She lives with her husband, the illustrator Matthew Cordell, and their family outside of Chicago.

Thanks to Macmillian/Feiwel & Friends for providing ARCS for review on the SC.Julie Halpern is the author of the acclaimed teen novels Get Well Soon, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, Don't Stop Now, and Have a Nice Day. Round Table Discussion: The F-It List – Sandie & Diana Teen Lit Rocks Page to Screen: How would you cast The F-It List? – Tee YA Crush Review: The F-It List by Julie Halpern – – Brittany The Book Addict’s Guide Liked our Q & A + GIVEAWAY? Check out the other SC posts!! Winner will have 48 hours to respond with their address. Want to win your own finished copy of The F-It List? Follow the rafflecopter link below to enter! US ONLY, ends 10/31. That seems like a lame answer for an author and librarian- books about TV! But they’re comforting, and it’s true. I also like to read a lot of TV companion books for the shows I obsess over: Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural.

“Mouse Tales” by Arnold Lobel still makes me smile after reading it for over thirty years. I always love Louise Rennison’s “Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging” for a laugh. What are your go-to books when you’re looking for comfort or to cheer up? If we were sick, we imagine we’d read a lot of our favorite books. It brought with it a lot of confusion: what do I do with myself that’s not selfish? And so much guilt! It had a lot of potential for interesting inner-dialogue for the best friend.ĥ. I didn’t feel like the “having cancer” story was mine to tell, but the friend with cancer, feeling helpless when someone else is hurting,was something I could relate to. After a few years, I googled her, and the search found her on websites about having cancer. The story originated from a personal situation, where a friend of mine and I had a falling out. What gave you the idea to make the protagonist the best friend?

The F-It List takes a different approach to cancer by telling it not from the patient’s POV but from her best friend. Thanks to Julie for taking the time to chat with us this month and to Sandie for the extra help with the Q & A. I was lucky enough to host the Q & A + GIVEAWAY portion for our October pick.