The upcoming release of DEAR BULLY (HarperTeen, September 2011) couldn’t come at a better time for internet sensation Rebecca Black. Black, who became a YouTube star when she released “FRIDAY” was the subject of such severe bullying by her classmates that her mother decided to pull her out of school and begin homeschooling. She is not alone. It has been reported that Christina Aguilera and Jessica Alba also experienced relentless bullying at school.

Bullying is an issue that continues to affect millions of lives and the statistics are scary:

-Every 7 minutes a child is bullied.

-5.7 million teens are bullied or have bullied someone.

-1 out of 4 kids is bullied.

-77% of students said they had been bullied.

-Bully victims are between 2 and 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims.

-Nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying.

-160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying.

-Bullying is increasingly viewed as an important contributor to youth violence, including homicide and suicide.

-Nearly 300,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.

-Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention- 4%. Peer intervention- 11%. No intervention – 85%

The young adult authors (70 of them!) who joined together for DEAR BULLY are hoping to provide a safe and supportive place for victims of bullying through their personal stories and anecdotes. A portion of the proceeds from DEAR BULLY (edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones) is going to the anti-bullying organization Stomp Out Bullying (stompoutbullying.org). These essays will show children, as well as adults, that it is possible to rise above bullying and succeed. It seems that Rebecca is doing just that because over the weekend she won the Teen Choice Award for Best Web Star.

Teen Fiction Cafe – great collaboration site of YA writers

The Story Siren – YA Book Reviews Central!

Jackson Pearce – YA writer and active blogger

Alyson Noel – Series favorite

Megan Kelley Hall – YA writer and anti-bullying activist

Books, Boys, Buzz – Inside look into the writing life of YA writers

Sara Zarr – YA author and consistent blogger (I’ve linked to one particularly poignant blog post where she writes about patting yourself on the back…something we all need to do a lot more of)

September means one thing for most people, back to school. This is usually a happy occasion because it signifies a fresh start: getting back into a regular routine, meeting up with friends you haven’t seen for months and becoming involved in activities.

However, there is a dark side to the journey through school. Almost 6,000,000 kids, nearly 30% of all children, are either bullied or are doing the bullying in this country. The issue of bullying is at the heart of Megan Kelley Hall’s upcoming release THE LOST SISTER (Kensington, August 2009), the eagerly anticipated sequel to SISTERS OF MISERY.

THE LOST SISTER isn’t just about bullying. It’s about love and fear, faith and trust, honesty and the power of hope. It is a beautiful story about the power of female friendship and sisterhood, but also illustrates the dark side of jealousy and envy.

Megan Kelley Hall has written a dramatic, exciting and beautiful portrayal of the uncertainty of life and the power certain girls can hold over their “friends.”

Book Summary:

Sisters are born, not chosen. . .

Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery–an insidious clique of the school’s most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights-

Beware the sister betrayed. . .

Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won’t stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne–a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials–Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past. . .and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

Kensington Publishing Corp. (August 1, 2009)

Sisters of Misery

The winners of a SIGNED copy of SISTERS OF MISERY by Megan Kelley Hall are:

Kelsey from Just Blinded Book Reviews

Four Kids R Great

Lisa Craven

Kimberly from Book Hangover

Rebecca from The Inside Cover

Note to winners: Please email me your address and I will send the books out today.

Thanks for entering and keep checking back for more contests! We have some great ones lined up.

Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

Excitement is building for the giveaway of signed copies of Megan Kelley Hall’s Sisters of MIsery and there is still time to enter. The winners will be announced in one week, so get your entries in.

BookFinds is giving away 3 signed copies of Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall!

Win your own SIGNED COPY of Sisters of Misery by leaving a comment on this post with your email address. Post the giveaway to your blog and receive two entries!

The contest is open starting today, July 29, and closing on August 8, 2008. Good luck!

I also want to give you a sneak peak of my next giveaway which I will be announcing on August 8th.

The most extraordinary debut novel of the decade: a riveting love story about the redemptive power of suffering and romance that transcends the limits of time and space.

Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

“Shivery…Megan Kelley Hall hits one over the fence with her debut novel — a true Gothic that skillfully combines the dangerous mischief of a modern clique with the bad girls whose prank-gone-mad ignited the Salem witch trials.” Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN and THE MIDNIGHT TWINS

BookFinds is giving away 3 signed copies of Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall!

Win your own SIGNED COPY of Sisters of Misery by leaving a comment on this post with your email address. Post the giveaway to your blog and receive two entries!

The contest is open starting today, July 29, and closing on August 8, 2008. Good luck!

In the meantime, check out Megan’s blog with possibly the best release date post ever!