May: Round Up of Discussions

Just in case you missed any of the great discussions with Lisa, check out these links and drop your comment!


So, what would your nickname be?

Would you dye your hair?
What's your creative outlet?

Will Mean Girls be sorry?

Where is your quiet place?

Helping someone in a bad situation

What's your favorite food?

Underestimating Yourself
Do you judge?
Been in a love triangle?

Thank You, Lisa Yee!

Here's a big MERCI to the very fun and inspiring Lisa Yee for joining us at readergirlz this month!

We loved hearing stories from Lisa and learning more about the back story of Absolutely Maybe.

Some highlights:

Absolutely Maybe was supposed to be a middle grade book, but Maybe took over Lisa's brain and wound up telling her story instead!

Peepy loves the book!

Lisa thinks that "social media is the author's water cooler." YES!

We've so enjoyed having you here this month. Thank you, Lisa!

May: Have You Ever Been in a Love Triangle?

Lisa says, "Ted, Hollywood and Maybe are in a love triangle. Do you know anyone who's been in this situation? Have you?"

May: Do you Judge People Too Quickly?

Lisa says, "Maybe hates Willow the first time they meet, but later discovers she's not a total loser. Do you ever judge people too quickly?"

Guest Blog: Cecil Castellucci

In July 2009, we featured The Plain Janes written by Cecil Castellucci - art by Jim Rugg - as our main pick at readergirlz. (Please check out the Art Saves project we did, which was inspired by The Plain Janes.) This month, the postergirlz selected Cecil Castellucci's novel Beige to be one of the books recommended alongside May's main pick, Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee. I recently caught up with Cecil and asked her to share with us what's new with her. Without any further ado, here's Cecil!

Hello readergirlz!

It's nice to be back to say hello! I've been getting ready to launch my new YA novel, Rose Sees Red (Scholastic, August 2010), and my first picture book, Grandma's Gloves (Candlewick Press, August 2010).

I hope you have been having a lot of fun with the fantastic Lisa Yee! Her book Absolutely, Maybe is a perfect Los Angeles book. I loved Maybe and her journey, her hair, her friends, her spirit, and her tacos!

I was so excited to be a read-alike because Beige is also a book about Los Angeles. Lisa and I clearly both love our city and I think that in both of our books, the city is one of the characters as well. Clearly Hollywood has a certain magic to it. And both Maybe and Beige feel totally hopeless and this city gives them a tiny light to go on. That's the great thing about Los Angeles, or any place that makes and gets you dreaming. Hope.

I have had moments of hopelessness and despair and it is terrible. I have always felt that anything that can get you dreaming again is a lifeline. The thing about hope is that all you need is a little bit of it. Just to get you to the next moment, and the next, until suddenly, instead of floating on an ocean of despair, you are standing on an island. And the sun is out. And there is a coconut to eat. And you can breathe and recollect.

I think books are good entry ways to finding hope. So get reading! And remember, hope is always there to love you. It's right there, even when you think it's not. Swears-y.

~ Cecil Castellucci

May: Party It Up with Lisa Yee!

Planning your own book group get-together for Absolutely Maybe? Here are some party ideas from author Lisa Yee.

Invite: Hollywood Walk of Fame stars

Décor: So Cal beach stuff and/or Hollywood

Food: Tacos, chips and salsa, and hot dogs

Project: Dye your hair with Kool-Aid! (Get

permission from your parents!)

Movies: Rebel Without a Cause, Sunset Boulevard and Little Miss Sunshine

May: Underestimating Yourself

Lisa says, "Maybe constantly underestimates herself. What would you tell someone who can't see how wonderful they are?"

May: What's Your Favorite Food?

Lisa says, "Maybe loves Mexican food. What's your fave?"

May: Helping Someone in a Bad Situation

Lisa says, "On the streets and homeless, Maybe hits rock bottom. Where could she have turned for help? If you knew someone who was in an abusive situation, what would you do?"

rgz LIVE! with Lisa Yee!

Welcome to rgz LIVE! with Lisa Yee! We're super excited to have her visit, and the chat will start at the top of the hour--make sure you're here and ready to talk about hope, rgz!

May: The Soundtrack to Absolutely Maybe

Featured Author Lisa Yee hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Absolutely Maybe 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 May issue!

