On reading children's & YA books

The Reading Nook #9

May 31, 2024

Btw: Nostalgia Trip hit 100 subscribers recently and I’m so grateful to have you all here. I hope this newsletter brings you joy in some way, thank you <3

Welcome to The Reading Nook! I’m trying out a new format and also leaving star ratings behind to experiment with a new rating system. Let’s get into it.

On reading children’s and YA books

Subconsciously, I’ve always believed that as we grow older, there are certain things we should stop doing. And if we didn’t, we were failing at being adults. Of course, the source of this mentality is societal markers and the ‘accepted ways’ of being an adult which society declares for us.

This means that I believed once we hit adulthood, we were meant to switch out the children’s books, the Young Adult (YA), the fantasy and adventure books to more serious and intellectual works. I’m realising now how limiting that is and also how black and white that thought process is—it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

In 2023, I read my first children’s book after a long time: Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré, and loved it. Years ago, even though I liked the synopsis, I probably wouldn’t have considered reading it because it was a children’s book. But it had so many elements I enjoyed: a relatable and audacious female protagonist, a captivating plot, magical realism, and it was set in Nigeria.

I’ve always liked YA, but when I graduated from teenage-hood and ventured into my early twenties, I was embarrassed by this. I felt like it was something I should have outgrown.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that it all comes down to reading what you want. There’s so much joy in reading what you enjoy and exploring as much as you’d like, across multiple genres, formats, and styles to discover more things you enjoy. Don’t let superficial rules make you feel bad about any of it. In essence, try out new things and do you with your chest.

What kind of reading month was it?

It was a slow reading month for me. I had to come to terms (again!) with the fact that a slow reading pace isn’t something to fight against. It isn’t good or bad; it just is. I’ve spent longer than usual reading one book and I’m not beating myself over it or rushing to finish a race I’m running alone. Moving at an unhurried pace has helped me enjoy what I’m reading without obsessing over how far I’ve gone.

May Reading Journey

Top Books
personally loved and would recommend

The Neigbor Favor by Kristina Forest
(Published February 2023| 403 pages| Romance Fiction, Contemporary Fiction)

This book follows the story of Lily and Nick. Lily is the introverted youngest sister in a family of three girls. She works in publishing, specifically non-fiction, but she’d rather be working on children’s books. Lily is overworked and underpaid with a horrible boss. To help with her nonexistent dating life, her two sisters, who are huge successes in their careers, always set her up on dates with people she has nothing in common with. She dreads these dates but never tells her sisters, or anyone really, ‘NO’.

Nick is a travel writer who never stays in the same place for too long, probably due to his traumatic childhood. He published a fantasy book under a pseudonym when he was 21, but it didn’t do well. Of course, Lily has a copy of the out-of-print book and loves it with her entire being. She reaches out to the author, Nick, who keeps his identity a secret, and they become pen pals before he ghosts her.

It’s a story of them finding their way to each other when Nick moves to New York and unintentionally ends up in the same building as Lily.

I liked that although it’s a romance, their relationship wasn’t the only thing going on in their lives. Both Lily and Nick had things to figure out and growing to do. The story was told from both their perspectives, which I loved. I also liked that this book was intentional about not being one of those books where the girl dedicates her life to fixing the man.

It was a slow-burn romance, and although it took a while for Lily and Nick to get together, there was enough time to see them in a relationship. I was so excited that the main characters were Black introverted people who love books! I felt seen.

However, the back and forth before they got together and Nick’s uncertainty and self-deprecation were a bit tiring.

You should read it if you’re on the hunt for a wholesome Black romance with character growth or if you enjoy Joya Goffney’s books.

And Then He Sang a Lullaby by Ani Kayode Somtochukwu
(Published June 2023| 304 pages| Gay Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age)

Set in Nigeria, between Lagos and Enugu, this is a story about two young, gay men, August and Segun, and how they navigate identity, family dynamics, relationships and more. It’s told from both their point of views.

August is the last child and only boy of an Igbo family in Enugu. August’s mother basically gave her life for him to exist because although the doctor warned her of the risk of having another child, she was determined to give birth to a boy. She died while giving birth to him and August constantly struggles with living up to this sacrifice and the title of the only son who will ‘carry on the family name.’

