I recently tweeted that I was in a reading slump. You suggested a YA with an LGBTQIA+ element. I’m now on book 3 of the Magnus Chase series and really enjoying them. Lots of positive representations to gay and trans people.
I'm so glad it worked! It makes me so happy that there's a market that has such positive representations of the LGBTQ population. I've even found that sprinkling LGBTQ YA books into my regular reading helps keep me on track. I haven't read the Magnus Chase series so I'll have to check it out.
So many of these books were formational in not just my reading life, but my life in general! From The Mixed Up Files made me want to become an art historian (spoiler, I did). The Madeline L'Engle books are just amazing and opened my brain to philosophy and thinking about the world/universe in a different way. Also, you should definitely read Anne of Green Gables. This was a great list!!!
I think you should do an episode on youtube about people with disabilities in writing. You include most other minority groups in the mix out of respect. October is people with disabilities and employment month. July is the month that the ADA law was signed in 1990 giving people with disabilities civil rights that many people of color have had, by law, since 1964. You can put together a piece featuring authors and or primary characters about people with disabilities.
Got out a sheet of paper to keep track of all the books I'd read. Now I have a sheet of paper with four titles on it. Found eight more to consider though. I'll probably start with Persepolis since I have a copy of that somewhere.
Anne of Green Gables is the most formative book I've read. It deals really well with trauma and found family. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn it is very good, read it a few months ago and becsme a favourite. It starts when she is a 7 and goes until 17, definitely young. Though I related to the adults and talking about alcoholism and intergenerational trauma a lot. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry I would say are definitely middle grade. 10/11 protagonist. But brilliant. Aristotle and Dante is so good. Jacqueline Woodson is such an extraordinary author. Brown Girl Dreaming and Before The Ever After are my two favourite by her. Elizabeth Acevedo a favourite and Pet is extraordinary, though quite heavy and middle grade.
This was really interesting because I either hadn’t heard of or hadn’t read most of the ones you mention (or the ones on the full list either) 🤣 I think that’s just because I tend to read a lot of UK YA and this was I think predominantly US books.
I have the diary of Anne Frank on my Ereader and can’t wait to read it. I actually never read the book in school. But, I did read Night by Elie Wiesel and loved it; even though I went through so many emotions
The Rick Riordan books have fantastic diversity with POC, LGBTQ+ and disability rep. More so as the Percy Jackson world developed and then into his other series. Great rep for kids (the kind that was missing when I was the target age).
I have no memory of reading To Kill a Mockingbird in school. I don’t know how that book doesn’t make it on a school curriculum. 🤦♀️ I can’t remember many of the mandatory books from school. Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies definitely from middle school. I’m having trouble thinking of others. I listened to the audiobook of Stamped. Jason Reynolds reads it and it’s fantastic. Me not being a fan of long books made me go with the shorter version, but I also love Jason Reynolds. If you haven’t listened to his Long Way Down, it is a must listen. Not sure if it’s on this list. Going to pick up a copy of Persepolis! Have you gotten John Lewis’s latest Run Vol 1? I have it and will be picking it up soon.
To me, Simon was a better book then movie. I enjoyed the book so much more. I have the movie and book, but totally loved the book more. I believe the other book you were talking about “What if it’s us”. I thought I was a really good book. They have a sequel coming out in December.
I'm surprised I've gotten so far without reading either. I think because I read the excerpts and play of Anne Frank it feels like I already did read it.
I’ve never read how to kill a mockingbird, but it’s on my list. I heard though, if you read how to kill a mockingbird, you need to follow up with I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou.
Greg, fantastic video and video idea! Love lists! I’m currently reading the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up on my channel (I cringe at myself for plugging my channel). A young adult novel is defined as any novel with a protagonist the age of a young adult (12-18). Super broad, I know. Completely agree with To Kill a Mockingbird. I’ve never read Ursula K LeGuin either, but she’s on my list. Loved Tuck Everlasting and I’ll Give You The Sun. I read 75% of Children of Blood of Bone and couldn’t bring myself to finish. Poet X is another excellent read.
Great video- for lord of the flies I remember a English teacher using that to demonstrate bullying, mob mentality, othering and the savagery present in children. So slightly outside of traditional teaching themes but was really impactful I think and we were about 13-14.
If you liked March, have you seen they have FINALLY released Run:Book One? John & Co. start moving into politics. From the list you didn't mention: I enjoyed Long Way Down, Firekeeper's Daughter, and yes, middle grade Percy Jackson. The 57 Bus, The Marrow Thieves, Dear Martin and Pet are on my shelves waiting for me.
