Support teen literature day

April 8, 3:29 PMChildren's Books ExaminerLori Calabrese

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For the third consecutive year, Support Teen Literature Day will be celebrated April 16, 2009 in conjunction with The American Library Associations' National Library Week. Librarians all across the country are encouraged to participate in Support Teen Literature Day by hosting events in their library. The purpose of this new celebration is to raise awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today’s teens. Support Teen Literature Day also seeks to showcase award-winning authors and books in the genre as well as highlight librarians’ expertise in connecting teens with books and other reading materials.

To help celebrate, teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States will receive 8,000 young-adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels as Readergirlz, Guys Lit Wire, and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) conduct "Operation TBD" (short for Teen Book Drop).

The program puts free books donated by 18 book publishers into the hands of many teens most in need of escape, inspiration and a sense of personal accomplishment. Books with exceptional characters and fabulous stories can provide just that for teens and their families dealing with difficult, long-term hospital stays.

“Our teen patients here at Seattle Children’s loved the books donated through the Operation Teen Book Drop last year,” said Kim Korte, Child Life Manager, Seattle Children’s Hospital. “Books are a wonderful avenue for our patients to be distracted from the pain and stress of hospitalization. We are always in need of books and greatly appreciate the generosity of the publishers who donated.”

I think Operation TBD is very inspiring and it's a chance for everyone to share the love of books. So on April 16, teens, YA authors, and anyone who feels the urge to participate should leave a book in a public place. When visiting Readergirlz, participants can download bookplates to insert into the books they’ll leave behind, which explain the surprise to the recipient and tell them to read and enjoy.

Everyone who participates in Operation TBD is invited to celebrate at the TBD Post-Op Party on April 16 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time on the Readergirlz blog.