This month rgz is celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with feature author Shannon Hale and her latest work set in Mongolia:

Sneak a peek at the postergirlz and divas' discussion below and then join us at the rgz MySpace group forum to chat with Shannon!

Read, reflect, and reach out, rgz!

Roundtable: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
What would you do if you were locked up with your friend in a tower for seven years? Five people - one bookseller, one librarian, one huge Shannon Hale fan, and two published authors - gathered to chat about Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, the readergirlz book selection for May 2008. Luckily, we all brought our keys and our escape plans.

Miss Erin: Before we start, everyone should know that I am one of THE biggest Shannon Hale fans you can possibly find. I would say biggest, but I think the girls at the Little Red Reading Hood forum would protest. Over there, we all pretty much tie for that position. I just thought that everyone should know that Shannon is my hero, and the most wonderful person I've ever met. Now that we've got that clear, let the conversation commence!

Lorie Ann Grover: I'm so glad Shannon was free to participate, Miss Erin. I did hear you hit the floor when you received the news.

Little Willow: Whenever I shelve Shannon Hale's books, I think of Erin because I know how much she enjoys them. Were any of you familiar with the folktale upon which Book of a Thousand Days was based?

Lorie Ann: No, I didn't know of the fairy tale.

Dia Calhoun: I'm not sure. I remember something about a girl being locked up in a tower, but maybe I'm thinking of Rapunzel!

Erin: No. I read it after I read the book, and was astounded by how many of the novel's themes and elements Shannon pulled from the original tale.

Jackie: No, and that's actually the cool thing about Hale's books. They are just dripping with fairy tale goodness, but she always picks obscure enough tales that you really don't know what you are in for. Both comforting and familiar in style, but fresh in content. This is why Erin obsesses.

Erin: Yes. Shannon Hale books are the ultimate comfort reads. Every time I reread one I love it even more (if that is possible!) than I did before.

LW: Do you consider yourself to be a fan of fairy tales and folktales?

Jac: OMG, like, do fairies have wings, and trolls carry clubs? I totally love 'em.

LW: Oh my goodness, Jac just said OMG. I love fairy tales and tales with fairies - the two aren't mutually exclusive - but apparently, Jac's more into trolls than moi.

Lorie Ann: I'm not a huge fan. But I am interested in the classic types you find in fairy tales and how those are repeated through so many different cultures.

Dia: Absolutely! I love the tone of fairy tales and have actually written a picture book in a "fairy tale" voice. I love the simple, clear, strong language. I'd love to try to write a whole book in this voice, but alas, I tend to get too complex.

Erin: A HUGE fan! Fairy tale retellings are my favorite genre of books!

LW: What is your favorite folktale, or who is your folkteller?

Dia: The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Andrew Lang.

Jac: I don't know why, but for some reason the only thing that comes to mind when you ask that question are tall tales, which I do love. My favorite is Clever Beatrice, a picture book. My mom got it autographed for me, and I love it.

Erin: I don't think I have a favorite. I love pretty much every fairy tale in existence. Fairy tales were the first form of fantasy literature I ever read. I read books and books of them when I was younger.

Jac: Oh! Also I love all the Paul O. Zelinsky illustrated fairy tales. Those are just gorgeous.

LW: I love retold fairy tales, especially when they are done well.

Erin: What is your favorite retelling? Shannon's books aside, I love Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, and, recently, A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. To name only a few.

Jac: Oh! Ella Enchanted! Yay!

LW: I like Ella Enchanted - better book than movie, by the way - but Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is great.

Lorie Ann: I also love Donna Jo Napoli's work. Zel still haunts me! I, of course, treasure Dia Calhoun's Phoenix Dance, and Robin McKinley is just brilliant!

LW: Christopher Golden does a phenomenal job retelling well-known stories. For example, his novel Straight on 'til Morning sets the tale of Peter Pan in 1981 and makes it a coming-of-age story AND a horror novel. Brilliant. He also has a trilogy called The Veil in which a modern man must go on a quest with legends from all kinds of myths, such as Jack Frost and Kitsune, with the Sandman as their adversary.

Dia: I love Juliette Marillier's retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. And anything by Donna Jo Napoli.

LW: Which Shannon Hale book is your favorite?

Dia: Oh, what a hard choice. I'd have to say Goose Girl. I think I like it best because it was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was a girl. I particularly remember an illustration of the Goose Girl that I used to gaze at for hours.

LW: To date, I've read four of Hale's novels - The Goose Girl, Princess Academy, Austenland, and Book of a Thousand Days - and enjoyed them all.

Erin: I seriously don't have one. It depends on which I've read most recently.