He has three overbearing sisters who care for him after his mother’s death and his father’s grief causes him to be uninterested in August’s life. His sisters never fail to remind him of the importance of his status as the only boy. When August discovers his sexuality, he denies and suppresses it. When he gets to university, he even attempts to get a girlfriend because he can’t imagine embarrassing his mother by being gay.

Then there’s Segun who is born as an only child to a middle-class family in Lagos. Segun is effeminate and from elementary school, he was constantly bullied for the way he talked and the way he walked. From verbal assault that is more than enough to break a child’s soul to physical abuse that literally almost ends his life, Segun goes through it all. But he never backs down or apologises for being himself.

In university, August and Segun cross paths and we follow them as they navigate their relationship amidst many obstacles including the signing of The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill into law in Nigeria in 2014 which criminalised queerness and basically legalised discrimination against queer people in Nigeria, amongst other things.

This book explores subjects of identity, sexuality, homophobia, toxic masculinity, and family dynamics.

It was an equally beautiful and heartbreaking book. There were times it made me smile and many times it shocked me. I enjoyed seeing the different facets of the main characters’ lives, from their family dynamics to their individual interests. I particularly loved Segun, and if he were a real person, would have wanted to be friends.

First, his mother is so badass and outspoken about her politics and desire for a better Nigeria and a world without oppression and that rubbed off on him. I loved his self-assuredness and liked that his part of the story introduced us to The Socialist Students Forum (SSF) in their university, which is such a cool community. I loved his interest in playing a part in revolution, educating himself, and the role books played in his life.

Ani Kayode is an exquisite storyteller. I got lost in the story and it serves as a reminder of the great and irreparable damage homophobia can cause.

You should read it if you like stories set in Nigeria and would like a glimpse into how queer people navigate the aggressively homophobic culture in Nigeria and if you like commentary on privilege, politics and oppression.

Trigger Warning for suicidal thoughts, violence and homophobia.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:

It is instinctual for the Nigerian state. Their plan, their solution, always, is to ban things, to demonstrate their ability to dominate.

Class war is actual war, with real-life casualties, and the ruling class knows this and they do not give a fuck.

Anger is good, if channeled in the right direction,” […] “We can channel it into hate and blame and violence. Or we can fashion it into a fuel that sustains us as we try to make revolution.

Other Books
didn’t personally enjoy, simply a record

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
(Published July 2023| 416 pages | Thriller, YA, Satire)

Since elementary school, Adina Walker has attended New England’s Edgewater Academy, a private school with rich white kids, thanks to a scholarship. She’s one of the very few Black kids there and has always felt like an outsider because of both the colour of her skin and her financial status.

When everything was finally going okay, she had gotten admission to her Ivy school of choice—Yale, and a bunch of others, it was all snatched away when she got in a fight with a rich white girl, formerly her friend, who held the power to get her admissions revoked.

The only option Adina sees is getting into The Finish—an annual contest hosted by the owners of the school and the most powerful family in New England, the Remingtons. A handful of promising girls are selected for this competition and the winner is set for life with the Remington family behind her. She gets a full ride to college and access to the network of the family. Adina gets in but it’s not what she expected. The games seem a little more vicious (haha) and the stakes are higher than she thought; her life is at risk.

First, the cover of this book is amazing. Second, it was objectively interesting and had good commentary on race and class, but I had so many questions as to how things ended up the way they did. A lot of it didn’t add up and that stopped me from enjoying the book.

Recommendations

Here are some of my all-time favourite children’s and YA books:

Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traoré
(Published June 2021 |288 pages | Adventure, Magical Realism, Nigerian Mythology)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
(Published September 1998 | 240 pages | Fantasy, Fairy-Tale, Middle Grade)
TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
(Published June 2022 | 368 pages | YA Fiction, Romance)
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
(Published March 2018| 361 pages| YA Fiction, Poetry)

Currently Reading: Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi

Excited about and hope to read soon: A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur & Collapse Feminism by Alice Cappelle

That’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed this edition. I would love to hear from you so talk to me in the comments or by replying this email:

❁ What kind of reading month was it for you?

❁Do you read children’s books or YA? Why?

❁Do you have any recommendations for children’s or YA books you’d like to share?

❁What are you currently reading or excited to read soon?