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This week's focus is on Courtney Summers's Some Girls Are. Courtney writes books that embody this month's theme: Resilience. Regina is a formerly popular girl who's been ousted by her so-called best friends. The brutal immediacy of Some Girls Are is riveting, and the emotional honesty at its core makes accompanying Regina on her journey a truly moving experience.

For discussion: If you've read Some Girls Are, what did you think of Regina? Like Sam in Before I Fall, she's sometimes hard to like because of her past actions.

Our November non-fiction featured title, The Struggle to Be Strong, a compilation of true stories from teens. This book was edited by Al Desetta, M.A., of Youth Communication, and Sybil Wolin, PhD, of Project Resilience. When I got in touch with Youth Communication, I met (virtually) with Loretta Chan. When she was a teenager, Loretta wrote for New Youth Connections, one of Youth Communication's magazines. Now Loretta is the marketing director of Youth Communication, and she has something she wanted to share with you readers:

What can young women overcome tough times, media stereotypes, and even abuse? The resilient girls whose true stories appear in The Struggle to Be Strong know what it takes. Danielle stops being stuck up and learns that beauty really is more than skin deep. So does Tonya, after she gets suckered by a beauty school, which just takes her money. Artiqua stands up to people who criticize her dating a boy from another race. Tamara describes how taking long walks helps her deal with the anger and rage that she feels. Tameka learns how to stop feeling sorry for herself and succeed in college, even though she grew up in foster care and doesn’t get any care packages or other support from home. Shaniqua overcomes her shyness and her fears to perform at a poetry slam. Paula, whose mother abused and neglected her, finds it in her heart to forgive her mom as she is dying. And Terri-Ann, like all of the girls in this book, used writing to learn about herself and become more resilient.

The girls who wrote stories that appear in The Struggle to Be Strong participated in Youth Communication's intensive teen writing program, which has helped thousands of teens explore their lives and improve their writing. Notable alumni from the program include the novelist and National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat, Glamour editor Veronica Chambers, New York Times reporter Rachel Swarns, and "Life Hacker" author and blogger Gina Trapani.

How do our teens write their stories? Watch this short film.

- Loretta Chan

Now we want to hear from you: Which of the stories in The Struggle to be Strong reminded you of your own life? How did you relate to the real-life experiences which were shared in this book? Who is the most resilient person in your family or household? Leave your thoughts below in the comments!

Hey readergirlz! We asked you to suggest songs suitable for this month's theme, Resilience, and here's what you came up with:

This week's focus is on Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, and while the book is beloved by many, there has been some debate about the main character, Sam. She starts out pretty unaware of her flaws, and she grows to have a wider, more empathetic view of her world.

For discussion: If you've read Before I Fall, did you love Sam instantly? Did she grow on you as the story continued? Or did you never grow to like her? How did Sam as the narrator shape your view of the book?

After reading October's spotlighted title, Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, you'll probably want to sink your teeth into another shapeshifter story. Run, don't walk, to get the Prowlers novels by Christopher Golden, which we've named recommended reads this month.

In this thrilling four-book series, a young man named Jack has to face the shapeshifters who killed his best friend. The monsters have the ability to change at any time, which, to me, makes them more frightening and deadly than werewolves who may only change when there's a full moon. In addition to their physical strength, they are also incredibly cunning, and they are usually human in appearance. Instead of being mindless killing machines, they are incredibly layered characters who have all of the wonderful and horrible strengths and weaknesses we do when it comes to those we love or things we stand for or against, making them dynamic adversaries for the good guys.

Golden also takes a cool angle on the classic love triangle: the main character, Jack, falls for Molly, who was his best friend's girlfriend. You know, his best friend, Artie, who was killed by the Prowlers. Artie's now a ghost, but he doesn't want Jack to tell anyone that he can see him. Plus Jack's got this awesome older sister, Courtney, and then there's Bill, who...well, you have to read the books to find out!

Read my post about Prowlers at my blog, Bildungsroman.

Learn more about the series at the author's website.

Pssst... If you're planning to watch The Walking Dead on AMC tonight, check out this St. Martin's interview with authors whose short stories appear in the zombie anthology The New Dead and see what they think about the new TV show!

Have a happy Halloween, readergirlz. Please be safe!

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By: Little Willow, on 10/27/2010
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  November 2010, rgz playlist, resilience, Add a tag

Hey rgz!

We are building the playlist for November. Our theme is Resilience. Give me your suggestions in the comments below, and I'll compile the list for us to rock our November reads.

Suggestions so far:
Unprofessional by Katy Rose
Got Dynamite by Demi Lovato
She Floats by Vanessa Carlton

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