Emily Osment & Kay Panabaker in Cyberbully

Emily Osment & Kay Panabaker star in the TV movie, Cyberbully on July 17 at 8 PM on ABC Family channel. We got to talk to them about the movie and about their own advice for dealing with the sometimes dangerous online world.

Q: What is Cyberbully about?
Emily: In a way it's ripped from the headlines and while it's not based on a true story it easily could be. It centers around my character, Taylor, and her journey through high school. She struggles at home and is extremely insecure, and for some reason, the girls at school say she is the girl to pick on. She is targeted for absolutely no reason. She's picked on at school and picked on online which is why it's called Cyberbully and that is a huge topic right now. It's about her downward spiral, and Kay plays my best friend and I bring her and my family into it. My character is completely tormented and it's very sad. It's about the way to handle cyberbullying and maybe not the way to handle it and has a good moral that we ask for it basically, because we put ourselves out there.
Kay: That's exactly the comment I've been making because you put yourself out there, and people think having such instant access to you they can say whatever they want, and a lot of the times it's positive, and people want to talk to you, but there are those other people that want to make you feel bad to make themselves feel better. Is their advice genuinely the one you should be listening to? My mom always taught me that you need to present yourself privately as you would publicly, so if you wouldn't say the things you are saying online to that person's face, don't say them. And if you can't help yourself, remove yourself from the temptation and take yourself offline. If you can't handle it well like this movie says, take yourself offline and deal with the bullying not online.

Q: Does any of the stuff you read online about yourself affect your confidence?
Emily: I have a very good sense of who I am and I have people who I trust and will tell me something isn't right. Like my mom will say don't wear that dress, so I change, and I trust that. But I wouldn't ask my Twitter followers if this dress makes my butt look big. I would ask people that I know so I don't let it affect me personally. I could find a million things to bully about anyone but I choose not to.

Q: What books do you recommend?
Kay: Ender's Game, Uglies, Stargirl, Thirteen Reasons Why, and The Hunger Games.
Emily: Anything by Sarah Dessen who just came out with two new books, anything by Avi, Ender's Game, of course Stargirl, a book called Loser that is great. Harry Potter is great.

Q: Is there anything you are insecure about?
Kay: Insecurities never go away and even when you know you are at your best, you will still doubt yourself. A lot of people deal with that by calling attention to it but I personally believe that they are your insecurities and you are allowed to deal with them how you want. I don't feel the need to let people in on that struggle with myself and about that growth. Because then there will be those people that just want to make you feel insecure and I don't want to invite that.
Emily: And I like my big butt so whatever.

Q: Have you had any embarrassing moments?
Kay: I make a fool of myself on a daily basis. I trip whenever I wear high heels. It's funny I just went to Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday and all of my boyfriend's guy friends came. I warned them I was wearing shoes that were impossible to walk in but went really well with my dress, and I had to walk by myself and one of the guy friends was behind me and saw me nearly wipe out. He just started laughing because he played the movie in his head where I actually did fall down and it was a tragic mess. I am not graceful in heels so that's why I wear wedges because they are much more sturdy.

Are you going to watch Cyberbully? I hope nothing like that ever happens to any of you, dear STACKERS!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Interview by Gerri Miller
Photos courtesy of Disney Channel

Harry Potter Then and Now

As you know, the final Harry Potter movie comes out on Friday, July 15. Of course, I am going to see it, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (rated PG-13) will be a bittersweet experience. As the day gets closer, I am thinking more and more over the last ten years of watching these movies, watching my favorite characters grow up and change.

I put together this slideshow of pictures from the movies. Remember Daniel Radcliffe when he was that tiny?! The final pictures in the slideshow are the newest pics from Part 2. Isn't it so strange to see Hogwarts all demolished like that? And just for fun, I added the pic of Voldemort hanging out on the set, with a normal nose and. . . even kind of smiling.

How do you feel about the Harry Potter movies ending? Leave a Comment.

