rgz Newsflash: Support Teen Lit Day and Rock the Drop!

Hey rgz,

Just a quick update on our plans for YALSA's Support Teen Literature Day, April 14th, 2011. You know we have ALWAYS orchestrated Operation Teen Book Drop since we began in 2007. Because this past December we teamed up with First Book in A Novel Gift, and helped with the donation of 125,000 YA novels to underserved teens, we are shaking things up a bit.

This year, we are refining our focus and simply encouraging rgz around the world to drop a YA book in their own community to celebrate Support Teen Lit Day. Why not make this the annual honoring effort? Imagine people around the world finding copies of the best literature in unexpected places, gifted out of love for YA lit. Everyone can participate to raise awareness of the day!

Soon, we'll have a banner for your sites and a bookplate for you to download and glue into your donation. We'll have other fun details as well. Watch for all the upcoming info, and be ready to ROCK THE DROP!

Happy Birthday, readergirlz!

Well, it's March, rgz, and do you know that means it's our 4th birthday? Woohoo! Raise a book and drop a comment in celebration. Share your love!

Looking over the past 4 years, I recall our launch, March 1st, 2007, in honor of Women's History Month. How about our migration from MySpace to Facebook and Blogger and Twitter? I think of great chats like the midnight worldwide extravaganza with Stephenie Meyer, Halloween, 2007. I think of 31 Flavorites where we hosted a different author everyday. I think of celebrations for Teen Read Week, donations of 30,000 books to underserved teens through Operation Teen Book Drop with YALSA and Guys Lit Wire, and the recent A Novel Gift with First Book, driving hundreds to register for 125,000 books. I think of winning the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading and the James Patterson Grant. 

I think of great dialog, passionate teens, and those who work to serve them. I think of an amazing crew of ladies who has donated their time to sustain this site.  

Here's to YA literature. Here's to you, rgz! Happy 4th birthday!

One More Drop Rocker: Nina Malkin!

Nina Malkin, whose lovely SWOON (Cover Story here) is out in paperback this spring, rocked the drop in NYC!

Read about her adventure at Beacon High School. And enjoy her cover here:

Still Rocking the Book Drop!

A few more awesome photos from Operation Teen Book Drop have come through. Author Andrea Kramer (her novel NIGHTSHADE is out in October and looks riveting!), Rocked the Drop at the Seward Co-op. Here's to John Green in the cereal aisle!


Second, there's the Chick Lit Book Club at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, ME. They bought some super-amazing books:



Then students stealthily rocked the drop!



Thanks again for participating, everyone!

Thank you for rocking Operation Teen Book Drop!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Operation Teen Book Drop!

You can read about all of the awesome YA authors who rocked the drop, see the amazing TBD wishlist put together by Colleen Mondor over at GuysLitWire, and visit Powell's Books to buy a book for a Native teen.

Many hands devoted themselves to helping readergirlz get books into the hands of Native teens living on tribal lands: GuysLitWire, YALSA, If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything, publishers, and the many librarians, teachers, and champions of YA and Native teens who helped us make this project a reality!

Dia Calhoun, Rachel McDonald, Lorie Ann Grover, Justina Chen:




Thanks also to Richard "Blackhawk" Kapusta and Symbion Project for the haunting trailer music, and to Cory Doctorow for plugging his vast network into the TBD cause.

Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, Cory Doctorow, and Holly Cupala:



Here's to another fantastic year - thank you, everyone!

One more! Zu Vincent & Carrie Watson Rock the Drop!

One more drop to add from yesterday!

Zu Vincent, author of The Lucky Place, and Carrie Watson, author of Quad, drop a copy of one another's YA novels in a Northern California coffee shop.

Love the idea of trading drops!

Mary Jane Beaufrand rocked the drop! #operationtbd

Mary Jane Beaufrand dropped a copy of her new book The River at the Bellevue Public Library! Teen librarian Darcy Brixey kept a watchful eye to make sure the book went to a worthy reader soul.

Kiersten White rocked the drop! #operationtbd

@kierstenwhite, the author of PARANORMALCY (which everyone wants and is dying to read), left a book alongside a strange and terrifying statue sort of thing. (See it here.)

Better, though, to get your jollies at her website, which is scary in a good way. 

Natalie Whipple rocked the drop! #operationtbd

You have to check out the statue at her old high school, where she dropped a copy of her book.

Natalie also has a terrific blog, Between Fact and Fiction. 

Shelf Elf rocked the drop! #operationtbd

Shelf Elf went nuts! Check out the photos on the blog.

Thanks, Shelf Elf!

Robin Benway rocked the drop! #operationtbd

She left a copy of AUDREY, WAIT! at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood. So fancy! 


Here's the photo.


Follow her on Twitter @robinbenway, or check out her website.

Heather Brewer rocked the drop! #operationtbd

Some lucky finder in St. Louis will pick up an autographed copy of EIGHTH GRADE BITES.  

Follow @heatherbrewer on Twitter, or catch up with her on her spooktastic website.

Wastepaper Prose is rocking the drop #operationtbd

OK, I just got a really serious case of blog envy. You have to check out how gorgeous this blog is--and while you're at it, read what they've written about Operation Teen Book Drop.

It's outstanding, and we wish S.F. Robertson all the best with her work in progress. Check Wastepaper Prose out.

She's @wastepaperprose on Twitter, if you'd like to follow.

Josie Bloss rocked the drop! #operationtbd

Don't tell the Ancient Mariner, but Josie Bloss left a copy of ALBATROSS somewhere on the Indiana U. campus. Exciting!

Follow her on Twitter: @JosieBloss, or check out her website!

Gayle Forman rocked the drop! #operationtbd

The bestselling author if IF I STAY left a copy on a wee green bench. Look!

You can follow Gayle at @gayleforman on Twitter, or check out her website.

@Cynthia11 on Twitter also chose IF I STAY as her book to drop. Great choice.

Alyson Beecher rocked the drop #operationtbd

She left GOING BOVINE and LIAR at her local library.

Follow her on Twitter here: alybee930

Micol Ostow rocked the drop (and there's video!) #operationtbd

Here's the video:



And here's part of what she has to say on her blog:

Today was a gorgeous day in New York City, which meant that the hubs and I were all the more excited to get outside and rock the drop! We decided to give away an ARC of our forthcoming SASS super-special, UP OVER DOWN UNDER, which releases on my birthday, April 29th! (Happy almost-birthday from your readergirlz pals, Micol!)

Read the rest.

Courtney Sheinmel rocked the drop! #operationtbd

She left POSITIVELY this morning in sunny Bryant Park. Here's the photo. 

Follow her on Twitter: courtneywrites

Or check out her website.  

YABookNerd rocks 12 times! #operationtbd

Jennifer Rummel, who blogs here, left a dozen books in Norwich, CT.

Daphne Unfeasible rocked the drop #operationtbd

Daphne Unfeasible, who may or may not be related to the wonder-agent Kate Testerman at KTLiterary, left a copy of VACATIONS FROM HELL with @maureenjohnson @cassieclare & more in local Starbucks.

Follow her on Twitter here: @DaphneUn