Lips Touch Roundtable

Little Willow: Welcome to the roundtable discussion of Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, which was our featured book for October. Many thanks to all of the roundtable participants. Today, I'm joined by readergirlz divas Lorie Ann Grover and Melissa Walker as well as Enna Isilee from the blog Squeaky Books.

Lorie Ann Grover: Oh, it's a delight to host Laini and discuss Lips Touch! Almost as fun as her funky Laini's Ladies. Have you seen them? Mine hangs in my kitchen! But okay, let's get to her collection of stories!

Little Willow: Lips Touch is a collection of three stories: Goblin Fruit, Spicy Little Curses, and Hatchling. What was your favorite scene or character from Goblin Fruit?

Melissa Walker: I loved the description of Kizzy when she was introduced, and the reasons why the goblins wanted her and knew she was easy prey. I was instantly mesmerized.

Lorie Ann Grover: I loved her grandmother, trying to warn her! Listen, Kizzy!

Little Willow: I wanted to warn Kizzy as well. I thought this story was a great way to kick off this collection, and I liked the fact that each story took place in a different time and location. Goblin Fruit took place in current times. If this story had been set in Victorian times instead, how would it have been different? What might have stayed the same?

Seeking Participants for the Lips Touch Roundtable

If you enjoyed this month's book pick, Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor, we'd love for you to participate in an online roundtable discussion.

It's really easy to do. Just leave a comment below with your email address. In the coming days, I will send you an invite through Google Docs. We'll post some basic discussion questions to get things started, and you may feel free add questions of your own and additional commentary about the book (and its gorgeous illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo!) Then check the document every couple of days throughout the month to respond to questions and comments from other readers. Since the roundtable will be available online at Google Docs 24/7, you may keep adding to the discussion any time you'd like until we wrap things up in late October. I'll post the complete roundtable at both the Bildungsroman and readergirlz blogs at the end of the month.

Check out previous roundtables to see how they work.

Click into the October issue of readergirlz to learn more about Laini Taylor and Lips Touch.

Roundtable: Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever

Last month, I posted an open invitation to the Hopewell Hotel, asking if anyone was interested in participating in a roundtable discussion of September's picks, Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson. Before I knew it, I had a number of volunteers, ready and willing to talk about hotel life, New York City, Law & Order, and unicycling actors - not necessarily in that order.

(Psst....If you want to be a part of the October roundtable, where we'll discuss Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, please leave a comment below with your email address!)

Little Willow: Let's jump right in. What was your favorite part of Suite Scarlett?

Melissa Walker: Being introduced to the Martin family was sheer delight. I've never met characters whom I wanted to know in real life so quickly. I think my favorite parts were the intros to each of them -- I was so excited to hang out with them for a while!

Lindsay F: When Spencer punched Eric. Big brother to the rescue!

Marjolein: I loved that there was a big piece for theater,(I think Suite Scarlett itself would be a perfect story to turned into a play!) the long gone glory of the Hopewell and the mysterious Mrs.Amberson with her even more eccentric demands.

Little Willow: What was your favorite scene in Scarlett Fever?

SamanthaRowan: When Max muscles Dakota out of being Scarlett's lab partner. It's a good piece of foreshadowing and it reaches all of us on a deep level. We all remember the pressure of finding a lab partner or being picked for the dodge ball team.

Melissa Walker: I loved it when Scarlett met Lola for lunch and they finally talked openly about things with Chip. It felt so real and sisterly, especially for these two girls who love each other but don't always communicate well. Fantastic moment.

Lindsay F: When Scarlett pushed Max off his stool. ...I think I just may like violence in MJ's books.

Mariah: When Spencer got pelted with doughnuts!

Little Willow: Do you think Suite Scarlett warranted a sequel? Why or why not?

Micol Ostow: Definitely! Scarlett and her world are so colorful that I think there must be infinite sequels and stories to tell!

Mariah: Yes, because the characters could never stop giving wonderful stories and making messes of things!

Seeking Participants for Suite Scarlett / Scarlett Fever Roundtable

If you're digging this month's books, Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson, we'd love for you to participate in an online roundtable discussion.

It's really easy to do. Just leave a comment below with your email address. Next week, I will send you an invite through Google Docs, where you may respond to some basic discussion questions to get things started. Then add in questions of your own, and check the document every couple of days throughout the month to respond to questions and comments from other readers. Google Docs is available 24/7, so you may keep adding to the discussion any time an idea strikes you until we wrap things up in late September. I'll post the complete roundtable at both the Bildungsroman and readergirlz blogs at the close of the month.

Check out previous roundtables to see how they work.

Check out the September issue of readergirlz for more about the books and their author.

Tell Me a Secret Roundtable

Little Willow: Hi everyone! Welcome to the roundtable book discussion of TELL ME A SECRET by Holly Cupala, this month's spotlighted title at readergirlz. We have with us today many fantastic book bloggers as well as readergirlz divas and members of the postergirlz lit advisory council. I’d like to thank everyone who is joining us today as a participant – and remind everyone who is reading this roundtable that you’re welcome to join us in September for our discussion of Maureen Johnson’s novel Suite Scarlett and the sequel, Scarlett Fever. If you’re interested, please leave a comment below.

Let's jump right into the discussion for TELL ME A SECRET now, without any further ado!

Little Willow: Miranda looked up to her big sister with wide eyes. While it wasn’t hero worship - Miranda definitely knew some of the things Xanda did were “wrong” or risky - it was clearly the common idolatry a younger sibling may have for an older sibling. Who here had similar experiences? Do you still look up to your older siblings now, or has your relationship changed? For the adults in the room: How has the sibling dynamic changed in adulthood?

Holly Schindler: I recently read an article that claimed your sibling is actually your life partner. (Your parents are there for the beginning and not the end; your spouse is there for the end and not the beginning.) Your sibling (especially a sibling close in age) is the person who hashes it all out with you: childhood, teen years, adulthood.

Little Willow: Oh, wow. I’d never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.

Holly Schindler: My own brother is just about 16 months younger than I am...and we’ve DEFINITELY grown closer as the years have gone by. Sibling rivalry has become more of a sincere friendship--two people rooting for each other...of course, I can still put him in a headlock every now and then, just to keep him in line...

Seeking Participants for Tell Me a Secret Roundtable

Calling all readergirlz! Want to participate in the roundtable next month? We will be discussing our August book pick, Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala.

If you're interested, please leave a comment below with your email address so we may send you an invite through Google Docs. This cool (and free) service lets you edit documents in real-time while collaborating with others. You will be able to tell us what you thought of the book by answering discussion questions, adding in questions of your own, and reading and responding to comments from other readers.

Check out previous roundtables to get a feel for how they work!

January: Roundtable

Little Willow led us around the table again this month. We had some great guests. Go ahead and listen in, then drop your own thoughts in the comments!

"We're kicking off 2010 at readergirlz with The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, a book I highly and frequently recommend. (Read my full-length review of the novel.) This witty story begins with a letter written by Frances (Frankie) Rose Landau-Banks to the headmaster of her prep school. In this letter, Frankie claims to be "the sole mastermind" behind the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. But what exactly is the Order, and what did she do? Keep reading to find out.

Check out the first line of the first narrative chapter of the book:

Though not, in hindsight, so startling as the misdeeds she would perpetrate when she returned to boarding school as a sophomore, what happened to Frankie Landau-Banks the summer after her freshman year was a shock.

Joining us for today's roundtable discussion are eight enthusiastic readers. We have readergirlz divas Lorie Ann Grover and Melissa Walker; the current readergirlz author-in-residence, Elizabeth Scott; Shelf Elf, HipWriterMama, Jackie, and me, Little Willow, four members of postergirlz, the teen lit advisory council for readergirlz; and James, also known as Book Chic, a fellow blogger. I will be serving as moderator. Let's go!

Little Willow: The summer between her freshman and sophomore years, Frankie Landau-Banks changes physically, naturally, just part of growing up:

Between May and September, she gained four inches and twenty pounds, all in the right places. Went from being a scrawny, awkward child with hands too big for her arms, a frizz of unruly brown fluff on her head and a jaw so sharp it made Grandma Evelyn cluck about how "when it came to plastic surgery, it never hurt to do these things before college" – to being a curvaceous young woman with an off-beat look that boys found distinctly appealing. She grew into her angular face, filled out her figure, and transformed from a homely child into a loaded potato – all while sitting quietly in a suburban hammock, reading the short stories of Dorothy Parker and drinking lemonade. The only thing Frankie herself had done to facilitate the change was to invest in some leave-in conditioner to tame the frizz. She wasn't the kind of girl to attempt a makeover.

Little Willow: The Disreputable History... follows a young girl's journey through her formative years with honesty, humor, and a lot of heart. I really love this book. I think it's a wonderful coming-of-age tale. I thought the story was creative, the characters and events were memorable, and the writing was both intelligent and humorous. Throughout the book, Frankie becomes more mature as her sensibilities change and as she becomes more aware of the people and places around her. I thought her character arc was very realistic and believable. What did you think?

Lorie Ann: I cheered for Frankie from start to finish, how she trusted her own ideas, abilities, and gathered the courage to lead.

Shelf Elf: I agree, Lorie Ann. I was rooting for Frankie, "Do it! Do it! You can pull it off!" It was fun getting to see her work her way through problems creatively.

Lorie Ann: I loved Frankie's character arc. It is an honest portrayal of a teen girl discovering her body has changed, people are reacting differently to her, and she has to think through how she's going to walk on her new legs. The pacing was spot on.

HipWriterMama: I loved how Frankie dissected the old boys' network to find her own source of power. She wanted to be noticed for her brains rather than her looks.

Little Willow: Let's hear it for smarts! Did any of you go through any major or minor transformations in high school, obvious or otherwise?