Jac: This very moment I'm going to say Book of a Thousand Days, but if I ever get around to reading the Goose Girl books - ducks from invisible flying objects coming from Erin's direction - my answer might just change. I do have a special little place in me heart for Austenland, I might add. It's funny, though. Even though Austenland is the one without fairy tale/fantasy elements, it's still sort of a fantasy - just one that we create every time we open a book and start reading about the perfect love.

Erin: JACKIE! READ THEM! AAAHHH! Oh, and "the Goose Girl books" actually have the series name Books of Bayern. Just thought you should know.

Jac: I know, but I was too lazy to go look the series title up before I spoke. Remember who attended TWO Shannon Hale/Libba Bray appearances with you, WITHOUT directions, and getting LOST like five times, JUST to feed your obsession. I'm not full of ignorance. Maybe like, a quarter full...

Erin: Yes, Jackie, you rock. That night rocked. Even the getting lost kind of rocked, once we got un-lost again.

Lorie Ann: While you two carry on, I'll say the images in Enna Burning stay in my mind the most.

LW: I know Erin's answer to this: Do you tend to read and enjoy stories told in diary format? I do. She doesn't.

Jac: I do. There's just something so approachable and, if done correctly, visceral about them. Of course if they were real diaries they'd be painful to read (go ahead, try NOT to cringe at your 12-year-old self's diary), so I much prefer the fictional ones.

Erin: I'm not usually a fan of diary-formatted books. Book of a Thousand Days, however, got the feel of a real journal just right.

Dia: It depends on the book. When it's well done, as in this case, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Lorie Ann: It's not my first choice, but Shannon did so well with the format. In other books, I feel distanced from the dialogue and action - although I do love the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series!

LW: This book has a cat. Sorry, this isn't a question. This is a statement. Pardon me as I quote Holly Golightly and scream, "CAT!"

Dia: I'm screaming, too. I loved My Lord the Cat. I can imagine what a comfort he must have been to Dashti.

LW: My cats were always a comfort. I miss them terribly.

Miss Erin: If I ever get a cat I will name him My Lord the Cat. Yes, I am that big of a Shan-fan. One of my two favorite scenes in the book (I'm not going to tell either because of spoilers) involves the cat.

Jac: Cat? Oh. right. He was persnickety.

LW: Make that purr-snickety. I can't deal with it when pets don't live in books. I was quite pleased that this cat survived the tale!

Lorie Ann: The cat was wonderful! One of my favorite characters! Did everyone enjoy the drawings? Did they help set the place for you?

Dia: I loved the drawings.

LW: Kudos to illustrator James Noel Smith. Whenever books feature characters who are artists, I yearn to see their paintings or hear their performances. It was so great to see Dashti's artwork within the context of the story.

Lorie Ann: The drawings did enrich the story. They helped me to see, through beautiful lines, this unfamiliar place. Thanks, James! And thanks Shannon for bringing us even closer to Dashti by giving her an artistic hand.

LW: What did you all think of Saren?

Dia: I'm so glad that Saren evolved into a strong young woman. I was so worried for her for much of the book.

Lorie Ann: I, too, was worried about Saren. I also was irritated and frustrated with her. Weren't you all? And then I rejoiced! She grew as much as Dashti, didn't she? In a believable way.

LW: Without spoiling any big plot points, were there any parts of this story that made you cry?

Dia: Dashti's selflessness made me cry. I don't think I'd be able to do that for anyone, myself.

Lorie Ann: No, I didn't cry, but I was very engaged by the story. I love Dashti's voice and the new world she brought to me in such simple lines as this: "It's a shame I don't have fresh yak dung or anything strong-smelling to scare the misery out of her."

Lorie Ann: Didn't everyone love the songs Dashti can sing. Don't you wish you had such powers?

Erin: YES. The power to heal using songs would be amazing.

LW: I love music, and I love singing. I don't long for supernatural singing powers outright, but I'd love to one day hear that the songs I write and sing bring happiness to others!

Miss Erin: Let's talk getting locked away in a tower for seven years with someone. Would you be brave or loyal enough to do that? What would you try to do to keep yourself from going crazy?

Jac: Gosh. It is highly unlikely that I would be loyal enough to that princess to do it. I think maybe if the tower had computer access and a library. Then maybe. But not that tower, or that princess, or those RATS!

LW: I couldn't be locked up anywhere for any duration of time. I am constantly in motion - my legs are dancing, walking, my lips are moving, I'm talking, singing. If and when I'm sitting, my fingers and eyes are moving because I'm reading, writing, typing.

Lorie Ann: For my children, I would. And you can always write. John Bunyan was locked in a tower prison and wrote Pilgrim's Progress. Perfect!

Dia: Does the tower have a big window that looks out onto a splendid ever-changing view? Then maybe, if I had books and paper and a treadmill! But I still think I would want a change after about a month. Is there chalk? Can I draw on the stone walls? Three things I take into the tower with me: Cat. Books. Paper/pen.

