RED Hearts: Read The Naughty List

RED Hearts are guests posts on I Heart Daily from the authors of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today.

Today's RED Hearts post is from Jordyn Turney, 20, reporting from Alpine, California, who writes about cheerleading spy girls who won her respect:

In my very first RED Hearts post, I talked about the incredible Agent 99 from "Get Smart." Now, I revisit the topic of kick-butt female spies with an amazing debut novel by Suzanne Young. The novel, The Naughty List, is the first in a series about -- get this -- a cheerleading squad that doubles as spies.

Yeah, you read that correctly. Aren't we all sick of the cheerleaders-as-villains routine? Here, Tessa and the rest of her squad are in the nonprofit business of catching the unfaithful boyfriends of their high school. They're not half-hearted about it either. Nope, these girls rappel off roofs, go on stakeouts, and have awesome spy gadgets. AND THEY'RE CHEERLEADERS! Suzanne Young -- with a sugar-sweet heroine who replaces common cuss words with exclamations of baked goods (yep, you read that part right, too) -- turns the mean-girl-who-just-happens-to-be-captain stereotype on its head and makes it work.

The story focuses on the new boy in school who's obsessed with Tessa, and her wonderful, perfect boyfriend who winds up on The Naughty List (the cheerleaders' roundup of potential cheaters). It's part teenage love story, part spy spectacular, and it does both brilliantly. The Naughty List is in stores now, and the next two are scheduled to come out later in the year. I suggest moving this book to the top of your reading list yesterday, because it's just. that. great.

PS-Want to hear the back story of The Naughty List cover? I Heart Daily co-editor Melissa has it!

RED Hearts guest poster Jordyn Turney is an author of RED: Teenage girls in America write on what fires up their lives today, which is now available in paperback.

RED Hearts: A Dancing Flower for Winter

RED Hearts are guest posts on I Heart Daily from the authors of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today.

Today's RED Hearts post is by Saskia Boggs, 20, reporting from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has found a winter pick-me-up as she waits for spring:

Before my birthday package arrived this month at school (bursts of surprise are always extra-welcome in Michigan in February) my mom told me that she’d included something from my favorite kitschy little store back home. Fully expecting a cute necklace or maybe a DIY book (as moms do), I was surprised to find a plastic, solar-powered dancing flower in the box.

Yes, my mom had sent me a Two's Company Bee Happy Dancing Flower, the perfect gift for the depths of winter. These cheerful and cute little trinkets catch onto even the weakest rays of light, which make the leaves wave up and down and the flower sway from side to side. The colors are bright -- pink flower, green leaves and stem, and a choice of either a blue or pink base -- all especially great with the gray ick outside.

Seeing my dancing flower waving at me from my window when I get back from the icy trek from classes to dorm consistently raises my spirits. And the best part is, I don't have to remember to water this flower. These sun-happy blooms never die. And at just under $8, they’re definitely going to become my inexpensive-yet-thoughtful go-to gift for friends this spring -- which has to be coming soon!

RED Hearts guest poster Saskia Boggs is an author of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today, which is now out in paperback.

RED Hearts: Facebook For A Broken Heart

RED Hearts are guest posts on I Heart Daily from the authors of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today.

Today's RED Hearts post is from Sam Lewin, 20, reporting from NYC, who uses her facebook status updates to get over a break-up:

"No longer listed as in a relationship" lingers on my Facebook profile. It reminds me of my new single status, sure, but also the one thing my broken heart can do about it -- celebrate.

Alone this Valentine's Day? Who cares? Evidently not you. You'll be utilizing a socially acceptable means to prove to the world and yourself that you're fine -- better than fine. Go and post those pictures of your carefree antics, that cute like-a-brother buddy (who your former boyfriend didn’t happen to meet) with his arm casually slung around your shoulder (a loving gesture he never thought to extend to you), and guess what? Our exes will have to take it.

No, it’s not the straightest or most selfless route to saving face, but that's the beauty of Facebook, isn't it? We use Facebook to report on our lives in a space where narcissism is glorified, where, however “it’s complicated,” we’re expected to assert our extraordinary vibrancy and fun-loving character.

See, somewhere in my heartache I realized that communicating via status or pics has the unique quality of appearing non-specific, i.e., not directed at my ex. The insecurity in my voice remains hidden beneath seemingly thoughtless announcements to an anonymous empty abyss. Awesome isn't it?