Shelf Elf: I wish I could say yes, because I think that going through big changes in high school is a real rite of passage. But truthfully, I was more or less the same kind of girl the whole way through: academically focused, serious, goal-oriented, perceived to be "nerdy." My "transformations" didn't happen until university when I eventually took a dramatic turn away from an academic path towards work as a pastry chef.

HipWriterMama: My big transformation was getting a better sense of myself and knowing I didn't have to follow everyone else to be liked. It probably helped that I had strict parents so I couldn't always do things other people did. But, I've also been blessed with good friends who didn't pressure me to do things.

Book Chic: I actually did go through a transformation during high school. Coming in, I was very shy and rarely spoke up, but through my four years of making friends, being in various extracurriculars and all that, I became more outgoing. I'm still fairly shy, but I came out of my shell more, developed, used my humor, and became the lovable person I am today.

Melissa: I always wanted a big summer transformation where I'd come back and wow everyone with my new, gorgeous self. It didn't happen as dramatically as I imagined, but slowly and surely, I did grow into being comfortable with who I was, and that's what Frankie does in this book -- and it's interesting that her physical transformation precedes her emotional one.

Little Willow: I was really impressed with how E. Lockhart told Frankie's story. Even though she used third-person present-tense, she really gets readers into Frankie's mind. What did you think of the narration and the writing?

Lorie Ann: I enjoyed the narrator and thought I'd like to know that person more. I suppose that is what we'll be doing in January! And I didn't feel removed from Frankie. The narrator chose to include the full thought process to keep us sympathetic and engaged. I loved the rapid-fire thoughts in a 2-3 second period, ending in Frankie's final response.

Elizabeth Scott: I thought the story was really well done!

Book Chic: The story was really well done and was just very clever in how it was executed. It made for such a wonderful, engaging, and original read! I remember the first time I read it being very thrown off while reading it because of the third person when like 99.9% of YA is first person and it was just so jarring. Now, I feel like there's more third person narrators that I'm reading, and so, in re-reading [the book] for this discussion, I slipped into the story much easier. But I feel like the third person was the best way to tell the story.

Melissa: I loved the way it was written, and sometimes I felt like I was the narrator, which made me feel very close to the story. So skilled, that E. Lockhart!"

Read the entire roundtable here. Thanks to everyone who participated this month and to our host, LW!

December: Roundtable for Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen

The longest roundtable ever!

readergirlz roundtable: Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce

Little Willow: Welcome to the Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen roundtable! We have some special folks joining us today. Please welcome back Alexia, one of our original postergirlz. Also say hello to Arielle and Suze. I have very lengthy, involved conversations about books with each of these ladies. Since both of them really enjoy the works of Tamora Pierce, I invited them to today's discussion.

Lorie Ann Grover: Welcome, Suze and Arielle! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. And welcome home, Alexia! Woot!

Little Willow: I love these roundtables, and I'm tickled pink to see so many people here. Thanks to all of you for joining us, and thanks to Google Docs for making it possible for readergirlz from around the world to take part in these book discussions.

Lorie Ann: Tamora Pierce is the Queen of Heroines for YA readers. It's a thrill she has the time to visit with us in December. Let's dive into her duology. Just have your crown and sword at the ready, rgz - Let's get started!

Suze: I've been reading Tamora Pierce's books since grade eight, I started with the Immortals quartet and then I covered the others in order. I read Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen shortly after each came out. I read them again in November after I heard readergirlz would be discussing them in December.

Alexia: I started reading them when I was in 6th grade. I walked into Brentano's (may you rest in peace) one day, and my favorite cashier lady recommended Tamora Pierce to me. I bought the first book in Song of the Lioness, read it that night and then forced my mother to go back the next day and buy the remaining books. All 15 or so of them. I've read all of the newer ones as they've been released, and I still reread them regularly whenever I have bad or stressful days. In fact, I have Trickster's Choice, Emperor's Mage (of the Immortal's Quartet) and Lioness Rampant (of the Song of the Lioness quartet) on my bookshelf in my dorm room. I'm not kidding.

Suze: See! Now that was smart. Like an idiot, I left all of my books in Canada and had to go get them from the library!

Alexia: I knew that I couldn't really function without at least a few of them, so when I was packing up some books to take with me, I threw in a few Pierce's, and I switch them out with other Pierce novels whenever I go home. They come in so much handy on bad days.

Dia: I've read several Tamora Pierce novels before the Trickster's Duet. I enjoyed the complexity of the Trickster's Duet.

Lorie Ann: I've read Tamora for years. Maybe my first ones were the Song of the Lioness? I just remember I had to pry them out of my daughters' hands for my turn.

Arielle: I started reading them in the 5th grade. I was going to Nerd Camp at Stanford and while buying my books for camp in the bookstore my mom came up and handed me Alanna the First Adventure thinking that I would like it. I did and since then have been reading them.

Jackie: I discovered Tamora Pierce when I first started working in libraries - I kept shelving them and was totally intimidated by the sheer number of books she had written. I knew that most of them were interconnected, but I couldn't easily figure out what order I was supposed to read them in, so I didn't read them for a long time. Finally, the children's librarian there told me to read Alanna the First Adventure and I was HOOKED. I read every book she had published at that point, about 18 books, I think, within three weeks. It was a total binge.

Shelf Elf: These two are my very first Tamora Pierce experiences. Working as a kids' bookseller, I sold a whole lot of Tamora's books, and I've always meant to start reading her novels. Now I finally did!

HipWriterMama: I can't believe I haven't read Tamora Pierce's books until now. Love her strong heroines!

Little Willow: If you are a regular Pierce reader, do you favor the Tortall Universe, where the Trickster novels are set, or the Circle Universe?

Alexia: I tend to prefer the Tortall Universe purely because there are more books set in it and we get to follow some of the characters for such a long time that they feel like relatives that you see once in a while at big family events. Also, I may have a little thing for knights. I love the Circle universe in its own way because of its in-depth exploration of how magic might actually work. And Briar is awesome.

Arielle: Briar is very awesome, and I don't think I've ever gotten over how cool his name is. However, I greatly prefer the Tortall Universe. I enjoy the stories more and the characters more, and I'm quite a bit more attached to them since something like 30 book-years have passed since the beginning of the Tortall Universe.

Jackie: There's really isn't much of a contest for me. I definitely prefer the Tortall books. However, I very much enjoyed The Will of the Empress, set in the Circle world.

Lorie Ann: Tortall for me!

Little Willow: Aly is the daughter of Alanna, the protagonist of Pierce's first novel and subsequent series, the Song of the Lioness quartet. If you lived in The Tortall Universe, to whom would you like to be related?

Suze: I would definitely want to be related to Daine, probably because of my love for animals.

Alexia: Daine is totally my favorite too! But, I think I would definitely want to be related to Alanna; even as a child her story was extremely inspirational and it sometimes pushed me to be a better, braver person.

Jackie: George, I think. Charming, impish, devilishly clever, fiercely loyal to loved ones, principled in his own way... really, it sounds like I'd like to date him...

Arielle: Raoul for sure. He would be the greatest uncle/big brother/dad/anything ever. Or Kel, I wouldn't mind being related to Kel either, as one of her many nieces.

Lorie Ann: Nawat!

Little Willow: Alanna has been featured in other books as well. If you read these books in order: Did you enjoy seeing her grow up? If you read them out of order, did you go back and read them in the proper order?

Suze: I read everything in order once I'd finished with the Immortals. One of my favorite things about reading the series is that I always get to catch a glimpse of what my favorite characters are up to.

Alexia: That's totally true! The cameo appearances were what I looked forward to the most, and I liked that the books were written, for the most part, as quartets because the readers could really see the main character grow up and mature. Alanna in particular we follow from the young age of 8 or 9 to her mid-40s in the Tricksters books. It's comforting knowing that your favorite characters are still around and knowing where they ended up.

Suze: I completely agree! Whenever I finish a book, I'm always left wondering what will happen to that character next week, let alone 10 years from now - Pierce solves this problem completely! Well, except the part where I'm still waiting to find out what becomes of Aly, but I suppose I should have faith...

Alexia: Oh, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Aly. And going back to Daine, I also loved the little glimpses we get of her in the books. She has children! Good for her. I loved her story and Numair is a sweetheart. I may have a bit of a crush on him.

Suze: Yes! I definitely love catching up with Daine, and her CHILDREN! I especially love how she stuck to her guns about not marrying Numair right away, and luckily we still get to hear about the marriage in the later books!

Dia: I read the Alanna books in order, just as I write in order; I'm very sequential. After I read the first I gobbled up the others. I, too, love cameo appearances by well loved characters. I would have liked more of the Lioness in the Trickster books, but that might have stolen the show from Aly.

Lorie Ann: I always need to read in order. And I love appearances of beloved characters. Yay for seeing Daine again! As well as Numair. :~)

Little Willow: Though I very much liked Aly's name, two of my favorite characters happened to have birdlike names: Dove and Nawat Crow. Dove was so calm and so mature for her age. When asked why she spent so much time talking to a man old enough to be her grandfather, she explains, "He's one of the few people who can keep up with me, and I with him. It's a pleasant change from having to slow down to deal with most people." I knew exactly what she meant.

Suze: Dove is very insightful and smart, and I totally understand how she felt. Growing up, I often found myself in the company of older people, for some reason talking to them always seemed so much easier.

Lorie Ann: Dove reminds me of homeschooled teens I know: comfortable with many generations, mature, wanting to learn as much as possible. I heart Dove!

Little Willow: On that note, who were your favorite characters in either or both books?

Dia: Aly was my favorite character. I loved her intelligence and her growth.

Shelf Elf: I think Dove was my favorite of all. I'm partial to those characters who aren't flashy, who sit in the background a bit but who notice everything. Whenever Dove spoke, her words were clever and insightful.

