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Welcome to No Name-Calling Week.

Inspired by James Howe's novel THE MISFITS, No Name-Calling Week is "an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities."

Read These and Speak Up

I recommend the following stories about kids and teens who survived abuse or bullying and learned the importance of speaking up.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (for older teens)
The Misfits by James Howe
- Sequel: Totally Joe

For additional titles, please reference my Tough Issues for Teens booklist.

The Startling Facts About Violence and Abuse Among Teens from Safe Horizon:

1 in 3 High school students who say they have been in a physical fight in the past year.
1 in 8 High school students who required medical attention for injuries from fights.
160,000 Children who miss school each day because of fear of being bullied.
1 in 12 Students in grades 6 to 10 who say they are bullied once a week or more.
1 in 3 Teenagers who report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked, or physically hurt by their partner.
1 in 2 Teens in serious relationships who say they have compromised their beliefs to please their partner.
44 Percentage of rape victims under 18.
48 Hours a typical teen has been on the streets before being approached to sell drugs or their bodies.

No Name-Calling Week Resources and Downloads:

Coalition Contacts:
Ashon T. Crawley
updates@nonamecallingweek.org

General Information
info@nonamecallingweek.org

Contact (Media Inquiries Only):
Daryl Presgraves
Media Relations
646-388-6577
press@nonamecallingweek.org

In 2002, a customer tapped a book that was facing out on the shelf. It was called This Lullaby. Her finger still on the cover, she turned to me. "Have you read this?"

"No, actually," I replied.

She was surprised. "But you've read everything!"

I smiled. "Not everything. Not that one - not yet." I told her that I hadn't read anything by the author, Sarah Dessen, but I intended to do so.

And I did. At the urging of one of my regular customers, a very passionate reader who was in high school at the time, I read Dreamland first. I quickly blazed through Sarah's backlist, reading them in the order they had been released. By the time I got to This Lullaby, Sarah had firmly secured a place on the list of contemporary authors I enjoyed. She has a strong following, and I feel she has earned it. Her writing is consistent, engrossing, and straightforward. I've enjoyed all of her novels and look forward to more.

Here is an overview of her books, in order of publication:

That Summer

All of Sarah Dessen's books have fitting titles and realistic leading ladies, and her debut is no exception.

( Read more... )

Someone Like You

Some best friend pairs are comprised of one outgoing person and one introverted person. Such is the case with dynamic Scarlett and quiet Halley.

( Read more... )

Keeping the Moon

Nicole "Colie" Sparks isn't the only girl who feels embarrassed by her mother. She is, however, the only daughter of Kiki, a woman who has become known for informercials. Both Kiki and Colie have lost a great deal of weight, but while Kiki seeks out the spotlight, Colie would rather hide out in the shadows.

( Read more... )

Dreamland

To simply say that Dreamland is the story of a girl who has an abusive boyfriend would be selling the book - and the girl - short. Though the physical abuse is a large portion of Sarah Dessen's darkest story, that is not all. Dreamland is also about the dissolution of a family.

( Read more... )

This Lullaby

My second favorite Dessen novel revolves around a girl who has no interest in romance and is haunted by a song.

( Read more... )

The Truth About Forever

When Macy was little, her father used to drag her and her older sister Caroline out to local marathons with him and sign them up for the kids' track. By the time she was eight, Macy knew she was a good runner - fast, focused, flying. Caroline was no longer interested in running, so it became something that Macy shared just with her father. He'd help her prepare for meets, and they ran together in the mornings.

One morning, that all changed.

( Read more... )

Just Listen

Annabel Greene lives in a glass house.

No, really.

( Read more... )

Check out the roundtable discussion of Just Listen with the postergirlz.

Lock and Key

Ask twenty people to define "family," and you'll get twenty different definitions. Ruby's definition of family is about to change, and she's not quite sure what that means.

For years, Ruby and her mother moved from apartment to apartment. They lived in random places and cramped spaces above other people's garages. When Ruby's mom takes off and doesn't come back, Ruby does just fine on her own - until child services steps in and sends her to live with her older sister, Cora, who hasn't seen Ruby in ten years.

