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Book Recommendations for the Characters of She-Ra

The new season of She-Ra is finally here and that means the Best Friends Squad is getting back together again!

After the emotional events of season three, it’s a brave new world for the characters of She-Ra, as each takes on new responsibilities and challenges for season four. Judging by the trailer, there will be new characters, new adventures, and—gasp!—new haircuts.

We hope they’ve had some time to read a book or two since the finale ended. Here’s what we recommend they pick up when they have some spare time:

 

Best Friends Squad

Adora/She-Ra: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Adora is just your average girl and former Horde soldier, but a chance encounter in the woods leads her to become She-Ra, defender of Etheria! In The Princess and the Fangirl, the stakes are a little bit lower, but we’re sure Adora can totally relate to average fangirl Imogen and superstar Jess Stone as they assume each others' identities for the weekend to save the day. . . For the honor of Starfield!

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

 

 

Glimmer: Girl Squads by Sam Maggs

Glimmer has spent her whole life dreaming about reforming the Princess Alliance and spends most of the first season convincing the other princesses to join the rebellion. She’s supportive of all of her friends, including her newfound princess girl gang, which is why we think she’d be all about Girl Squads and its biographies of amazing groups of women who support each other and work together.

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

 

 

Bow: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Despite what his dads think, Bow. Loves. Pirates. Meeting shanty-loving buccaneer Sea Hawk? One of the greatest days of his life. Bow has spent years trying to protect his parents from his adventurous spirit, which is why we think he’d appreciate reading Daughter of the Pirate King. Not only is it about a totally badass teenage pirate captain (Bow’s dream job?), but one who doesn’t have to hide her real identity from her father.

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

 

 

The Horde:

Catra: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Catra is Adora’s ambitiously bitter (or bitterly ambitious) nemesis and former BFF. They have a love-hate relationship to end all love-hate relationships, with season three taking a real dark turn towards the end. But Catra needs to learn how to forgive and move on, which is why we’re recommending Rainbow Rowell’s hate-to-love fantasy novel Carry On. If Simon and Baz can make it work while simultaneously saving the world, surely Catra and Adora can learn to get along. Right?

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

 

 

Hordak & Entrapta: The Martian by Andy Weir

One of the most pleasant surprises of season three was the newfound friendship between Hordak and Entrapta. Hordak is trapped on Etheria, just trying to survive (well, and also conquer the planet). Entrapta loves science—often prioritizing it over the relationships in her life. Both of them would find something in Andy Weir’s The Martian. Hordak would no doubt relate to Watney’s struggles to survive on a hostile planet after being accidentally abandoned by his crew, while Entrapta would surely get a kick out of the science behind Watney’s survival. After they finish reading, they can discuss their findings in Hordak’s lab over dinner and some casual interdimensional portal-building.

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

 

 

Shadow Weaver: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Formerly a sorceress and mentor to Glimmer’s father, King Micah, Shadow Weaver’s attempts to graft magic with one of Etheria’s runestones have resulted in a powerful, but ultimately broken, version of her former self. Surely, she can relate to the struggles of the characters in Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy as they also are tempted to use ancient and forbidden magic to try and save their worlds from destruction.

Buy the book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Posted by Kelsey Hoffman

Our Favorite YA About College

It’s back to school time and we’ve got college dorms and homecoming games on our mind. In fact, August 30 is College Colors Day, which gives us that much more to celebrate. In honor of the leaves in the quad changing color and the marching band taking the field, here are some of our favorite YA books about college students.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

Surprising Glo-Ups in Literature and Pop Culture

Per the urban dictionary, a glo-up is a play on the phrase "grow up," when someone goes through a metaphorical transformation. This is reflected in the person’s new sense of self-confidence. And since being self-confident is seen as an attractive trait, those who glo-up are often seen as radiating beauty. So, who are these confident cuties? See our list of glo-ups below.

Posted by Sandra Woolf

GLOB: The Gorgeous Ladies of Books + Wrestling Personas

Are YOU ready to meet the Gorgeous Ladies of Books?

You know their names, you’ve read their stories. Now get the inside scoop on these grappling beauties and their signature style in the ring before the next Gorgeous Ladies of Books showdown!

In GLOB, it’s not just about who or how you fight, it’s about the character that sets you apart from the pack and makes you a unique and interesting fighter. New fan? Meet the all-star fighters:

Posted by Margaret Dunham

Who Would Your Literary Sister Be? (Quiz)

When we think about sisters, we’re flooded with love and nostalgia about the women who supported through our entire lives. We think of heartfelt texts (and group text, for those of us with multiple sisters) and one-upping each other with a #NationalSisterDay post on Instagram. But we’re bookworms, so of course we celebrate sisters in the nerdiest way we know how: with a quiz to determine who your literary sister might be.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

Veronica Mars and Other Plucky Young Detectives

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars is back for a fourth season and we couldn’t be happier. The season premieres on Hulu on July 26 and we’re counting down the days. Veronica is hands down our favorite private investigator (sorry, Jessica Jones) and we’re eagerly anticipating this eight-episode adventure. Which got us thinking about the young detectives and private investigators that populate our bookshelves.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman