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This is amazing good news. Great news, in fact. I’m happy and proud to say that my book, Bystander, is included on the ballot for the 2012 New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award.

To learn more about the award, and to download a ballot or bookmark, please click here.

The voting is broken down into four categories and includes forty books. Bystander is in the “Grades 6-8/Middle School” category. Really, it’s staggering. There are ten books in this category out of literally an infinity of titles published each year. You do the math, people.

For more background stories on Bystander — that cool inside info you can only find on the interwebs! — please click here (bully memory) and here (my brother John) and here (Nixon’s dog, Checkers) and here (the tyranny of silence).

Below please find all the books on the ballot — congratulations, authors & illustrators! I’m honored to be in your company.

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GRADES pre K-2/PRIMARY

Bubble Trouble . . . Margaret Mahy/Polly Dunbar

City Dog, Country Frog . . . Mo Willems/Jon J Muth

Clever Jack Takes the Cake . . . Candace Fleming/G. Brian Karas

Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes . . . Margie Palatini/Barry Moser

Memoirs of a Goldfish . . . Devin Scillian/Tim Bower

Otis . . . Loren LongStars Above Us . . . Geoffrey Norman/E.B. Lewis

That Cat Can’t Stay . . . Thad Krasnesky/David Parkins

Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! . . . April Pulley Sayre/Annie Patterson

We Planted a Tree . . . Diane Muldrow/Bob Staake

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GRADES 3-5/INTERMEDIATE

The Can Man . . . Laura E. Williams/Craig Orback L

Emily’s Fortune . . . Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Family Reminders . . .

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North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. Little, Brown. 2009. Copy reviewed from ARC provided by publisher.

The Plot: Meet Terra Cooper. She could be such a pretty girl... Tall, but not too tall. Ballerina's legs. Platinum blonde (natural). So pretty...

If it weren't for the port wine birthmark on her cheek.

She is flawed. The best she can do is hide behind heavy makeup; medical treatments have not worked.

She wants to escape... Escape the small town where everyone knows what her face really looks like. Escape her controlling father and doormat mother. Escape herself.

Escape is in slow steps, at first. Her artwork. Hoping to go to college far away. A secret trip to Seattle for one more attempt to treat her birthmark. CRASH. And a fender bender in a parking lot, that leads to meeting Jacob. An Asian Goth. And things start changing, faster and faster. North of beautiful is a place that isn't beautiful, but has it's own beauty.

The Good: Where to start? I read this a year ago, and so many details have stuck with me. Terra's artwork. Her horrible father. Her weak mother.

Her mother.... Headley does a terrific job portraying a woman who has been a bit beaten down by life, not very confident, hiding from life, who just needs a hand reached out to her to pull herself out of her hopelessness. That helping hand comes, surprisingly, from the family whose car Terra hits.

This unexpected friendship between the families -- between the mothers and between Terra and Jacob -- lead to one of the best things about this book. A trip to China. Terra's escape is made real, as the two families travel to Jacob's birthplace. After reading this book, I so so so wanted to travel to China; but the details, the description, make me feel like I have been there.

The father. I hated him. Hated him all the more for understanding him; a man who has been disappointed with life, who cannot control some things so instead tries to control his wife, his daughter, his sons. And -- as is usual the case -- control is done by being a mean, nasty, S.O.B.

The various metaphors going on in this book worked really well to add additional layers to the book. The father is a mapmaker -- talk about the ultimate illusion of creating and controlling a world! Thinking something is yours because you drew the lines, mapped it out. Geocaching also figures in this book; and it's a way for Terra to actually take something positive from her father (mapping places, finding things) yet make it uniquely her own. Discovering herself, while discovering hidden things.

Is this about a birthmark? About learning how to geocache? About a wounded mother healing and growing? A young artist? A romance? A trip to China? Coffee? It's all of these; but ultimately, it's classic young adult: coming of age, as Terra matures into a strong, beautiful young woman.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

I have returned this moment from Radnor Middle School, where I left three copies of House of Dance along the bus line. The former Dr. Dewsnap teaches there now, having moved there awhile ago from the high school where she inspired me and, ultimately, many pages in my first young adult novel, Undercover.

The books are there to be discovered. They are there as part of the terrific national program, Operation Teen Book Drop, which celebrates its second anniversary today and owes its birth to the extraordinary founders of readergirlz.

