--By the Hollywood Teen Book Council

There have always been conflicts in the world that leave innocent populations vulnerable. Currently, there has been a lot of recent news around refugees from various parts of the world. We are always curious to learn more either through fiction or from true accounts. Here are some of the resources that we have found particularly meaningful in understanding our world better, and what others are facing.

Podcasts

99% Invisible

Church (Sanctuary Part 1):

While exploring conflicts in Central America in the 1980, this podcast explores the “social movement based on the ancient religious concept of ‘sanctuary,’ the idea that churches have a duty to shelter people fleeing persecution.”

State (Sanctuary Part 2):

This podcast looks at the government response to churches’ response as being sanctuaries by launching a full-scale investigation into the sanctuary movement.

This American Life

Are We There Yet? Episode 592:

Staff members of This American Life explore a refugee camp in Greece. They discuss how the Greek government is handling the refugee crisis; explore an abandoned baseball stadium in Athens where about a thousand Afghans are living; talk to a mother about what it is like to be a parent in a refugee camp; and what it is like for a refuge to call the asylum office via Skype.

Don’t Have to Live Like a Refugee. Episode 593:

The second part of the staff's visit to Greece explores what it is like to build a life living in a refugee camp.

Short Films

Many of this year's Oscar nominated documentary shorts were about current refugee experiences. Look for these:

Comics

Welcome to the New World from The New York Times

Video Clips

Ted Talk Playlist: Refugees Welcome

Ten different TedTalks about that explore the refugee crisis and refugees' experiences. 

Ted Ed: What Does It Mean to be a Refugee?

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Migrants and Refugees Sept. 28, 2015

Article

Refugees and the Limits of Economic Logic

By Derek Thompson in The Atlantic

Explores how taking in people who have no safe home isn't about GDP growth; it's about basic decency.

--by the Hollywood Teen Book Council

We are highly anticipating the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that will be published July 31, and looking forward to the movie release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in November. To celebrate, we created a list of our most recent favorite books, and  put them to the Sorting Hat test. Looking at the values of each of the four houses of Hogwarts, this is where we see these main characters most likely getting placed.

Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston

Head Cheerleader, Hermione, does a lot to keep the team together and enjoys the athleticism of cheerleading. She has a dedication to the craft.

Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer

Liberty cares about the mining that is destroying and polluting the town. She begins her own investigation seeking fairness and justice.

X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Keekla Magoon

Growing up, Malcolm Little is constantly frustrated by the lack of fair play. Trying to leave a past behind him, he knows he can’t run forever and his new found freedom is an illusion.

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on, and finds herself to be in a long line of shadowshapers that are currently at war with evil anthropologists and unlikely zombies.

Calvin by Martine Leavitt

Calvin believes that if he can convince Bill Watterson to create one more Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, it will make him better. His dedication to this leads Calvin to go on the journey of the lifetime.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Finn keeps searching for Roza after everyone gives up. He also stands up to the terrible brothers.

Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

After his mother’s death, Matt values hard work and his job at the funeral home.

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

Larger than life Tiny Cooper, has written a play about his life. Through his quest for meaningful relationship, Tiny proves to be the most loyal  of friends.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so she prepares to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Violet is dealing with the loss of her sister, to whom she is extremely loyal. She is dedicated, and follows through on the quest to visit Indiana places.
 

Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, and wit.

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Faith is all about knowledge and solving the mystery of her father’s death through science.

Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki

Monty and the other members of the mystery club are trying to figure out how things work.

The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters

Hannalee values intelligence and wants to be a lawyer.  First she needs to search for the truth about her father's death while avoiding trouble from the Ku Klux Klan

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

Joan values education and studies on her own after the day’s work cooking and cleaning is done.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Mikey thinks a lot, and is very intelligent. He just wants to graduate and go to prom before someone blows up the high school. Again.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson uses her intelligence to make sense of the Jim Crow South and the Civil Rights Movement.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre is witty and smart, and she doesn’t want to give that away.  She is a very good problem solver.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Noah, one half of an intense twin rivalry, wants to see how it all works while his sister Jude manipulates their fates.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Austin uses his knowledge of his own family to write the history of the world - a world that has been overtaken by unstoppable soldiers that come in the form a giant praying mantises.

Jackaby by William Ritter

Abigail has very good attention to detail and is accepting of how things come her way - skills necessary when serving as R.F. Jackaby’s assistant, an investigator who studies the unexplained.

Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness
 

Outrun the Moon by Stacy Lee

Mercy wants into the St. Clare’s School for Girls and she uses her cunning to gain admission.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Lisa is ambitious, resourceful and cunning. She’s also very savvy.

Burn, Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Nora is determined to get out and get on with the next part of her life. She wants to be more than what she is currently seeing that there is.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Both Wink and Poppy use secrets to have power over Midnight and their other friends.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Charlotte Holmes is quite proud of her heritage and is resourceful enough to solve mysteries.