Little Willow: Were there any characters from either of these novels or from previous Tortall works that you wished had more screen time in this duology? I was expecting cats, so when I didn't get them, I was glad to at least have the crows and the darkings. I wanted the kudarungs to speak.

Suze: The Kudarung spoke to the darkings!

Little Willow: Oh, that's right! Another reason why I think the darkings are so cool: their abilities to communicate not only telepathically amongst their own kind, but with other species as well.

Dia: The crows were original! I wanted more.

Shelf Elf: Me too, Dia! I would have loved to have learned more about the other crows, besides Nawat.

Dia: I think Pierce could write an entire novel from one of the crow's point of view.

Suze: In the Immortals series, it's established that the only Immortals that can speak to humans are those with human faces or characteristics, with the exception of the dragons which are scholars. I also love George he has been one of my favorites since the Alanna series way back when.

Little Willow: I was fond of George from the start. I would love to see a father-daughter spytime story focused on a collaborative project between George and Aly.

Dia: What a terrific idea, LW!

Suze: I like your spytime story! I would love to see that! Actually, at the end of Trickster's Queen, Aly and George have a little moment where they discuss George's spies in the Isles, I think this could lead to a very fun vicious cycle of Aly shipping George's spies back, and then George finding more for Aly to ship back...

Arielle: Yes, I really missed George in this book, and reading more about his and Aly's interactions would be really fun. I thought that Alan should've been a bit more important. Being a twin myself, it's weird to think that Aly really didn't think about him much.

Little Willow: Yes! I wanted her to consider her brothers far more often than she did.

Jackie: Perhaps she was a little happy to finally not be the little sister, and independent at last.

Little Willow: Good point.

Lorie Ann: I found myself always smiling whenever Nawat was on scene. Winnamine fairly rocked her role, too.

Little Willow: If you were a character in a Tamora Pierce novel, what would your name be? Examples: Alianne of Pirate's Swoop. Kim Novak of Mermaid Lagoon. (First Name) of (Place Name).

Dia: I would be Dia of the Golden Hills. After the golden sun-daisies which bloom on the hills at our farm in Eastern Washington.

Little Willow: Oh, that's pretty, Dia! I would be Allie Cat of Whisker Lake.

Dia: That's perfect for you, LW.

Shelf Elf: Hmm... Kerry of the River Dales, after my neighborhood, Riverdale.

Lorie Ann: Lorie Ann of the Aspen Grove, just because.

Little Willow: Early in the first book, Trickster's Choice, Aly is captured and made into a slave. What did you think of this surprising turn of events?

Suze: I was disappointed, but for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to see more of George and Alanna. Luckily, Kyprioth fixed that with the dream sequences, though.

Alexia: I thought it was a very interesting choice on Tamora Pierce's part because it was so drastically different from Alanna's story. Alanna chose the life she led and, for the most part, made most of the decisions concerning who she wanted to become. Aly was thrust into this drama and excitement and was thus forced to mature and take responsibility without ever really deciding what she wanted to be.

Dia: I wondered how she would get out of it!

Shelf Elf: I thought it was a great decision in terms of revealing her character. The way she handled it, immediately trying to respond to her situation and direct her fate, taught me a lot about her cleverness and ingenuity.

Lorie Ann: I thought it a great experience for her to understand a condition beyond her scope previously and thereby gain empathy.

Little Willow: What did you think of the way slavery and racism were depicted and discussed in these novels? What about the controversy regarding mixed lineage, and the line to the throne?

Suze: One of the things I like best about Pierce's world is how thorough it is. She has each detail down to an art from geography, to religion to magic. One of my favourite key details is how godparents are not godparents but "godsparents," because they worship more than one god. Yet despite it being a primarily fantasy series, she parallels her world to ours through politics, racism and slavery. I do believe that the way slavery and racism were depicted were very similar to how things were in our world back in the day and age of slavery. In some places, they are probably even accurate today.

Dia: I thought that Aly's treatment as a slave seemed unlikely. One of the latest Ursula LeGuin novels, Voices, is also about a slave who is well treated from childhood and so not really aware of the great injustice because it is programmed into him. I wonder if Aly's story would have been too dark for a Pierce book if Aly had been mistreated.

Lorie Ann: I appreciated Tamora showing all the sides and history of slavery and racism in this world. It helps transport truths and understanding to our own.

Little Willow: Let's talk about that: Aly is charged with protecting the Balitangs, who, unlike other royals or members of the upper class, treat their servants and slaves well, ultimately declaring Aly to be like family. What did you think of the way they ran their household?

Alexia: Obviously the Balitangs are a great example of nobility who treat their household well, and this trait is mentioned several times throughout the books -- I think one of their most unique qualities was that they bothered to take the time to get to know the key members of their household, and obviously their trust paid off in the end. Had the Balitangs acted poorly towards their servants or slaves they would not feel the need to protect the family like they do. Quoting from the Harry Potter series (I know the Nerd Alert is going off full blast), "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." In this respect the Balitangs prove to be lovely, lucky people.

Lorie Ann: Obviously, they were exemplary. Although, Mequen's trust drove me nuts. Thankfully, he had the duchess at his side.

HipWriterMama: The Balitangs treated their household well.

Little Willow: Suze, you said you wanted to talk about feminism and how females are depicted in the books.

Suze: Ah, you have such a good memory, Little Willow! I do find the feminism angles to be interesting. How the Raka are still allowed to pass inheritance down through the female line, while the luarins just plain don't. It's interesting that this particular law was not challenged by a greedy luarin or part-blood luarin somewhere along the way. Then there's the whole controversy at the idea of putting a Queen on the throne...

Lorie Ann: It was refreshing to see a matriarchal society in the Raka. It made Tortall richer for me.

Little Willow: Aly finally gets her wish: to be a spy. I know at least two of us here wouldn't mind being spies. I'd tell you who, but then I'd... you know.

Alexia: Little Willow wasn't referring to me. Nope, not at all.

Little Willow: Oh, no. Not at all. What were your favorite spy techniques or tricks used in the books? I loved the darkings! Trick and Secret made the second book for me, they really did.

Dia: I thought the darkings were another stroke of originality genius. I'd love to know the brain flash that Tamora used to come with them.

Alexia: Speaking of spies, I loved the little excerpts that were at the beginning of some chapters from letters or books that Aly had been given by her father. Not only have I tried some of those techniques (flour in front of the cabinet works every time; little brother, pay attention next time), but I thought that they were an interesting look into certain spy tricks that were actually used and made me curious enough to do some research about espionage on my own.

Shelf Elf: I enjoyed the letters too, because they highlighted Ally's relationship with her father and gave insight into the spying life.

Arielle: Frankly, I loved the fighting. Because it wasn't the same as a knight's training in fighting. I love the hand-to-hand combat and the knife fights. Also, I just how keen Aly was about everything. Just the way her mind worked, having been almost trained to be a spy since a young age, was really interesting.

Lorie Ann: Well, be warned. I love walking our dog at night, so I can peek in everyone's windows. Brava, Tamora for all the rich spy detail.

Little Willow: Let's discuss the differences between the Balitangs daughters: young, quiet Dove, an observant girl who is able to hide her feelings and not give away what she's feeling/thinking, and a surprisingly good archer, and her older sister Sarai, the romantic ingenue who is swept off of her feet twice, once in each book, with an unlikely strength when it comes to swordplay.

Alexia: What I loved about this set-up was that it showed two fundamentally different sides of a human personality, but both with equal strength, grace and amazingness. Sarai may have kicked more butt in the books, but Dove was always there with her quiet wisdom and gentleness to smooth the way. In the end, I think both of the girls were necessary to achieve the end result: Sarai to inspire the legions of people with her passion, beauty and single-minded purpose, but Dove was definitely the better choice to do the day-to-day ruling.

Dia: Dove's growth was fascinating. It wasn't so much growth as a slow revelation of character. She was the only possible queen.

Shelf Elf: Here, here Dia! Dove is far more measured and she is certainly whip-smart, excellent characteristics for any leader.

Dia: And she has restraint, something that Sarai lacks.

Alexia: It actually surprised me how long it took people to see how amazing Dove was. Throughout the second book I just wanted to shake some people and tell them to pay attention to the quiet, smart girl.

Suze: Yes! I know EXACTLY how you felt. Of course, it's also sadly accurate. I have seen it often in jobs I have worked, where the wrong person gets promoted, usually because that person is more popular, while the quiet girl that would actually do a proper and fair job goes completely ignored! Humans often refuse to see what's right in front of them, and then they act so shocked when it bashes them in the head...

Lorie Ann: Laughing out loud, Suze! So true. *standing ovation for Dove*

HipWriterMama: Dove and Sarai set each other off so well. Two sisters who bore the "burden and responsibility" of their heritage in different ways.

Little Willow: The Trickster in the title is Kyprioth, the god of tricksters in Aly's world. One of my favorite exchanges between Aly and Kyprioth comes in Trickster's Choice:

Kyprioth chuckled, rubbing glowing hands together. "The first act ends," he told Aly as he put his arm around her waist. "The next begins."
"Except you won't tell me what it is," Aly said as they soared through the palace roof. "It'll be like leaving before the play's over. Why can't you just tell me how you want it to come out?"
"Because you suffer so prettily, dear," Kyprioth informed her as they leaped into the starry night.

Alexia: Wily, wily man.

Dia: Kyprioth was so much fun in his unpredictability.

Shelf Elf: If I had been Aly, he would have made me crazy.

Lorie Ann: Kyprioth was one of my favorite characters! Almost listed him above. Just have to love his trickstery ways!

