Banned Books Week starts Sept 30. This is the 2007 poster, which I really love, so I'm posting that instead of the current one. Thanks to Professor Nana for the links below. 

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

This is the official Banned Books Week web site. It tells you everything!

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek

This is the ALA's web site for Banned Books Week.

Here are the top ten challenged books from last year. I am proud to call Lauren Myracle my good friend and I have even written a book with her! So if you haven't read any of these banned books, and you like mine -- start with Lauren! I have read 8/10 of these. 

ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group 
The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence 
My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Reasons: offensive language; racism

If you don't know much about this issue, Professor Nana suggests you take a few minutes to see what we are up against by visiting:
http://www.pabbis.org
This is the site for Parents Against Bad Books in School. Warning: Is strong stuff in there!

Find a small way to do something for banned books week. Talk to your librarian about it, discuss censorship with a friend, buy a banned book at your local bookstore, bring it up in class!

xo

E

Over at Ensconced in YA you can win a copy of Fly on the Wall, signed by ME, and a copy of The Domino Effect by Andrew Cotto, signed by him! Scoot over and enter. It's easy. 

There's also an interview with Cotto about his writing process on The Domino Effect. Fun reading!

Hello from vacation. I have been working and working on my new YA book, which has gone through 48 titles. Well, not 48. But A LOT. I have no idea what the title is. But I finished a draft. I finished eight drafts. Then I gave it to writer pals Sarah Mlynowski and Robin Wasserman and they told me all the things I needed to do to FIX THE BOOK. Which is a holy huge amount. 

So I am cavorting by the seashore for a week while I absorb all the feedback, and then when Sept is up and running, I will be too. 

Now. COME SEE ME! If you're over 21 and you live in NYC.

Sept 20, come out and see me at the First Brooklyn Fundraiser, together with Michael Northrup, Gayle Forman and Matt de la Pena. We are chatting (a panel on realistic teen fiction), there will be beer and cupcakes, and the money all goes to First Book. It's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. 

OFFICIAL DETAILS:

Get tickets here: http://wordbrooklyn.com/event/first-book-brooklyn-fundraiser

First Book-Brooklyn is an organization that provides books to children in need in Brooklyn communities.
Tickets are $10 each, and include one raffle ticket for fabulous prizes including signed books and goodies from local vendors.
Beer and cupcakes will be lovingly provided by Brooklyn Brewery and Robicelli's, so this event is 21+. All ticket proceeds will go towards funding First Book here in Brooklyn!

ALSO:

If you like my books for younger readers, or if you KNOW a younger reader who needs a book for a present -- the department of self-aggrandization wants me to tell you about Invisible Inkling: Dangerous Pumpkins. It's a Halloween book. It has killer unicorns, loads of candy, crazy ice cream flavors, a deeply neurotic hero and a wisecracking invisible sidekick.

Perfect for boys ages 7-10.  Preview it here.

Here's a guest-blog post I did on the IRA Engage website about the writing process on Invisible Inkling & Dangerous Pumpkins, plus my school visits in elementary schools.