Hey rgz,

YALSA and readergirlz are inviting you to participate in an awesome opportunity!



We are partnering on a second teen literacy project, Operation Teen Book Drop(TBD), after the success of our 31 Flavorite Authors for Teens program last October. To build awareness for April 17, 2008, Support Teen Literature Day, readergirlz and YALSA have organized a massive, coordinated release of 10,000 publisher-donated YA books into the top pediatric hospitals across the country.

We now invite you to celebrate Support Teen Lit Day with us. How? Donate one of your books to your community and join an unprecedented online book bash: The TBD Post-Op Party!

What To Do Now?
· Download a TBD bookplate from here. Paste this bookplate into the book you plan to donate. If you are an author, download this plate.

· Blog about Operation TBD and your upcoming participation, and place the “I Rock the Drop” icon on your site. You can get the code here.

· At the readergirlz MySpace group forum look for the thread “TBD rgz,” and post a reply that you plan to “Rock the Drop.” Watch and participate in other readergirlz MySpace group forum TBD threads as they are posted.

Drop a Book on April 17th
· Leave your book, with a TBD bookplate pasted inside, in a teen gathering spot in your community. Place it where the book will be found, taken, and read. (i.e. a coffee shop, the park, school, a bus stop.)

Join the TBD Post-Op Party, April 17th
· We invite everyone to join our online two-hour book party hosted at the readergirlz MySpace forum, on April 17th (Support Teen Literature Day), at 6-8pm Pacific/9-11pm Eastern. The chat will be in a thread titled "TBD Post-Op Party." The readergirlz divas will be giving away books and prizes!

We've invited so many authors, you just never know who you might end up chatting with! This is the same day all 10,000 publisher-donated books will be dropped in pediatric hospitals across the country, and it is the same day authors and librarians themselves will have released their own favorite books into their communities as you have.

Operation TBD has special meaning to the readergirlz divas. After researching pediatric oncology wards for her novel GIRL OVERBOARD, Justina Chen Headley spent a year purchasing autographed YA novels to donate to her local Children’s Hospital, specifically because most hospitals do not have comfort objects for teens. Lorie Ann Grover (ON POINTE) and Dia Calhoun (AVIELLE OF RHIA) personally know the healing power of stories during hospital stays, since they both live with chronic illness. Mitali Perkins (WHITE HOUSE RULES) has recently joined the team and is eager to support a readergirlz/YALSA special project.


We all know that books give hope. Let's make this an awesome event, rgz!

Read, reflect, and reach out!


Lorie Ann Grover,

and Justina Chen Headley, Dia Calhoun, and Mitali Perkins