LW: I like the sound of that. Let's end the roundtable on that note.

Discuss Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale at the readergirlz forum.

Learn more about the book and its author in the May 2008 issue of readergirlz.

Check out previous roundtable discussions at Bildungsroman.

readergirlz is wild with joy to welcome the incomparable Sarah Dessen, our featured author for March and our hot topic: TRUTH.

Just Listen is a year in the life of a family coming to terms with the imperfections beneath its perfect facade.

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything." This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend, no peace at home, and no one to sit with at lunch.

Until she meets Owen Armstrong, a music-obsessed boy. With his help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

This is young adult fiction at its best. -- School Library Journal

Dessen weaves a sometimes funny, mostly emotional, and very satisfying story. —VOYA

A Booksense Top Ten Pick
A New York Times Bestseller
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Talk with Sarah all month long on the readergirlz group forum. And don't miss our Sneak Peek Lock and Key party on Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 p.m. pst/3:00 EST on the forum. For lots more about Sarah, check out the complete readergirlz issue. And check out our new look for our one year anniversary!

The holidays are here, readergirlz! And what better gift for your BFF than a book perfect for her passion? The divas, postergirlz, and one fabulous bookseller have teamed together to give you the most excellent shopping list for your BFF, designed by readergirlz divas Dia Calhoun and Lorie Ann Grover.

Is she The Girl Who Saves Her Neck for Edward? Jackie's list will do the trick.

Or maybe she's The Girl Who Dances in Glass Slippers. Dia's list is right on.

Check out our list of ten personalities, print out the PDFs, and then shoot over to your local bookstore. Even better, print out all the lists, hole punch the corner, and tie them together with a ribbon. There may be a book you want for yourself as well! Let the shopping begin!

And remember, check out www.2SMRT4U.com for tips on keeping you safe online. They're giving away way cool FREE rings for you and a friend. Slip a ribbon around the ring and you've got yourself a stand-out present topper.

So consider these bookmarks our gift to you & your BFF and our very personal community service project all rolled in one. So read, reflect, and reach out. Happy holidays!

Download postergirl picks as a PDF or JPG

Download diva picks as a PDF or JPG

Currently listening : Noel By Josh Groban Release date: 09 October, 2007

Poster by Dia Calhoun

Here's a quick round-up of some of the wonderful results from 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens. 

31 nightly chats connecting teens with the best authors of today
Girlz (and guyz) who are reading more widely
Publishers Weekly article
School Library Journal article
ALA website announcement
YALSA blog coverage
Beaucoup coverage in the rest of the blogosphere, from children's lit bloggers to library blogs
Library website features, some even making weekly slide shows
Librarians and teachers reading the transcripts with their students
Librarian love at WLMA
Librarian love at the Teen Volume Conference with the Chicago Public Library
Worldwide participation: U.K., Italy, Australia, Kuwait, Spain, France, Argentina, and New Zealand
Publisher websites linked
Publisher newsletters announced 31
Publisher 31 book donations

Thanks to all our 31 Fabulous Authors! 

Thanks to all our generous and critically-acclaimed authors who participated in the YALSA-readergirlz mega-event: 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens.  We applaud MySpace newbies for braving the teen hangout, and we commend everyone for dealing so well with the MySpace group forum.

As one teen told us, "So I went to the library today and got a HUGE bag of books from all the authors we'll be meeting this month. Hope no other readergirl goes looking at my library because she won't find anything."

Thanks to the three fabulous women at YALSA who celebrate teen reading: Beth Yoke, executive director; Paula Brehm-Heeger, president; and Judy Nelson, former president.

"What an amazing mission YALSA has to engage teens in literature. For many Teen Read Week could be the moment they start their own amazing journey of discovery, through a book in their hands." - Lorie Ann Grover, readergirlz diva, On Pointe

"Just as teenagers must come of age as people, they also must come of age as readers. Teen Read Week puts a spotlight on this transition, and reminds us all of the importance of getting good books to teenagers." - John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

Thanks to our beloved Postergirlz for sending us their author interviews, book reviews and co-hosting chats!

Thanks to the fab teachers and librarians who lurked and posted on the chats -- you know who you are.

And thanks to all the readergirlz and guyz who put off homework (and dinner!) every night to spend time with our amazing authors!

Celebrate with your favorite ice cream

Are your scoops ready?

Holly Black kicks off our final week of 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens!! 

Get ready to Chat with award-winning author Holly Black tonight at the  readergirlz MySpace Group Forum  @ 5pm PDT/ 8pm EDT

And chat with a New Author Every Night This Week beginning 5pm PDT/ 8pm EDT  (Special Time for Stephenie Meyer Chat begins 9pm PDT/12pm EDT)

Here's Our Big Scoop on Week Five!

