June: PAPER TOWNS, Best Friends

John asks, "Describe Q's best friends. If you had to choose one of these characters as your best friend, who would you pick? Why?"

Follow-up: What do you look for in your best friends?

Cover Stories: Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

Debut author Heather Davis is here to share the cover story of her 2009 release, Never Cry Wolf. Kirkus Reviews says, "What's a girl courted by an amber-eyed hottie to do? Fans of paranormal romance will enjoy this sweet debut." Nice!

Here's Heather:

"From the beginning, I think my agent, my editor and I were all on the same page for the cover for Never Cry Werewolf. There is a pivotal scene where Shelby, the protagonist, is lost in the forest -- and with the tie to the folk tale Little Red Riding Hood, well, it just seemedright to have the cover nod to that connection. That, and Shelby is wearing a red hoodie in the story and well... there is a wolf involved.

"We'd discussed the idea of Shelby in the forest in her red hoodie. Then, they asked me to provide a detailed description of what Shelby looked like and who she was on the inside. It was probably the deepest character study I'd done to date. From those paragraphs of description, they really pulled an amazing image together.

"The first time I saw the cover, I was blown away...."

Read the rest of Heather's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com, and check out her new novel The Clearing!

June: PAPER TOWNS, Revenge

John asks, "Do you think the characters Margo targets for revenge get what they deserve? Does Lacey deserve to be included?"

Follow-up: Have you ever felt like you wanted revenge? Did you act on it?

Story Secrets: SEA by Heidi Kling

Do you know what a sweetheart Heidi Kling, debut author of SEA (launching today!), is? I'm here to tell you she is that, and more. I just met her at the very amazing Teen Author Carnival in NYC, and she is every bit as nice as you would expect. (Pic: me, Heidi, Sarah Ockler, and Kieran Scott)

Heidi and I are meeting up at ALA in Washington, DC at the end of this month to sign our debut books - PLUS she's here today to spill some secrets about SEA...

So without further ado, I present Heidi!


*****


SEA is a romantic adventure about hope after tragedy set in post-tsunami Indonesia.

I spent years in Indonesia, a place I'd never been. Also, did a lot of soul searching --how would my family react if I suddenly went missing--how would I react to this situation if I was 15--it was incredible spending time with these characters. I love them like they are my own family now.

Holly Cupala: I love to hear the stories behind the story. How did SEA hit you?

Heidi Kling: The long story is on my website, but I was inspired by my husband's real life volunteer efforts...

Read the rest of Heidi's story here...

June: Welcome, Nerdfighters!

June: The Soundtrack to Paper Towns

Featured Author John Green hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Paper Towns this month (and how cool is that peek at the mix, left?). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or in the June issue!

Diva Melissa Walker on CBS!

Look how lovely Melissa and Anne are, everyone! Congratulations, Melissa!!! And check out Before You Were Hot!


Watch CBS News Videos Online

A 2-Chapter Preview of Holly Cupala's Tell Me a Secret!

Hunger Mountain, the Vermont College of Fine Arts Journal of the Arts is featuring an exclusive 2-chapter preview excerpt of diva Holly Cupala's Tell Me a Secret!

Go here to get drawn into this book (which is out June 22nd!):



Yay, Holly!

June: PAPER TOWNS: Who's your accomplice?

John asks, "Why do you think Margo picks Q as her accomplice on her campaign of revenge in Paper Towns? Whom would you choose if you went on such a mission?"

rgz Seattle HOST: Amy Efaw!

Hey, Readergirlz!

Who's read After? *----Link has awesome video giving the whole story behind After, and how the book came about for author Amy Efaw. It's not an easy book to read, because it deals with a very tough issue. But it's well-done and definitely worthwhile!

I got to go hear Amy read and meet her last Thursday. Holly Cupala and Jackie Parker joined me, as did the awesome librarian Rachel McDonald, and we all had a blast talking to Kari Yadro, the bookseller who hosted the event. There's a photo of all of us with Amy somewhere, but my own camera was out of batteries . . .so just use your imaginations! Two authors, two librarians, a bookseller, and a guest-of-honor author. My idea of a great group!



After deals with a teen who has to come to terms with her own denial and admit that she's hidden a pregnancy (even from herself) and given birth. After the baby's born? She puts it in a dumpster.

Holly took a video of Amy reading from the first chapter!



I was amazed when Amy said that this same thing happens once a day in our country, and that most of the women who throw away babies are good students, achievers, people with resources. They're in extreme denial for deeply emotional reasons.

Amy did tons of research and has actually become one of the most knowledgeable people to talk to about this phenomenon. The statistics are hard to keep, because a lot of cases are never found out. Reading After is a great place to start if you're interested in the psychology behind a decision that seems so irrational and unbelievable.

I'm so impressed with Amy for tackling such a difficult subject. It was great to hear her read and to learn more about this problem. You can learn lots about it, too, at her web site!

I did manage to get my classic Liz-with-Author photo!:



See you next time!

