readergirlz is a literacy and social media project for teens, awarded the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading Prize. The rgz blog serves as a depot for news and YA reviews from industry professionals and teens. As volunteers return full force to their own YA writing, the organization continues to hold one initiative a year to impact teen literacy. All are welcome to "like" us on Facebook!
Back to our guest author, Ellen Hopkins! Her live chat is next Wednesday night, April 22nd, at 6:00 Pacific, rgz!
Vanessa finds her mother overdosed on the kitchen floor but doesn't call 911. Do you understand Vanessa at this point? What do you think you might have done?
Have you ever been in a life or death situation like this?
Slam by Nick Hornby Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial by Jen Bryant You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante Paper Towns by John Green Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy; illustrated by Tom Percival Red Glass by Laura Resau Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt The Arrival by Shaun Tan Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught Generation Dead by Daniel Waters Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
And have you realized how many of these works have been featured on rgz as a main feature or postergirlz recommended read? How cool is that?
Especially note that Red Glass by Laura Resau is our pick for Latina Month, and Sara Zarr is our guest in June with Sweethearts!
Thanks for highlighting YA lit, Oprah. We are definitely on the same page!
To celebrate Support Teen Literature Day, join the TBD '09 Post-Op Party, rgz! Tell us how you rocked the drop! Do you have a photo of your book left in your community to upload into the chat? Or do you just want to hang out and share how you heart YA lit?
YALSA, GuysLitWire, and rgz just finished dropping 8,000 publisher-donated books into the hands of hospitalized teens across the country. We are ready to partaaaay!
Justina reporting in on our KING 5 news interview-o-rama!
Welcome to the Second Annual Operation Teen Book Drop, brought to teen patients in Children's Hospitals all around the country by readergirlz,
GuysLitWire, YALSA, and amazing publishers, including my own (Little, Brown Books!).
The morning started with an interview on KING 5 News. Egads, I hate TV and radio interviews. Anchorwoman, Joyce Taylor, wanted to do a short segment on me for her Hometown Heroes show. While flattering, it was also very awkward. While I am glad to be back in my Hometown, I am not feeling very heroic. I asked if she might want to shoot the Seattle-area divas dropping books off at our Children's Hospital. Thankfully, Joyce was interested. So I was flanked by my girls: Lorie Ann Grover, Holly Cupala, and Dia Calhoun. And we all very much missed our Melissa Walker.
Deep breath. Bright lipstick. And then Lorenzo the camera man started shooting every breath, um, and er as Joyce and I chatted about my books, community service (including the Find Beauty Challenge), and readergirlz.
Since I hate watching myself on TV, chances are I won't catch the feature story when it airs in 2-3 weeks. But for now, here's the crew:
Kira Haller (Children's Hospital), Holly Cupala, Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, Justina Chen Headley, Joyce Taylor.
Photographs all captured beautifully by S.Y. Headley.
And the divas are off to Seattle Children's Hospital for an interview with KING 5 News! (Melissa, we will miss you!) How cool to be able to see the donation! Just think, 8,000 books are hitting hospitals today.
It's time to grab a readergirlz bookplate and take a book somewhere in your town--donate it to a library, a school, or a lonely park bench. Leave it anywhere in honor of Support Teen Literature Day! Take a photo for tonight's TBD Post-Op Party. See you here at 6:00, Pacific. Rock on, rgz!
The awesome Mrs. F-B, Oregon Librarian Extraordinaire, emailed us to show us how her library is getting ready for Operation Teen Book Drop '09!
She says, "The kids have brought in lots of books for our exchange already, and I know they're going to bring tons more in the next few days!"
Color us impressed. Look at this haul!
Remember, it's your turn to Rock the Drop tomorrow. Grab a readergirlz bookplate and take a book somewhere in your town--donate it to a library, a school, or a lonely park bench. Leave it anywhere to show your support for Teen Literature! If you're feeling inspired, snap a picture to show us how you're rocking the drop--we'll feature those on the blog soon.
Something we all want, and something that can be hard to find and hold on to. It's joyful possibility, and when it comes it may only be for a moment -- but sometimes, a moment is all you need.
What makes you hopeful?
When people believe in themselves. Love. The stars on a clear night, when it looks like you can see forever.
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, Vanessa reviews Far From You by Lisa Schroeder: At first I was worried that Alice's tale would be just another teen angst story, but written in captivating verse, Lisa Schroeder's words caught my attention right away. Alice, a normal girl with normal problems, felt amazingly real to me. Dealing with her father starting a new marriage after her mother's death, we saw Alice in her happy moments and sad moments. I was impressed that we even saw her traveling through the very same daydreams I have as she deals with her friend's surprising betrayal.
