Attention, YA writers, bloggers, and teen-reading enthusiasts!
The 6th annual Operation Teen Book Drop/Rock the Drop
celebration in honor of YALSA's (Young Adult Library Services Association) Support Teen Lit Day is coming up on April 17.
Here's the deal: Writers, librarians, educators, readers, and other
bookish people are encouraged to "drop" a YA novel somewhere in the wild for a lucky
reader to discover and enjoy, then tweet about it with the hashtag
#rockthedrop to keep the enthusiasm going.
In honor
of the seventh anniversary of the founding of readergirlz, we’ve teamed
with Justine Magazine and I Heart Daily in directing participants to
seven worthy literacy philanthropies that would benefit from a donation
in honor of Support Teen Lit Day.
2. Visit our Facebook page to add any favorite literacy philanthropies of your own.
3. On April 17, visit the readergirlz blog, download an adorable 2014 bookplate, and stick it in the YA book/s of your choice.
4. "Drop" the book/s someplace public for some lucky reader to find!
5. Snap
a picture of your book/s in the wild, and tweet or post to our Facebook
page with the hashtag #rockthedrop (and we're always on the lookout for
any dropped books found by others).
It's fun! It's sneaky! It's putting great reads into the hands of unsuspecting readers, who could be changed from the experience with a story or a character! It's what reading is all about: spreading those words far and wide!
- 10,000 books donated by publishers are being delivered to teens on Native reservations and tribal lands. (Learn more here.)
- Regular folk are buying books off the Powell's wish list to send to two additional schools. - Authors around the country are leaving books in secret locations for teens to find.
If you'd like to join in the fun, leave a book and tweet about it using the hash tag #operationtbd. It'll go up on the readergirlz blog today. It can be one of yours, one of someone else's--the idea is to spread the joy of reading far and wide.
Afterward, go to the blog at 6 p.m. Pacific for a chat with a ton of cool participants.
Operation Teen Book Drop was founded by readergirlz (made of many local members), and is done in partnership with GuysLitWire, YALSA, and If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything.
You might have noticed the countdown clock on our blog...Operation Teen Book Drop, a program that started in our very own region, is April 15.
What follows is a long post about it, but here's the summary:
10,000 books, donated by publishers, are getting delivered to teens on Native reservations and tribal lands
You can donate books to two additional schools via the Powell's website
You can participate in the drop by leaving a YA or MG novel to be found by some lucky kid. If you do, be sure to blog or tweet about it using the hashtag #operationtbd so we can include your efforts
Here's the full scoop:
Nationwide, scores of young adult authors and librarians to drop books on April 15 AKA Support Teen Literature Day.
In addition, more than 100 top young adult authors will leave their books in public places for young readers to discover, and members of the public can buy books online and have them shipped to tribal libraries.
Publishers donated the books, valued at more than $175,000.
“These publishers have shown astounding vision and generosity by supporting Operation Teen Book Drop,” said readergirlz co-founder Dia Calhoun, an award-winning novelist herself. “Now underserved teens can benefit from the current explosion of high quality YA books. These teens can see their own experience, their tragedies and their triumphs in these books, books that become shining doorways to the young human spirit.”
The donations are especially significant to many Native teens. “In their lives, they really don’t have new books,” said Mary Nickless, the librarian at Ojo Encino Day School, one of 44 institutions that will benefit from Operation TBD.
A nationwide effort of authors, publishers, librarians and readers
In its third year, Operation TBD is part of a massive effort by librarians, young adult authors, and avid readers to spur reading on a nationwide scale. The day aims to encourage teens to read for the fun of it.
• More than 100 young adult authors—including David Levithan, Sara Zarr, and Cynthia Leitich Smith—are participating by leaving copies of their books in public places for teens to find.
• Teens and other fans of YA literature are also invited to “rock the drop.”
In 2008 and 2009, the groups coordinated the delivery of 20,000 new books to teens in hospitals.