Cover Stories: Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga

The awesome Barry Lyga is here today, sharing the Cover Story for his sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Goth Girl Rising.

Here's Barry!

"For my cover, I had an idea that, in retrospect, is one of those things that sounds cool, but wouldn't work. My idea was to co-opt the cover to the first book, but reverse it: Red lips on a black background for the hardcover, then blue lips on a black background for the paperback. It totally makes sense from a story point of view, but now I think it's too cutesy.

[Here are the first book's covers, hardcover (left) and paperback:]

"Speaking of that first book: I had some strong ideas for that one, to the point where I even had a friend of mine mock one up. Houghton politely declined it and commissioned Jon Gray to produce the kick-ass cover we ended up with (way above). I have never in my life been so happy to be proven wrong!

"Houghton has always consulted with me about covers, which I really, really appreciate. Like I said, they weren't too keen on my original idea (which I don't blame them for). So they sent me three or four different cover designs, all based on the same general aesthetic. I wasn't thrilled with any of them. There was nothing WRONG with them; they just didn't seem like the cover to my book, you know?"

Read the rest of Barry's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com. And check out his Rgz shoutout here:

Things to Know About Featured Author John Green

On the nightstand: No nightstand, just a pile of books!

Pets: Willy, my Yorkshire Terrier

Place to write: Local coffeeshop; my house

Inspiration: My readers

Dream book tour: I love touring in the Netherlands

Cure for writer's block: Giving myself permission to write poorly!

Favorite outfit: Jeans and a T-shirt

Author idol: J.D. Salinger

Next up: Another book, God willing.

Other YA Novels: Looking for Alaska; An Abundance of Katherines; and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan)

Read more about John in this month's issue of readergirlz!

Little Willow's Book Bag

This Week's Picks
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Paper Towns by John Green

Cover Stories: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

This year, I got to hear the lovely and curly haired Sarah Beth Durst read from her new release, ICE. It was a great peek into her reimagined fairy tale, and when she reads out loud, she sounds kind of like the queen from The Neverending Story, which is pretty darn cool.

Here's Sarah with her lovely, easy Cover Story:

"I can quote for you word-for-word the entirety of my involvement in the design of the cover of ICE.

"EDITOR: Here is the cover art for ICE.

"ME: Eeeee!!!

"EDITOR: Do I hear trumpets?

"ME: Eeeeeeeeeee!!!

"EDITOR: Where did the parade come from? Hey, who let in the elephants?

"ME: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

"EDITOR: As I was saying, we're happy with it, and we hope... Really, Sarah, fireworks?

"Okay, it wasn't exactly like that...."

Read the rest of Sarah's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com.

June: PAPER TOWNS, People as Mirrors and Windows

John says, "Q's parents describe people as 'mirrors' and 'windows' (page 198). What does this mean? Can you relate either of these metaphors to anyone in your life?"

Rgz Salon: Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos, Reviewed by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

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

We're honored to have her here as part of the rgz SALON, a feature where four of the top kidlit experts clue us in to the best YA novels they've read recently. Today, Lyn reviews Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2010).

"Although Jaya, Lola, and Maria live in the same New Jersey suburb as their well-heeled classmates and have the same interests and goals, they know they will never be fully a part of their community. All three eighth graders’ mothers work as nannies and housekeepers, often for the families of their classmates. Thus, they wear other students’ hand-me-downs, never get invited to parties, and, when Jaya’s mother is accused of stealing from her employer’s home, become the object of suspicion and malicious gossip.

"Because of their shared situation as immigrants and outsiders, Jaya, from Trinidad, Lola, from Slovakia, and Maria, from Mexico, are best friends. But the alleged theft threatens to tear them apart. Firebrand Lola tries to clear Mrs. Lal’s name, but her actions alienate everyone around her and land her in the office of a therapist. The lost income leads Jaya’s mother to consider leaving Meadowbrook and moving in with family in New York City. Maria falls in love with an older Anglo boy she meets at the park, leading Lola to dismiss her as shallow and headed for exploitation and heartbreak.

"Budhos uses an omniscient third person narrative to set the scene and portray the thoughts and experiences of all three characters, usually in alternating chapters but sometimes all at once. This unusual approach for a contemporary young adult novel generally works, allowing readers to see things that the characters themselves do not see or understand. At times, though, the shifting perspectives shortchange a character or scene. Jaya—her background, thoughts, and experiences—receive the most attention. The author lovingly depicts Jaya’s childhood in Trinidad, her relationship with her late father, an artist, and her relatives’ lives in New York. While Lola and Maria’s backstories receive more cursory treatment, Budhos establishes an interesting (and surprising) relationship between Lola and the son of her mother’s employer, and the fate of Maria’s angry cousin Renaldo provides a timely commentary on the treatment of Latino immigrants in many states and communities today.

"Those born into privilege are accustomed to treating the people who work for them as invisible. Tell Us We’re Home reveals the thoughts, the aspirations, and ultimately the humanity of three young women whose immigrant and class status have made them outsiders but no longer invisible." --Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Story Secrets: THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON by Joni Sensel + Giveaway!