This Side of Home by Renée Watson

Nikki holds onto her ambition that she and her twin sister Maya have had since they were little - to leave Portland and attend a prestigious college. Gentrification in the traditionally African American neighborhood raises challenges.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

After the planet Kerenza is attacked, Kady’s mother is on another ship and Kady is determined to get to her.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Ida Mae has ambition and knows where she is going.  She wants to be a pilot and in order to do that she must use her cunning and pass as white.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

After she was out as gay and sent to a restrictive church camp, Cameron survives the re-education without being brainwashed.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Jude is very ambitious and does what it takes to get in a prestigious art school, even if it means selling out her twin brother Noah.

Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry.

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

Katie uses her nerve to navigate around her mother’s rules so she can discover the details of her grandmother’s story.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

While Riley demonstrates bravery by keeping a blog about what it is like to be gender fluid, they also inspire bravery in others.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

Naomi navigates through 1937 East Texas dodging racist policies and discrimination.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle

Quinn values bravery, even if he isn’t feeling up to it at the moment.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

Amanda shows her bravery and nerve as she navigates her school as a transgender girl.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacy Lee

It takes guts to cross the country while dressed as boys, as Samantha and Annamae demonstrate again and again.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Theodore is brave in trying to fix his problems himself.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

Henry was very polite to Flora, but he also was steady and persistent in his pursuit of her.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Queenie is loyal to her friendships and displays bravery while standing up to her German captors that are accusing her of being a spy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon

Buffy kills vampires for her job! Is there anything braver? She also cares deeply about her family.

--By the Hollywood Teen Book Council

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2009 TEDTalk is a powerful statement  in how only having one story can perpetuate stereotypes.

We try to read broadly at the Hollywood Teen Book Council and seek out books that will expand our worldview. Whether it is a Chinese immigrant living in Canada, soldiers in an unpopular war, or our preconceptions of cheerleaders, here are three books that surprised us and changed how we saw others.

Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates

Review by Siena Lesher, sophomore

From clothing to teeth to the food you eat, the cultural differences between China and Canada are one that many don’t even consider unless they’re being made fun of it. Su-Jen, who takes the English name “Annie,” leaves communist China with her mom for a hopefully better life in Canada. As she is very young, she begins to subtly assimilate into Western culture, leaving behind the ideas of her past. I actually read this book twice - the first time focussing on the plot, the second on the pressure for Annie to become “Western.” I thought it was very interesting and well written,  thoughtful and very eye-opening.

Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers

Review by Noah Pettinari, sophomore

Do you like plot twists to the Iraq War? Then this book is for you. Birdy is a soldier newly deployed into Iraq and Kuwait from Harlem, New York. As he learns the ropes of Civil Affairs operations in Iraq 2003, he encounters the true embodiment of war. This book is written in such a way as to personify the commonly dehumanized military, and lacks the catchy plots commonly found in YA novels. I would recommend it to any teen interested in the mental toll of war and how much war can change a person's life.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston

Review by Elsa Hoover, sophomore

When I picked up this book I didn’t have any idea what it was about. Exit, Pursued by a Bear? A cheerleader? I wondered what this could possibly be about, but then I read the inside of the flap and found out it was about sexual assault and stopped short. Did I really want to read something so sad? But I went on and I am really glad I did. This is a book about a cheerleader raped at camp, and the next year of her life as she navigates this new world. My favorite thing about this book was its realism in the face of a hard subject. Not everything turned out great. It wasn’t cheery and that why it felt real. You could understand where all the characters were coming from. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, emotionally charged book.

Here is a list of more books that helped expand our worldview:

--By the Hollywood Teen Book Council

We all have those childhood favorites that will forever hold a place in our hearts. Sometimes we come across something that takes us back. If you want to revisit a blast from the past, try one of these suggestions from Hollywood Teen Book Council member Elsa Hoover.

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss

The rock that Yertle uses as a throne isn’t high enough so King Yertle stacks himself on top of other turtles to see farther and make his kingdom bigger.  He does not, however, think of how this situation is affecting the turtles beneath him.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

In Michael Lewis’s book, four high-finance outsiders are the first to understand that the mid-2000-era housing market was the equivalent of a throne of stacked turtles.

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Unforgettable Eloise lives at the Plaza Hotel and knows everything about it.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna has her senior year planned out.  Then plans change and she ends up in a boarding school in Paris.  She’s pining for Georgia, so Paris isn’t very magical.  But there’s this guy…

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Claudia and her brother Jamie run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Hiding in the museum is part of the fun, but they also set out to figure out if an angel statue was sculpted by Michelangelo.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Jude and her twin brother Noah were once close and now they aren’t.  Find out what happened when they were 13 and what’s happening now when they are sixteen.

The Paper Bag Princess  Robert N. Munsch

Princess Elizabeth is ready to marry Prince Roland, until a dragon intervenes.

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

Princess Bitterblue’s rule of Monsea is complicated by the fact that she can’t leave the castle, and also because the former king was a violent psychopath.  She’s ready to move her kingdom past that stage.  But how?