Sara Zarr's debut novel, Story of a Girl, was published by Little, Brown in January 2007 to starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal, which wrote, "This is realistic fiction at its best." The book, past winner of the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition, follows 16-year-old Deanna Lambert as she attempts to navigate the waters of reconciliation with her family, her friends, and herself after a single moment of bad judgment that has come to define her. Image Journal wrote, "This is young adult fiction that does not look away from the darkness of adolescence, but that also points toward a hard-won kind of hope." Sara was featured in a January 2007 article, "Heirs to Judy Blume"; Story of a Girl has been named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and is nominated as an ALA Best Books for Young Adults. The film rights were recently optioned by Kyra Sedgwick and Emily Lansbury of Mixed Breed Films.