It's pretty exciting to not only welcome the co-regional advisor for SCBWI Western Washington, but also an accomplished fantasy novelist and one of the members of the original Class of 2k7, Joni Sensel!

She's here to chat about her latest, THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON, companion to FARWALKER'S QUEST. "Joni Sensel writes like a dream," says award-winning author Karen Cushman.

Welcome, Joni!

*****

In THE TIMEKEEPER’S MOON, sequel to THE FARWALKER’S QUEST, Ariel Farwalker follows a strange map and an even more mysterious voice to discover the answer to an unsolved mystery — who sent the telling dart that started her on the Farwalker’s path.


What was it like to write a sequel, and how did you develop the idea of the dart?

As I drafted the last few chapters of QUEST, I realized what the source of the dart must be, and I wanted to write about Ariel’s search for it. Also, in my first tender ideas for the book, I’d envisioned a character who was an older teen girl and a Flame-Mage. But she never showed up in the story! So when I continued Ariel’s adventure in MOON, I focused on the source of the dart and made sure Ariel found Sienna Flame-Mage on the way. I also used my love of things astronomical and stories within stories (expressed in Ariel’s necklace).

Do you have a Story Secret for us?
When it comes to secrets, two things stand out to me about these two books. The first is that secrets are a running issue for Ariel — her story starts off with one, but she’s unable to keep it...

Read the rest and enter the TIMEKEEPER'S MOON giveaway!

Librarians Rock Lady Gaga!

Check this out: Masters in Library Science students at the University of Washington (my alma mater!) rock it, including readergirlz Salon reviewer and celebrity librarian, Nancy Pearl!




;-)

rgz Street Team: Jacqueline Reviews Paper Towns by John Green

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Jacqueline reviews Paper Towns, the featured title this month by John Green!

"Reading Paper Towns was like reading a mystery, love story, and a teenage drama all intertwined and I LOVED IT!

"Quentin Jacobsen is the average teenager boy, he likes hanging out with friends, talking about girls, and partying. Margo Roth Spiegelman is not the average teenage girl. She is the most popular girl at her school, she has the hottest boyfriend, and she is a mystery that no one can really figure out.

"When Margo shows up at Quentin’s window late one night he can think of no one he would rather be with. He has no idea what he has just gotten himself into. Leaving little 'surprises' at the house of a bully, in the car of a former best friend, for her ex-boyfriend (he cheated on her with her best friend) and visiting Sea World and the biggest sky-scraper in Florida all in one night with Margo seems like all of Quentin's life wishes fulfilled. The only problem is that the next morning and the days following after that Margo is nowhere to be found.

"Quentin, desperate for answers about her shocking disappearance, looks for any clues to why Margo left. When he starts to get a lead on where she is he decides that Margo meant for him to find the clues because she wanted him to find her. On his frantic journey to find the girl he may or may not love not only does Quentin find out things about Margo he never knew, he finds himself as well." --Jacqueline Glade

Rgz Shoutout: Tera Lynn Childs!

Hey, Readergirlz!

Today's a big day for Tera Lynn Childs, author of the Oh.My.Gods. series!




Her new book, Forgive My Fins, is out!



Here's Tera with a special hello just for you girlz!



Here's the skinny on Forgive My Fins:
Half-mermaid princess Lily Sanderson has been living on land for the past three years, crushing on Seaview swim-god Brody Bennett, dealing with annoying biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher, and just generally trying to figure out this whole human thing. But everything changes when she accidentally bestows her magical first kiss on the wrong boy.

Oooo. . .can't wait to pick it up!

June: PAPER TOWNS, Life-Changing Discoveries

John says, "When Margo and Quentin are nine they make a horrible discovery, and respond in very different ways. How do you think this shaped their lives in the years to come? How would you have responded?"

If you haven't read the book: Have you ever made a discovery that changed your life somehow? How did it affect you?

Welcome, John Green!

We are thrilled to welcome John Green to readergirlz. His fantastic novel Paper Towns is our June pick! Check out our interview with John, book party ideas themed around his book, and our Reach Out project idea--as well as the awesome soundtrack John has chosen for the book--on readergirlz.com.

Here's a little about Paper Towns:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life -- dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge -- he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Quentin arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Quentin soon learns that there are clues -- and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Quentin sees of the girl he thought he knew.

And the buzz...

2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel

New York Times Bestseller

"Green's prose is astounding -- from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths. He nails it -- exactly how a thing feels, looks, affects -- page after page." - School Library Journal, starred review

"Deliciously intelligent dialogue and plenty of mind-twisting insights." - VOYA

"[Green is] clever and wonderfully witty... he's a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material." - Booklist, starred review

We are so excited to have the awesome John Green with us this month! Join us all month right here on the blog for discussions and mark your calendars a LIVE chat on Wednesday, June 16th at 6pm PST/9pm EST.

Happy June, readergirlz!