Marisa and Mary are back! We have a new season and a new episode of The Book Jam!  Today’s books are books to read not just during Black History Month, but to read all year long. But we don’t just want to focus on reading black authors and black stories during just one month, these are excellent books that are amazing reads that will give you all the emotional feels. Explore sadness and grief on a roadtrip with Mary’s title: Me (Moth) by Amber McBride, a book in verse. Marisa’s title is a YA/new adult book, Required Reading For the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee, about finding your voice and confronting racism on an elite college campus. Today we talk about books that make you feel something. An emotional response is the heart of a good book, a good story, and a good writer.

Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile.

Mary’s book:

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. Teen, Grades 8+. Published by Feiwel & Friends, August 2021.

Marisa’s book:

Required Reading For the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen R. Lee. High School, Grades 9+. Published by Crown Books For Young Readers, February 2022.

Books we talked about this episode:

Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Harry Potter series

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Baby-sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin