In “How ‘Harry Potter’ Saved Young Adult Fiction,” Tammy and other authors, publishers, and sellers of children’s books reflect on the Harry Potter series, from its rapid rise in popularity to its lasting impact twenty years later. Happy 20th Birthday to the Boy Who Lived!
(Also featured in the article is Peter Glassman, founder of Tammy’s favorite bookstore, Books of Wonder!)
Daja gets some recognition from Guardian readers as she makes the list of Ten Empowering Female Characters in Children’s Books! Regarding her impact, Hannah Catteral says:
She has a strong sense of justice and hard work, and is always a champion for her friends. She apprentices to an older blacksmith, Frostpine, who teaches her skilled and magical metalwork, and eventually becomes a master of her craft.
In later books, as she grows older, she also falls in love with a woman, and this is treated as perfectly normal. Having grown up with Daja, her friends and their adventures, this was absolutely wonderful and unprecedented for childrens’ series at the time.
On NPR’s Weekend Edition series “Next Chapter”, Tammy does a brief talk about how she grew up in poverty, and went to college on scholarship to escape it.
She also mentions selling her first story during her junior year.
http://www.npr.org/2016/08/06/488969915/wisdom-from-young-adult-authors-tamora-pierce
Here is my list of recommended reading for college preparation, covering roughly what would be covered in the average high school curriculum. I haven’t read all of these: I’m no longer in college prep, for one thing, so I can read what I like. Knowing that, I also based this list on those I have gotten from my friends who are librarians, and on lists I tracked down online, including American Library Association lists and online High School lists, so that friends who are being homeschooled can be sure they will be able to show they are meeting the same general requirements
Below is a list of fantasy books that aren’t limited to White-Medieval-European perspectives.
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel by Diana Wynne Jones (1996; revised 2006). I’ve recommended it before; I’ll recommend it till the cows come home. Reading this book is the best possible education you’ll ever get on things that appear in fantasy novels all the time, including the ones which make no sense, and the ones which are done to death. If you write fantasy already it’s an uncomfortable read, because some of these errors we’ve committed ourselves, but it’s funny, it’s clear, and it makes sense.
Below are some resources and recommendations for YA books with LGBT themes!
This list was put together with gifted young readers (ages 8-12) in mind, with a special section for books that are appropriate for the more sensitive readers.
Continue on for Tammy’s reading recommendations from her 2005-2015 lists! These are the books recommended for young adult readers.