October 28^th Holly Black  

Check out readergirlz issue featuring Holly Black complete with playlist, party ideas, and Holly's interview with the divas!

October 29^th Cynthia Leitich Smith

October 30th Dia Calhoun

October 31st Stephenie Meyer   

 (Stephenie Meyer Chat begins 9pm PDT/12pm EDT)

Come join us for the chat tonight. 

Are your scoops ready?

Sonya Sones starts off week four of 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens!! 

Get ready to Chat with award-winning author Sonya Sones tonight at the  readergirlz MySpace Group Forum  @ 5pm PDT/ 8pm EDT

And chat with a New Author Every Night in October beginning 5pm PDT/ 8pm EDT

Here's Our Big Scoop on Week Three!

October 21st Sonya Sones 

October 22nd Lisa Yee

October 23rd Carolyn Mackler   

October 24th E. Lockhart  

October 25th Janet Lee Carey  

October 26th Gaby Triana

October 27^th Lauren Myracle

Come join us for the chat tonight and each night this week. 

Are your scoops ready?

Tanya Lee Stone starts off week three of 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens!! 

October 14^th Tanya Lee Stone 

October 15th John Green

October 16th Sara Zarr  

October 17th Deb Caletti  

October 18th Rachel Cohn  

October 19th Kirsten Miller

October 20^th Mitali Perkins  

Come join us for the chat tonight. 

Are your scoops ready?

Announcing readergirlz 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens!

Get ready to Chat on the readergirlz MySpace Group Forum every Night in October beginning 5pm PDT/ 8pmEDT

Here's Our First Big Scoop on Week One!

October 1st  Meg Cabot

October 2nd Tiffany Trent

October 3rd  Brent Hartinger

October 4th Lorie Ann Grover

October 5th K.L. Going

October 6th Nikki Grimes

Come join us!

Don't miss a single moment with this amazing lineup!

Are your scoops ready?

Hey all!

Really, what better day to launch readergirlz than today in honor of Women's History Month? 

The girls we write for are going to be tomorrow's history.  And our world needs more gutsy girls—girls who will run companies and countries, girls who will become artists revealing new aspects of the world, and girls who will start new community service endeavors that make people's lives better.  We need gutsy girls who are limitless in their potential and their dreams. 

So every month, we're going to spotlight a different gutsy girl in literature.  More than that, we're going to pick books that illuminate a gutsy girl topic—subjects that we think are important for teen girls to know about and think about and do something about.  (Don't worry; the books we choose are not those message-y books that hit you over the head with a Theme.  Nor are we going to do boring Let's-Analyze-a-Novel-by-a-Dead-White-Guy exercises here.)

As one of our all-time favorite bloggers, the truly remarkable Jen Robinson, told us, "Girls should be reading about characters who aren't perfect, who either have real-life problems and have to cope with them, or who simply make mistakes and have to deal with the consequences."

So readergirlz will be reading across different genres—from contemporary books to historical fiction to fantasy.  Our intention is to talk with you about different ideas, expose you to a wide spectrum of authors (some well-known, others brand-new), and introduce you to courageous characters who inspire us, not because they're perfect.  But because they're flawed, like us.  And are sometimes scared, like us.  And have problems, like us.  And who still persevere to make a difference.

That's why we chose Patty in Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) to kick off readergirlz.  By no means is she perfect.  She's not even all that confident when the book starts, partly because she's never felt like she's fit in.  Sound familiar?  Her feeling of being the odd girl out is intensified by a bully at school.

So this month's Gutsy Girl Topic is Tolerance.  Again, to quote Ms. Robinson, teens "need to know that when they are mean or intolerant to other people, they're doing damage."

Let's be clear:  bullying isn't the exclusive domain of mean teen girls and bullying boys.  (Hello, what's with the Delta Zeta chapter at DePauw University who essentially kicked out everyone in the sorority who was overweight and/or of color?  We give a shout out to the sorority girls who quit on principle because beauty and thinness do not equal character and worth.)

We think gutsy girls are ones, like Patty, who learn to stand up for themselves and for others.  They can advocate for themselves when they need help.  They define themselves, not others.  And they definitely do not let others define them.  They are open-minded about people and new ideas.  And they are the girls who would apply for one of Tolerance.org's Mix It Up grants to tear down social and racial boundaries at school.  We challenge you to check out www.tolerance.org for yourself. 

Here at readergirlz, we want to know what YOU think make up the other Gutsy Girl Topics.  What do teen girls need to know about, think about, and do something about?  Share your thoughts.  Leave us a comment.  Or two.

Thanks for joining the readergirlz movement.  We can't wait to chat about gutsy books and gutsy girls with you!

~the readergirlz divas~

Dia, Janet, Lorie Ann & Justina