I borrow the following text from the readergirlz press release, so that you might know more and celebrate with all of us who are honored to reach out to younger readers.

In its second year, “Operation TBD” (short for Teen Book Drop), puts free books donated by 18 book publishers into the hands of many teens most in need of escape, inspiration and a sense of personal accomplishment. Books with exceptional characters and fabulous stories can provide just that for teens and their families dealing with difficult, long-term hospital stays.

At a time when philanthropic giving is down, readergirlz co-founders have been inspired by overwhelming industry support for Operation TBD. “readergirlz is always looking for innovative ways to connect teens with literature, “ said Dia Calhoun, co-founder of readergirlz and acclaimed young-adult author. “We’re honored that publishers have supported this goal by giving so liberally this year.”

Operation TBD also aims to encourage all teens to choose reading for pleasure as a leisure activity, over other entertainment options. Inciting the broader teen community to participate in Operation TBD in its drive to spur reading on a national scale, readergirlz has launched a trailer on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/readergirlz) inviting teens and YA authors to leave a book in a public place on April 16. When visiting www.readergirlz.com, participants can download bookplates to insert into the books they’ll leave behind, which explain the surprise to the recipient and tell them to read and enjoy.

Last month, my mom and I road-tripped to Seattle for author Justina Chen Headley's book launch party for the release of her novel North of Beautiful. Sweet friend Holly Cupala had invited us to stay with her and her lovely fam to surprise Justina. And Justina was definitely surprised. :)
Justina's been a friend and mentor for a couple of years now, and the one best word to describe her is inspiring. She is the epitome of inspiring. I have such a deep love and admiration for her, and am happy to say she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met.I also got to see some of my other brilliant friends/heroes again. Janet Lee Carey:
Lorie Ann Grover and daughter Ellen (they both have fantastic style, yes?):
A fellow Shan-fan and great online friend:
Dia Calhoun:
Jackie...who I don't seem to have a picture of. *frown* And of course Holly Cupala (who also has rockin' style):
One of the ways North of Beautiful inspired me (besides the desire to travel) is to take up collaging. In that vein, I made a collage for Justina, as well as a soundtrack for the novel (which I will post soon).
I also proceeded to sing "For Good" which made people (um...including myself) cry. But that's okay because I meant every word, singing it in front of people who have given me so much, much more than they will probably ever know.

(Now you know what this was referring to.)

There was hardly a soul in the restaurant last night by the time my husband and I made our way to it. The streets were thick with ice and the snow that had been falling all day long kept rising back up with the wind and snapping. I had my blackberry with me because I always do, because it is my one connection across hundreds of miles to my son; I want to be near if he wants to talk. And so there we were, and there was the blackberry, and there was cold outside and a certain emptiness in my heart—a sadness stemming from news encountered earlier in the day.

Toward the end of the meal (appetizers, only), that little red blackberry light went off, and I checked to see to whom it might belong. It was Little Willow, of all people, a forerunner blogger of forerunner bloggers, who was out there doing smart book talk in advance of most of the world.

Guess who has a book recommended in this month's issue of readergirlz? she wrote. You do! You do! The postergirlz picked UNDERCOVER as a recommended read, along with our main March pick, THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson.

I try hard not to cry at things that are not life and death related, but no amount of resolve stopped my tears with this. Because who are those readergirlz? They are Lorie Ann Grover, dancer, writer, illustrator, thinker. They are Justina Chen Headley, former executive and now author of such supremely successful and lovely, intelligent books as NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL, her latest, which earned three starred reviews and is getting incredible responses across the blogosophere. They are Melissa Walker, and we all know Melissa—beloved author of the VIOLET series and fashionista, who reports on her Manhattan travels so that the rest of us can be voyeurs. They are Dia Calhoun, the acclaimed authoress, and Holly Cupala, whose first novel is due out in 2010. And in essential supporting roles there are those like Miss Little Willow herself, HipWriterMama (a blogger I admired for so long from afar, a writer, and interviewer extraordinaire), and the delightfully popular Miss Erin, rising actress and poet and friend (and daughter of sometimes actress, rising photographer, and always friend Sherry!).

They are, in other words, women I have long respected. Women who are out there making a difference with their voices and their opinions.

UNDERCOVER stands as a March pick among books that I'd be proud to be associated with on any day of any week: MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC, FRANKENSTEIN, GRACELING, NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING: SIX-WORD MEMOIRS BY WRITERS FAMOUS AND OBSCURE, and WALDEN.

