Going on Recon...

YALSA (did you know they have a cool blog?) and readergirlz are partners in Operation Teen Book Drop (TBD). To celebrate April 17, 2008, Support Teen Literature Day, they've organized a massive, coordinated release of 10,000 publisher-donated YA books into the top pediatric hospitals across the country!

How cool, huh?

They've also rallied multitudes of teen lit authors (like me) to drop an autographed copy of their book somewhere in their community. So I'm getting suited up in my pink camo and going on a scouting mission for the perfect location to Rock the Drop... I may even get a Vanilla Frap while I'm on recon...

If you know an ill or injured teen or one with sick family members or friends, the following books are recommended by YALSA librarians:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793.
Aronson, Sarah. Head Case.
Bingham, Kelly. Shark Girl.
Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Crutcher, Chris. Deadline.
Downham, Jenny. Before I Die.
Hautman, Pete. Sweetblood.
Halpern, Julie. Get Well Soon.
Hamilton, Bethany. Soul Surfer: a true story of faith, family, and fighting to get back on the board.
Hopkins, Ellen. Impulse.
Koss, Amy Goldman. Side Effects.
Mass, Wendy. Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall.
McDaniel, Lurlene. Six Months to Live.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. The Off Season.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Breath.
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper.
Rapp, Adam. Under the Wolf, Under the Dog.
Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.
Voight, Cynthia. Izzy, Willy-Nilly.
Weaver, Will. Defect.
Westerfeld, Scott. Peeps.
Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix.
Zevin, Gabrielle. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

The books listed here are all about teens whose lives are affected by illness and injury, either their own or a loved one's. Some of these books are realistic fiction, some nonfiction, some historical fiction, some science fiction and fantasy. By reading these books, ill and injured teens, or those with sick family members or friends, will know that they are not alone in their battles against disease.