Little Willow: Did any random lines catch your attention? I liked this line, spoken by Taybur: "Look, there's the first firefly. Make a wish." When he says this in the middle of imparting some important information to Aly, I saw, in my mind's eye, a firefly flicker and fly past them. I loved that little glimmer of hope, and the unexpected commentary.

Suze: I love all of Nawat's comments in Trickster's Choice back when he first becomes a crow. The simplistic way of which he views life...

"A Hawk," Nawat said firmly, his eyes on his work once more. "He will drive you off your own kill and steal your nestlings. He should be mobbed, before he steals any of yours. Shall you and I mob him?"

Little Willow: I loved it when Trick tickled Aly until she awoke, telling her: "Sleep or big news? Pick!" He always sounded like a little kid, and I loved his little voice!

Suze: After Aly points out that Bronau comes with soldiers leaving them outnumbered:

"We could mate," Nawat suggested eagerly. "In a year our nestlings would be large enough to mob anyone we like. Shall I court you? Do you like grubs or ants better?"

Little Willow: I'll pass on both the grubs and the ants, thank you very much!

Arielle: Yes, pretty much anything that Nawat said had me laughing.

HipWriterMama: Oh, that was funny. Can you imagine, an offering of grubs or ants in a courtship? Though for a crow, it would mean the world.

Shelf Elf: Yes, he was sweet and lovely and kind of simple in his view in the beginning.

Lorie Ann: I enjoyed the advice to Young Noblewomen by Lady Fronia of Whitehall: "No well-born maiden ever suffered from keeping her suitors at arm's length." But that's just the mom in me. Ha!

Little Willow: Have you read other myths or novels related to tricksters? Anasazi Boys by Neil Gaiman comes to mind.

Lorie Ann: Just Anansi the Spider from African folklore. And Greek messenger Hermes. Raven is a trickster to Pacific Northwest Native Americans. I just watched the French movie Amelie, and she certainly fits the role.

Little Willow: In Trickster's Choice, Dove tells Aly, "Everybody needs heroes...Everybody. Even grown women. Even slaves." Discuss.

Alexia: Yesyesyesyesyes! This is why Tamora Pierce's books are so amazing, because it's absolutely true that we all need heroes. Even though most of us will never become knights, spymasters or shapeshifters (hey, who knows?) the strength and grace exhibited by every one of those women is so easily translated to real life that I find myself as a freshman in college still turning to the books for guidance. These were women who fought for what they believed in and forged their own unique paths in the world, who wouldn't want to follow in their awesome footsteps?

Shelf Elf: I agree with Alexia, that both of the featured books this month can offer readers guidance, for our real world. Without heroes, would our world be an inspiring place?

Lorie Ann: Perfect explanation, Alexia. I can't imagine allowing anyone to rob me of heroes as I age. They are mine!

HipWriterMama: Yes to heroes!

Dia: Everyone needs heroes because everyone needs hope.

November: Sweetgrass Basket Roundtable

Listen in as a couple divas and postergirlz chat about this month's pick. Drop your impressions in the comments, and keep the chatter going. Thanks for the roundup, Little Willow!

Readergirlz Roundtable: Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell

Lorie Ann Grover: I'm very proud that rgz is celebrating Native American Heritage Month! Many thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for drawing our attention to this wonderful celebration. I recently had a delightful time meeting with the staff of the American Indian Library Association at the Summer ALA Conference. And rgz is currently working hand in hand with If I Can Read I Can Do Anything, a national reading club for Native American children. They are our partners for TBD 2010! More about that soon. Now, we give our thanks to Marlene Carvell for this beautiful literary contribution, Sweetgrass Basket!

Little Willow: Ladies, welcome to the roundtable for Sweetgrass Basket, the story of two sisters who, despite their different personalities and perceptions, share a very strong bond. I'm here with fellow postergirl Shelf Elf and readergirlz co-founders Dia Calhoun and Lorie Ann Grover. Are you ladies similar to either of the main characters, Mattie or Sarah?

Dia Calhoun: I certainly have elements of both sisters, the shy Sarah and the more bold Mattie. When I was Mattie's age I was more like Mattie--wanted to confront the whole world, couldn't bear injustice. Once, when a teacher of mine was picking on another girl, I raised my hand and said, "why do you always pick on Renee?" The teacher was furious--she had always liked me. She said, "You'd better be careful or you'll be in the same boat!" Can you believe that? There are people like Mrs. Dwyer in this world.

Shelf Elf: Brave little Dia! Wow. That took guts. As you say, it's hard to believe that the world has real Mrs. Dwyers.

Little Willow: Go Dia! I too have always spoken up when I feel as if something is wrong, or someone is being treated unjusticely. I'm very outgoing and outspoken, like Mattie.

Lorie Ann: As a child, I was shy like Sarah, but I had my Mattie moments, too! I can't go into the details (EEK!) but I stood up to two adults and told them exactly what I thought and what they should do. Chaos resulted! Oh, and there was the time my teacher put up a poster that I thought was risque. So I made paper clothes to cover the model and reported the teacher to the principal. The poster came down. Maybe I'm more Mattie than I realize...

Shelf Elf: As a child, I was more like Sarah, I think. I might have perceived wrong doing, but I would have been frightened to speak my mind. The grown-up Shelf Elf is a lot more like Mattie. I won't keep my opinions to myself in a situation where something unjust is taking place.

Little Willow: I just realized that nearly all of today's roundtable participants have sisters. My sister and I were very close growing up, even though eleven years separate us. I'm the younger - and louder! - of the two. Is your relationship with any of your siblings similar to Mattie and Sarah's relationship?

Dia: My sister and I have a different sort of relationship than Mattie and Sarah had. We were never so close growing up. We are close now, though, as adults.

Shelf Elf: Both my sister and I were quiet kids, especially in the face of someone overbearing or mean. Today, we're both way more opinionated. I think that has brought us closer as adults. I like to think that even though we weren't especially close as children, if we had been forced into a situation like Mattie and Sarah, I think we would have drawn together for comfort.

Lorie Ann: I'm the one without sisters! Of course I have my rgz. They snug up around me with support constantly. I love how Marlene portrayed Mattie and Sarah's relationship. So much was really internal. They stood next to each other, but they communicated verbally in a limited way. We were just privy to their thoughts, so we know what they were truly feeling. And of course their actions were telling. Like how Sarah brought the basket for Mattie. My brothers have stood beside me in the same way. Sometimes a multitude of words aren't necessary.

Little Willow: I am by no means a world traveler, but each of you has gone abroad to study, work, travel, or live for an extended time. Have any of you lived in a place where the dominant language and culture were not your own? How did you feel when you first arrived?

Dia: I did travel to Europe right out of college--what a shock that was. Nothing had prepared me for the cultural differences, the language differences, the inability to communicate, the uncertainty of never knowing where I was going to sleep at night in a strange country. I can say that I loathed it. I couldn't wait to get home. I simply wasn't properly prepared for the experience. Now, I would love to go back, but I would have a very careful itinerary planned out so that I wasn't running through dark city parks in London at midnight only to find the hostel closed for the season. Yikes!

Shelf Elf: I've traveled to places where the language was not my own. At first, I feel this general sense of anxiety, constantly aware that I'm different and in a way, vulnerable. It usually has to do with the fact that I can't ask for what I want or need (I'm always worried about the next meal!) After a while, once I've experienced a little generosity from residents, I feel a bit better, but still very dependent on the kindness and patience of others.

Lorie Ann: Oh, yes! My first year of marriage was in Korea. However, there I could find an English speaking community. Whenever I ventured out though, I felt extremely isolated. Puerto Rico was the same. There the church I attended was conducted in Spanish. I felt so lost when everyone else was connected in such a vital way. All the children in Sweetgrass Basket had my heart.

Little Willow: How did your worldview change while you were there? What realizations did you have when you came back home?

Shelf Elf: When I come back home from my travels, I often have a sense of being pretty small, in the grand scheme. I don't find that a bad thing. In a way, it's sort of reassuring, the idea that there's so much out there other than me, that matters. It makes me less self-absorbed and takes me out of myself. I like that.

Dia: My greatest cultural shock came during a visit to Hong Kong. There, unlike Europe, I actually LOOKED different from everyone else. And I was taller, too. It gave me empathy for what minorities experience in this country.

Lorie Ann: I came back appreciative, more communicative, and more understanding of others making their new home here.

Little Willow: The title, Sweetgrass Basket, refers to a beautiful basket woven by the girls' mother. Do you have any precious handcrafted mementos from your parents or siblings?

Shelf Elf: My husband designed a necklace for me soon after we had just met. It was meant to show a harp string, and the way that it vibrates. At the time I was studying the harp and it was a huge part of my life. It meant a lot to have something completely unique from him.

Little Willow: Oh, how lovely!

Dia: I have a beautiful bit of tatted lace from my grandmother that I treasure. In fact this lace, and its origin, was an inspiration for the current book I am writing.

Lorie Ann: My house is full of possessions of my relatives. But I suppose it would be the quilts. Those have pieces of my great grandparent's and grandparent's clothes stitched into them.

Little Willow: While reading this book, what other books came to mind?

Dia: I thought of Jane Eyre in her early days at the boarding school, with the cruel teachers.

Shelf Elf: I thought of Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf, about the Lebensborn centers in Nazi Germany. The main character in that novel is a girl who is forced to assimilate into a culture different from her own.

Lorie Ann: I thought of Charles Dickens' Oliver. But the movie that came to mind was Rabbit-Proof Fence from 2002. Oh, everyone must see it! Like Sweetgrass Basket, it's based on truth and rings with warning and the resilience of the human spirit! Go watch it!

Little Willow: What did you learn from Sweetgrass Basket?

Dia: I learned, on a deep gut level, how horrible it is to be uprooted as a child from one's home and culture, and thrown into the midst of a group of unkind people who hold very great power over you. And yet, there is always, somewhere, a speck of kindness. Even in Mattie and Sarah's story.

