Girls of Summer 2012

We are very lucky in the RVA to have several local talents, including a bunch of authors! I first met Gigi Amateau when we were discussing her book, Claiming Georgia Tate, at JMHS this past fall. This is her second year working with her friend, and author Meg Medina on their Girls of Summer Reading list.   Books about amazing, strong girls for amazing, strong girls! The list is made up of 18 titles for girls of all ages; and includes fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels. The complete list is posted to their Girls of Summer website.

Amanda, Wendy Shang, Meg Medina, Gigi Amateau, & Natasha

If you were not downtown at Library Park on Tuesday, June 19th, you missed a real treat! Oh and ice cream too. The girls introduced each book at random with a short review, which are also posted on their website.

We were also treated to a conversation with a conversation with Wendy Shang, author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu.

Wendy used to be a lawyer, and a few years ago she found herself wondering what was the one thing she hadn't done that she still really wanted to do? The answer was write a children's book!

It is hard to grow up and have one foot in two different cultures and no one is every completely comfortable with it. You are always told, to write about what you know, so she did. Which was also the reason why Lucy is twelve.Wendy remembers being twelve better then most other times in her life.

But she also wanted to make Lucy different, so she made Lucy a short, basketball player. (Gigi will tell you that is great basketball in the book!)

Wendy's advice to aspiring writers is this: read! Read a lot, read everything. Write a lot, write a little every day, and learn to edit your own work.

I am so excited to read The Great Wall of Lucy Lu and Breadcrumbs (in addition to some of the other titles on the list)! I had a great time, and am really looking forward to next year's list!