I don't know about you, but sometimes electronic hugs, as first delivered upon my heart by Anna Lefler, are not enough.

Still:

(((thank you)))

Just a few posts and such I've enjoyed recently and wanted to share...

~Priya posted a really wonderful interview with Ingrid Law, author of the delightful Newbery Honor book Savvy.

~I got a kick out of the Hales' Rapunzel's Revenge thank you shout-out to Cybils.

~Justina Chen Headley, author of North of Beautiful, wrote a great, empowering guest blog post over at Shaping Youth.

~The lovely Noel interviewed the brilliant Jaclyn Moriarty, author of The Year of Secret Assignments, over at Novel Journey.

~Cory Doctorow's advice for "Writing in the Age of Distraction"

~EW's '12 Movies Coming in 2009' (fyi, Public Enemies is going to SO ROCK.)

So, one of the many awesome things about Justina Chen Headley is that she ties philanthropy in with each book. For North of Beautiful she's having a video challenge. All you have to do is make a 90 second video about what's beautiful to you. For every video that's uploaded, Justina will upload $10 to Global Surgical Outreach, which helps third world kids that have cleft palates and cleft lips (2 separate disorders guys!)

Then, there will be winners of such cool prizes like an iPhone.

So, the Global Surgical Outreach makes sense, because Jacob, the awesome guy in North of Beautiful has a cleft lip. But this is super close to my heart, because I have a cleft palate. I have NO UVULA, which is that dangly thing in the back of your throat. Not having one, I know what it's for-- when you swallow, it covers your sinuses. Yes, the uvula is the thing that keeps you from shooting milk out your nose. Anyway, I was born with a big hole instead of a uvula. Now, such things are fairly easy to treat with surgery. So, if you have access to decent health care, you have an annoying tendency to shoot milk out your nose at inopportune moments, and if you have a cleft lip, facial scaring. All in all, not too bad. But, if not treated, it interferes with eating, speech, and hearing. Not to mention the social issues of having a deformed face.

So, anyway, who doesn't like talking about beauty? So, check out the rules here, make your video, upload it, and share your beauty with the world.

I am doing my happy dance about hosting Justina Chen Headley today for her blog tour for her kickass new book, North of Beautiful.

See, I'm even prepared--these are my really big straws, which are for BUBBLE TEA. Except I might just take her to that place in Georgetown for bubble tea and all of yesterday's bubble tea haters can just deal with it already. (I was totally going to photoshop a picture so it would look like Justina and I were drinking bubble tea together, but then I remembered I don't have photoshop on this computer and my paint skills aren't that awesome. Or I could have photoshopped myself into the above photo at Shanghai hotspot M1nt, but I wasn't sure I could handle also doing my reflection in the tank...)

Anyway, frequent readers of my blog know that most of my reading falls into 2 categories: YA fiction, usually girly, and Adult non-fiction, usually about China. And, while North of Beautiful is about many things, it is also a YA Novel that goes to China and talks about how China is changing. Also, Justina just moved back from Shanghai, so how could I not ask her about China? I couldn't.

While in Shanghai, Jacob says that "real Chinese culture" is "anything to do with money...Everything in China is tied to making a buck." Terra thinks this is because in a country with, and escaping, such poverty, how could you not think about money all the time. "Who wouldn't be consumed with money if they lived in such squalor, if they had to worry about their next meal--and whether they would have a home because of the threat of progress." Do you agree with these characters' assessments of modern China?

Let’s just say that when I was living in Shanghai for the last couple of months, it was seen as completely acceptable for everyone and anyone—even taxi drivers—to ask point blank how much money you made, how much your house cost, how much your friends earned.

One of the sad, unwitting victims in China’s mad dash to modernize are its historic neighborhoods, razed without thought to preservation. These old neighborhoods (hutongs in Beijing and lilongs in Shanghai) won’t be around for much longer. Every day in Shanghai, I saw more and more sections being torn down. That’s history—tangible history—disappearing every moment. Some locals explained to me that the Chinese have no qualms demolishing this past since it’s a reminder of a poverty that’s too close in memory for comfort.

What do you wish Americans knew or understood about China today?

China is hungry and working an eight-day work week, literally every second around the clock. There is a viable pulse—at least in Shanghai where I lived for a few months. You could feel it in the city and see it in the number of cranes erected for its non-stop construction. The work ethic in China is extraordinary. You can check out my blog (www.justinachenheadley.blogspot.com) for my Shanghai turnstile posts about some of the movers and shakers in the creative industry…and how hard they work.

