RU548: Reading List [Summer 2026]

I've had the pleasure of teaching a Young Adult Literature course in the MLIS program at Rutgers University for several years now and it's one of my favorite things. Although I don't get to teach it every semester, I use the time between semesters to update my reading list, assignments, and course resources, which I suppose is a gift, despite the fact that I really miss diving into YA lit with people who are eager to learn about new books and innovative methods for connecting hearts through story.

One bonus of teaching it every summer is that while I'm teaching Young Adult Literature, my buddy John Schu is teaching Children's Literature. Although taking both courses at the same time is a very heavy lift, we always end up sharing students, and it's wonderful to see the connections they make between our two classes.

All of that said, while I don't publicly share the syllabus for this course, I do share its reading list and, once again, I am also sharing the reading tracker that I created for students to track and analyze their own reading over the course of the semester. This year's tracker includes a few updates inspired by student feedback and conversations with fellow educators, so... let's start there!

The Reading Tracker

Like a lot of people, I became slightly obsessed with the spreadsheet-based reading trackers that had a viral moment on TikTok awhile back. This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone, as I'm pretty transparent about my love of combining books and spreadsheets! So... naturally, I had to create my own, which proved more challenging than I anticipated. Turns out, loving a thing doesn't automatically translate to being able to do it. What did prove true for me, however, is that loving a thing DID translate to the motivation I needed to continue trying even when the work got hard. (Hmmm. I wonder if there's a lesson here about reading instruction?) 👀

As in the past, my current students will track their reading and use that data to consider how their own reading habits, preferences, and blind spots might affect their collection development choices. Note: they are not required to use the tracker I created; they can use any tool they want, provided they collect some specific data points.

This year, I made a few updates to the tracker based on student feedback. One of the most requested changes was the ability to select multiple genres and areas of representation for a single title. Originally, I limited the selection to one option per category for two reasons: the first being that when genrefying a collection, we have to decide on one overriding genre choice to guide shelving decisions and, second, last year I didn't yet have the skills to create the formulas needed to build charts from drop-downs where multiple selections were allowed!

Fast forward a year and not only have my spreadsheet skills grown, but I also recognize that books rarely fit neatly into a single category and recording multiple genres for this project may actually be useful. So... now, the updated tracker allows readers to capture that complexity while still generating charts and visualizations that help them analyze their reading patterns over time.

This year, I also added a "Sims-Bishop" column that invites readers to consider whether a book serves as a mirror, window, or sliding glass door in their own lives. This addition was inspired by my friend Katherine Sokolowski, who adapted last year's tracker for use with her middle school students. I thought this was a great change and decided to take a leaf from her book - so to speak. Thanks, Katherine!

Just like last year, you are welcome to check out/use my tracker, too, with the following caveats:

First, I do not have the capacity to offer technical support for this spreadsheet. If you change the formulas and things stop working, that's on you! You can, however, always make a copy and start over.

And second, please do not sell my work. While I give almost everything I make away for free, I don't do that in order to provide others with content to sell themselves. It's not a compliment to remix my work and toss it on your TpT site for a few bucks, even if you give me credit. (This should go without saying, but you would be surprised.)

Third, if you choose to use this tracker with your students, I'd love to know how it goes! Please share your takeaways with me.

Finally, I want to be clear that I have not developed this tool as a way to measure reading volume. Rather, for me, this tracker is about collecting data for deeper reflection later. If you choose to use it, I hope you will do so with similar goals in mind.

Onto The Reading List!

Let's start by doing some math:

• The reading list for this course is divided into 14 separate lists. Each of those lists is centered on a specific award/distinction given to books published for young people.

• This course is 10 weeks long.

• 6 of those weeks are "reading weeks." During those 6 weeks, students choose a reading list/award to explore.

• Then, they read 2 books from that reading/award list.

Now, if you took this class before or you've been following my updates to this course over the years, you may have noticed in a change!

For as long as I have taught this course, the requirement has been that students read three books per reading week. This semester, however, I switched things up a bit. In addition to the two titles students will read during the course's 6 reading weeks, they will also evaluate one additional title for possible inclusion in a "to be read" (TBR) pile.

This part of the assignment is designed to help future librarians practice a reality of the profession: we don't always have the opportunity to read every book before deciding whether it belongs in our collections. Instead, we often rely on professional reviews, publisher information, and our knowledge of readers to make informed decisions.

This means students in this course...

• explore 6/14 reading lists, and...

• read a total of 12 books written for young people over the course of the semester, evaluate 6 additional books for potential inclusion in a collection.

Inclusivity Matrix:

I use an inclusivity matrix (located at the bottom of the "Getting Started" page) to help me AND to help my students. The matrix helps me make sure that each reading/award list contains titles that vary in:

• Category (ex: fiction vs. nonfiction)

• Format (ex: graphic novel vs. novel in verse)

• Genre (ex: fantasy, romance, sports)

• Representation (ex: disability, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+)

Additionally, completing the matrix every year also makes me feel more confident that my own reading preferences and biases don't overly influence my selections. Finally, since my students complete an inclusivity audit of their own as one of our course assignments, my hope is that the one I create serves as a model.

So... without further ado, here's this semester's reading list!

Let me wrap up this post by simply saying that at a time when efforts to limit access to diverse books continue to grow, I believe it is more important than ever that librarians intentionally seek out stories that reflect the full complexity of the communities we serve. Young people deserve access to books that help them see themselves, understand others, ask questions, and imagine new possibilities. My hope is that whether you're a librarian, educator, student, or simply a reader who loves books, you'll find something useful in these resources. If nothing else, perhaps they'll inspire you to take a closer look at your own reading life and the stories you choose to place in the hands of others.