Have you ever seen a John Wayne movie? I hadn't - until I read Girl, Hero by Carrie Jones ( Read more... )

In the summer of 1980, Madison becomes the first girl in Southern Michigan to join a boys' baseball team. Though some of the other players are more friendly than others, they don't exactly welcome her with open arms. Once they see her play, she earns both their respect and their jealousy. Townspeople start writing letters to the editor of the local ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

The readergirlz book selection for April 2008 is Shark Girl, a verse novel by Kelly Bingham about a young woman whose life changes after she loses an arm. Little Willow, Miss Erin, and Lorie Ann Grover gathered around a virtual roundtable to discuss the book.

Little Willow: I'm fond of saying that Shark Girl is 95% verse novel but 100% heart.

( Read more... )

Published as part of Penguin's Students across Seven Seas (S.A.S.S.) line, Girl Overboard by Aimee Ferris charts Marina's trip aboard a ship with kids from around the world. ( Read my full review.) The well-traveled author dropped by, speaking at length about places I've never been, conservation efforts, and her love for dolphins and octopi.
Your ( Read more... )

Sometimes, two books have the same title. Typically, they are vastly different. In this case, both of them are definitely worth reading. While Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley hit the slopes on New Year's Day this year, Girl Overboard by Aimee Ferris sailed into stores last May ( Read more... )

Jo Knowles' debut novel, Lessons from a Dead Girl, details the complex and painful life-long friendship of two girls: Leah, the abuser, and Laine, the victim. Out of shame and confusion, Laine refuses to tell anyone what Leah does for years. It's a remarkable book, and anyone who reads the author's blog can tell that she's remarkably compassionate ( Read more... )

"The Class of 2k7 is a group of first-time children's and YA authors with debut books coming out in 2007. We're helping to promote each other's books with this joint Class of 2k7 website as well as a collective blog, newsletter, forum, chatroom, and brochure. Our authors hail from 20 states and D.C. representing an extensive range of genres and ( Read more... )

See Tom ransack your pockets for each note,
And read your secrets while he cleans your coat
- from Curiosity by Charles Sprague

BIG SLICK is part Ferris Bueller's Day Off, part Texas Hold 'Em. The book's cover has the perfect tagline: High stakes and dirty laundry. Andrew "borrows" $600 from the cash register at his dad's dry cleaning business to ( Read more... )

On Friday, August 3rd, I got up bright and early - which I always do, but this time, I had a very special purpose. I had been invited to speak on a panel with four other lit-happy bloggers at The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference. Our panel was entitled Having Our Say: Blogging About Children's Literature. I was ( Read more... )