China’s fervor to lead the world into the twenty-first century should be a wake-up call to America. There’s so much work we as Americans need to do. We need to invest seriously in education, raising our math and science standards, encouraging more kids (including girls!) to enter technology fields. And then we all need to hunker down, sock away money into our savings, and rebuild our America.

What music are you listening to these days? What TV shows/movies are you watching?

I spent the last four months living in Shanghai and so I feel out of touch with music, TV, and movies. So I’ll put out an SOS to your blog readers:

Young adult author in need of a serious influx of new tunes and TV shows. Smitten with hip hop and rap rhythms. Loves voices like Natasha Bedingfield and lyrics like K.T. Tunstall’s. Looking for a compelling, happening TV show with the unique storytelling of Heroes (first season), wittiness and pop cultural references of the Gilmore Girls, and procedurals like Law & Order. Has serious crush on Eugenides from Megan Whalen Turner’s Attolia series. Email all suggestions to Justina [at] justinachenheadley [dot] com immediately.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your high school self?

Chill! Not everything has to be done right NOW. And not everything has to be done perfectly. (I often have to tell my forty-year-old self this, too.)

But I would also tell my high school self to be more financially savvy. Don’t fall into the “good girl” trap of not talking about money. Independence—being able to do what you want—is tied to having the financial wherewithal to bootstrap your own dreams.

Excellent advice! Now, before we wander around DC to make sure all of your books are prominently displayed in bookstores, Justina's giving away an AUTOGRAPHED copy of North of Beautiful to the 1st person who leaves a comment correctly answering the following question:

What famous librarian has gone geocaching with Justina

Hmmm... maybe we'll go geocaching around DC, so someday when I'm a famous librarian, I can be the answer to this question!

Anyway, if you've missed her earlier this week, check her out at Mitali's Fire Escape, Shelf Elf, Archimedes Forgets, and tomorrow she'll be hanging out over at Teen Book Review.

AND! Be sure to read all of Justina's books! In the words of my dear friend Molly, "ZOMG! I LOVE HER!"

Justina Chen Headley is on blog tour this week. She's stopping by tomorrow, which is awesome, because this entire week has been about hanging out with awesome women. Even if the other kickass women I hung out with this week are from college and Justina went to Stanford instead of Grinnell. But when you can take a few days off work to stay up until 5 am to hang out with some of your favorite people in the world? We didn't even care when, for some reason the power went off from 2 until 3.

But, just like I cleaned the house for my in-person friends, I'm madly preparing (of course, at the last minute) for Justina's visit, by reviewing 2 of her books! (I reviewed Girl Overboard last spring, here.

by Justina Chen Headley

Trying to describe all that this book is about is difficult...it encompasses so much. It's about a girl named Terra and the birthmark on her face that has made her life so ugly. It's about a girl longing to be free, and wishing for someone to give her permission to be so. It's about relationships - the one you have with yourself, and the ones you have with others. It's about what the word "beauty" really means . . . and how that's not such a simple term to define.

Justina Chen Headley has crafted a truly stellar novel in North of Beautiful. She managed meticulously the delicate balance of mixing dark with light in her story. Her talent for weaving various themes and imagery throughout a book is brilliant. It's a story that overwhelms you with truth; both characters and story ring with a painful, sweet honesty. The book made me cry, not because it was sad, but because it was good. I love books that inspire me, make me want to live . . . this one made me want to travel, and go geocaching, and make collages and art.

The joie de vie that defines Justina herself shines through in her writing. She without a doubt possesses the gift of writing beautifully, and I for one am so enthused as a reader to be a recipient of that gift.

I am in awe of Justina Chen Headley.  Not only is she a talented author of books of some of my favorite YA books -- (Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) and Girl Overboard) -- she believes in giving back with every one of her books.  Check out her interview for details.

because I am this tight with MC Hammer. Don't I look like a total dork with my mouth all askew? :) Here we are at the Ypulse Conference in San Francisco, where I also got to meet the awesome Melissa Walker, author of the Violet on the Runway series which I absolutely love -- I mean, seriously. Violet is this awesome geeky, awkward, freakishly tall and totally unpopular high school girl who gets discovered by a top modeling agency and becomes this amazing model...but guess what? Her problems don't magically go away. And since author Melissa has seen the inside view of the modeling industry (she has an article in the current issue of Teen Vogue, too), she is the perfect author to tell it like it is. I love this series and can't wait to read book three, Violet in Private, which comes out August 5.

