The Kindness of Strangers/The Strangeness of Being Kind

I rocked the drop earlier today with Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall.  Union Square Park held on to the wild smell of mulch and I looked for the right spot to leave the book behind, while this band of rainbow color and brass set up for a concert I never heard.

I left the book on a bench, quickly snapped a photo to document the drop, and escaped the park, crossed the cobblestone street to head back to the office.  Unbeknownst to me, he had followed, all that way, called after me, held the book out with concern.

"You left this," he said breathlessly.

"Oh.  No. I meant to," I stumbled for words. "It's this thing.  Rock the drop.  You leave a book for someone."

He stared blankly.

"You can keep it, if you want it."

"But it's yours.  You forgot it."

"No.  Well.  Yes.  But I meant to.  Do you want it?"

"You forgot it," he insisted.

Before I knew it, the book was back in my hands and he was gone. I stood on the street corner, having never loved New York City (its kindness, its strangeness) more.

I crossed back over the cobblestones, passed the band, found my bench and placed the book there.  Again.

Rock The Drop Today

I actually had a dream about rocking the drop (information below.)   I was in France and I had to leave a book behind and I worried because the book was not written in french.

I'm not in France. 

But this will be my mission today. 

Will it be yours? 

Click here to learn more. From the readergirlz website:

Once again, readergirlz and Figment are going to ROCK THE DROP in honor of Support Teen Lit Day, 4/12/12. We can’t wait! Here’s how you can get involved:

* Snag the above bookplate and/or banner, created by the uber-talented David Ostow and add it to your blog and social networks, linking back to this post to share the love. Proclaim that you will ROCK THE DROP!

* Print a copy of the bookplate and insert it into a book (or 10!) to drop on April 12th. Drop a book in a public spot (park bench, bus seat, restaurant counter?). Lucky finders will see that the book is part of ROCK THE DROP!

*Plan to snap a photo and post it at the readergirlz facebook page. Then tweet the drop at #rockthedrop with all the other lovers of YA books. 

Get ready for the celebration! Get ready to rock!