“Operation TBD was originally conceived with the hope of reaching a number of teen groups,” said readergirlz co-founder Lorie Ann Grover. “While we donated books to hospitalized teens for two years, I was personally compelled to donate books to the local Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. We were thrilled to discover we could broaden this effort with If I Can Read and gift TBD to our second targeted group, Native teens.”
“By making Operation TBD part of Support Teen Literature Day, YALSA and its partners help raise awareness of the importance of teen literature to all teens,” said Linda W. Braun, YALSA President. “Our thanks to the publishers, If I Can Read I Can Do Anything, readergirlz and Guys Lit Wire for joining us in supporting such a worthy cause.”
Everyone who participates in Operation TBD is invited to celebrate at the TBD Post-Op Party on April 15 at the readergirlz blog.
Cynsational Notes
About Support Teen Literature Day
In its fourth year, Support Teen Literature Day is April 15, and will be celebrated in conjunction with ALA’s National Library Week. Librarians across the country are encouraged to participate in Support Teen Literature Day by hosting events in their libraries. The celebration raises awareness that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today’s teens. Support Teen Literature Day also seeks to showcase award-winning authors and books in the genre, as well as highlight librarians’ expertise in connecting teens with books and other reading materials.
About the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audiobooks for teens.
About GuysLitWire
Guys Lit Wire brings literary news and reviews to the attention of teenage boys and the people who care about them. Working to combat the perception that teen boys aren’t as well read as teen girls, the organization seeks out literature uniquely targeted toward teen male readers in hopes of bringing attention of good books to guys who might have missed them.
About If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything
If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything is a national reading club for Native children directed by Dr. Loriene Roy. The program works to encourage reading among Native children by offering incentives, sending books to schools, and sponsoring activities.
To promote teen literacy and leadership in girls, readergirlz features a different YA novel and corresponding community service project every month, and offers chats with authors and an author-in-residency program for aspiring writers.
Each year Operation Teen Book Drop--an annual event started by our own readergirlz--delivers about 10,000 new books to teens in need. In 2008 and 2009, rgz, YALSA and GuysLitWire worked with publishers to deliver 20,000 books to teens in hospitals.
This year, another 10,000 books will go to teens on Native American Reservations and tribal lands, with help from If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything.
We can get involved in the fun by pledging to drop a YA novel in a public place on April 15, which also happens to be Support Teen Literature Day. When you do, please tweet about it and help spread the word about the importance of teen literature.
For more information, visit readergirlz. Or, check out the Operation TBD trailer, put together by Holly Cupala.
Justina Chen, Lorie Ann Grover and Dia Calhoun are in the newspaper (along with a mention of Holly Cupala).
From the Times:
Washington state authors didn't win any prizes for their books last Wednesday at the über-prestigious National Book Awards ceremony. But reps from a Seattle-based nonprofit attended the glam New York City event to pick up one of five "Innovations in Reading" prizes for their online book community readergirlz.
Stop on by readergirlz tonight at 6 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Eastern for a special event with readergirlz co-founder and local YA fantasy authorJanet Lee Carey!
Janet has been hard at work on several new fantasy novels - STEALING DEATH was on the premier launch list of new-to-the-States publisher, Egmont USA. Congratulations, Janet!
Hope to see you tonight at the chat (just click on the CoverIt Live widget to begin).
Today is launch day for our own Janet Lee Carey, the wonderful author of WENNY HAS WINGS, THE BEAST OF NOOR, and DRAGON'S KEEP.
I find myself saying this about every new book Janet writes, but this one is her best. STEALING DEATH tells the story of a boy named Kipp who must capture the bag Death uses to transport souls in order to save someone he loves. It's a great premise, to be sure. Even better, though, is the world-building and writing. Totally dazzling. (Read on for a chance to win an ARC of the book.)
