaphors to anyone in your life?"

June: PAPER TOWNS, Life-Changing Discoveries

John says, "When Margo and Quentin are nine they make a horrible discovery, and respond in very different ways. How do you think this shaped their lives in the years to come? How would you have responded?"

If you haven't read the book: Have you ever made a discovery that changed your life somehow? How did it affect you?

Welcome, John Green!

We are thrilled to welcome John Green to readergirlz. His fantastic novel Paper Towns is our June pick! Check out our interview with John, book party ideas themed around his book, and our Reach Out project idea--as well as the awesome soundtrack John has chosen for the book--on readergirlz.com.

Here's a little about Paper Towns:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life -- dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge -- he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Quentin arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Quentin soon learns that there are clues -- and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Quentin sees of the girl he thought he knew.

And the buzz...

2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel

New York Times Bestseller

"Green's prose is astounding -- from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths. He nails it -- exactly how a thing feels, looks, affects -- page after page." - School Library Journal, starred review

"Deliciously intelligent dialogue and plenty of mind-twisting insights." - VOYA

"[Green is] clever and wonderfully witty... he's a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material." - Booklist, starred review

We are so excited to have the awesome John Green with us this month! Join us all month right here on the blog for discussions and mark your calendars a LIVE chat on Wednesday, June 16th at 6pm PST/9pm EST.

Happy June, readergirlz!