Shelf Elf: It's not exactly something I learned solely through the book, more that it was reinforced by this story: a child's courage and risk-taking in a desperate situation is all the more amazing because a child is nearly always vulnerable.

Lorie Ann: I had never read a novel which unveiled the practice of assimilating Native Americans into boarding schools where their culture was stripped away. It was painful and saddening.

Dia: Did you think Sarah's final act of destroying Mrs. Dwyer's brooch a heroic act? Sarah was so timid that for her to do this was huge in her character arc. At first I was disappointed that she didn't have the others witness her destroying the brooch. But after I thought about it awhile, I saw that was more something that Mattie would have done. For Sarah, it was enough of a triumph and change that she simply destroyed the brooch on her own. She broke out of her mold and fear of being good.

Shelf Elf: Absolutely. I thought it was also very true to her character that she did it without anyone knowing about it. The act was for her and her sister, and so she didn't need to show the world her choice.

Lorie Ann: Yes, Shelf Elf! It reminds of the scene in Titanic, when Rose drops the necklace into the sea. And no one knows...

Dia: I wondered how Mr. Davis knew the sweetgrass basket belonged to Mattie. Maybe I missed that part?

Little Willow: Ooh, I wonder . . .

Lorie Ann: I think Mr. Davis knew everything going on. Thankfully. A sweet soul in the midst of trial: let's be thankful for those souls!

Little Willow: Yes, indeed.

Lorie Ann: Thanks again, Marlene, for such a beautiful composition of truth and beauty. Now, let's chat together through Native American Heritage Month!

The Sweet Far Thing Roundtable

We were talking about you, Libba...Thanks to Little Willow for heading these up for rgz!

Readergirlz Roundtable: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Welcome to the readergirlz roundtable! Today, we're discussing A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray's three exquisite Victorian novels featuring the risk-taking Gemma Doyle. Join us!

Lorie Ann Grover: Welcome to the table, ladies. Let's chat!

Dia Calhoun: Byron could have penned his immortal line, "all that's best of dark and bright" in praise of Libba Bray's The Sweet Far Thing. For in this fantasy novel, the dark and bright powers limning Gemma's passage from girl to woman enthrall the reader's heart from beginning to end.

Lorie Ann Grover: Dia said it so beautifully. Is that not perfect? So, let's go through the door and enter the realms! *shivers*

Little Willow: What did you think of the time and place? Do you enjoy stories set in Victorian England as much as I do?

Melissa Walker: I love this setting! The juxtaposition of proper Victorian England with a wild and supernatural world is perfect for the tempestuous teenage years. I also loved how many "proper" people were involved in both worlds, and the commentary on class and status as well.

HipWriterMama: I don't often read books set in Victorian England. Once I do, I wonder why I don't more often. Libba Bray did a wonderful job building this world--Melissa says it so well.

Holly Cupala: Yes! It reminds me a bit of the historical romances my grandmother used to read, though with the added intrigue of the realms. Jane Austen could never have imagined it so well!

Lorie Ann Grover: I love reading about Victorian England! The society is primed for a good female struggle for voice and independence.

Dia Calhoun: Ever since I read The Secret Garden I have enjoyed novels set in Victorian England. And are not the realms a kind of secret garden? Though with delicious dangers. But I think there is something always hidden and secret in such a strict world.

Little Willow: I love The Secret Garden! I can definitely see the Realms as a secret garden of sorts, Dia. I love stories in which the main character goes through a portal and finds herself/himself otherwhere. In fact, many of my favorite fantasy novels travel to magical lands: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende, Strangewood by Christopher Golden, and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I also love the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, which was selected by the postergirlz and divas to be listed in this month's recommended reads. I would love to travel to Wonderland or Fantastica (called Fantasia in the TNES films) as well as the Realms in Gemma's stories. What are your favorite other realms?

Holly Cupala: I loved The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende - one of my all-time favorite reads, Little Willow! I first read it at age nine on a camping trip with my cousins - not that I actually did any camping, only reading. I finished it in the middle of the night and cried because I didn't want it to end! I've probably read it a dozen times since. Note: the movie doesn't compare to the book, especially the one printed in red and green.

(Little Willow rejoices over Holly's response.)

Lorie Ann Grover: You know what came instantly to mind? Pern! I love Anne McCaffrey's Pern. Does that count?

Dia Calhoun: I would like to travel to Daria, I think it is called, in Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. And Middle Earth, of course. But I'd like to have some kind of magical powers to help me deal with the darker elements always found in other realms. Aren't many of these other realms really stand-ins for the subconscious world?

Little Willow: I think so. I am also a sucker for books set in boarding schools. Are any of you? I never attended such a school, but that coupled with the time period, the location, AND the supernatural elements all intrigued me.

Holly Cupala: The idea of boarding school is so intriguing, though I did attend a small private school where everyone knew everything about every moment of your life and imagine that boarding school would be something like that (the panopticon, to bring in a theme from another boarding school book!). However, authors like Libba and John Green and E. Lockhart and Rachel Cohn all make them seem rife with possibilities. That sort of environment could be a crucible for all kinds of experiences.

Dia Calhoun: Yes, I too, have always loved the idea of boarding school, thought I imagine the reality might be quite different. When I got to Mills College--a small liberal arts women's college--living in the dorms where we all had private rooms and sit down candlelight dinners on Wednesdays was very much like a boarding school in some ways. And I did love that! I think any kind of environment where you bring a small group of people together is excellent for fictional possibilities. I want Felicity's tent!

Lorie Ann Grover: I don't want Felicity's tent, Dia! I was ALWAYS worried people could overhear through the cloth. Do you know how when you think you have privacy and you don't? I've never had a boarding school experience. But I could imagine living at Hogwarts! Or having Snape as my headmaster. Oh, my. Holly, I may need a photo here. :~)

Little Willow: (singing) Snape, Snape, Severus Snape! (normal voice) Would you like to have visions like Gemma?

Lorie Ann Grover: No visions for me! I have a plethora of information to deal with without them.

Melissa Walker: I would not want this power. It comes with such great responsibility that I'd feel more burdened than magical, I fear.

Holly Cupala: That would depend for me on the purpose and origins of the visions. Occasionally I dream that I am supposed to say something to someone, or do something, or I dream in symbols about situations or events. Some dreams I wouldn't want to come true. Wisdom and discernment would be important gifts to come alongside visions.

Little Willow: Consider the dark times that Gemma and other "visionary" fictional characters, such TV's Cordelia Chase and Johnny Smith from The Dead Zone, went through physically and emotionally. If this vision talent permitted only good visions, their stories would be so different from what they were.

Dia Calhoun: I think the power of visions would be a very uncomfortable power -- as it is for Gemma. If one could control them--designate when they come and when they end--that would be more bearable, but Gemma cannot do that. Think of Cassandra. Very unpleasant to know the future tragedy and be unable to change the future. Sometimes I have little visionary moments when I am working on a novel -- a different kind of vision -- but very rewarding.

Little Willow: Would you like to have any of the other girls' powers?

HipWriterMama: Every once in awhile, it would be nice to have some extra powers, especially if I could use them to help my family and friends. However, can you imagine the problems? Who do you tell? Do you keep this a secret? What kind of expectations would people have if they knew of your power?

Dia Calhoun: Imagine if the government found out you had powers. Instant, unwilling guinea pig. I would love to have the power to fall asleep at will!

Lorie Ann Grover: Well, Gorgon had some pretty kickin' powers. I can see myself as Gorgon.

Little Willow: Bring Pegasus to our next roundtable, please, Lorie Ann, so that we may take flight. I'll teach him how to read! Back to serious matters: What makes Gemma a readergirl?

Melissa Walker: Gemma reacts to her world, but she also thinks critically about what's happening to her, and that combo makes her a great readergirl.

Holly Cupala: Read, reflect, reach out - exactly, Melissa! (laughing)

Little Willow: That's our motto! I agree with both of you. She was found her strengths and was daring when need be.

Holly Cupala: She doesn't just sit by idly, but instead learns from her own and others' experiences, then takes action.

Lorie Ann Grover: And she admits her weaknesses. She looks in her dark corners and marches on. Perfect answer, Holly!

Dia Calhoun: And because she loves Jane Austen!

Little Willow: Who was your favorite main character?

Dia Calhoun: I really liked Ann, as the odd woman out, as the underdog with a burning ambition and with the desire to change her bleak future. She seemed more sympathetic to Gemma than Felicity, more understanding and compassionate.

Holly Cupala: How about Kartik? I found the parallel secret societies, his goals versus hers, and the conflict of duty and personal wishes to be fascinating. Plus in my mind, he kind of looks like my sweetheart. :)

Lorie Ann Grover: I knew you'd say that, Holly. :~)

Little Willow: Ditto!

Holly Cupala: I'm so transparent!? (Hi, Honey!!)

Lorie Ann Grover: Hm. Counting only the girls? And Kartik? I'd have to go with Kartik.

Melissa Walker: Ooh, yes, I did adore Kartik. And now I will picture him as Holly's husband.

Holly Cupala: Okay, now I'm really laughing, since we all just met you in person!

Little Willow: Who was your favorite supporting character?

Melissa Walker: I loved Felicity! She had such spirit and conviction and spunky love inside her. Even when she pulled away from Gemma, I felt her fierce affection for her friends.

Holly Cupala: I liked Felicity, too. What I really admired about Libba's writing is that she was able to make the characters so complex - not always likeable, not always good.

Lorie Ann Grover: I love Mrs. Nightwing! She doesn't have magical powers, but she has that staunch English character and one amazing bustle.

Melissa Walker: I do love a good bustle!

