Megan Frazer

Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite posts about banned books week:

• Jennifer Hubbard looks at the SLJ article I mentioned earlier in the week in her post on Silent Censorship. Also check out her post Glass Houses about times she considered challenging a book to be a rational idea.
• The always-eloquent Sara Zarr sums of intellectual freedom quite nicely:

“At a more basic level: I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t some books I wouldn’t be that excited about defending. But the thing is, intellectual freedom is like justice, and must be executed blindly. In our justice system, that sometimes means guilty parties go free. Likewise, sometimes books that we may not feel merit defense will be on shelves.”

• Over on the YALSA Blog, the teen blogger reacts to the Speak/Slaughterhouse 5/Twenty Boy Summer controversy in Republic, MO:

“On her blog, Laurie Halse Anderson asked her readers to post about what Speak means to them. For me, it has always been about using your voice when it matters and learning to speak up for yourself when it’s clear that no one else will. Speak is about everything, in my opinion, that book banning prevents.”

• Also on the YALSA blog, check out Ken Petrilli’s ode to intellectual freedom.
• And speaking of Laurie Halse Anderson, her blog is the place to go for anti-censorship, banned books week news. Not to mention her pro-library work.
• And finally, of course, Debs Speak Loudly.

In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog. 

Today we have our penultimate contestant. I love that word — penultimate, that is, not contestant. I have no problem with the word contestant, just no particular love. Anyway, today is Sammy for Jon Skovron’s Struts and Frets.

Character name: Sammy Bojar
Age: 17
Biography: Born in Cleveland, OH to a single mother working her way through grad school. Moved to Columbus when he was a small child with his mother, who became a therapist, and his grandfather, a jazz musician. Really wants to become a famous indie rock musician.

What is your talent?
I play guitar and write songs.

What will you wear for the evening dress competition?
Uh, what? Jeans and t-shirt?

Who is your escort?
My friend, Jen5

And now for the interview portion . . . What’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?
Grownups.

Struts and Frets is available now. If you’re in NYC, you can pick it up at Jon’s favorite indie book store, The Strand. And if you ever are in New York, you really should go to this store. It’s amazing. Eighteen miles of books!

Not everyone can get to New York, though, so you can also get it at your local indie book store or Amazon. To find out more about Jon, visit his website.

First, a delayed Music Monday: did you know that NPR does first listens of whole albums. I’m listening to The Swell Season’s Strict Joy. It’s Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who starred in and did the music for Once, a movie that I watched while I was pregnant and it made me cry big, fat salty tears.

Now onto the real business of the day. It’s Debs Pageant time! In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog. Today we have Mandi, one of the secondary characters in Pam Bachorz’s novel Candor.

Character name: Mandi Able
Age: 17
Biography: I am a senior at Candor High, where I study very hard and try to make a difference in important civic issues, like stopping horrible people from painting graffiti all over our town. Before I moved to Candor, I was on my way to win Miss Charm USA–but my parents did everything they could to make me forget that with Candor’s brainwashing.

What is your talent? Talent doesn’t matter when you’ve got my brains and charm. Not that I’m bragging. Bragging is unattractive. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bragging.

What will you wear for the evening dress competition? Teens should dress modestly so it will be something with a full skirt and a high dress. Wait, no! That’s not how to win! Where do these strange thoughts even come from? It will be tight and low-cut and sparkling and I will WIN!

Who is your escort? Sherman Golub, the sweetest cutest boy in Candor. It’s weird, I didn’t think that when I first met him. But then my parents switched the music in our house speakers and the next morning, I realized that he’s the boy for me. Isn’t that weird?

And now for the interview portion . . .If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? If I could change the world, every person would do their very best and they wouldn’t try to destroy the beauty of our community. I don’t know why people forget that hard work achieves results.

Thank you Mandi and Pam!

To find out more about Pam and Candor, please visit her website. You can order Candor from Amazon, or scoot on over to your favorite local bookstore and pick it up.

If the world of Candor seems like the right one for you and your family, visit the town site to find out how you can become a part of the community.

No Music Monday today because Jennifer Brown is here to be part of the Debs Pageant. Hooray! In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog. Today we have Valerie from Jennifer’s debut, Hate List, which is earning starred reviews!

Character name: Valerie Leftman
Age: 17
Biography: Valerie is a senior at Garvin High School. Always an outsider, Valerie is even more self-conscious ever since her boyfriend, Nick, shot several students in the school cafeteria last year. Valerie is smart and sensitive. Broody. Down deep, an artist. But Val is strong and courageous.

What is your talent?
Drawing. I’m going to draw a caricature of one of the judges in two minutes. It’s going to look just like him!

