Support Teen Literature Day is April 16, 2009. Thanks to readergirlz, GuysLitWire, YALSA, and publishers, 8,000 new YA novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels will be delivered to teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the country.

We, the enthusiastic reading public, can join the fun through Operation Teen Book Drop 2009 (TBD ’09). What do we do? We plant books in places where teens will see them and, with luck, pick them up and read them. TBD books are identified as free for the taking by bookplates glued inside. You can download them from the readergirlz TBD page. And maybe from the other supporters’ sites; I happen to be a readergirl. Or, Crafty Folks, if you’re so inclined, I imagine it would be okay to make your own.

I am especially excited this year because–get this!–I have to be in Anchorage on April 16th–that very day. The only place to drop a book out here would be the school, and while that would be nice, it would seem school-y. One key to getting kids and teens to read is to instill in them that it’s FUN, something to do outside school for entertainment. I don’t want to leave my book in a school, and this year, I’ve got the city of Anchorage at my disposal.

Since TBD ’09 takes place during the Needle and Thread: Stitching for Literacy Bookmark Challenge, my book drop will look something like this:

Well, duh–of course it’s going to have a stitched bookmark! Don’t worry, I’ve got others to donate to Arctic Needle for the Challenge.