Little Willow: Speaking of fashion pieces we love, I love how Gemma is depicted on the covers of this series. I read A Great and Terrible Beauty as soon as it was released, then hand-sold it like crazy. I talked it up to every customer I thought might like it, and it became a top bestseller in my store that season! I spoke not only of the beautiful writing and settings, but also of the friendships. What bonded the girls together?

Dia Calhoun: Being thrown into unusual situations created a bonding among Ann, Felicity, and Gemma. Shared secrets, shared experiences, and the magic of course.

Lorie Ann Grover: Well said, Dia. I'd add that they are three girls searching for their place outside of their circumstances.

Little Willow: Which book in the trilogy is your favorite? Do you want more in the line?

Dia Calhoun: My favorite is The Sweet Far Thing. I think this book finds Libba Bray in full power.

Lorie Ann Grover: I would guess it's The Sweet Far Thing. Certainly it must contain all of Libba's skills at their height! It's been awhile since I read the first two. It is always delightful to meet new characters though in a first book. I shall have to go back and see which I prefer. Yet maybe I'll choose to keep the works as one in my mind. One grand epic. I could read more if Libba continued, but I also have a firm sense of completion. As long as Kartik keeps appearing in her dreams...

Holly Cupala: I think probably A Great and Terrible Beauty. The power, the passion...her courage will change the world...oh, wait, I think that's from something else. ;)

Little Willow: Have you read Libba's other works? I give her two thumbs up for her short story Primate the Prom, which appeared in the anthology 21 Proms, and her new novel Going Bovine is in my to-read pile.

Dia Calhoun: I have not yet had that privilege.

HipWriterMama: I'm looking forward to reading Going Bovine, especially after watching her video. It's pretty amusing.

Little Willow: Absolutely hilarious.

Holly Cupala: I remember her talking about Going Bovine when she came through Seattle with Shannon Hale, and I've wanted to read it ever since. Quite a departure, and Libba is hilarious! I'm glad she's having a chance to show that in her work.

Lorie Ann Grover: I'm on page 4 of Going Bovine. Laughed all the way through her acknowledgments alone! This is going to be a grand month as we host Libba. I can't wait to walk through the Realms with the author herself!

Dia Calhoun: Do you think Kartik will show at the chat!!!

Holly Cupala: Hmm, I could ask him. ;-)

Little Willow: That reminds me: Have you all watched the trailer for A Great and Terrible Beauty? It's fantastic! I wish I knew the names of the actors; I think they did a great job. The book has also been optioned for film. As far as I know, it's still in pre-production and no one has been cast just yet. I'd love to audition for the project. (Holly, should we pre-cast your husband as Kartik?)

Lorie Ann Grover: Who would I want to play? Gorgon or Nightwing. Yep! Okay, off we go!

Melissa Walker: I want to be Gemma, Gemma, Gemma! I think she shines. But I might be a little old. Realistically, I could have fun being Circe!

Little Willow: I hope the screenwriter(s) stick closely to the original story and dialogue.

Dia Calhoun: One final thought for authors: This book is a masterpiece of pacing. The way the suspense is drawn out, the clues slowly revealed, I learned so much from that.

Visit readergirlz to learn more about our interactive book group.

Read the October 2009 issue to learn more about The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

Check out other roundtable book discussions at Bildungsroman.

Graceling Roundtable

This month's readergirlz book group pick is Graceling by Kristin Cashore. (Click here to read the September 2009 issue of readergirlz.)  The readergirlz divas and postergirlz gathered together to discuss this tale of fantasy, danger, and, dare we say, romance.

Lorie Ann Grover: As diva Justina Chen Headley said this month, "Action, adventure, love . . . all rolled up in a fiercely independent heroine who learns how to govern her gift and trust her heart. How could we not become smitten with Graceling?" It was an obvious choice for readergirlz. We send our congrats to Kristin for the Morris Award Nomination for an outstanding debut YA novel!

Little Willow: What was your basic impression of Graceling? Do you tend to reach for books in the fantasy genre?

 

Jackie: Okay, well, I'm a HUGE Tamora Pierce fan (as you, um, may already know), so this is right up my alley. Strong girl? A power that sets her apart from all others? Evil just waiting around the corner? A charming yet flawed romantic interest? Fight scenes? Yeah. That's totally my kind of thing.

Melissa: This is totally not my thing! I'm a big "real girl" reader, so I'm always a little hesitant to go fantasy. But I fell in love with Katsa from chapter 1, and really, what's a "real girl" anyway?!

Lorie Ann: I found it to be an engrossing, fast-paced fantasy. I do love fantasy, myself. And here I fell for Po. :~)

Shelf Elf: Ditto on the falling for Po, Lorie Ann. My perfect book is set in a fantasy world that is recognizably like the real world, with romance, nail-biting action, and plenty of flawed characters. Graceling checks all those boxes. Guess it's is my perfect book!
 

 

Dia: As a fantasy author myself, I, of course, adore fantasy. The premise of Graceling is fascinating -- a talent to kill. But it is interesting that we NEVER see Katsa kill anyone -- even in the beginning of the book when she is unredeemed. I can see the problem -- if she were shown killing someone she would no longer be a sympathetic character. And yet, for the fullest experience of her character arc, I think we needed to see her actually kill.

Little Willow: I agree, Dia - I think it would have been more effective had we seen (read) it.

 

Dia: I was hesitant at first about the fighting practice between Po and Katsa because it's hard for me to imagine hitting someone I care about. But, considering their skills, and talents, it was a way for them to bond and gain trust.

HWM: Yay for Graceling -- the strong girl, Po (the chemistry! the respect for each other's abilities!), political intrigue (though I wished there were more), good supporting characters, bad guys, action--this would make a great movie. Dia raises an interesting point. I never thought about how we never see Katsa kill anyone in the beginning. It would add to the character arc since we could see the horror and regret; however, I was fine the way the story was since she spends so much time despising her power and how other people react to her, how she hates how her uncle treats her like a dog to do his bidding. 

 

Little Willow: What did you think of Katsa, the protagonist?

 

Jackie: My only sadness is that she's not in the prequel. 

 

HWM: Oh, I agree!

Melissa: I loved her, and found her perfectly characterized for teen readers -- she's strong but stubborn, smart but impetuous, and ruled by her emotions. It's all very familiar...

Lorie Ann: I enjoyed Katsa. In my second reading, I almost found her to be acting mildly autistic at the start, as if she might have slight Aspergers. She's gifted so much that it has distracted her from learning to observe and communicate with people. An example is how she didn't realize Giddon's attraction. This adds nicely to her arc as she grows.  

 

Little Willow: Ooh. That's a very interesting take on her character, Lorie Ann.

 

Dia: I think the talent to kill, and being forced to do it by -- was it her uncle the king? -- would take anyone to dark places in their psyche. Cashore achieves the right balance between Katsa's darkness and her innate goodness.
 

 
Shelf Elf: I think it's a real achievement that Kristin created such a powerful character, physically powerful and full of complex emotion, whom readers can also see as vulnerable.

 

HWM: Loved her. The strong kick-butt girl with a conscience who battles between good and evil.

 

Little Willow: Who were your favorite supporting characters?

Melissa: Bitterblue!

Little Willow: Oh, yes, little Bitterblue!

Melissa: What a poised and lovely girl. And of course Katsa's gaggle of "just friends" boys... those are always fun.

Lorie Ann: Have to go with Po.

Shelf Elf: Again Lorie Ann, ditto with the Po. ;)
 

 

Dia: I, too, really enjoyed Bitterblue. And Po of course!
 

 

HWM: Raffin.

 

Little Willow: How does Graceling tie-in with this month's theme of Triumph at readergirlz?

Lorie Ann: Katsa triumphs over her own Grace and fears, her physical environment, and the politics of evil rulers.

Dia: Katsa triumphs over the darkness in her self that has come to her through the execution of her gift.

Shelf Elf: Katsa makes the choice to use her powers for good, not evil. There's triumph in mastering yourself, in making choices to be proud of. 

Little Willow: What are your hidden strengths? (Though I suppose if you answer this, they are no longer hidden!)
 

Dia: I wish somebody would tell me!

Shelf Elf: Dancing? I never dance publicly, but I'm great in the living room. I've got rhythm.

Little Willow: Now I'm singing and dancing to the song I've Got Rhythm! I'm a singer, dancer, and actress, but I don't hide those things. Hmmm. I think one of my hidden strengths is my resilience. I bounce back pretty well from rejection or let-down. I try to always stay optimistic and hopeful. Another would be my derring-do. When things need to be done, I get them done. It's only when others comment upon them that I realize not everyone would have done those things - that they might have thought the tasks too difficult to even attempt and stopped before they even began.
 

Lorie Ann: I hope it's perseverance. So far it is.

Little Willow: The condition of having eyes of two different colors, like Kat and the others who are Graced, is called heterochromia of the eye (heterochromia iridis or heterochromia iridum). What color are your eyes? Mine are brown.

Shelf Elf: Mine are the type of eyes that seem to change color depending on the light and my clothing. Most of the time they're greyish green. I've always sort of wished for eyes that were a real, deep, obvious color.  I'd go with seriously green, because you don't see that very often.

Melissa: Mine are green, but they sometimes look blue. I like that -- no one ever really knows which they are. Maybe I'm a Graceling! And you too, Shelf Elf!
 

 
 

Little Willow: We have Graced ones in our presence! Can you envision yourself with eyes of a different color?

Lorie Ann: Mine are brown, and often red. Ha! I always thought green would be nice.

Little Willow: I like the color of my eyes and my hair (also brown) and I wouldn't permanently change the color, though I wouldn't mind doing something temporary to either for the sake of a role, because that would be for her, for my character. For me, though, I like what I have, and I like what I am.  That being said, I think purple or gray (or magically silver) eyes would be pretty, because I like those colours in general.