Any reader will be able to relate to Alice's universal feelings--of loneliness, and eventually hope, as well as a big capacity for bravery--once Alice's harrowing adventure through a blizzard takes shape. At the end of the book I couldn't help but wish for the opportunity to brush up next to some of the dangerous situations Alice had experienced, just so I could say I've done it! I highly recommend Far From You to anyone looking for a quick and exciting read.
Connor, Tony and Vanessa all tell their stories with signature poetic styles. Have you ever expressed your feelings through poetry? What's your poetic style?
We're very excited to feature an interview with Andrea Wittgens, beautiful Seattle music-maker who graciously gave us permission to use "Marching Orders" in our Operation TBD trailer. Check it out!
Here's our interview with Andrea:
Holly Cupala: Your songs have this sultry, narrative quality, like the soundtrack to an old movie. Where do you get your ideas? Andrea Wittgens: It's true. I'm very influenced by many cinematic or retro sounds. My lyrics are often fantastical and so the older sounds seem to fit the mood of the lyrics best. I've always loved fiction and my latest album "In The Skyline" is pretty much an ode to my run away imagination and draw towards escapism. So there are lots of lyrical references to fantasy like Oz, Mordor, Creature Features, drama queens. And the music had to have some of that same sense of drama and "action-adventure."
HC: What is the process of making a song, from idea to finished single? AW: Oh, I do all manner of things to mold a song together. I'm definitely not one of those lucky people who sit down and start strumming and singing and "voila!" there's a hit song. I do a lot of collecting of ideas (my car is full of bank receipts with little phrases hastily scratched at traffic lights). I keep a big box of scraps of words and phrases that I sometimes dump on the floor to see where the weird combinations of ideas fall. I spend hours just messing around at the piano, humming or singing nonsense "placeholder" words. Usually I get the musical ideas first and pretty easily and then I have to tinker with finding the appropriate words to fit the musical world. The chorus is sometimes the hardest (and last part) to come together because it's supposed to somehow "sum up" the song but it also needs to be simple, memorable and somewhat. I find that if I can write one verse and one chorus then I'm most of the way done because then I have the "template" for the song.
HC: I’m fascinated by the how’s and why’s – how do you create the unique sounds on your albums? AW: Well, the basic tracks are done by the typical pop rock set up: drums, bass, piano, guitar and of course voice. But there's lots of effects that you can add to these instruments. There's lots of "studio magic" in the post production that can make things sound more interesting or fit the mood of the lyrics. Some examples are: reversing a guitar track so that it sounds kind of garbled and out of time, putting lots of reverb and delay on a voice so that it sounds like it's in a huge cathedral. I liked doing that with some of the operatic high voices because it created a really eery sound. We also used an instrument called a "mellotron" that plays really old crackly samples of strings and flutes - I loved messing around with that! At the beginning of "Marching Orders" the tempo is set by a pair of high heels - that was me walking around the Odd Fellows building on Capitol Hill with a metronome in my ear to set the right tempo while Vince Gates (in whose studio we recorded much of the album) followed me around with one of those fuzzy movie mics. In general recording is fun because you can layer and layer and layer sounds until they create something completely different. Many of those songs have about 70 tracks in them!
HC: What are some of your influences, literary and otherwise? AW: Well I love the fantasy books of my childhood (Lord of The Rings, The Narnia series and many other fantasy books). Robertson Davies is a wonderful Canadian author who wrote many great books my favourite being "Fifth Business." I love cinema - anything from big epics like Lord of the Rings to smaller quirky comedies like "Waiting For Guffman." I like to be wowed and I like to be endeared to characters. That goes for music too. I love all sorts and genres as long as I'm overtaken and swept away.
HC: Have you worked on other musical projects? AW: Yup. I used to front a band called Sugartown before I started to do these solo projects. I also play with a great band called Central Services who happens to have a kid's offshoot band called The Board of Education.
HC: What are you working on now? AW: Well, don't laugh, but I'm actually working on a Christmas album! Every year, Christmas takes me by surprise, I get swept up with the season and wish that I had a Christmas album to offer. So this year's new year's resolution was to chip away at one all year. It's been fun - especially since it's still winter. I don't know how I'll feel in July (that's perhaps when i'll start the festive Latin-inspired portion of the record!).
