title: No Character Limit: Truth & Fiction from WriteGirl
author: Keren Taylor
description: Gr 7 Up-This collection of short stories, poems, and essays is the product of a writing and mentoring organization in Los Angeles. Founded in 2001, WriteGirl provides a supportive channel for teen girls to express themselves through creative writing. Professional writers, who contribute to the anthology as well, act as mentors to help the girls find their voices and to improve their communication skills. The selections cover a variety of topics, and most contributions include a brief introduction by the authors about the source of their inspiration. Some subjects are joyful, such as those about favorite childhood memories, waffles, or New Orleans jazz. Other topics-such as broken romances, fading friendships, or repeatedly changing schools-reflect the writers' pain and determination to get through tough times. The creative process is clearly cathartic for the teens and mentors, acting both as an outlet and as a tool to help them make better sense of the world around them. Adolescents reading this anthology will recognize themselves in the words. WriteGirl authors also offer practical advice to fellow writers, such as "Do not delete any work. You will regret the decision later." Aspiring wordsmiths can use the works as models for their own writing or try their turn at the various exercises in the book. Readers who enjoy this collection will want to discover previously published WriteGirl anthologies.-Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
zlib_text: TALL DARK & HANDSOME
  AMELIA WILDE
  
  Tall Dark & Handsome
  She’s a total ice queen. I’m hot enough to melt her frozen heart.
  Juno Anderson hates me.
  She takes all the romantic comedies I’ve starred in very personally. As in—she finds them offensively
  terrible. So it’s no surprise that she doesn’t want me on the set of her first big movie. She doesn’t
  want my face on the poster.
  No—she wants to banish me from the set.
  She wants to banish me from Hollywood.
  She can try all she wants, but nothing revs my engines like a challenge.
  And Juno? Winning her over is all but impossible.
  I’m going to fight for every inch of her. For the taste of her on my tongue. For the sound of my name on
  her lips. For the sway of her hips beneath my hands.
  I’m going to fight—and I’m going to win.
  And she’s going to love it.
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