Dia: I have gray-green eyes. When I was in high school and college I wore green-tinted contact lenses. That was fun!

Little Willow: Also consider the eye colors that are more prevalent on animals other than humans, like orange. My cats had beautiful eyes. Twinkie's were the bluest blue, truly the prettiest eyes I've ever seen - while Hollywood and Spooky had eye colors not typically seen on people, orange and gold.

 

HWM: Dark brown. Wouldn't change the color at all.

 

Little Willow: What did you think  of Kristin Cashore's writing style?

Melissa: My heart stopped when Leck appeared toward the end. I didn't see it coming, and I got very scared and upset for a moment there! I guess that means the writing worked. I just adored the tale.

 

Lorie Ann: I'm in my second read-through, but I remember wanting marriage at the conclusion. I know, I know. So opposite to what Katsa wants. But that's me. When they first left together, I didn't think I'd be able to lie next to Po night after night platonically... I did enjoy the characterization, plot, pacing, and final revelations. I admire all the fighting detail!

Dia: I love the combination of fantasy, adventure, and romance. The grand climax where Katsa confronts the king was stunning. Excellent plotting.

Shelf Elf: Gosh, she's so good at romance, and really freaky bad guys.

 

HWM: The ending was great -- the characters surprised me (the scene with Leck was great) and I remember wanting to throttle Po and Katsa. There were a few scenes I wanted to see more development, but overall, the plotting, pacing and characterization was spot on. 

 

Little Willow: What (or who) do you hope to find in Fire, Kristin Cashore's next book?

 

Jackie: I am lucky enough to have already read it, thanks to a friend, so while I already know what happens, I will say I was VERY interested in the one crossover character.

Shelf Elf: Like you Jackie, I'm lucky to have read Fire already. I was hoping that the characters would be as memorable as all those in Graceling. They are.

Lorie Ann: I'm totally up for whatever Kristin has brought from her heart.
 

 

Dia: I would like to see Katsa continue to evolve -- and more of Po of course!

 

HWM: I've also been fortunate to have read Fire. So different from Graceling, but the one character who does make himself known, Leck -- shudder.
 

Little Willow: Final thoughts?

 

Lorie Ann: Thanks so much to Kristin for bringing us a fantasy with such girl power. We rise to the top of the mountains with Katsa. I'm sure we'll continue to soar with Kristin through her long career!
 

Learn more about Graceling in the September 2009 issue of readergirlz.

June: Sweethearts Roundtable!

Every month, Little Willow rounds up divas and postergirlz for a roundtable discussion of the spotlighted title. This month we were excited to have a chance to talk about Sara Zarr's wonderful novel, Sweethearts. Without further ado, here's Little Willow to start us off!



********



I cherish the book Sweethearts, I really do. Sara Zarr's sophomore novel gently captures both the innocence of youth and the point at which it is shattered. The friendship between a fragile girl and a tormented boy changes dramatically when they are children, and evolves further when they are teenagers and the long-lost boy returns unexpectedly.

Last August, the postergirlz selected this book as one of our of the recommended reads within that month's issue of readergirlz. Now, Sweethearts is our main pick for June , the book of the month for our book group. Five of us - Little Willow, Miss Erin, Lorie Ann Grover, Melissa Walker, and Holly Cupala - set up an online meeting to discuss the book at length. Here's what we had to say.

Little Willow: What words come to mind when you think of Jenna, the main character in Sweethearts?

Miss Erin: Lost, buried, caught, hidden, confused, bruised, neglected.

Melissa Walker: Hiding, scared.

Little Willow: I second "hiding" and "confused." Also: Fragile, lonely, searching, nostalgic, torn.

Holly Cupala: Questioning identity, hidden truths, self-punishment, longing for acceptance.

Lorie Ann Grover: Self-doubt, lost, confused, pained, hungry for peace and acceptance from others and herself.

Little Willow: When she slipped back into her binging habits, I wanted so badly to help her.

Lorie Ann: I know, LW! It pained me when she stole and binged. Pained me!

Holly: My heart went out to her. We've all been in places where we've felt misunderstood and helpless and have tried to soothe ourselves in unhealthy ways, whether physical or emotional. Sometimes we have to reach bottom before we can start the journey back up.

Little Willow: By the time she got to high school, Jennifer shed the weight and (some of) the shyness of her elementary school self. She also changed her name to Jenna. What did you think of her transformation?

Miss Erin: Reinventing yourself can be a good thing, but in Jennifer's case I think it was more harmful than helpful. She wasn't doing it for the right reasons, per se--she was doing it to try to run away from her past. Your past isn't something you can run away from and still be perfectly content/at peace/happy. Jenna certainly wasn't.

Melissa: I thought it was another way for her to hide from a past she was unsure about, a time that brought her pain to remember.

Lorie Ann: I have a different perspective. I admired that she redefined herself. I found her journey in Sweethearts to be about meshing the new image authentically with who she really was. And what a surprise: her authentic self was even greater than she hoped. She was liked, loved, and courageous.

Holly: She worked so hard to hide from the people who were hurting her that she also hid from herself. Most heartbreakingly, she hid her own strength. She couldn't even see it because it was wrapped up in all that pain. I admired her most when she was able to have compassion and admiration for her earlier self.

Little Willow: The friendship between Jennifer (Jenna) and Cameron was so believable, their ties so strong, that I envied it (though not the events that tested those ties!) I liked how important their friendship was when they were kids, then important in a different way when they reunited as young adults. Their relationship was always platonic, yet it was so deep. I feel that the title is accurate, but in a surprising way, as this is not the romance that title might imply. Instead, it's about the innocence of children, what happens when that innocence is lost, and what it truly means to have a forever friend. I am always happy when a story (be it a book, a film, anything) permits a girl and a guy to have a platonic relationship. Just because people are opposite genders and approximately the same age doesn't mean they should date. That societal assumption really bothers me. The connection that Jenna and Cameron had was strong because it was built on so many layers.

Miss Erin: Yeah, it was believable. I'm so used to not reading about deep-yet-platonic relationships between the main character and her guy friend, that at first it through me for a loop and I kept wait for a romance to blossom. It was refreshing, really, to find a friendship like theirs...meaningful yet without any romantic complications.

Melissa: Good point, Miss Erin! I loved the depth of friendship, and that physical/romantic things didn't get in the way. They were just . . . close. The scene with Jenna and Cameron just lying on the grass together had a big emotional wallop for me.

Holly: I agree! I was waiting for a romantic development, but it didn't feel wrong when it didn't come. It made me think of childhood friendships, and how they have changed over the years, or my memory of them has. I had a crush on a guy when I was a pre-teen, then ran into him again in college, and it just felt . . . weird. I don't think I could have ever thought of him that way.

Lorie Ann: Okay, I hear you each, BUT I wanted a kiss! I still want a kiss! In my next chapter they kiss. :~)

Little Willow: The scene in her room also stayed with me - and, of course, the flashbacks.

Holly: Yes! Those shared memories - and how each of them perceived them in both similar and very different ways.

Little Willow: Let's discuss what happened to them as kids. Did you see it coming? Did you think it was handled well and/or revealed well? Your reactions to the truth, once we readers knew for certain what had happened?

Melissa: I was glad that it wasn't a huge, dramatic event in the sense that it might have been. An almost-happened moment can be just as confusing and scary as a "happened" moment sometimes, and I think that was the case here. I hope that's clear.

Lorie Ann: I think it's more universal to be an almost event, one that many people can imagine and understand without further horrific specifics. However, it demands more of the reader. A cursory reading would leave the reader unsympathetic with what the children experienced.

Holly: I was so relieved when it was an almost-moment, even though it shook both of them. It only served to highlight what was going on with Cameron behind closed doors - Jennifer only got the tiniest hint of what his life was like, and it changed her forever. That was powerful.

Little Willow: What did you think of the writing? Of the storytelling method, with the past revealed in pieces here and there?

Miss Erin: The storytelling method made it very difficult for me to put the book down, because I was so concerned about what happened. I needed to keep reading, but at the same time I was a little afraid to. I ended up reading the book in one sitting because of the constant wanting to make sure they were going to be okay.

Holly: I couldn't put it down because of the emotional tension and slow reveal. My writer-brain was on alert: "How is she doing this??" I learn a lot from Sara!

Little Willow: Sweethearts was a compulsive read. Zarr handled the tension quite well: she drew the readers in right from the start, then kept that tension nice and tight throughout the entire story. She kept the characters acting and sounding their ages, especially in the childhood flashbacks. Contemporary Jenna never sounded like an overly wise and nostalgic adult, considering her childhood days at length with distance, but instead she communicated her confusion and the events in her past and present as she experienced them.

Melissa: I loved it. I thought the reader was kept uneasy, much like Jenna and Cameron were uneasy in their lives. We felt their shakiness chapter by chapter, and we weren't sure why. I think they weren't either, and we were all finding out what things meant together at the same time.

Miss Erin: Well said, Melissa.

Lorie Ann: Yes, Miss Erin. It also echoed memories being captured. It was easier to experience this vicariously with Jenna through the structure.

Little Willow: Sweethearts was Sara Zarr's second novel. I also really enjoyed her first book, Story of a Girl, which also felt very realistic. Did any of you read that Story?

Holly: Yes. I loved that book, and I loved how well Sara has brought both very different girls to life, even though they are both in some ways defined by events in their past and must heal friendships and family relationships.

Lorie Ann: I did and absolutely admired Sara's realism. She is such an honest writer and acute observer of people. What subtle and powerful writing she has given us! It's been too long since I read Story of a Girl to compare and contrast Jenna and Deanna. (Although they both have "e" "nn" and "a" in their names.) And now I will have to reread it!