Just remember that the virtual land of masked passive aggression, like anything else, has its two-way roads. Be aware that your ex wields the same power of profile and just might reciprocate for your lonely heart to see. And if you dare break social barriers by bringing this data out of cyberspace and into conversation -- and he dares say that the new pics were “my girlfriend’s idea” and he never gave it a second thought -- well, you’ll have to take it.

But don't be bitter. I'm not. As my Facebook friends can plainly see, I never lost my composure.

RED Hearts guest poster Sam Lewin is an author of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today, which is now out in paperback.

RED Hearts: Advice on Dog Adoption

RED Hearts are guest posts on I Heart Daily from the authors of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today.

Today's RED Hearts post is from Annie Littlewood, 21, reporting from Overland Park, Kansas, who has advice on pet ownership:

I always had a dog during childhood. Our last dog, a German shepherd named Buddy Love, had to be put to sleep a couple of months after I graduated from high school.

It took four years for me to finally decide it was time for a new companion. Then for months, my boyfriend Pieter and I discussed making a home for our friend’s Boxer’s soon-to-be puppies. When we met Captain Mauser, two days after his birth, we knew immediately he was the one.

Dog parenthood is a huge responsibility and expense. You have to be mature enough to take care of yourself and another living thing. Will you be able to do it alone? How will your roommates feel? Where do you spend your holidays? Is there someone to babysit if you have to go out of town without him/her? Do you truly want to start a friendship that will inevitably end in death? Can you handle that?

If you’re not up for the months of training, there are plenty of older orphaned, free animals that need love (find out how you can help animal victims of the Haiti disaster here). Animal shelters are the best places to find a dog who is already potty-trained, has its shots, can walk on a leash, and doesn’t chew on furniture, shoes, trash, etc.

There are also a lot of essentials that come with that animal: food, leashes, bones, shampoo, brushes, vitamins, veterinarian visits. About.com gives a chart on average yearly expenses of dog ownership. And, dogs need consistent exercise -- so you have to be up for the walks too. Taking Mauser out twice a day has given us an exercise routine, plus more time to hold hands.

When I come home, my pup’s shiny, chestnut-brown body wiggles uncontrollably, and I can see, feel his pure, honest adoration. Your dog will fill your life with daily comfort and joy -- a blessing that can always cure you of boredom. (Fetch is the best game.) I get to wake up every morning with my best friend, a being who will be more consistent in loving me than any sweetheart, taking up the entire end of my bed.

RED Hearts guest poster Annie Littlewood is an author of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today, which is now out in paperback.

RED Hearts: High Rocks For Girls

RED Hearts are guest posts on I Heart Daily from the authors of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today. 

Today's RED Hearts post is from Meike Schleiff, 22, reporting from Renick, WV, who writes about a mentoring program that changed her life: 

There are so many things a girl has to find in the world these days -- friends, love, peace with parents, a bearable job, her keys, her cellphone, her happiness, her look, her way. So finding a mentor might not be on the top of your list for 2010. But did you know that having a mentor or mentoring program can help you reach dreams like these: saving babies in a NICU ward, tracking wolves, farming organically, starting a local restaurant, studying in China, being a great mom someday?

These incredible feats are all being done by alumni of High Rocks for Girls, the leadership program in West Virginia where I found my mentors -- and my way. I always thought of myself as pretty “normal” as a teenager, whatever that means. No hot pink hair with black accents, no tattoos, no Goth attire. Nothing extreme. I never even painted my fingernails until my first High Rocks camp.

The amazing thing about places like High Rocks is that you'll find girls from every table in the school cafeteria there. And, when we got together to do wild things, like hiking out into the woods with outdoor survival kits for an overnight adventure or organizing a Halloween party for needy children in our area, we found out that we were more alike than we believed possible. We're all just trying to figure out what it means to be ourselves.

High Rocks has been helping teenage girls do this for 14 years. Check out how you can be involved there, or in a similar nationwide programs in your area, such as Best Friends, Girl Scouts of America, or Girls Inc. Or discover a smaller girls' club near you. What you'll find, most of all, is that growing up is a little easier when you don't have to do it alone.

RED Hearts guest poster Meike Schlieff is an author of RED: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today, which was recently published in paperback.