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By: Janet Lee Carey,
on 2/16/2015
By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 9/29/2014
By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 7/1/2014
Just back from the ALA Annual Conference where I went on the hunt for co-founder Justina Chen's new ARC. They were completely gone from the Little Brown booth the same day they were displayed. So watch for this one. I happen to know it's quite the hot adventure full of truths that will leave you thinking and inspired!
Here's the description:
Shana has always had a blind spot for boys. Can she trust the one who's right in front of her?
Sixteen-year-old Shana Wilde is officially on a Boy Moratorium. After a devastating breakup, she decides it's time to end the plague of Mr. Wrong, Wrong, and More Wrong.
Enter Quattro, the undeniably cute lacrosse player who slams into Shana one morning in Seattle. Sparks don't just fly; they ignite. And so does Shana's interest. Right as she's about to rethink her ban on boys, she receives crushing news: Her dad is going blind. Quattro is quickly forgotten, and Shana and her parents vow to make the most of the time her father has left to see. So they travel to Machu Picchu, and as they begin their trek, they run into none other than Quattro himself. But even as the trip unites them, Quattro pulls away mysteriously... Love and loss, humor and heartbreak collide in this new novel from acclaimed author Justina Chen.
A Blind Spot for Boys
by Justina Chen
Little Brown, August 12, 2014
By: Beth Kephart ,
on 4/11/2014
By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 2/27/2014
Hey rgz,
Can you believe our 7 year birthday is coming? Seriously, March 1, we are 7 years old! Watch for posts throughout the month of authors we featured in the past. They will be sharing 7 Things We Don't Know or giving a speedy update on their writing.
But now, I'm posting to make a quote call. Let's See It, Say It. Take your favorite quote from YA lit, snap a pic of the page, or write the quote out and take a pic, or design something awesome over at Polyvore. However you like, get it visual and post it on our Facebook page. Authors, draw from your own works and others; readers share the best bits from the books you heart; and librarians, teachers, and booksellers, jump on in.
Our beloved Ellen Hopkins has done this for awhile:
Here's one from co-founder Dia Calhoun:
By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 1/30/2013
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By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 1/21/2013
This, rgz, this is Justina Chen's heart which conceived our community. Read the Kirkus Feature by her and be inspired. Then, read Return to Me.
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By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 1/15/2013
Joy of joy! Co-founder of readergirlz, Justina Chen, is launching her latest novel today! Get ready for the beautiful, raw, realistic Return to Me. You will be moved. Just listen to the thoughts of other readergirlz:
"So basically, they are real people. And that makes reading about them to be completely engrossing."
Kelly Hager
"Return to Me is inspirational, it's raw emotions, and it's powerful! It's more than just reading a book. It's living in the story, being Rebecca!"
Jovan Tucker
"Justina has done such a great job at story telling you will be enthralled with this book and will not be able to put it down."
Tee
"I can't even recount how many times I cried while reading this book. It was pretty amazing."
Kristilyn
Here's the description from Amazon:
Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.
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By: Lorie Ann Grover,
on 3/8/2011
So in every organization, there's a flow of staff, coming in and going out. As a volunteer organization, this certainly occurs at readergirlz as every contributor is a YA author herself. It's time to say goodbye to three staff members this month.
First is Holly Cupala, our Design Diva. Holly has been our rgz face, essentially. She has donated hundreds and hundreds and hundred of hours to make posters, videos, banners, bookmarks, newsletters, and other visuals hot and engaging for our community. We will miss Holly so much! Her sweet, giving spirit is always infectious. We send her off with our best as she works on her third YA novel. Thank you, dearest Holly! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you dearly.
Liz Gallagher is also stepping away from readergirlz this month. She has been our head rgz HOST, networking and representing us in the industry. Her joy and belief in the organization have always been inspiring. We will miss her in the day-to-day dealings of rgz. Thank you, Liz! Here's to your next YA release! We love you much!
And then the ever-so-brilliant Martha Brockenbrough is stepping down as well. She has been our PR agent and general advisor for all things future. Between her gifts, talents, and networking abilities, she enabled the YA lit world and beyond to know the amazing things we were doing as a community. Thank you, Martha, for every effort, especially those press releases, TBD blog rolls, and Twitter hashtag posts. You-wow-me. Congrats on the sale of your first YA novel! We heart you!
Both Justina Chen and Dia Calhoun, my fellow co-founders, will be retreating toward their own writing as Holly, Liz, and Martha are doing. However they aren't too far away. :~)
So, your current rgz team will be: Micol Ostow, Melissa Walker, Little Willow, with me, Lorie Ann Grover as the representing co-founder. You'll see a few changes, fantastic new ideas and projects, and amazing blog posts as we continue to feature a different author every week.
No worries. Your rgz community is alive and thriving. Spread the word, and take a minute to give your love to our volunteer YA authors who are departing. Thankfully, they are in our Circle of Stars and will always, always, always be readergirlz. Thank you, ladies. We really do love you each so much!
Now, rgz: READ, REFLECT, and REACH OUT.
By: holly cupala,
on 1/13/2011
Thanks to the cafés cropping up on every street corner these days, everyone I know seems to be two steps ahead of a caffeine headache - but Sarah Jamila Stevenson, debut author, has an answer: THE LATTE REBELLION. It just hit the shelves this week and promises to be a funny, thoughtful look at a mixed-race girl who must choose her convictions in an increasingly mixed-up world.
readergirlz co-founder Justina Chen (NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL) says, "Get ready to start your own rebellion after gulping down Sarah Stevenson's deftly written, multi-layered story about growing a voice, growing apart, and most of all, growing up girl."
I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at a kidlit blogger conference a few years ago and am so proud to see her book on the shelf!
Welcome, Sarah!
*****
Asha Jamison, the narrator, and her best friends, Carey and Miranda, decide to make their senior year a little more interesting by creating a fictitious social movement for students of mixed ethnicity: the Latte Rebellion. The proceeds from the t-shirts they sell will go straight into a vacation fund for after they graduate. But their movement gains a life of its own, and various aspects of Asha's life spin out of control as a result—in some good ways as well as not-so-good ways.
Holly Cupala: Welcome to the blog, Sarah! I heard you've had some pretty fascinating stops on the road to publishing this book. Will you tell us about it?
Sarah Jamila Stevenson: It allowed to me to realize one of my geeky lifelong aspirations—to be on NPR! When I was working on the first draft of The Latte Rebellion, it was National Novel Writing Month. A local NPR program, Insight (Capital Public Radio), was doing a segment on NaNoWriMo and posted a call for volunteers to appear on the show along with NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty. I was one of those selected, and I got to read a passage from my work-in-progress on the air. It's the third and final segment on this show.
Of course, my real dream is to be some kind of expert whose sound advice and/or witty commentary is regularly sought on NPR, but I suspect that'll probably stay a pipe dream...
Read more of Sarah's secrets and enter to win THE LATTE REBELLION here...
~Holly Cupala
