Last year's first-ever Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD) rocked - so we're doing it again! Through the efforts of readergirlz, GuysLitWire, YALSA, and publishers, teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States will receive 8,000 new young-adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels on Support Teen Literature Day - April 16th, 2009.

We invite all of you teen readers and YA authors alike to participate in Operation TBD. Help spur reading on a national scale! Leave a book in a public place on April 16th, then join us for the TBD Post-Op Party, a live chat at the rgz blog (http://readergirlz.blogspot.com) at 6 PM Pacific/9 PM Eastern.

Click here for full information, bookplates, bookmarks, and more.

Download the press release.

Rock the drop, rgz!

 

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act - suicide. In one instant three young people decided enough was enough. Vanessa's beloved blade cut just a little deeper. Tony downed a bottle of pills with a fifth of whiskey. Conner chose the gun. But fate - or loved ones - intervened. Now they have a second chance, and maybe with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life. But only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place.

Download this month's poster.

"I am personally so happy to finally feature Ellen Hopkins for a month at readergirlz! Impulse is a wonderful selection to highlight National Poetry Month and Operation Teen Book Drop '09. Ellen's raw, edgy writing is inspiring in its truth. I'm looking forward to amazing discussions this month!" - Lorie Ann Grover, readergirlz diva "Sharp, searing free verse . . . fast, jagged, hypnotic." - Kirkus Reviews "A riveting, fast-paced story of teenage hurt and healing." - VOYA 2008 ALA Best Book For Teens 2008 Georgia Peach Award "Impulse saved my life. Not in a metaphorical sense, it literally saved my life." - a reader

Ellen Hopkins

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at rgz downloads!

On the nightstand: A unique fern and ear plugs (my husband snores!)

Favorite drink while you write: Coffee, with nonfat half and half and raw sugar.

Favorite bookstore: Sundance Bookstore, Reno

Favorite library: San Antonio Public Library

Pets: Yukon and Arson (German shepherds); Toby (cat)

Place to write: My beautiful new office

Inspiration: The view out my windows

Dream book tour: Small-town America by train

Writer buddies: Susan, Suzy, Susie, Jim (they can’t ALL be Susans!)

Cure for writer's block: Exercise. The brain kicks in when the body works.

Favorite outfit: Nice jeans and a scoop-neck sweater.

Laptop or longhand? Laptop.

Stilettos or Uggs? Uggs.

Next up: Tricks

Author idol: Stephen King

Other YA Novels: Crank, Burned, Glass, Identical

Other Interviews: Powells, Publishers Weekly, The Paper Movie Project, Mrs. Magoo Reads

Website: ellenhopkins.com

Audio clip: Listen to a clip of Impulse, available from Highbridge Audio

Roundtable: readergirlz divas and postergirlz discuss Impulse

rgz LIVE!

Discuss the book with the author herself. Ellen Hopkins will be chatting live at the readergirlz blog on Wednesday, April 22nd at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST. The chat will last for about an hour.

Also join our live TBD Post-Op Chat at the blog on Thursday, April 16th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST.

Meet three of the readergirlz divas - Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, and Justina Chen Headley - at the Texas Library Association Conference. We'll be speaking about readergirlz on April 2nd at 2 PM and signing in the Author Alley at 3 PM. Swing by and give us a Texas-sized greeting!

Are you ready to rock the drop? You can easily participate in Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD) on April 16th, 2009. Simply pick a book you like, stick a TBD bookplate inside the front cover, and leave it somewhere in your community where it will easily be found by an eager reader. Drop it on a table in a coffee shop, leave it on a bench in the park, put it somewhere at your school or favorite hangout, and know that you are taking part in something awesome - a worldwide release of books, with publishers donating thousands of books to local pediatric hospitals on the same day.

Operation TBD is brought to you by readergirlz, YALSA, GuysLitWire, and all of you fabulous readers, authors, publishers, and activists!

Learn more about Operation TBD.

 

These tunes were hand-picked by the author to accompany her book.

She Talks to Angels by The Black Crowes
Crazy on You by Heart
Never Tear Us Apart by INXS
Drops of Jupiter by Train
Love Hurts by Incubus
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Candle (Sick and Tired) by The White Tie Affair

 

Conner's parents push him to be perfect. What does "perfect" mean to you?

Some call suicide the ultimate act of cowardice. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Conner, Tony, and Vanessa all tell their stories with signature poetic styles. Why do you think the author chose each style? How do they define the characters?

Tony deals with his painful past through humor. How can humor be used as a coping mechanism?

Vanessa finds her mother overdosed on the kitchen floor, but doesn't call 911. What would you have done in that situation?

In a surprising twist, Tony and Vanessa fall in love. Has love ever surprised you?

A central theme of the story is the power of friendship. If one of your friends was on the brink of suicide, what would you do?

Special note: In July 2008, we put Jay Asher's novel Thirteen Reasons Why in the spotlight, which led to many serious discussions about suicide prevention. One of our postergirlz, Jackie, then created this list of suicide prevention resources. Since Impulse also deals with the topic of suicide, we wanted to again bring this list to your attention.

 

Invite: Text-message blast. MySpace bulletin. Facebook event invite.

Food: Veggie platter; crackers and cheese; popcorn

Décor: Scatter words cut from magazines or newspapers in the center of the tables. Find words signifying hope, despair, perfection, stress, depression, mania, etc. Use for craft (below). Also votive candles in glass bowls, signifying hope.

Movies: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; King of California; A Beautiful Mind

Craft: Use words cut from magazines to create poems. Glue them on construction paper.

Recommended by postergirlz, the readergirlz advisory council

Fiction
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb
Alive and Well in Prague New York by Daphne Grab
Candy by Kevin Brooks
Thirst by Mary Oliver

Non-Fiction
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas

 

Join us in May to discuss Red Glass by Laura Resau.

Get ready for summer reading! In the coming months, we'll be discussing:

June: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
July: The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
August: Kendra by Coe Booth