Diva Delight: Hidden Figures

If you get a chance to see the movie, follow up with the book: Hidden Figures. 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.

"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."

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.


Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition
by Margo Lee Shetterly
HarperCollins

Diva Delight: Secret Garden and Christmas to Color

We are all coloring our heads off this holiday season. Check out these two beauties!



The first is Secret Garden, Artist's Edition, by Johanna Basford. There are 20 drawings to remove, color, and frame. The paper is heavy stock, and you are going to love the imagery collected from her two previous works, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest. These images were considered the most popular and the larger format awaits your color. Laurence King creates such exquisite works for readers.





This beautiful coloring is from YATOPIA.



The second is Christmas to Color from HarperCollins by Mary Tanana. This one has imagery on both sides of the pages. The holiday theme makes it perfect to leave out on the coffee table for any in the mood to relieve a little stress and express themselves. I had guests coloring during Thanksgiving. Such a fun way to bring together family and friends.

   

Find your fancy and crack open your Crayolas this holiday season!                                                      

Secret Garden, Artist's Edition
By Johanna Basford
Laurence King, 2015

Christmas to Color
By Mary Tanana
HarperCollins, 2015

What's new with Holly Cupala

Hello, dear readergirlz, and Happy Anniversary! It's pretty exciting to see the fruition of all of the ideas and hard work of the co-founders--Justina Chen, Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, and Lorie Ann Grover--and all of the helpers along the way! I'm honored to have been a part of it.

What's new with me? After readergirlz featured TELL ME A SECRET, my second YA novel, DON'T BREATHE A WORD, came out in January 2012 from HarperCollins. Since then, I've been working hard on a third YA (in the home stretch, hopefully!) with secrets...still so many secret stories to tell!

There have been big changes for me personally, too--family up by one, a crazy move to the country, wild forages for ideas and edibles, lots of DIY projects, and...three? four?...novels brewing.

I'm inspired by all of you, readergirlz! Keep up the wonderful work.

 

HarperTeen is Rocking the Drop in NYC!

These books from the HarperTeen offices are ready to go out into the world for Rock the Drop! YES!

INKPOP! Make Your Mark

The official announcement: "HarperCollins Publishers broadens its digital offerings with the launch today of inkpop, the first interactive writing platform for teens backed by a major U.S. publisher. Inkpop, created by HarperTeen to attract young readers and writers, combines community publishing, user-generated content, and social networking to connect rising stars in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals."

So basically you can:

• Upload your own writing
• Help spot talent among the people on the site
• Influence who gets a look from the HarperCollins team -- and possibly a contract.
  

Writers and readers should have a lot of fun here.

Their cool blog has already featured me and I Heart Daily, too. Enjoy, readergirlz!