What will you wear for the evening dress competition?
Something dark, kind of funky. Maybe with some rips in it. And… can I wear my canvas sneakers with it?

Who is your escort?
My brother, Frankie. But he’ll be dressed way better than I am.

And now for the interview portion . . .
What’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth? Hatred and violence.

What color best represents you and why? Well, it sort of depends on the day. Used to be I was all about pink. But then I was all about black for so long, I forgot pink existed. But I’m kind of liking pink again.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? I’d turn back time and bring Nick and all those other kids back. And also, I’d make everybody get along and like each other.

Thank you Jennifer and Valerie!

If you want to find out more about Jennifer and her book, please visit her website. You can order Hate List from Amazon, or get it from an Independent Bookstore. Jennifer recommends
Rainy Day Books in Fairway, KS and Fundamentals Parent-Teacher Store in Delaware, OH.

You know, I’ve often heard mention of all of Sara(h)s in YA. Sara Zarr, Sarah Dessen, Sarah Cross, Sarah Ockler, Sarah Quigley, Sarah Rees Brennan, Sarah MacLean. My agent is even a Sara. But you know, there’s another name rising to ascendancy in the YA world: Megan. We have Meg Cabot, Megan McCafferty, Megan Crewe, and well, you know, some lady named Megan Frazer. There may be  more of them, but unlike the Sara(h)s, we’ve managed to all get on the same page on the whole to-H or not to-H issue.*

Today, I am pleased to welcome one of the Megans to the Deb’s Pageant: Megan Crewe whose debut novel is Give Up the Ghost. Just a reminder about the pageant: In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog.

Character name: Cass McKenna
Age: 16
Biography: Most people think I’m a loner, but I have friends. It’s just that the only people I can trust just happen to be dead, so no one else can see them. When I’m not hanging out with my ghostly buds, I enjoy surfing the ‘net, watching old sitcoms with my dad, and reading graphic novels.

What is your talent? Like I mentioned, I can talk to the dead. Which means I could probably find out things about all of you that you’d rather people didn’t know.

Who is your escort? My sister, Paige. Believe me, she’s right here.

And now for the interview portion . . . If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? I’d make people more honest. Everyone’s so concerned about image and status, about looking better than other people, and they lie and fake their superiority whenever they can. The world would be an easier place to live in if more people would own up to their faults, and cut other people a break.
Thank you Cass and Megan!

To find out more about Megan Crewe, please visit her website. Give up the Ghost is available now, and Megan recommends you order from Powells. It is also available from Amazon.

* Apologies if I gorgot a Sara(h) or a Megan. If you fall into one of these categories — especially a Megan! — please add your name in the comments below.

Sometimes I just need music to get me into the right frame of mind to write, and I find it particularly helpful to listen to music I loved when I was a teen myself, and The Violent Femmes certainly fall into that category. One of the key differences between the Femmes and the other stuff I listened to in high school is that I still love them, and not just in a nostalgic sort of a way.

I also love that on their website they refer to themselves as “Calcified fossils of teen angst.”

It’s really hard for me to pick one song to post here, but I’m going with “Held Her in My Arms.” I had a bunch of friends who formed a ska band and they used to play this song. Once, they even played it specifically for me. Ah, Skarotum, you still hold the hearts of so many Seacoast New Hampshire girls.

In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog.

Today’s contestant is Shawna from C. Lee McKenzie’s debut novel Sliding on the Edge.

Character name: Shawna Stone
Age: 16

Biography: I can handle anything. A Las Vegas hustle. Skipping out on the rent. And don’t get in my face and try to tell me I must be scared because I’m not.

What is your talent? I can tell the best lies. Nobody would ever suspect what I say isn’t the absolute truth. Of course, my shoplifting isn’t bad either.

What will you wear for the evening dress competition? I own a T-shirt. Just one. But it’s a winner with its one line philosophy across my chest.

Who is your escort? I’m goin’ stag. I don’t care much for guys . . . well, it’s not that I don’t care for them. I just don’t trust them much.

And now for the interview portion . . . What’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?
Adults who don’t or won’t listen, who won’t take time to understand, who are too busy to notice when someone like me has a big problem.

What color best represents you and why?
Anything but plaid! I hate plaid. But if one color represents me, I’d choose black. Black’s a color, right?

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I’d ask for my father back. If he’d lived I wouldn’t be stuck alone with Jackie. That’s my mom.

Thank you Shawna and C. Lee!

For more about C. Lee McKenzie, please visit her website.

Sliding on the Edge is out now! You can order from Amazon, or pick it up at your local independent bookstore.

Why does this always happen when I update my version of wordpress? I lose everything I had. Last time my blog posts came back, I think.

I’ll get all the other info back up as soon as I can.