Also worth noting: Janet is part of the launch of Egmont USA, a new publisher that's been getting a lot of attention. And, she's trying to raise $14,000 to provide clean water for children in Africa. In honor of her launch, the Chinook Update interviewed her:
Your new book, STEALING DEATH, got a starred review from School Library Journal. What did they say and how did it feel? The review ended with ~ Carey’s wonderful language weaves family, love, wise teachers, and petty villains together in a vast landscape . . . Verdict: This is quite simply fantasy at its best–original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving. ~ The complete review is here; scroll down to Carey.
How do I describe the rush of reading that? It came at a good time. I’d been dutifully journaling about how to graciously accept negative reviews (part of any book launch prep) so this starred review sent me skyrocketing! Excitement quickly shifted to gratitude. A starred review means schools, libraries, and bookstores are more likely to scoot their books over a few inches to allow a new book on the shelves. That means potential readers will have the chance to see STEALING DEATH, snatch it up, and flip through the pages. What could be better than that?
What was it like to work with Egmont? It’s a brand-new U.S. publisher—how did you get hooked up with them? My agent, Irene Kraas, hooked me up with Regina Griffin at Egmont USA. Irene had worked with Regina before and thought she’d like STEALING DEATH. I’d completed roughly100 pages when Egmont USA bought the book. I soon learned I had to write another 230 pages in two months if I was going to be a part of their fall 2009 launch. Yikes! I really wanted STEALING DEATH in launch, so I went for it. I’d been thinking about writing STEALING DEATH for sixteen years. Suddenly it was time to fill the pages lickety-split!
The USA début feels like a bit of sunshine during this recession. I feel so lucky to be a part of the Egmont USA fall launch. (See more about Egmont USA here.)
Your launch event includes a charitable element. What’s driving that? Is that a new thing for you? I usually find a way to give back with each new book. STEALING DEATH is set in a drought-ridden landscape. Doing research for the book I learned more than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water and that water-related diseases take the lives of 6,000 people per day, so the give back clearly had to serve communities in need of clean water.
I was thrilled to find PlayPumps International! The nonprofit organization provides a simple, sustainable solution to the water problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Children play on a merry-go-round that pumps clean water from an underground source with every spin.
My goal is to raise $14,000.00 this school year. That’s enough for a new PlayPump. I’ll be getting the word out at schools and other author events. The tax deductible giving page on the PlayPumps website is the STEALING DEATH Water for Life challenge.
I’m lucky to live in the northwest where so many prominent authors give back. Most of us discover startling facts in our research and know we have to respond in some way. Readergirlz founding divas Justina Chen, Lori Ann Grover, and Dia Calhoun, and I were all used to linking writing and charitable work so our coming together to create readergirlz was kismet. Since the year I served divas Holly Cupala, Mitali Perkins, and Melissa Walker have added their talents to the readergirlz phenomenon. So have Sara Easterly, Martha Brockenbrough, Liz Gallagher, Beth Kephart. There are too many to name here (sigh) but people can check out the whole team including the postergirlz, readergirlz salon, and street team on this readergirlz page.
I’m happy to announce readergirlz will host an online book launch party for STEALING DEATH. Swing by to join the live chat and party with us Wednesday September 30th, beginning at 6pm Pacific Time/ 9pm Eastern. We’d love to have SCBWI people join us.
And how can your fans track where you are, both online and in the real world? I strive to leave few footprints, but trackers might catch me in the forest, by a lake, at the local library, or at my local bookstores like Parkplace Books or Half Price Books. I MUST stop buying books. The shelves are bulging!
You might catch me web walking through website or at Lit Art Photography or tweeting on twitter. To capture a Janet bring a smooth hot cup of black tea and milk chocolate with almonds – the most irresistible trap known to humankind.
Want to win my (slightly dog-eared) ARC of this book? All you have to do is post a note about it on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter account. Let me know at chinook@marthabee.com and I will choose the winner out of a hat.
