Tanya Lee Stone: When is a bad boy good for a girl?

Tanya Lee Stone is officially the bravest writer I know. Not only has she stepped up with an emotionally important YA book that honestly speaks to the tortured topic of teen sex, she did it in free verse. Tanya's touring the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit with the paperback release of A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl that busted out in hardback last year with accolades and starred reviews. Bad Boy was an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, School Library Journal Book of the Month, New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and -- well, the list goes on. And on. And on.

From a starred review in School Library Journal:

Three girls succumb to the charms of one sexy high school senior and emerge wiser for the experience in this energetic novel in verse....The free verse gives the stories a breathless, natural flow and changes tone with each narrator. The language is realistic and frank, and, while not graphic, it is filled with descriptions of the teens and their sexuality. This is not a book that will sit quietly on any shelf; it will be passed from girl to girl to girl.

From the press kit:

Don't let the title scare you.

A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL is a cautionary tale. Teens are dealing with sex, whether we’re ready or not. This novel is about three very different girls who date the same player guy. About how the choices they make shape who they want to be. About empowerment.

Meet Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva. Three very different girls who all meet the same bad boy with an irresistible knack for getting into their blood and under their skin.

Three girls. One guy. Who will come out on top?

In A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL, Tanya Lee Stone takes a hard look at love and sex and asks the questions: “When can a bad boy be good for a girl?”

Tanya is a woman after my own heart. Loves book clubs, despises censorship. The new Bad Boy paperback includes a bonus Reading Guide and Tanya is available for virtual book club visits. She's outspoken about censorship and the need for tackling tough topics in teen books. (Check out her insightful VOYA article: From Forever to Today: The Importance of Sex in Young Adult Literature and a recent interview with AS IF! (Authors Support Intellectual Freedom) in which she discusses sex, censorship, and Judy Blume.

“I get lots of email from teens thanking me for being honest, saying my book helped them, or they gave it to a friend who needs it," says Tanya. "What’s better than that?”

Go, girlfriend, go!