Images © 2011 Warner Bros. Ent.
Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.

Sneek Peak: The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers #2

The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book #2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson

That's right. Book #2! I know The Medusa Plot (Book #1 by Gordon Korman) is not coming out until August 30, but we have a sneak peek look at the cover of Book 2. Feast your eyes on this!

Isn't it beautiful? Mark your calendar because it's coming to stores on December 6, 2011!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Kids' Tips for Earning and Saving Money

$ummer $aving Tips & Trivia

So you're too young to get a job, but too old for survival by allowance only. Plus, the recession has hit some families hard, and parents just don't have the money to buy you everything you want. What's a kid to do? Check out these money making and saving tips, then take our Quiz to test your Savings Smarts.

• Lemonade or Ice Pop Stand
  Have your parents help you stock up on ice pops from the supermarket, or make your own. Do a great big old fashioned sign, and hand out flyers to the neighbors a few hours before. Ideal to do on a Sunday, when people are home from work, and just hanging out. Be sure to set out a "Tips" jar.
• Yard Sale
  Pull out all your old toys and last year's wardrobe. Do it with your friends for even more of a mega-sale.
• Mother's Helper
  If you're not old enough for baby-sitting, offer to help a neighborhood mom by entertaining her kids while she gets things done around the house. Make sure your parent/s approve and it is someone you both know.
• Dog Walker
  Recently I saw a sign posted in my friend's neighborhood for "Dog Walking Services Offered for Friendly Dogs." Great if you already have a dog, or experience with animals.
• Recycling cans and bottles
  Collect your recyclables, ask your relatives for theirs, and scour parks and (safe) public areas for cans and bottles. Depending on what state you live in, you may receive 5 or 10 cents back per item. This can add up, and it's good for the earth.
• FREE Public Library
  Take books, movies, and CDs out of the library. It's free, which is cheaper than any store, and the selection is endless.
• Pack a Snack
  Going to the movies? Popcorn is great, but bringing your own snack along to the theater, beach or amusement park can save you up to half the cost of admission!

So hopefully now you have some ideas to earn a bit of cash. What's the best thing to do with it? I spoke with a Bank of America Vice President in NY, and he had this to say, "Kids should start saving early. The younger, the better. The earlier they learn, the more financially responsible they'll be, and the more likely they are to be savers later on."

Try out this Quiz to see how saving savvy you are:

1. A great way to save the money you earn is to deposit it into a ______ ________.
2. This is the money your parents give you to do household chores.
3. This is income earned BACK on the money you deposit into a savings account.
4. Finish this saying. "A penny saved is a penny ______."
5. BONUS: What does the S&P 500 stand for?

Leave your answers in the Comments below, and check back next week for answers!

— Ratha, Stacks Writer

Book Titles in Other Words ANSWERED

The Answers Are Here!

Last week I posted a Book Titles in Other Words Quiz, where I took your favorite book titles and did a little bit of rewording. Did you figure them all out? Check the answers below to find out!

Writing Prompt: Opening Sentences

Writing Prompt: Opening Sentences

"It was a dark and stormy night."

The classic first line of a good book. (Which also happens to be the first line of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.) It can make or break your impression of a book. Will it be love at first sight? Or will it end up under your bed living with dust bunnies and used Kleenex? Is it going to be an adventure? Tragedy? Hilarious diary? You can tell a lot about a book by its first line.

For example, the line "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold." What book is this you may wonder? Elementary, my dear Watson, it's the first line of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games (for ages 12 and up).

Or how about "Two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane." None other than the first line from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Try "First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary." This is from the one and only. . . Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

This one I also like, "The sky was the color of cat vomit." Can you guess? It's Scott Westerfeld's first line from Uglies (for ages 12 and up).

I could go on and on, but I'd rather hear from you guys! For today's Writing Prompt, if you were writing a book, what would your opening line be? Be as crazy as you want to be. You never know – all you budding writers could say you wrote it here first! Leave your First Line in the Comments below!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer