I read a bunch of young adult novels. Suddenly, our future seems hopeful.

These are the stories we need to read right now

The sun and books.
(Image credit: Illustrated | vtmila/iStock, Xurzon/iStock)

I have always read books that weren't what I was "supposed" to be reading. I remember walking into the school library as a child and asking for The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It was intended for kids aged 10 to 12, which I was not. The librarian looked at me and shook her head. "That's too old for you," she said.

I don't recall what I went home with instead, and Amazon didn't even exist back then, but I'll tell you this: I found another way to read the book I really wanted, ASAP. (My mom never cared what the labels said, for one.)

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Jen Doll

Jen Doll is the author of the memoir Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest. She's also the managing editor for Mental Floss magazine and has written for The Atlantic, Esquire, Glamour, Marie Claire, The Hairpin, New York magazine, The New Republic, The New York Times Book Review The Village Voice, and other publications.