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She Runs Away Hi there! I'm Little Willow. This blogspot has been created to redirect folks to my main book blog as well as my many other websites.

For book reviews, booklists, and more, please consult the Bildungsroman website and blog.

I also post my book reviews at Amazon. Please feel free to read and vote for my reviews there. Thank you!

For a complete list of author interviews I have conducted, consult either archive.

To view all of the websites I designed and maintain, please visit Your Girl.

If you would like me to design your website, please email me. I run a webdesign company called Rock the Rock.

Thanks for dropping by!

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22 days on
She Runs Away
July: Ally and Book Chic
Hey rgz!

You know I always say rgz is for girls and...really smart guys. One of the best guys around our community is Book Chic.
Recently, he was at ALA and caught the above photo with our featured author, Ally! So cute, right?

Thanks for sharing and hanging with us, Book Chic. And, everyone, let your guy friends know they are welcome. :~) Now. back to talking about all things spy-ish...

2 months on
readergirlz
Guest Blog by Featured Author Ally Carter!
Hello, Readergirlz!

Thanks so much for having me! I’m such a huge fan of the site, the books, and of course the Readergirlz themselves that it’s an absolute honor to be here.

I’m very excited to be sharing the launch of Only the Good Spy Young with all of you. As those of you who are up-to-date with the series already know, Cammie Morgan has found herself in quite a predicament, and I’m just as anxious as all of you to find out if she and the Gallagher Girls are going to find a way out of this one!

Overall, the fourth Gallagher Girls book wasn’t the hardest one to write (that honor goes to Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy), but it was full of its own kind of challenges: who can Cammie trust? What can she do? How can she go about her junior year in a way that is both safe and smart without being a wallflower, standing on the sidelines of her own life?

From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a “big” book in terms of what Cammie learns, how she grows, and what has to happen next. I sincerely hope you’re as excited to read what happens next as I was to write it.

Thanks again so much for having me, and happy reading!
Ally

2 months on
readergirlz
Rgz Street Team: Jacqueline Reviews the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Jacqueline tells us about the first three Gallagher Girls books by our featured July author, Ally Carter!

"The Gallagher Girls Series consists of 4 books, and the newest one has just been released. These books were all amazing! I loved how the suspension and intensity of the books. In the first book they reveal that Cammie Morgan actually goes to a 'spy school' where breaking CIA codes is normal. So why all of the sudden when Cammie likes an ordinary boy does everything get hard? Yes, she could easily manipulate him, but she wants a normal relationship which, of course, makes everything MUCH harder.

"In the second book, nothing is going right for Cammie, and she needs her mom the most. But with her mom acting weird Cammie knows something's up--she wants to figure it out.

"The third book starts with Cammie visiting her roomate Macey in Boston to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for Vice President of the United States. Being a spy, Cammie is never far away from danger, and having a normal summer is out of question." --Jacqueline Glade

2 months on
readergirlz
Little Willow's Book Bag This Week's Picks
Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee
The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

2 months on
readergirlz
Cover Stories: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala Our own Holly Cupala's debut novel, Tell Me a Secret, is out! Hooray! I've been thinking about this book since I first saw what I've come to call "The whisper cover." Very hot.

Here's Holly with the back story:

"I don't think I had a cover in mind as I was writing, though I did have a clear picture of what the characters looked like--especially the bad-girl older sister, Xanda, and what her younger sister might look like. And of course, the love interest (Kamran, a.k.a. the super hot sci-fi guy). So when my editor asked if I had any ideas in mind, I sent a bunch of pictures!

The bad-girl older sister, Xanda, kind of looked like Courtney Love, circa 1992 (left).

"I originally envisioned Miranda to have blond hair, but I think I took the hair color refs out so that any girl could imagine herself in Rand's shoes. I thought of her as having a kind of mysterious, haunted look--did you ever see The Virgin Suicides? I always thought of the palette of my book as having that kind of aesthetic, kind of "good girl gone bad" in dreamy, washed-out tones (right)....

Read the rest of Holly's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com.

PS- Don't forget, Holly's virtual tour is EVERYWHERE. Here's the schedule (leave comments on each post for a chance to win prizes.)

2 months on
readergirlz
Poetry Friday: The Star-Spangled Banner O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

- lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, everyone!

View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.

View the roundup schedule at A Year of Reading.

Learn more about Poetry Friday.

2 months on
Bildungsroman
July: Do You Feel Like a Chameleon?

Ally says, "Cammie has always seen herself as a 'chameleon.' Have you ever felt that way?"

2 months on
readergirlz
Welcome, Ally Carter! We are thrilled to welcome Ally Carter to readergirlz. Her fantastic Gallagher Girls novels, specifically the newly released fourth, Only the Good Spy Young, is our July pick! Check out our interview with Ally, book party ideas themed around her book, and our Reach Out project idea--as well as the awesome soundtrack Ally has chosen for the book--on readergirlz.com.

Here's a little about Only the Good Spy Young:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. Now the danger follows her everywhere and even Cammie "The Chameleon" can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers - or even her own heart.

The Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie's future may lie deep in the past...
And the buzz...

Inclusion on the ALA Teens Top 10

Georgia Peach Book Award

Texas Lone Star Reading List

Amelia Bloomer Book Award

Romance Writers of America Rita Award Finalist

We are super excited to have the amazing Ally Carter with us this month! Join us all month right here on the blog for discussions and mark your calendars a LIVE #rgz twitter chat on Wednesday, July 14th at 6pm PST/9pm EST.

Happy July, readergirlz!

PS-Make sure to read The Gallagher Girls books in order:

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Only the Good Spy Young

2 months on
readergirlz
Story Secrets: BAMBOO PEOPLE by Mitali Perkins + Giveaway! It's Book Party Day for one of the writers I admire most in the world, Mitali Perkins! Not only is this woman a deep and thoughtful writer, but she actively promotes discussion about culture and race in teen literature. All this, besides being a wonderful person to know!

Mitali's seventh book, BAMBOO PEOPLE , is born today, and already it's a Junior Library Guild Selection, an Indie Next Pick, and it received a Publisher's Weekly *starred review*. Stop by Mitali's blog today to help her celebrate!

*****

Bamboo People takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma. It’s narrated by a fifteen-year-old teen forced to fight in the Army and a sixteen-year-old teen on the run. They’re on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of the many ethnic minorities in Burma. Chiko, the Burmese boy, isn’t a fighter by nature. He’s a book-loving boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. When they meet in the jungle, their lives are changed forever.

Holly: Why this book, why now?

Mitali: I wanted to write a guy book before my teens got too old to enjoy it :)

For three years my husband, children, and I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While we were there we visited the Karenni refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. I was astounded at how the Karenni kept their hopes up despite incredible loss, still dreaming and talking of the day when they would once again become a free people. I was impressed, too, by how creatively they used bamboo. Homes, bridges, transportation, weapons, food, storage, irrigation—all these and more depended on the resilient, lavish, and ecologically efficient bamboo plant. I began to think about that plant as an excellent symbol for the peoples of that region.

During that time I also began to understand how tough life is for Burmese teenagers. Only about a third are enrolled in school, and most can’t find jobs. According to international human rights organizations, Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world, and that number is growing...

Hear about Mitali's inspiration and enter the BAMBOO PEOPLE giveaway

~Holly Cupala

2 months on
readergirlz
Readergirlz: July 2010

Gallagher Academy tried to keep it a secret, but the word got out: This month, readergirlz are discussing Ally Carter's bestselling novels about Cammie Morgan, teen spy.

Cammie attends the Gallagher Academy, an all-girls school that is known for its emphasis on academics. Adults know it is prestigious; local kids wrongfully assume that the students must be privileged snobs. What outsiders don't know is the school is actually training the young ladies to become spies. Gallagher Girls are trained in the martial arts, taught "real" history, learn political secrets, and are multilingual.

Luckily, you don't have to crack a code to join readergirlz - You can simply pick the books up from your local library or bookstore, then join in our discussions at the readergirlz blog all month long!

Make sure to read The Gallagher Girls books in order:
- I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
- Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
- Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
- Only the Good Spy Young

To learn more about the series and its author, check out the July 2010 issue of readergirlz.

This month's theme: Courage

Download this month's bookmark and poster.

Join the readergirlz

readergirlz is an online book group that's open to everyone - the only requirement is a love of reading!

Every month, we discuss a different book, ranging from realistic fiction to fantasy (like Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld), from historical fiction (such as Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson and Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller) to contemporary fiction (such as The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart). All of our spotlighted books celebrate gutsy girls.

Every issue of readergirlz features additional information about the books we're discussing, exclusive interviews with and playlists created by the authors, and additional book recommendation. In addition to our annual events such as April's Operation Teen Book Drop, we also include information about national or international outreach programs related to the book of the month in every issue. We hope to inspire readers to become active not only in book groups but also in their communities.

Browse through the archive of readergirlz selections.

postergirlz picks

The postergirlz, the readergirlz advisory council, recommended the following titles to read alongside this month's main pick:

Fiction
The Kiki Strike books by Kirsten Miller
The Squad: Perfect Cover and Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Non-Fiction
Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah and Samantha Marshall
Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare by Tina Schwager

rgz LIVE!

Join us at Twitter on Wednesday, July 14th at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST for an hour-long chat with this month's featured author, Ally Carter. Join in and use the hashtag #rgz to follow the conversation.

Recent readergirlz Reads

Last month's featured book: Paper Towns by John Green
Next month's selection: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
September: Suite Scarlett and Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson
October: Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, illustrated by Jim Di Bartolo

Visit the readergirlz archive.

readergirlz on the web

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http://readergirlz.blogspot.com
http://www.readergirlz.com

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View all posts related to readergirlz at Bildungsroman

2 months on
Bildungsroman

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