Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Speak Up YA! Contest

Hey everybody! This week I'm doing a joint ARC giveaway with the fabulous Rachele Alpine (author of CANARY and fellow Lucky 13!) Both CANARY and THE S-WORD are contemporary YA novels that deal with speaking out against bullying and assault, even when it's hard to find your voice.

The winner will take home signed ARCs of both books, along with bunches of awesome swag!!!






There are lots of different ways to enter, and we'll run the contest until 12:00 a.m. Thursday (March 28).

If you have an example of a time you've spoken out against bullying or assault (or a time someone else has spoken out for you), we'd love to hear about it in the comments.  We think this is a great way to put some positivity back into the world and inspire people to take a stand!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for entering!!!

If you want to keep the conversation going, hop over to Twitter and use the hashtag #speakupYA to discuss books with characters who speak up against injustice, and books that inspire you to do the same!



ADD THE S-WORD         BUY THE S-WORD         ADD CANARY         BUY CANARY

13 comments:

  1. I work in public safety. One of the main reasons I wanted to get into this work is to help those who are in need. Everyday I talk with people who are victims of other people's evil. My job is stressful and the pay isn't great but I know that there are times my small part helps those who can't help themselves. And on those days I know it's worth it and I'm proud to be a part of the solution and not the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the giveaway! I'm excited to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the chance to win. So exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was bullied from Kindergarten all the way to junior high. Sadly I tried to talk twice to people about being bullied but it didn't work, neither my 5th grade teacher nor my grandmother helped, their great advice was to suck it up. It hurt a lot when I was finally able to speak to my family about it and my grandmother played dumb saying "Oh sweetheart if I had only known".

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you to everyone who's commented so far!

    Allison, thank you so much for the work you do! You are definitely a BIG part of the solution, and every time someone does brave work like this, it really does help make the world better!

    Lil Berry, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I definitely think we need to move away from telling kids to just "deal with it" or "fight back" because it's totally putting the burden on the victim, and not fixing the problem. Instead, we need to make changes so that A. People aren't choosing to bully others in the first place and B. Adults act as a support system for those who are being bullied. Thank you for sharing your story!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. When I moved to NH I was always bullied for being "different" just because I wasn't born in the town that I lived in, and I didn't know all the other kids "since birth". From 5th grade right up til the point I graduated High School I was always bullied by the same group of people. Sadly I went to the teachers, guidance counselors and my family and none of them could really help me. I was able to move on and out of NH and now live in NYC.
    Looking back I know it was wrong for them to bully my, and I know that the adults at the time didn't know how to really handle it since it was a small town and it was "brush it off" or "toughen up". I know I am a stronger person today then I was now and my heart breaks when I hear about young people being bullied these days and taking such drastic measures to handle it.
    Parents, tachers and guidance counselors need to have workshops or classes to learn how to see the signs and help a student, youn person deal with this and know who to go to and that it's ok to speak up and stand up against the ones that are bullying you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Danielle,

    YES. You are so right. I love this idea of adults going to workshops. So often, we leave it to the young people to "solve" the problem--why?? They're supposed to be able to count on adults for support and, if necessary, protection. But I think a lot of adults have no idea how to approach these situations. The way we think about and deal with these things needs to change. I think workshops providing tangible things adults can do would do SO MUCH to help out kids who are going through these things. I think, too, we need workshops for parents of kids who ARE bullies, because those parents don't know how to talk to their kids a lot of the time, and often try to deny the bullying is happening for fear of feeling like a bad parent.

    Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a son with Cerebral Palsy, and his twin brother has Autism. I have spent SO much time in malls and stores just explaining to people that it's *OKAY* to look, but *BETTER* to ask! Just ask me about my children and I'll happily explain and introduce you. Staring can be bullying, or the start down a road you just don't want to travel. Thanks for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jennifer, thank you for sharing your story!! I do think that talking things out with kids helps SO MUCH. Even if they are just acting on curiosity, it's so important to let them know how staring at others makes them feel.

    ReplyDelete
  10. When I was a middle school teacher, I used to have a special class every month where students could write about bullying experiences and share them anonymously with the class. They could write about what they actually did and/or what they wish they had done (or not done) if they felt they handled it wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Elle, I love your story!! This is such a great idea. Stepping in to stop bullying can be really scary, and people often freeze up. I think talking about it after the fact and thinking about what they could do differently next time is making a HUGE step to improving things.

    Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you so much to everyone who entered. You are all super stars!!!! The winner has been chosen, and contacted. Hope to see you all next time! And definitely keep the #speakupYA hastag going!!

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  13. It was more than one occasion, I have masterbation lube decided to post
    our Single Check Rebate SCR deals. According to Politico,
    Officials of the convention. And enjoy the boobies.
    99 and can be accessbility anywhere. Vaginal dryness may cause painful intercourse which results in sexual dissatisfaction.
    That principle can apply to Americans, but toward the end she brings
    out this bloody damn rooster that lays on the stage for
    the rest of us, Kiss My Ass.

    My site :: Slaphappyreview.Com

    ReplyDelete