16 Books for my 16th Birthday

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. I have a very exciting post today! At some point this week (I’m not revealing my actual birthday), I turned 16! That’s scary, to be honest 😨

I thought it would be fun to talk about some books that got me into reading and ones that are important to me. I’m going in chronological order, as best I can, to see how I’ve grown as a reader. I’ll also be talking a bit about how my favorite genres came to be what they are. This list is starting when I was in elementary school. I didn’t add books I read when I was really little because the post would be mainly little kid books, but I’m planning to do a post on those in the future

So, let’s get into it! Prepare for a very long post.

Anna Wang by Andrea Chang

This is the first series I remember reading when I was younger. My mom got these for me because of the representation in them: female protagonist, female author, and Asian-American characters. The series focuses on family and friendship and was great for my younger elementary school self.

I read all the books and I remember enjoying them. I still have the first and fourth on my bookshelf. I won’t be getting rid them any time soon. They’re in my “special books I’m never getting rid of” category.

I’m not sure if I felt any relatability to Anna, but I probably did enjoy seeing someone who looked like me in a story. There are black and white illustrations throughout the books that I always enjoyed looking at.

My Weird School by Dan Gutman

There are a few odd book series that I read when I was a kid. This is one of them. My Weird School is a humorous series narrated by A.J., a boy who doesn’t like school.

These are part of the “not intellectual, just fun to read” category. And that’s what most kids read. When kids are younger, they just want to enjoy what they’re reading and humor is often a way to do it. There are a bunch of funny instances and situations in here that wouldn’t happen in real life, but that’s why it’s a weird school.

There’s two other series along with this one, where A.J. is older. I’m pretty sure I read those too. I don’t remember a lot about these books, but I remember some specific plots for a few of the books. It’s interesting how I remember very specific moments in these stories.

The Zach Files by Dan Greenburg

This is the other odd series I read. I think I read this series and My Weird School when I was in second or third grade. They follow Zach, a boy who experiences a bunch of otherworldly things.

I honestly don’t remember a whole lot about these. I just have memories of looking through the bookshelves at the library for the next book. When I was younger, I used to go to the library at least once a week. I’d spend quite a bit of time there with my mom. We’d get a big pile of books and sit in one of the window seats. Sometimes there would be library programs which we would stay for.

I don’t go to the library very often anymore. COVID stopped our trips and I started using Libby again. I don’t have time now that I have a lot of things going on, so Libby is easier.

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

Okay, we’re out of the odd books. Magic Tree House is a series I read for quite a while, including the original series and the series that was written for older kids, Merlin Missions. I love how the titles include a particular time of day or year and that they’re alliterative.

There are some books that I remember very specifically which is a bit odd. I have no idea why or how I remember them, but I do. I remember the stories from:

• Vacation Under the Volcano
• Twister on Tuesday
• High Tide in Hawaii
• Abe Lincoln At Last!
• A Perfect Time for Pandas

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

I’ve mentioned this book a myriad of times on the blog and it’s well-deserved of the praise. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Chinese mythology inspired fantasy set in rural village of China. The artwork in this book is gorgeous and done by Grace Lin herself.

I love Minli’s courage and determination in the story. She’s willing to travel all the way to meet the Old Man of the Moon to see how her family can change their fortune. The characters she meets along the way are fun and a joy to read about.

I remember I went to see a play on this book when I was younger. It was done at a local theater near my house and I went with one of my friends. I even have a poster with signatures from the actors.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I know Harry Potter isn’t popular at the moment, but I can’t deny that it was a huge part of my childhood. I started reading the books when I was in third grade. I don’t think I truly understood what I was reading, but all my friends were reading them and I couldn’t miss out.

I watched the first three movies when I was around seven or eight then decided to hold off on the fourth one until I was older. It was so fun to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione grow up as the movies progressed. When I finally watched The Goblet of Fire in fourth grade, it was very exciting.

I listened to the last three books on audiobook when I was older because I remembered practically nothing from when I read them in elementary school. Then I had a HP binge on some weekend and watched the last three movies.

