The June issue of readergirlz is here! This month's spotlighted title is Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey.

Rosie has nine human fingers and one scaly dragon claw. Adding insult to injury, the dragon claw is her left ring finger. In a time when a princess was supposed to be both well-off and well-married, this fact does not go unnoticed by either Rosie or her mother, the queen. Whether or not she's well-off becomes the least of her worries when Rosie is carried off by a dragon.

But before I tell you anything more about the story, let me tell you about the author, Janet Lee Carey. In addition to her novel work, she also teaches college writing courses. She has a taste for classical music, epic fantasy series, and yoga, among other things. She is also enchanted by -- and, at times, distracted by -- dragons. Even during this Bildungsroman interview.

Did you set out to write a story to address the ideals of beauty and the shame of disfigurement, or did it have more humble beginnings?

Janet: Ah, you're very clear-sighted Little Willow. Yes, the heart of the story is about beauty. Like most girls, I was raised with the "perfect princess" image from old fairytales to Disney movies to neverending TV ads, and I grew up feeling that I wasn't perfect enough to be loved. These thoughts didn't come from my parents, but from the culture at large. Most girls -- unless they're completely sheltered from the media -- get this message loud and clear from childhood on.

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If you would like to chat with Janet and discuss Dragon's Keep, please drop by the readergirlz forum. You may feel free to start new topics or comment within existing threads.

In fact, if you are one of the first 25 readergirlz to speak out about Dragon's Keep and related themes at the readergirlz forum, you will win FREE readergirlz frippery! Simply comment on the group site and then e-mail jlcarey AT hotmail DOT com with your snail mail address. Janet will respond to questions and comments at the forum until the end of June.

Read the June 2007 issue of readergirlz.

Make sure that you bookmark Janet's official website and the readergirlz website.

This original poem was partially inspired by Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson.

This is the first time I've posted one of my own poems for Poetry Friday. As this is a new piece, this is also the first time I've shared it with anyone, and since I haven't a copyright on it yet, I ask that you not steal it nor reproduce it elsewhere. Thank you.

May 2007: 32 books read

For ages 8 and up
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller (coming out in July)

For ages 10 and up
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson
Notes on a Near-Life Experience by Olivia Birdsall

For ages 12 and up
Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
Beauty Shop for Rent ...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (coming out in September)

For ages 14 and up
Lost It by Kristen Tracy
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Calvino Meme from Kate's Book Blog, as linked by Semicolon. These meme offers seven different categories, and I've rearranged it only to put my most important remarks at the top.

Books You've Been Hunting For For Years Without Success

Love Lies Bleeding was written by playwright John Patrick under the pseudonym Jack Patrick. It was then made into one of my all-time favorite films, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

( Another book series named! )

( This next title is out-of-print, which makes me sad, because I don't own it. )

Books You've Been Planning To Read For Ages
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Books Dealing With Something You're Working On At The Moment
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Books You Want To Own So They'll Be Handy Just In Case
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Books You Could Put Aside Maybe To Read This Summer
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Books You Need To Go With Other Books On Your Shelves
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Books That Fill You With Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity, Not Easily Justified
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Books are tasty. So are these multigrain crackers.
(I use a lot of parentheses in this post.)