The ALA's Youth Media Award Winners!

The American Library Association announced its Youth Media Award Winners today. Our congrats to all the Winners and Honors!

Here's a short list to whet your appetite. For a full list (including all of the awards plus the Honors books, which are also amazing!) go here.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
Moon over Manifest, written by Clare Vanderpool

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
Ship Breaker, written by Paolo Bacigalupi

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults
One Crazy Summer, left, written by Rita Williams-Garcia

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is Five Flavors of Dumb, written by Antony John and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Pura Belpre (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience

The Dreamer, written by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís

Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature

Award, given annually to English-language children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience
Almost Perfect, right, written by Brian Katcher

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
The Freak Observer, written by Blythe Woolston

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing, written by Ann Angel

Rgz Salon: Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Rgz SALON member Lyn Miller-Lachmann is the Editor-in-Chief of MultiCultural Review; the author of the award-winning multicultural bibliography Our Family, Our Friends, Our World; the editor of Once Upon a Cuento, a collection of short stories by Latino authors; and most recently, the author of Gringolandia, a young adult novel about a refugee family living with the aftermath of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. (Read the fascinating Cover Story for Gringolandia.)

We're honored to have her here as part of the rgz SALON, a feature where four of the top kidlit experts clue us in to the best YA novels they've read recently. Today, Lyn reviews Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia (HarperCollins, 2009), a nominee for the 2009 National Book Award!

"You're driving on the interstate, and traffic comes to a dead stop. Police cars whiz past on the left shoulder, followed by a fire truck and four ambulances. Some people ease from the right lane onto the shoulder and roll toward the off-ramp a quarter mile up the road. Do you get off the highway and detour around what appears to be a horrific accident? Or do you stay where you are, hoping to get a glimpse of the carnage?

"If you stay on the highway, Jumped is for you. Williams-Garcia foreshadows the ending in the first chapter. Sophomore Leticia Moore, at school early for extra help in geometry, sees cute Trina cut between basketball player Dominique Duncan and 'Nique's crew. She hears Dominique pledge to jump Trina after school and calls her best friend at work to tell her the juicy news.
Attractive, artistic Trina is so vain and self-absorbed that she doesn't see the threat. She is new to the school and doesn't perceive the inappropriateness of her behavior. Along the way to her fateful encounter, she flirts with the assistant principal and breaks into the Boosters' lunchtime rehearsal. Dominique is a powder keg about to explode-benched from the team because of a low grade, she hounds both the teacher who gave her the grade and the coach.

"In vivid and precise detail and in three very distinct voices, Williams-Garcia depicts Leticia, Trina, and Dominique going through a day at a large, diverse urban high school. Leticia's friend's increasingly urgent text messages to “tell someone” alternate with portraits of a noisy, overcrowded school and apathetic teachers and staff. When Leticia breaks a nail in gym class, nobody cares; even her mother refuses to speak to her. With her best friend off campus in a work-study program, Leticia's sole companion is her cell phone, which she has named Celina.

"The girl-on-girl violence at the center of Jumped thrives because nobody cares--neither the bored, alienated teenagers nor the burned-out adults. The angry, violent perpetrator (about whose home life we learn nothing) and the clueless victim are on a collision course. The characters--with the exception of Leticia's best friend and a boy in Trina's art class-are not likable but they are understandable. Readers might claim that Leticia, Trina, and Dominique are “not like me” (what teenage girl really goes around believing she looks absolutely perfect and is beautifying the school by her very presence?) but their stories are real and gripping, and they will make readers think. Within at least one of these characterizations is a piece of every teenage girl--or former teenage girl--irrespective of class, race, or ethnicity. There is much food for discussion in this horrific car-wreck of an encounter involving a Bully, a Victim--and a Bystander who not only lets it happen but also relishes the view."

How intriguing does that sound? Thanks, Lyn!

Nataional Book Award Finalists!

The National Book Awards Finalists for Young People's Literature are in, and they are...



Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt)

Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.)

Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic)

Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins)

Congratulations to everyone, and especially to Rita Williams-Garcia, our featured author from February. Hooooray!!

Jumped, a new book from Rita Williams-Garcia

Our February featured author, Rita Williams-Garcia, gave an inspired interview to Cynthia Leitich Smith this week, and also shared this book trailer for her new title, Jumped.



Her inspiration? "The rise of girl-on-girl violence."

Read more of the interview here!

Thank you, Rita Williams-Garcia!

Here's a big merci to the amazing Rita Williams-Garcia for joining us at readergirlz this month! Things we learned about Rita include:

1. She likes to wear her mother's "Miss Essie" hats!
2. She looks for inspiration in nature. "I look at a lot of art and trees. Yes, I can find answers in the trees."
3. She inspires all who read No Laughter Here: "The younger readers (11-13) love being trusted with the story and information. They claim themselves a girl warriors. And we have some boy warriors out there too!" Hooray!

We had so much fun this month!

