[Top Ten Tuesday] Books That Should Be Available In Schools

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is currently being run by That Artsy Reader Girl. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. This week I am talking about books I think have themes and topics that are important to discuss with students. Or to at least have them available for students to read on their own. Some are more fitted for a younger audience and the others an older audience, but I think these books can be really beneficial in a education setting.

Let's jump right into it!

 George by Alex Gino

This would be more of a middle grade book, but I think it is such an important one. It's about a little trans girl who still presents herself as a boy because no one other than her knows that she is trans. She wants to be Charlotte in the school play but because it's typically a role for girls she has to fight for it. I think it's a great introduction for young readers on what it means to be trans and I think it could be really helpful for younger trans kids who maybe need this representation to bring them comfort.

Synopsis
BE WHO YOU ARE. When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte – but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I need to re-read these and get back into reading all of Rick Riordan books because they're great. I think they are a fantastic way to get kids into Greek mythology (and even other types of mythology in all his other series) because they're educational while also entertaining. Also, Percy is dyslexic. I am not sure how much it comes up past the first book, The Lightning Thief, but I have seen a handful of reviewers mention that dyslexic representation made them feel less different and more accepted. And I think that is great, especially for a younger audience who can sometimes be cruel to anyone who is a little different.

Synopsis
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yyousafzai 

This book is such an inspiring one! I think it would be great for all readers but especially late middle school into high school age. I think Malala is an amazing role model to look up to and learning her story is such an important one because Malala is one of so many women with similar experiences. It's important for students, especially in America & other western countries, learn about the things Middle Eastern people, women specifically, go through.

Synopsis
I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin 

This book is a more serious book with very triggering topics. It is about an intersex teen who is raped, and I was absolutely heartbroken throughout this whole story. It's such a sad but also incredibly educational book. I learned a lot about what it means to be intersex.

Synopsis
The Walker family is good at keeping secrets from the world. They are even better at keeping them from each other. Max Walker is a golden boy, with a secret that the world may not be ready for. This novel is a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity, and a coming-of-age story like no other.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

I would be surprised if this book isn't in at least SOME classes now. It's been out for over a year and it's incredibly popular. Plus it's getting a movie this October! I think the themes in this story are so relevant to the state our world is currently going through and it makes this story so much more heartbreaking and inspiring. 

Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart

This is a memoir by YouTuber Hannah Hart. I think this is such an amazing book! First, Hannah is an amazing writer and I absolutely loved her writing style. But also, it's got a lot of pretty heavy topics that include mental illness, homophobia, parental neglect, and others. She does not go light on her life experiences and it is incredibly inspiring to know that someone who is known for being a literal ball of sunshine on YouTube came from a pretty dark past. I love that although a lot of the topics in this book are dark she writes them with slivers of hope. I think this book would be fantastic to be taught in school because Hannah is not the only kid dealing with parents with mental illnesses, she's not the only person who pushed down their super gay feelings because of internalized homophobia, and I think kids out there who maybe are going through similar things could be inspired by Hannah's story. And kids who aren't can maybe be more open to being kinder to their classmates, not knowing what they're going through.

Synopsis
By combing through the journals that Hannah has kept for much of her life, this collection of narrative essays delivers a fuller picture of her life, her experiences, and the things she’s figured out about family, faith, love, sexuality, self-worth, friendship and fame.

Revealing what makes Hannah tick, this sometimes cringe-worthy, poignant collection of stories is sure to deliver plenty of Hannah’s wit and wisdom, and hopefully encourage you to try your hand at her patented brand of reckless optimism.

Personal note:

Hello, my darlings! I am incredibly pleased to present BUFFERING: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded!

As a big fan of memoirs, I wanted to try my hand at writing about the events of my life that deserve a little more consideration than can be accomplished in 140-characters or a 6-minute vlog. Now on the cusp of turning 30, I'm ready to expose some parts of my life that I haven't shared before. Before, it was all about privacy, process and time. And now the time has come! I’m ready to put myself out there, for you.

I'm a little nervous about all these vulnerable words going into the world, these tales about my love life, the wrestling I’ve done with faith, how I feel about sex and my family and myself. I’ve had a lot of trials, a lot of errors, but also a lot of passion. Here’s the thing--I've always found comfort in the stories shared by others, so I hope my stories, now that I feel ready to tell them, will bring you some comfort too.

And when you read this book please remember: Buffering is just the time it takes to process.

Enjoy!

Love,

Hannah 

Puddin' by Julie Murphy 

This book tackles topics like fatphobia, fat shaming, feeling like an outsider, racism, and has a redemption arc. It is a companion novel to Dumplin', which I also loved, but I loved Puddin' more. I think compassion and understanding that you don't know what someone is going through is something that we need to see more in books. And young readers need to read those book because although I believe I read somewhere that the younger generations are showing to be more compassionate and open minded, teaching more compassion never hurts. 

Synopsis
It is a companion novel to Dumplin', which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean's star turn in the Clover City pageant.

Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush. Callie Reyes is the pretty girl who is next in line for dance team captain and has the popular boyfriend. But when it comes to other girls, she’s more frenemy than friend. When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they will surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

The Astonishing Color of After

This book is super heavy and it's about a girl grieving her mom, who recently died by suicide. She thinks her Mom has turned into a bird. There's some magical realism in here and its super atmospheric because the main character, Leigh, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. It's so heartbreaking but also incredibly hopeful. I think this is a instant classic book.

Synopsis
Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth 

This book is about a girl who's parents die in a car accident as she comes to the realization that shes gay. She comes to live with her super conservative aunt who sends her to a religious conversion camp. I think you can't help but go through so many different emotions while reading this book. I think talking about religion in relation to LGBTQ right is important because there are a lot of religious people who have LGBTQ+ kids. And unfortunately parents who don't understand their kids or maybe have negative ideas of gay people think that religious conversion camps are the right decision. This could be both educational but also helpful to young gay students who maybe need to know they're not alone.

Synopsis
Cameron Post feels a mix of guilt and relief when her parents die in a car accident. Their deaths mean they will never learn the truth she eventually comes to—that she's gay. Orphaned, Cameron comes to live with her old-fashioned grandmother and ultraconservative aunt Ruth. There she falls in love with her best friend, a beautiful cowgirl. When she’s eventually outed, her aunt sends her to God’s Promise, a religious conversion camp that is supposed to “cure” her homosexuality. At the camp, Cameron comes face to face with the cost of denying her true identity.

The Seven  Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book is a whirlwind of emotions but also super important. It tackles the treatment of women both in and out of the entertainment industry. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo also tackles racism, the erasure of culture (in this example: Evelyn's Cuban background & culture), bisexuality erasure, and homophobia. This book is a literary classic. I honestly think it needs to be read by everyone, it's so good! If this was taught in classes I think it would be great for high school students.

Synopsis
Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Thanks for reading!