( Read my full-length book review... )

Tidbits

All of Dessen's books are set in the same town, a fictional town called Lakeview. No book is a sequel/prequel to another book, but the books do have connections. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll put it this way: Keep your eyes open and you will see some familiar faces make cameos.

Though The Truth About Forever is my favorite Dessen novel, Lock and Key is home to the first Dessen protagonist that I can directly relate to - though not to the family situation, thank goodness, or the "bad stuff." Instead, I simply get Ruby, like I get Jade from Deb Caletti's novel The Nature of Jade. I share elements of Ruby's personality: her stubborn streak, her determination to do things on her own and her reluctance to let others assist her.

That Summer and Someone Like You were combined to make the film How to Deal. It was odd to see them mixed together into one film. Some characters weren't there, while others were combined. Some of my favorite moments from the books weren't in the movie.

Sarah has contributed short stories to anthologies such as Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, One Hot Second, and Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Artwork.

In 2006, when Just Listen was released, I had the opportunity to interview her.

In March 2008, Sarah will be the featured author at readergirlz, with Just Listen as the book group pick of the month. Learn more. Read the March 2008 issue of readergirlz.

Many thanks to Sarah for noting this post at her own journal. I'm honored!

Visit Sarah Dessen's official website and LiveJournal.

If you love something, set it free
If it comes back to you, it's yours
If it doesn't, it never was

When Jennifer was in elementary school, she had only one friend. His name was Cameron, and he meant the world to her. When they were together, the taunts of their classmates didn't matter . . . as much. Jennifer always felt safe with Cameron.

That is, until one day in fifth grade, when something horrible happened to them. Shortly thereafter, he stopped coming to class. Their teacher said he moved; their classmates said something worse. Cameron was gone for good - or so Jennifer thought. On the day she turned seventeen, he walked back into her life. A life very different from the one she used to lead.

In the eight years since her friend's disappearance, Jennifer has changed considerably. She lost weight, gained friends, and started going by Jenna. She attends a small charter school and has her first serious boyfriend, the popular and sweet Ethan. Her once-single mother, who struggled for years to make ends meet, married a kind man. Alan has given Jenna and her mother his last name and a stable home.

Though Jenna has changed on the outside, she's still Jennifer on the inside, filled with insecurities and painful memories, all of which surface the minute she sees Cameron again.

He's grown up too. He's taller now, and his heart is heavier, but he's still Cameron. He's come back in search of closure, something Jenna's new life has never quite given her. Whether or not they find it depends on their willingness to deal with what happened when they were nine years old.

Cameron's reappearance causes Jenna to re-evaluate her present life. She knows that she wouldn't be who she is now if she hadn't gone through those experiences as a child and if she hadn't Cameron as a friend. How different would her life have been if he had stuck around? How different will it be now that he's back? Suddenly, her boyfriend, her friends, and her routines at home and at school seem surreal. She unintentionally slips back into some old habits, such as stealing candy bars and binge eating when she's alone.

Relayed in first-person narrative, Jenna's journey is emotional and believable. When she shed those pounds, she didn't shed her shyness. Though she could change her name, she couldn't change what happened to her. Meanwhile, Cameron's struggle to stay strong while he searches for a place in the world makes him an interesting mix of protector and someone who needs protecting. Though she doesn't ask him to be, nor is he trying to be, he isn't Jenna's White Knight. They both need saving in one way or another.

Though I greatly enjoyed Sara Zarr's debut novel, Story of a Girl, I was even more impressed by her sophomore Sweethearts. It's a compulsive read filled with tension and truth. Readers will want to know what happened to the main characters as children, something which is revealed in flashes and slivers throughout the book, and they will care what happens to them as teenagers.

I love the little details as well: putting junk mail aside to recycle, pulling over to talk on the cell phone rather than continuing to drive, finding importance in a note, in a ring, in a word, in silence.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr delicately describes a fragile friendship. Second chances don't come around very often, and when they do, you have to make choices for yourself, for better or for worse, and find the strength to move on.

Sweethearts was released in February 2008.

Related Posts: Book Review: Story of a Girl and Interview: Sara Zarr