New Series: Books I Wish I Had as a Kid. Episode One.

When I was a teacher's aide at an elementary school, I had the privilege of doing reading groups with 5th grade students. It was one of my favorite parts of the job, because I love hearing kids talk about what they're reading and all the different ideas and questions they come up with.

During the Fall of 2024, we read Judy Blume's Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, and the kids did NOT like the ending. They thought there were far too many loose ends, so without any prodding from me, they grabbed their Chromebooks, made a shared Google doc and began writing a new ending to the book.

As I followed their progress in the shared doc, a little idea sparked in my brain. I asked their permission if I could send their final draft to Judy Blume herself (who, at 88, still welcomes correspondence from her fans). With delight, they unanimously agreed! I sent it off, and a few weeks later, a reply arrived in my inbox from Judy herself. She commended the kids on their writing and celebrated their creativity. It was a proud moment for me in my work as a humble teacher's aide.

As we read some newer books together, covering a variety of genres and topics, I often found myself thinking, "I sure wish I'd had this book as a kid," thinking how lucky my students were for having access to such treasures. Sure, we tackled some classics (and I'd read Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great as a kid, too), but many of the books we read were written within the last twenty years or so, covering deeply relevant historical and cultural moments that happened since I was a child.

That wish is what brings me to this series today. I'll do these every so often to help get the word out about books I believe are worth reading, even if they might be for a slightly younger demographic.

Today's first book pick, is one that my daughter first discovered. It's called Front Desk, by Kelly Yang. It's the first in what has become an incredibly popular series following a young girl growing up in the 90's. Her family emigrated from China to the United States and landed in California, where her parents take over the management of a motel. The story is full of love, friendship, and challenges as Mia goes to a new school, encounters racism, and her family struggles to make ends meet under some really trying working conditions at the motel.

This is a book I would have loved to have as a kid growing up in rural Iowa, where almost all of us were White, and most if not all of us had families who'd been here for a few generations. Front Desk would have been a wonderful window into a world that I knew nothing about, and I could have learned and lived it a bit through Mia, someone my age, growing up in the same country, if not in very different worlds.

I highly recommend reading this book if you haven't already, and maybe even send a little thank-you note to Kelly for writing this incredible story. She has a new book coming out this month, too, called The Take, which is for us grown ups! Be sure to check it out, as well.

Are there any books you've read lately that you wish you'd had as a kid? Sign in to share!

See you next week with another entry from my purple journal!

You're so rad,

Sarah

P.S. Be sure to check out all the books in the Front Desk series! All links go to bookshop.org, a site that supports independent bookstores.