I also met Justina Chen Headley, author of Girl Overboard and one of founders of the amazing Readergirlz. With her was her very cool son, who rocked.

And then there was David Levithan who claims half responsibility for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. He's also an editor at Scholastic and is involved in the upcoming 39 Clues, which is getting a lot of buzz. David and I shared the stage with Mortified author Dave Nadelberg and spent about 30 minutes embarrassing ourselves talking about our teen experiences.

And I can't forget to mention very cool editor Cindy Eagan from Little, Brown, who was a blast.

Awesome conference! You? Must come next year, okay? Okay.


And hey! Do you Twitter? https://twitter.com/lisa_mcmann

Author Justina Chen Headley is the co-founder of ReaderGirlz, an online book community that promotes teen girl literacy. Justina is clearly committed to making a difference and supporting good causes through her work as a writer; in her latest young adult novel, Girl Overboard, her snowboarder heroine, Syrah, organizes a snowboarding event to raise awareness for cancer. Now Justina is taking her commitment to making a difference a step further. In partnership with Burton Snowboards and Youth Venture, she is co-sponsoring the Go Overboard Challenge Grant.

You don’t have to be young to understand how radically good this venture is: Youth (ages 12-20) from across the globe are invited to “go overboard” and submit one of two action plan options for creating a positive impact on the world. Twelve $1000 grants will be awarded to individuals or teams with the best ideas so they can bring those ideas to fruition. Application details are here, so spread the word!

And speaking of positive impact and good causes, over at Read Write Believe, book lovers report the worthy causes they support. Check out its ongoing Very Big, No-Kidding, We’re Changing the World, You Bet! Good Deed List and share the causes you get behind.

Welcome to Day Six of the Super Blog Blast Tour. Today, I'm happy to welcome Justina Chen Headley, author of one of my most beloved YA titles, Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies). Justina is also one of the Readergirlz divas, a group of fabulous YA authors who are reaching out to readers with Readergirlz groups, manifestas, and monthly challenges.

Readergirlz on Readergirlz:

Dia Calhoun is the winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature. She is the author of five young adult fantasy novels, three of which are ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Her books are Avielle of Rhia (Marshall Cavendish, 2006), The Phoenix Dance (FSG, 2005), White Midnight (FSG, 2003), Aria of the Sea (FSG, reprint edition 2003), and Firegold (FSG, reprint edition 2003). When she isn't writing, Dia sings Italian arias, fly-fishes, and canoes down the Pacific Northwest's beautiful rivers. She lives with her husband and two frisky cats in Tacoma, Washington. Learn more at www.diacalhoun.com.

Janet Lee Carey spends her time crafting magic on the page. She's published five books including Wenny Has Wings (Atheneum, 2002), winner 2005 Mark Twain Award, The Beast of Noor (Atheneum, 2006), a fall Book Sense pick, and Dragon's Keep (Harcourt, 2007), which has a Booklist starred review. She also teaches novel writing to writers young and old, speaks in the U.S. and abroad, and yes, she even cooks and cleans and takes out the trash now and again because writers don't live in ivory towers. Her website is www.janetleecarey.com.

Lorie Ann Grover is the author of three Margaret K. McElderry-Simon & Schuster verse novels: Loose Threads (2002), a Booklist Top Ten First Novel for Youth; On Pointe (2004), a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year; and Hold Me Tight (2005), a VOYA Top Poetry Pick. Visit her at www.lorieanngrover.com.

Justina Chen Headley is the author of Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies)(Little Brown, 2006)(author interview), which was sold at auction. It's been named New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, a Borders Original Voices nominee and a Book Sense pick. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.justinachenheadley.com.

Congratulations on the launch of readergirlz! Could you tell us more about it?

Dia: Readergirlz is a new-online book community celebrating gutsy girls in life & lit. We want girls to read and reach out--and be tomorrow's history. That's why every month we're featuring a different YA novel with a super strong female protagonist AND a related community service project.

