YA

Drop (and Find!) Free Books on Teen Lit Day

By Melissa Walker / April 16, 2014 at 1:00 pm

Rock the drop!

Isn’t it lovely to stumble upon a new book, especially a free one left just for you? This week, it could happen.

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 17, is Celebrate Teen Lit Day, and book lovers everywhere can get involved by “rocking the drop.” Hosted by readergirlz, Rock the Drop is an initiative that encourages authors, readers, and book people of all stripes to go out in their communities and leave their favorite Young Adult titles for others to find them: on benches, in parks, at coffee shops, on public transportation, anywhere!

Print the readergirlz bookplate (above), and attach it to your book so that finders will know they’re stumbling upon a gift! Then go drop as many reads as your arms can carry, and tweet your drops with the #rockthedrop hashtag. In past years, authors like Sarah Dessen, Matthew Quick and Sara Zarr have rocked the drop with signed books in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Utah, respectively. From NYC to San Francisco, publishers, authors, and readers sprinkled the country with books they love. It’s a teen lit fan’s dream come true!

Still not quite sure how to get involved? Here’s your to-do list:

1. Check your bookshelves (or your local bookstore) for the books you want to drop. It’s sad to say goodbye, but the upside is: Space for new books!

2. Print out the bookplate above (one for each book) and cut it out. Bonus points for using crafting scissors with fancy edging skills.

3. Place/tape/glue bookplates into chosen book(s), or paperclip them to the outside!

5. Extra Credit: Write a sticky-note mini review about why you loved this book and are dropping it for another reader to enjoy.

6. Brainstorm a list of the places where you plan to drop your chosen books.

7. On Thursday, set out on your book-dropping adventure and tweet a photo of each drop with the #rockthedrop hashtag. (You can also follow #rockthedrop on twitter to help you FIND a dropped book!)

8. Enjoy the good karma that will soon be coming back to you, generous reader.

Are you planning to rock the drop?