Man I was really relieved when we got to Catcher and you totally got that it was a YA book that shows a young, angsty teen going through a philosophical malaise and didn't miss the point. Holden being this whiny, entitled, disillusioned person is THE POINT. He's a YOUNG ADULT. He's in that transitory period between loosing his innocence as a child but not quite finding his identity as an adult. Gotta say though, I disagree with you that his struggle is only applicable to straight white dudes. EVERYONE has this phase, it's a natural part of growing up. Maybe not in Holdens EXACT way, but that existential struggle where you're waking up to the world and finding who you really are applies to every gender of every race. Unless what you're saying is that Holden's way of coping is a typical white dude way to deal with the world, which I have to admit is spot on.
And really she’s only “annoying” (I always found her lovable though tbh) in the first book. She really grows and blossoms as a character throughout her early teenage years and early adulthood!
I highly recommend John Donovan he is great and he write other great books that I highly recommend and I also recommend rainbow boys also the middle grade and YA genres are not as accepting as you think Greg for example the vast majority of stories written for boys right now are written by women and that’s a bad thing not a good thing because the vast majority of women don’t know how to write stories for boys let alone for gay boys and an example of that would be the Boy I am by K.L.kettle the only people who would like that book are sexist misandrist women and self loathing misandrist men and if the vast majority of stories written for girls were written by men every women will be screaming and howling and saying that men have no business writing stories for girls and yet they don’t notice there hypocrisy when it comes to who should write for boys I miss the old days when women write stories for girls and men write stories for boys
Absolutely agreed on John Donovan. It breaks my heart that no one recognizes 'I'll get there. It better be worth the trip'. As short of a book as it is, from preface to the very end, it's one of the most authentic and sincere depictions of coming-out and coming-of-age in literature.
I recently tweeted that I was in a reading slump. You suggested a YA with an LGBTQIA+ element. I’m now on book 3 of the Magnus Chase series and really enjoying them. Lots of positive representations to gay and trans people.
I'm so glad it worked! It makes me so happy that there's a market that has such positive representations of the LGBTQ population. I've even found that sprinkling LGBTQ YA books into my regular reading helps keep me on track. I haven't read the Magnus Chase series so I'll have to check it out.
So many of these books were formational in not just my reading life, but my life in general! From The Mixed Up Files made me want to become an art historian (spoiler, I did). The Madeline L'Engle books are just amazing and opened my brain to philosophy and thinking about the world/universe in a different way. Also, you should definitely read Anne of Green Gables. This was a great list!!!
That's a really great illustration of how books can shape who we are. I love it.
We love the Simonverse, give it another go!
I think you should do an episode on youtube about people with disabilities in writing. You include most other minority groups in the mix out of respect. October is people with disabilities and employment month. July is the month that the ADA law was signed in 1990 giving people with disabilities civil rights that many people of color have had, by law, since 1964. You can put together a piece featuring authors and or primary characters about people with disabilities.
Got out a sheet of paper to keep track of all the books I'd read. Now I have a sheet of paper with four titles on it. Found eight more to consider though. I'll probably start with Persepolis since I have a copy of that somewhere.
Persepolis is a GREAT book. I hope you love it!
Anne of Green Gables is the most formative book I've read. It deals really well with trauma and found family.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn it is very good, read it a few months ago and becsme a favourite. It starts when she is a 7 and goes until 17, definitely young. Though I related to the adults and talking about alcoholism and intergenerational trauma a lot.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry I would say are definitely middle grade. 10/11 protagonist. But brilliant.
Aristotle and Dante is so good. Jacqueline Woodson is such an extraordinary author. Brown Girl Dreaming and Before The Ever After are my two favourite by her.
Elizabeth Acevedo a favourite and Pet is extraordinary, though quite heavy and middle grade.
This was really interesting because I either hadn’t heard of or hadn’t read most of the ones you mention (or the ones on the full list either) 🤣 I think that’s just because I tend to read a lot of UK YA and this was I think predominantly US books.
Oh that’s a good point-hadn’t thought of that.
I have the diary of Anne Frank on my Ereader and can’t wait to read it. I actually never read the book in school. But, I did read Night by Elie Wiesel and loved it; even though I went through so many emotions
I haven't even read Night! Another one to get to someday.
The Rick Riordan books have fantastic diversity with POC, LGBTQ+ and disability rep. More so as the Percy Jackson world developed and then into his other series. Great rep for kids (the kind that was missing when I was the target age).
That's really cool--I did not know that! Thanks.
@Melanie Martin That's good to know--thanks.
