To Read or Not To Read

As my journey to read all the books from TIME's Top 100 YA Books of All Time continues, I'm so glad it brought me to Dean Atta's The Black Flamingo . A powerful and insightful passage through time with the main character Michael, as he uncovers who he wants and can be, this novel is a necessary addition to the YA canon, and one to be shared widely and proudly.  Dean Atta's poems deal with themes of race, gender, and identity. He regularly performs across the UK and internationally, and his work has been shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and appeared on MTV and BET. The Black Flamingo  is his debut YA novel. You can find him online at www.deanatta.com . You can find more of my reviews of books on TIME's Top 100 YA Books of All Time list  here .  Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he's navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael's c...

My journey reading books from TIME's Best YA Books of All Time continues in one of the fantasy titles, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone . An exciting, well-paced, mystery of a novel, the first book of this trilogy provides characters a reader wants to root for, and a mystery to get to the bottom of. Add compulsively readable to the mix, and it's easy to see why  Daughter of Smoke & Bone is a standout YA fantasy novel. Laini Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of the Printz Honor Book Strange the Dreamer  and its sequel, Muse of Nightmares . Taylor is also the author of the global sensation the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and its companion novella, Night of Cake & Puppets. Taylor's other works include the Dreamdark books: Blackbringer  and Silksinger, and the National Book Award finalist Lips Touch: Three Times . She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their daughter, Clementine. Her website...

ALA Booklist already said it best—reading The Princess Diaries is like reading a note from your best friend. Probably Meg Cabot's most successful series, everyone could say they've heard Mia's story before—and I can definitely say that even despite that, returning to it in its original form is just as fun and entertaining as the movie series we all know and love. Meg Cabot's many books for both adults and tweens/teens have included multiple global and #1 New York Times bestsellers, selling over twenty-five million copies worldwide. Her Princess Diaries series has been published in more than 38 countries and was made into several hit films by Disney. Meg is still waiting for her real parents, the king and queen, to restore her to her rightful throne. She currently lives in Key West, FL, with her husband and various cats. You can read more of my reviews of books on TIME's Top 100 YA Books of All Time here .  Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse tha...

Erika L. Sánchez's I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a stunning and honest portrait of being the daughter of immigrants. The candor with which Sánchez writes creates a story that is hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, and it is clear to see why TIME named it one of its Best YA Books of All Time .   Erika L. Sánchez is a poet, a feminist, and a cheerleader for young women everywhere. She was Cosmopolitan for Latinas' sex and love advice columnist for three years, and her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Salon, and the Paris Review .In addition, she is a Princeton Arts Fellow. Erika is the author of Lessons on Expulsion , a collection of poetry. Since she was a twelve-year-old nerd in giant bifocals and embroidered vests, Erika has dreamed of writing complex, empowering stories about girls of color. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is her first novel and a National Book Award Finalist. She is fluent in Spanish, Spanglish, and cat. You can find her onl...

A book that honestly speaks for itself and needs no review to convince people to read it, Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give is as necessary and powerful as every reader and accolade says it is. With a clear and unique voice, Starr and Angie Thomas are able to cut straight to the core of the unjust systems at work in this country.  Angie Thomas is the author of the award-winning, #1, New York Times  bestselling novels The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose  as well as Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal for Writing Your Truth. A former teen rapper who holds a BFA in creative writing, Angie was born, raised, and still resides in Mississippi. You can find her online at www.angiethomas.com , or on Instagram and Twitter. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor black 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 child...

Entirely deserving of all of its accolades and more, Tahereh Mafi's A Very Large Expanse of Sea is a must-read for everyone, everywhere. A book that both made me laugh out loud and bring me to near-tears, Shirin's story is both relatable and also eyeopening, both in heartbreaking and heartwarming ways. Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series, Futhermore , and Whichwood . She caan usually be found overcaffeinated and stuck in a book. You can find her online just about anywhere @TaherehMafi or at www.taherehbooks.com . You can find more of my reviews of her work here .  It's 2002, a year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet another school. It's an extremely turbulent time for the world, but also for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible some people can be. But she's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments...

The third of the STEMinist novellas is, dare I say, my favorite of the series. It is everything that Hazelwood fans have come to love about her romances, combined with a more serious, deeper dive into the main character's hesitations about relationships.  Ali Hazelwood is the  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Love Hypothesis , as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband). You can find Ali online at AliHazelwood.com , or on Instagram @AliHazelwood. You can find more of my reviews of Ali's works  here .  Hannah's got a bad feel...

The second of Ali Hazelwood's STEMinist novellas, Stuck with You, follows superstitious Sadie into an elevator catastrophe. Chock-full of Hazelwood's trademark hilarity, with appearances by our other favorite STEMinists Mara and Hannah, Stuck with You is the perfect quaint quick read to get you out of a reading slump, or to tide a Hazelwood superfan over until the release of Love on the Brain .  Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis , as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband). You can find Ali online at AliHazelwo...

The first in a trilogy of novellas, Under One Roof is a hilarious, romantic, and quick snapshot read of what Ali Hazelwood is capable of. In such a small space, Hazelwood sharply critiques academia while crafting a fun and believable love story between two people who could absolutely never stand one another. Fun and light, Under One Roof is a great read for anyone in a reading slump, or for huge fans of Hazelwood who can't wait for more of her content.   Ali Hazelwood is the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis , as well as the writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her sligh...