May: Where is Your Quiet Place?

Lisa says, "At one point, Maybe retreats to the library for solace. Where to you go or what do you do when you want to be alone?"

Guest Blog: Julia DeVillers

For this month's issue of readergirlz, the postergirlz selected the non-fiction book Girlwise: How to be Confident, Capable, Cool and in Control by Julia DeVillers as a recommended read. Here's a little special something written by Julia for the rgz blog:

There was something tricky about writing a book subtitled: How to Be Confident, Capable, Cool, and in Control.

I needed to figure how to actually give advice on that. Gee, you mean I'm not always confident, capable, cool and in control? (Um, nope.)

So I turned to the experts. I talked with more than 100 amazing women on topics teens told me they wanted to know more about. They share how to deal with rejection and how to deal with a clogged toilet. How to have fun with fashion, run for class office, write a poem, start a band, volunteer, eat without shame...

My fellow authors weighed in! Meg Cabot (THE PRINCESS DIARIES and etc. etc.) shared how to act like a princess, including this gem: "Can princesses have messy rooms? Yes, but for god's sake, there is a difference between messy and unhygienic. There is nothing princess-like about vermin."

Carolyn Mackler (TANGLED) told how to bond with her car (she drove cross-country in a car named Egg)

Jennifer Roy (YELLOW STAR) (and my twin) told how to change a diaper (yeah, I gave her a 'stinky' topic, I know).

And Jane Yolen shared this advice she told her daughter growing up: "I hope that you will leave the world a better place than you found it. We humans are all litterbugs - both in the literal sense (throwing out paper trash is the least of it) and the moral sense."

Interviewing these amazing women for GIRLWISE was a truly inspiring experience, and I’m so glad the book has inspired readers. I love what one teen told me: "Girlwise made me realize that these embarrassing, frustrating and weird things don't only happen to me! And now I'm more confident dealing with them—and having more fun.”

Readergirlz is so definitely Girlwise: confident, capable, cool and in control. I mean, look at readergirlz themes: compassion, risk-taking, self-respect, tolerance, creativity, hope...serious fun! (And there's a killer line in the manifesto I wish I had thought myself: Surround myself with friends who embody traits of good book characters. Maybe I can use that in the next edition of Girlwise, someday?! :)

I'm proud that GIRLWISE is a postergirlz pick.

~ Julia DeVillers

May: Will Mean Girls Regret Their Behavior?

Lisa says, "Maybe is picked on at school by the stuck-up, popular girls. Do you think any of them will ever regret being so mean in high school?"

May: Read, Reflect, Reach Out with 826 National!

In their own words, 826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization. Kids between 6 and 18 can visit their local 826 chapter for tutoring sessions, writing assistance, free workshops, and more.

Hopeful writers should definitely check out the organization's opportunities for student publishing. High school students located in the Bay Area who love to write and are in need of financial aid may apply for college scholarships offered by 826.

The organization also has lots and lots of amazing volunteers who donate their time, energy, and expertise. 826 opened in Valencia in San Francisco's Mission District in Califo

rnia in 2002 and have since added locations in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Michigan, Boston, and Washington, D.C. If you live in or near any of these cities, you should definitely drop by in person and volunteer your time and/or share your writing!

May: What's Your Creative Outlet?

Lisa says, "Ted's creative outlet is talking and schmoozing. Hollywood's is making films. Maybe's is making tacos. What's yours?"

rgz TV: Little Willow talks to Lisa Yee!

In the summer of 2008, shortly before the book was released, postergirl Little Willow interviewed Lisa Yee about Absolutely Maybe. Watch the video (and read the Cover Story here!):

May: One More Thing About Lisa Yee...

She's a game show rock star!

See Lisa's rundown of the Ultimate Author Showdown, where she and Peepy take on RL Stine, Gordon Korman, and Christopher Paul Curtis . . .

May: What Would Your Nickname Be?

Lisa asks, "Maybelline calls herself 'Maybe.' What would you nickname yourself?"

rgz LIVE! Twitter Party with Elizabeth Scott!

Join us tonight for our first ever twitter chat with Elizabeth Scott, the winter Author in Residence. Ask her about her books, her video blogs for readergirlz...anything!

The chat will start live at the top of the hour over at twitter. Elizabeth Scott can be found on twitter at escottwrites