I have no memory of reading To Kill a Mockingbird in school. I don’t know how that book doesn’t make it on a school curriculum. 🤦♀️ I can’t remember many of the mandatory books from school. Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies definitely from middle school. I’m having trouble thinking of others.
I listened to the audiobook of Stamped. Jason Reynolds reads it and it’s fantastic. Me not being a fan of long books made me go with the shorter version, but I also love Jason Reynolds. If you haven’t listened to his Long Way Down, it is a must listen. Not sure if it’s on this list.
Going to pick up a copy of Persepolis! Have you gotten John Lewis’s latest Run Vol 1? I have it and will be picking it up soon.
To me, Simon was a better book then movie. I enjoyed the book so much more. I have the movie and book, but totally loved the book more. I believe the other book you were talking about “What if it’s us”. I thought I was a really good book. They have a sequel coming out in December.
Thanks for the feedback on Love, Simon. What if It's Us was definitely the other book.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my favorite books!!! The Diary of Anne Frank is excellent. Two very good reads.
I'm surprised I've gotten so far without reading either. I think because I read the excerpts and play of Anne Frank it feels like I already did read it.
I’ve never read how to kill a mockingbird, but it’s on my list. I heard though, if you read how to kill a mockingbird, you need to follow up with I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou.
I've never read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and I really need to.
Greg, fantastic video and video idea! Love lists! I’m currently reading the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up on my channel (I cringe at myself for plugging my channel).
A young adult novel is defined as any novel with a protagonist the age of a young adult (12-18). Super broad, I know.
Completely agree with To Kill a Mockingbird. I’ve never read Ursula K LeGuin either, but she’s on my list. Loved Tuck Everlasting and I’ll Give You The Sun.
I read 75% of Children of Blood of Bone and couldn’t bring myself to finish. Poet X is another excellent read.
I have the 1001 Children's book! I look forward to your journey through the book.
@@MizzInterpreted Glad you’ll join me on my reading journey! ☺️
Great video- for lord of the flies I remember a English teacher using that to demonstrate bullying, mob mentality, othering and the savagery present in children. So slightly outside of traditional teaching themes but was really impactful I think and we were about 13-14.
I read Anne of Green Gables Manga book. It was great
I did not even know there was a manga version. Wow!
If you liked March, have you seen they have FINALLY released Run:Book One? John & Co. start moving into politics. From the list you didn't mention: I enjoyed Long Way Down, Firekeeper's Daughter, and yes, middle grade Percy Jackson. The 57 Bus, The Marrow Thieves, Dear Martin and Pet are on my shelves waiting for me.
Here's a fun(?) Fact about John Green, his brother lives in your town. Hopefully that's not too weird to comment
Not weird at all! His brother living here is something I always forget about for some reason and then when someone reminds me I'm like "oh yeah!"
Man I was really relieved when we got to Catcher and you totally got that it was a YA book that shows a young, angsty teen going through a philosophical malaise and didn't miss the point. Holden being this whiny, entitled, disillusioned person is THE POINT. He's a YOUNG ADULT. He's in that transitory period between loosing his innocence as a child but not quite finding his identity as an adult. Gotta say though, I disagree with you that his struggle is only applicable to straight white dudes. EVERYONE has this phase, it's a natural part of growing up. Maybe not in Holdens EXACT way, but that existential struggle where you're waking up to the world and finding who you really are applies to every gender of every race. Unless what you're saying is that Holden's way of coping is a typical white dude way to deal with the world, which I have to admit is spot on.
In Anne of Green Gables you grow to love Anne despite that she’s annoying
And really she’s only “annoying” (I always found her lovable though tbh) in the first book. She really grows and blossoms as a character throughout her early teenage years and early adulthood!
That makes sense--thank you both for the feedback.
I highly recommend John Donovan he is great and he write other great books that I highly recommend and I also recommend rainbow boys also the middle grade and YA genres are not as accepting as you think Greg for example the vast majority of stories written for boys right now are written by women and that’s a bad thing not a good thing because the vast majority of women don’t know how to write stories for boys let alone for gay boys and an example of that would be the Boy I am by K.L.kettle the only people who would like that book are sexist misandrist women and self loathing misandrist men and if the vast majority of stories written for girls were written by men every women will be screaming and howling and saying that men have no business writing stories for girls and yet they don’t notice there hypocrisy when it comes to who should write for boys I miss the old days when women write stories for girls and men write stories for boys
Absolutely agreed on John Donovan. It breaks my heart that no one recognizes 'I'll get there. It better be worth the trip'. As short of a book as it is, from preface to the very end, it's one of the most authentic and sincere depictions of coming-out and coming-of-age in literature.