HC: If someone were to ask you how to become a musician, what advice would you give? AW: All you have to do to become a musician is start sitting down with an instrument or your voice or both and regularly work at it. There's never really an arrival point or an ending point (and looking for one is more stressful than it's worth). To jump into the "biz" of music and become a professional musician is a bit more concrete but there are still many ways to do it. I think the best thing to do first is create something (a song, an instrumental sketch, some lyrics) and find a way to record it so that you can start showing people what you're music is all about. This is the best way to meet other musicians, find performance opportunities and grow as an artist. I've had a lot of fun helping some of my teen students create and record songs and music. They've learned a lot about the whole process of getting a song idea out of their head and onto CD.
HC: Where can we find your music? AW: Well, it's in many different places online but I have them all listed on my website store page. I also always bring CDs to my live shows which are listed on the calendar page of my website.
Thanks, Andrea, for the music and the interview! Readergirlz, check out the trailer and pass it on!
Dear readergirlz, the time has come for the fifth and final week of five weeks of contests!
The winner of last week's contest is... shelburns! Send your address to readergirlz AT gmail DOT com and we'll get your pack of books out to you, S!
Here's the deal: each week from now until Support Teen Literature Day on April 16th, we'll be awarding *a package of books* to one winner. To enter, you just comment on our blog posts (comments on older posts count - a point for each comment!) and get an extra ten points for taking up the week's challenge. Get ten more any time by becoming one of our blog followers!
Report your post in the comments with the URL where you fulfilled the week's challenge (and get eleven points!). We'll keep track of the comments and urls and award the winners each week. Books! Prizes! And you'll be supporting teen lit and hospitalized teens across the country.
This week's challenge: Comment all week, then drop a book on Support Teen Lit Day, April 16th (email us a photo of your drop to readergirlz AT gmail DOT com, and we'll feature you on the blog!) and come join us at the TBD Post-Op party here on readergirlz on April 16th at 6pm PST/9pm EST!
I always sign my copies of Loose Threads with a line from the book: "There's hope. Look." It's a truth that I hold most dear. I do rest in sovereignty and believe in providence. Those beliefs maintain hope in my heart and mind no matter how dire the circumstances. I've lived through dark experiences, yet there's always light deep within. I may not see it in the moment, but my work is to keep looking for it and grasping through the shadows.
I think of my novels as whispers into the ears of readers. "There's hope. Look."
This Week's Picks The Hollow quartet by Christopher Golden and Ford Lytle Gilmore (I felt like re-reading something spooky. Make sure you read them in order, starting with #1: The Horseman.)
For Your Younger Siblings Life, Starring Me! by Robin Wasserman Scat, Cats! by Joan Holub, illustrated by Rich Davis
For Fun and For Artists Paper Fashions Fantasy by the editors of Klutz Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost
In a surprising twist, Tony and Vanessa fall in love. Has love ever surprised you? Tell us, rgz! We are ready for some good love stories! Can't wait to hear from Ellen, also. :~)
GuysLitWire, YALSA, and amazing publishers, including my own (Little, Brown Books!).
Kira Haller (Children's Hospital), Holly Cupala, Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, Justina Chen Headley, Joyce Taylor.
The awesome Mrs. F-B, Oregon Librarian Extraordinaire, emailed us to show us how her library is getting ready for Operation Teen Book Drop '09!
The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.
right away. Alice, a normal girl with normal problems, felt amazingly real to me. Dealing with her father starting a new marriage after her mother's death, we saw Alice in her happy moments and sad moments. I was impressed that we even saw her traveling through the very same daydreams I have as she deals with her friend's surprising betrayal.
Connor, Tony and Vanessa all tell their stories with signature poetic styles. Have you ever expressed your feelings through poetry? What's your poetic style?
AW: Oh, I do all manner of things to mold a song together. I'm definitely not one of those lucky people who sit down and start strumming and singing and "voila!" there's a hit song. I do a lot of collecting of ideas (my car is full of bank receipts with little phrases hastily scratched at traffic lights). I keep a big box of scraps of words and phrases that I sometimes dump on the floor to see where the weird combinations of ideas fall. I spend hours just messing around at the piano, humming or singing nonsense "placeholder" words. Usually I get the musical ideas first and pretty easily and then I have to tinker with finding the appropriate words to fit the musical world. The chorus is sometimes the hardest (and last part) to come together because it's supposed to somehow "sum up" the song but it also needs to be simple, memorable and somewhat. I find that if I can write one verse and one chorus then I'm most of the way done because then I have the "template" for the song.
HC: What are some of your influences, literary and otherwise?
We're loving our time with Ellen Hopkins, and here are some little-known facts about our featured author: 
