Cartoon Network’s critically acclaimed, Tumblr beloved series Steven Universe may seem like simple superhero wish fulfillment on the surface, but underneath, it’s teeming with complexity, not to mention some nifty sci-fi world-building. The title character is the 14-year-old son of former rockstar Greg and an alien Gem named Rose Quartz who stayed on the planet to protect it from a […]
Fantasy books have been my poison of choice since I first discovered dark and stormy nights and jealous faerie queens as a wee kid reader. Happily for me, every year the YA shelves fill up with more wildly imaginative and transporting fantasies, from dark fairy tales to eerie retellings to sprawling epics to delightful, uncategorizable oddballs. […]
I had two favorite authors as a kid: L.M. Montgomery and Madeleine L’Engle. Their writing captivated me, and nudged me to look for the beauty in the world and the goodness in people. And, of course, it kept me coming back to read these books again and again, and to make sure my children read […]