Reach Out: FORWARD

In No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia, best friends Akilah and Victoria find their relationship changed after a summer when Victoria goes through a traditional Nigerian coming-of-age ceremony. But Akilah is determined to find out what happened, and why her best friend now slouches instead of standing tall.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines female genital mutilation as the range of procedures which involve "the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reason." Approximately 138 million women around the world have undergone FGM. Every year, another 2 million girls are at risk of the practice.

To learn more about female genital mutilation, watch this YouTube video. Then visit FORWARD (The Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development) to find out ways you can help.

No Laughter Here: The Playlist

Every month we ask our featured author to create a playlist to go with the spotlighted book. Check out who's in the mix for our February title, Rita Williams-Garcia's No Laughter Here, and listen to the full soundtrack here.

Corinne Bailey Rae





Jill Scott





Jordan Sparks

A Valentine's Day Book Party!

Sometimes on Valentine's Day, you just want to share some book love. Lucky people who live in the northeast can attend this literary Valentine bookstore event tomorrow (authors signing books! everywhere! go! go!).

Or maybe you want to throw your own book party with friends (also BIG fun).

Here are some festive ideas to celebrate this month's spotlighted read, No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia:

Invite: A handwritten letter sent in the mail, as letters are so important to Akilah in the book. Decorate the letter and envelope with moons.

Food: Like Akilah and her mother, serve crumpets and raspberry tea.

Décor: Use a dish of pineapple Lifesavers for a centerpiece.

Movies: The Day I'll Never Forget, American Girl: Kit Kittredge (for the "girl power"-ness of it all), Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Craft: Everyone knit a seven-inch by seven-inch square in shades of pink and red, and then join them together to make a quilt to commemorate “V-Day” to stamp out violence against women and girls.

Rgz LIVE! with Rita Williams-Garcia TONIGHT

Tonight in the readergirlz forum at 6pm PST/9pm EST, we'll be chatting with featured author Rita Williams-Garcia about her awesome, funny, moving and powerful book, No Laughter Here.

Some discussion questions that readers might ponder with this title include:

• At what point do you tell a secret?
• Without getting too personal, what was your worst fall-out with friend? Was it fixable?
• Akilah's mother is open with her about puberty, etc. How comfortable are you with talking to your mother figure?
• What coming-of-age rituals do you find interesting?
• What is it about crushing on your best friend's older sibling?
• Akilah and her mother are so much alike. Anyone dare to admit to similarities with their mother figures?
• What would you do if your culture demanded that you did something that would change you forever?

So come on over and ask your questions, hang out with Rita and the readergirlz divas, and just have fun chatting with other readergirlz! See you tonight.

Upcoming rgz LIVE! with Rita Williams-Garcia

rgz LIVE! is early this month, everyone. Thursday night, February 12th, 6:00 Pacific, at the rgz MySpace group forum. Join us as we talk about No Laughter Here with Rita Williams-Garcia. It's going to be intense, honest, and real.

See you at the forum. Maybe you'll win the book giveaways!

Get to Know Rita Williams-Garcia

We are loving hanging out with featured author Rita Williams-Garcia this month. Here are a few things you should know about what she drinks (chocolate dropping is genius!), where she'd like to travel and her killer legs (and awesome confidence--yay!). Find out more on readergirlz.com, and join us in the forum all month long to chat with Rita about her fantastic book, No Laughter Here.

Favorite drink while you write: Hot, hot coffee - half full-strength, half-decaf with a Hershey's kiss thrown in.

Place to write: Any outdoor bench under the sun.

Inspiration: Fried catfish, nachos with cheese. Can't write hungry.

Dream book tour: To all of the states with 75 degree weather.

Cure for writer's block: Hitting speed bag with boxing gloves

Favorite outfit: Brown Old Navy skirt with gladiator sandals during the summer. Will wear three days in a row. Change top, of course!

Stilettos or Uggs? Stilettos. Killer legs. Thanks, Mom.

Website: www.ritawg.com

Roundtable: readergirlz divas and postergirlz discuss No Laughter Here

February's Pick: No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia

Help us welcome the amazing Rita Williams-Garcia!

Our February pick is a book that deals with darkness in a very compelling and empowering way. You will stand up and cheer for the heroine--and best friend ever--Akilah.

No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia

Even though they were born in different countries, Akilah and Victoria are true best friends. But Victoria has been acting strange ever since she returned from Nigeria, where she had a special coming-of-age ceremony. Why does proud Victoria, named for a queen, slouch at her desk and speak in a whisper? Why won't she laugh with Akilah anymore?

When Akilah learns Victoria's terrible secret, she has even more questions - but they might not have answers. Readers will identify with headstrong, outspoken Akilah, whose struggle to understand what's happened to Victoria reveals a painful truth in an honest and accessible way.

And other people like it too:

"[A] richly layered . . . skillfully told, powerful story." - Booklist, starred review

"Eye-opening and grounded . . . Unapologetic, fresh, and painful." - Kirkus, starred review

Texas Tayshas List

One of Booklist's Top 10 Black History Titles for Youth

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Head over to the forum and start the discussions with us, readergirlz!