Each month an issue goes up on our website (readergirlz.com) with a book party package. The package includes discussion questions; menu, decorating ideas, and playlist related to the book; an interview with the readergirlz divas and the author; a list of related books; and the community service project. We host a discussion forum on our MySpace group site (groups.myspace.com/readergirlz) where girls can discuss the book with the author, the readergirlz divas, and each other. We also have a LiveJournal page at readergirlz.livejournal.com. We have all kinds of ways for girls to participate.

Our inaugural March issue features Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley, which has an ugly racist incident. So the featured community service project is for girls to apply for Mix It Up grants at Tolerance.org to tear down racial and social boundaries at school.

What are the particular needs of girls who read?

Janet: Girls who read are thinkers and dreamers. They know how to climb into another person's skin--that ability builds compassion. Girls who read need ways to express what they're learning. By providing cool community service choices with every book, readergirlz gives them a chance to move beyond the books and take action. That's empowerment!

What was your initial inspiration?

Justina: When I was out on my book tour last spring, I made an effort to visit urban high schools that couldn't otherwise afford an author. I was shocked and heartbroken--all these incredibly insightful kids with incredibly impoverished libraries and schools. I knew that I could figure out a way to provide teens--regardless of their socio-economic situation--with a rich author experience.

What was the timeline from spark to launch, and what were the major events along the way?

Lorie Ann: Justina conceived the idea for readergirlz nine months ago while touring for Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies). Her charitable visits to inner city schools inspired the idea of reaching teens across the country despite socio-economic status.

Listening to librarians at a NCTE panel further motivated Justina to take action. Four months ago, she approached Janet, Dia, and me with the concept. We divied up duties according to our skills and set to work creating our sites, logo, materials, and marketing plans.

Our first celebration in January was a sneak peek at the Midwinter ALA conference. The reception from librarians was unbelievable! Offering a book club, with party ideas, and community service interested many.

Webdiva, Little Willow, soon joined our ranks, and our website became a reality. Our MySpace members rose to 500, and the press began to take notice in February. The divas were busy with multiple interviews in one week!

Quickly, our March 1st launch arrived. Our inaugural issue was posted at our website. With 848 members, 109 comments gathered, and 446 readergirlz chatting about gutsy girls in lit, readergirlz was a reality! I love zipping over to our forums and seeing the great dialogue being exchanged. There's the heart of our work in action!

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, logistical) in bringing it to life?

Dia: There were--and still are--many challenges! The literary challenges--choosing the right books for the readergirlz list. We are reading like crazy and consulting children's literature experts—librarians and bloggers--and teens themselves to find the right books. We think that there are twelve things that girls need to be armed with before they launch into the real world, among these are tolerance, healthy bodies and spirits, and self-acceptance. You'll see books that reflect these core values.

We had huge technical challenges--none of the readergirlz divas was very tech savvy, and we needed a website, a MySpace site, and a LiveJournal site. Major kudos to Lorie Ann Grover for becoming our technical wizard. Thanks also to Little Willow, our wonderful and generous webdiva. There were many other challenges: marketing, designing a logo, making promotional materials; handling appearances and press relations; e-newsletter and database management; and copywriting. And finally, the biggest challenge of all—trying to keep writing during the onslaught of readergirlz work!

What are your hopes and plans for readergirlz in the future?

Janet: Strong girl characters empower girls everywhere. I hope readergirlz builds a worldwide community of thinking girls who read and respond--girls who cheer each other on and support each other’s dreams.

Lorie Ann: I hope that girls across the country form readergirlz groups, where they can discuss great books, feel empowered, and reach out into their communities. I hope the solitary readers connect through our sites and feel a sense of belonging. Bottom line: I hope we all inspire each other to be our best.

Could you briefly tell us about your own books?

Janet: Dragon's Keep is the story of a princess with a dragon's claw--a tale combining beauty and beast in one person. At its core it is a story about self-acceptance. Rosalind feels she is unlovable because of her deformity. She must be perfectly beautiful in order to be loved. Sound familiar? Girls in our culture are taught "Beauty equals Love" from the cradle. If you are not a perfect 10, you're not good enough. Dragon's Keep turns this cultural myth on its head!

Dia: I write YA fantasy novels. They are Avielle of Rhia, about a princess struggling with terrorism; The Phoenix Dance, a retelling of Grimm's fairy-tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, about a girl with bipolar illness; White Midnight, about a girl who dreams of owning her own land, Aria Of The Sea, about a dancer trying to find her true voice, and Firegold, about a mixed race boy seeking self-acceptance.