Little Willow: I think it's interesting to note that, in Sweethearts, Jenna's hiding a secret, while everyone knows (or thinks that they know) what Deanna did in Story of a Girl. Both protagonists are covered with shadows from their past. Can they escape these shadows?

Holly: I think they both do, though perhaps not in the ways they set out to. Both are overshadowed by the idea that other people hold them captive with their past secrets, and to escape, they both come to a place of recognizing the truth of themselves, their own strength, outside of other peoples' views. I admired them both so much for that.

Little Willow: It's clear that I think Sweethearts is a great pick for readergirlz. Why do you feel people should read this book?

Lorie Ann: It's such a great example of defining yourself. This is something that every person does. So how do you do that in the face of people who have acted against you in the past, who you are now, and who you want to become. Most dear to me was the healing between Jenna and her mother. What a great warning that one neglect to communicate can alter relationships forever. Thank you, Sara!

Holly: I think Jenna's story will resonate with readergirlz of all ages. So much of growing up is about finding who you are, where you are going, and who you want to take with you. After struggles, heartbreak, and a second chance, Jenna comes away knowing all of these things. A beautiful book.

Melissa: I love that Jenna comes to be at peace with many different parts of herself, as we all must do. She isn't just one thing -- just Jennifer or Jenna -- she's a combination of all that she's experienced and seen and learned. And that's a beautiful thing.

Lorie Ann: I am so happy to be hosting Sara this month at rgz. It's our honor to have her participation. Let the month begin!


Hey there, roundtable readers! What did you think of Sweethearts? Please join our discussions of the book here at the readergirlz blog and check out the June issue of readergirlz!

readergirlz roundtable discussion of Impulse

The readergirlz divas were so pleased Ellen Hopkins could join us in honor of Operation Teen Book Drop 2009, and in the month of April, National Poetry Month! The verse novel Impulse is a weighty, heart-wrenching read. Join us as we chat about this raw work and our take-aways.

Lorie Ann Grover: What were your take-away impressions of Impulse?

Little Willow: Immediately after finishing it: Oh, Conner. Oh.

Dia Calhoun: My immediate impression was that I had found an immensely truthful story.

Shelf Elf: It made me think about how sheltered I was as a teen. Sure there were kids in my high school who had issues and struggled, but nothing like the characters in this book, to my knowledge. I also wondered what it might have been like for Ellen to take herself inside the heads of 3 such troubled people. That had to have been an intense writing experience.

Lorie Ann: I was exhausted basically. I encountered so many images, subjects, and ideas I've never been fully exposed to before. An entirely new world opened before me, and my sympathies were raised.

Melissa Walker: My mom worked in a state school for troubled kids while I was in high school. She was their biology teacher, and they lived there, healed there. I thought about her a lot while I was reading, and wondered how she kept her heart safe from the heartbreaking stories of her students.

Read the entire discussion at Bildungsroman.

A Popular(ity) Discussion

In honor of our December book club pick, How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot, readergirlz divas, advisors, and postergirlz shared their thoughts about popularity.


Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us [Sic] and founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar:

I grappled with the idea of popularity in middle school, and realized it could come from wearing a certain type of clothes, having a certain type of hair, and more nebulously, projecting a certain kind of attitude. I was a little behind in the clothes department, but probably could have convinced my mom to buy me more stuff if I really wanted to. What I decided, though, was that I would rather not have to do some of the things I saw the really popular girls doing. I wanted to be popular, but I wanted to be liked for the positive stuff I did and the kind way I treated others. I wanted to transcend the social norms. It wasn't that I *didn't* want to be popular, though I'm sure I would have said at the time that I didn't care about it. I just didn't want to have to sell my soul for it.

It was painful at times. I got invited to a lot more parties in middle school. Some of those parties were annual events, and I felt it acutely when my name was no longer on the list. I heard people talking about who was there and what happened, and I had to erect a protective barrier around myself so that I wouldn't have to feel the pain of exclusion. In part, I protected myself with achievement. Even if I was not popular, I was still a good athlete. I was still smart. I still played music well. Also: I had a fierce perm, which was decade appropriate so do not judge. Few people had larger hair. It makes a fine piece of armor.

I'd say I still carry this barrier to a degree, and I have to remind myself that I'm perfectly likeable -- that my presence is welcome and that I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not to find friends. I don't seek popularity in the way that you'd define it in high school...there is no longer a cool lunch table, and no one I know checks the label of your pants to make sure they're an OK brand. But I still want people to love me for who I am, and I still carry fear that they won't.

It's funny. I'm a writer now ... I get fan mail and hate mail in equal quantities. My pulse races when I see new mail in the inbox, for fear it's someone hating how I think or write. I'm not going to change who I am or what I believe to win false friends, but I would love to be in a place -- 20 years after high school graduation--where I am not wounded by the rejection of others.

I really feel for people who are struggling with this, and I think this is one reason I have such love and compassion for teens and such affinity for YA literature.


Melissa Walker, author of the Violet books:

I admit it: I longed to be popular when I was a teenager. Outwardly, I made fun of certain cliques and pretended not to care when I wasn't included in certain parties, but the truth was, I wanted people to know me. More importantly, I wanted people to like me.

But what I know now (and oh, how I wish I knew it then!) is that the truly "popular" people were the ones who were confident enough to be nice to everyone around them. I was in LOVE with a guy named Jeff in high school. Why? Because he was on the football team, was cute, was smart, and - here's the key part - he actually talked to me. He smiled, said hi, took time to ask about my day. I realized that the other "popular people" were objects of my admiration in a superficial way, but Jeff was someone I truly liked because he was a confident and caring person. And that's always the best - and most lasting - kind of popular. We're still friends today!


Lorie Ann Grover, author of On Pointe:

I'm thinking middle school is when popularity is defined most narrowly. If you can grind through it, you will have the rest of your life to find your peeps. That's really the bottom line: find people that matter to you, those you can relate to.

If you find yourself in the "popular" group, know you have a much bigger responsibility. Your influence is wider and people are watching. Don't lose yourself to maintain your position. If you are tempted to do so, maybe you haven't found your peeps after all.

Once you find a group that has meaning to you, foster your friendships. Who cares if everyone knows or watches? You've found a place to nourish others and be nourished. That's what matters.

It's good to remember that whatever popularity is gained, there's always a bigger group out there that never recognizes it. Actors, statesmen, even countries pass from popularity and are forgotten. So, find your small corner of the world, and be a good friend. Matter to your peeps.


Dia Calhoun, author of Firegold:

I went to an alternative high school where the kids were so involved in individual pursuits and being individuals that there were no issues around popularity. Everyone was unique, and we were all pursuing interesting projects. The same was true at the ballet school where I took class every day. So I never tried to be popular, or felt that I was unpopular. I did worry about what other people thought of me, but that is a little different. The whole concept of popularity is a teen concern, which fades away once you become an adult. (Have you ever heard adults talk about trying to be popular?) I believe that if you just be who you are, and pursue your own interests, you will find friends.And being true friends with a few people is far more rewarding than being popular. The pressures of having to maintain popularity are enormous! Always worrying whether what you do or how you look will affect your popularity rating. This is existence for the sake of how others perceive you. You can never be authentic that way. Just be who you are!


Holly Cupala, author of A Light That Never Goes Out:

I think acceptance and community are basic human needs – too often, the popular community is perceived as more valuable when really, the most valuable community is one that supports you for who you are and helps you become who you were meant to be, and vice versa. I learned this the hard way, but luckily my true friends forgave me and are still in my life. Those kinds of friends are a gift for life.


HipWriterMama, member of postergirlz, the teen lit advisory council for readergirlz:

I will never forget my brushes with popularity during my high school years -- from the time one of the wrestling jocks had a major crush on me (!) in my freshman year, to when one of the most popular girls in my junior year became a true friend, to when a group of senior girls looked at me with a whole new set of eyes. All fascinating experiences for a girl who was not popular, who didn't always fit in.

I was one of those fortunate teens who could mingle with almost any group, but only in the fringes. To be in the core center of a group required an effort, a true belief that one belonged. I was a consummate rebel and unwilling to jump through hoops. Perhaps I was scared, or maybe I just didn't want to commit. It's funny, I'm really not sure now.

But I do know, looking back, that I always wanted to be accepted for who I was, not for what I represented. I hated being pigeon-holed as the Asian, the smart kid, the first chair violinist. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the people who were most likely to see me for who I was, were the teens I thought were the least likely to.

This knowledge has been invaluable over the years and has shaped how I interact with people. There are people who will defy the definition of what it means to be popular, what it means to be beautiful, or exceptional. Yes, there are those who will always play the popularity card to the hilt, and be the epitome of every teen angst movie out there, but there are also the people out there who yearn to be seen for themselves, who believe in letting others shine, of letting people have their moment, and being true.


Little Willow, readergirlz webdiva and member of postergirlz:

I was never the most popular girl in school, though I admit I was possibly the loudest - volume-wise, not sassy-wise. I'm naturally talkative and outgoing. I always knew what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew what I liked and what I didn't like, and no one could change my mind or my opinions. In high school, I knew a lot of people, and a lot of people knew me, but I didn't hang out with the same people all of the time. I often said I had a lot of acquaintances, but not a lot of close friends. That was and still is fine by me.

I once saw a poster that declared, "What's right is not always popular, and what's popular is not always right." As hokey as that sounds, I think it's true. I am a big fan of doing the right thing. I certainly hope that others like me, but I'm unwilling to change my beliefs, my plans, or my priorities to fit in. No way! I have a strong moral compass that I follow every day. My true north has nothing to do with popularity or fame and everything to do with personal truths and happiness.


Submit Your Feedback

How about you, gentle reader? What have been your experiences with popularity? Feel free to leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below or at Bildungsroman.