Lorie Ann: On Pointe is a verse novel about my experience wherein I grew too tall to continue my professional ballet track. In our age where kids are told they can be whatever they imagine, I wanted to offer a realistic book where a character's dreams aren't reached. My hope is to encourage readers to keep going and dream again. There are so many ways to express yourself. Through a seemingly dead end, the world may open.

Justina: Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) features a half-Asian, half-white girl who yearns to be someone she's not. In the course of a summer--at math camp, no less--she figures out how cool it is to be no one but herself. My forthcoming YA novel, Girl Overboard, is about a snowboard girl who learns to value herself off the mountain.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Justina: We challenge authors of middle grade fiction to create something similar to readergirlz for kids ages 8-12. Give kids a rich author experience! Tie books to community service! That would truly thrill us.

SEATTLE, March 1--In honor of Women's History Month, four young adult authors are launching readergirlz, a new online book salon celebrating gutsy girls in life and literature.

Starting on March 1, readergirlz founders Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, Lorie Ann Grover, and Justina Chen Headley will unveil a monthly book selection, featuring young adult novels with gutsy female characters.

More than just a book club, readergirlz aims to encourage teen girls to read and reach out with community service projects related to each featured novel. As well, readergirlz will host MySpace discussions with each book's author, include author interviews, and provide book party ideas, including playlists, menus, and decorations. All content will be available through the readergirlz website (www.readergirlz.com), MySpace (www.myspace.com/readergirlz and groups.myspace.com/readergirlz), and Live Journal (readergirlz.livejournal.com).

"We want girls to be the best women they can be," explains Headley. The inspiration for readergirlz came from Headley's book tour last spring where she made a special effort to visit urban communities that couldn't otherwise bring in authors. Headley spoke at November's NCTE conference in Nashville and also attended a rousing session about teen literacy led by three librarians (Lois Buckman, Bonnie Kunzel, and Teri Lesesne). Inspired, Headley recruited three critically-acclaimed novelists—Calhoun, Carey, and Grover—to start readergirlz as a way to talk to teens about reading and writing.

"Readergirlz is a way I can connect wonderful books to girls I'd never be able to meet otherwise," agrees Calhoun.

The founders hope readergirlz will change the way girls experience literature and see themselves. "I want to challenge girls to go for their dreams," says Carey. "I learned how brave girls can be through books, and I want to share the power of literature with girls, wherever they are."

Using MySpace and a website, the readergirlz founders, dubbed the divas, plan to provide a rich literary experience for teen girls online. "We already have over 750 friends on MySpace. From surveys to playlists to author interviews, we'll provide young adult readers with fun, meaningful content," explains Grover. "Why not harness the power of MySpace to get girls to think critically about what they want to be in the future?"

Each book selection will dovetail to a topic, identified by the readergirlz divas and prominent children's lit bloggers as topics teen girls should know about in this millennium.

The first topic is Tolerance, a theme explored in the kick-off book selection for readergirlz, Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies). As prominent blogger, Jennifer Robinson of http://jkrbooks.typepad.com, noted, teens "need to know that when they are mean or intolerant to other people, they're doing damage."

In conjunction with the first novel, teen girls will be encouraged to visit www.tolerance.org to learn how to safely stop bullying and to apply for one of the organization’s Mix It Up grants to break social and racial barriers within their schools.

About the Readergirlz Founders

Dia Calhoun is the winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, and author of five young adult fantasies, including Avielle of Rhia and The Phoenix Dance.

Janet Lee Carey won the 2005 Mark Twain Award for Wenny Has Wings, and her forthcoming young adult fantasy, Dragon's Keep, has already received a starred review in Booklist.

Lorie Ann Grover is a former ballerina-turned-verse-novelist whose acclaimed work includes On Pointe and Loose Threads, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.

Justina Chen Headley sold her first two novels at auction, including her debut, Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), named Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best.

For more information about readergirlz, please visit their website (www.readergirlz.com), MySpace (www.myspace.com/readergirlz and groups.myspace.com/readergirlz), and Live Journal (readergirlz.livejournal.com).

YA Authors Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, Lorie Ann Grover & Justina Chen Headley

are launching readergirlz, a new online book community celebrating gutsy girls in life & lit. Our goal is to encourage teen girls to read and reach out. Every month, we will gather readers online to discuss a novel with us and participate in a community service project related to that book.

We'll kick off readergirlz on March 1, 2007, in honor of National Women's History Month.