My 10th birthday party was Harry Potter themed. We had lights hanging from the ceiling with fishing wire and banners of the Hogwarts crest and the Gryffindor crest. I think I’m more of a Hufflepuff now. We had wands and did potions, herbology (which was our dessert), divination, quidditch, acted out scenes for the pensive, and watched the first movie. Definitely my best birthday party.

My friends and I had a Harry Potter themed Halloween one year. I was Tonks and my friends were Hermione, Luna, and Moaning Myrtle. One of my friend’s moms was Professor Trelawney and her dog was Sirius. It was a very fun Halloween that year.

I do hope, someday, that we’ll be able to like Harry Potter again without being uncomfortable. I love the world that J.K. Rowling created, but it’s hard to like her stories when I don’t support her views.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

I’ve listened to this audiobook of this countless times. It’s a bit of an odd book, but so much fun to listen to. Primrose, the MC, loses her parents at sea and moves in with her neighbor. But her neighbor moves away after a while, so she goes to live with her Uncle Jack.

The characters in the story are a little odd–the whole community is. What town puts this little girl who’s experienced a tragedy into the responsibility of a crazy, old lady?

One of the major places in Everything on a Waffle is the restaurant The Girl on the Red Swing, owned by Kate Bowzer, who takes Primrose under her wing. I love the fact that everything at the restaurant is served on a waffle: fish, pasta, meat, whatever. Even if you order waffles, you’ll get extra waffles.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Another book that made up a big part of my childhood! I started reading the PJO series in fourth grade. I got the series for Christmas that year, with the new covers, which I don’t like as much as the original covers. But that’s okay. My friends and I had our PJO and Greek mythology obsession throughout fifth and sixth grade, with a PJO themed Halloween where we were hunters of Artemis. I was Thalia.

My 11th birthday party was a surprise PJO party. I had no idea what I wanted to do that year, so my mom planned a scavenger hunt around the downtown area. My friends kept the secret very well. We got SPQR shirts (I had read Heroes of Olympus as well) and ran around, searching for clues my mom set up. It was a lot of fun and we ended it back at my house with cake. The cake had The Lightning Thief cover on it. How cool is that?

I still love Percy Jackson and am excitedly waiting the TV show to release. Disney+ released the teaser trailer and I am in love with it. The voice over Walker Scobell did was awesome and the camp looks fantastic. I love the cast they’ve created; the trio is perfection.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I think Wonder was one of the first books I read where the main character had a very obvious facial abnormality. Auggie has a combination of Treacher Collins syndrome and a hemifacial microsomia which prevents him for going to a mainstream school until fifth grade. Homeschooling was easier for him while he had numerous facial reconstruction surgeries.

I have a bilateral alveolar cleft lip which is no where near as severe as Auggie has, but I still felt represented in a way. I’ve experienced some of the things that Auggie has, like getting asked about my face or why I look a certain way. I got it a lot more when I was younger since my peers didn’t know that it’s kind of rude to ask.

Another reason that I like this book so much is the messages it sends. **Spoiler Warning** At the end of the book, Auggie gets an award from the school. I know some people may argue that it wasn’t right because he only got it because of his disability, but I disagree. Auggie demonstrated kindness and courage all throughout the book and showed that you don’t have to be mean to get attention. **End of Spoiler**

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Greenglass House was part of the fuel for my love of mysteries. The main character is a Chinese adoptee, like me, which isn’t something I see often see portrayed. It’s a great winter time read, as it’s set during Christmas.

The mysteries in this story are fun to follow along with and the puzzles that Milo has to figure out are very clever. I love how Milo and Meddy take on different names as they try to unravel the mystery that has surrounded the inn. The mystery that unfolds at the end is also intriguing, even though I don’t remember most of it.

I love the suspense around mysteries and speculating about suspects with the characters. It’s tense and suspenseful without being scary, like horror. I guess that’s why I like them so much. It’s like you’re a detective, just for a book instead of a real investigation.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is another all-time favorite book of mine as it fueled my love for historical fiction. The Book Thief is a very unique boom, though that can be said for any book. But I think what makes this stand out is the fact that it’s narrated by Death. I’ve always wondered why Markus Zusak chose to have Death be the narrator.

The Book Thief isn’t your typical story about WWII. In this, it focuses on the Germans, the “bad guys” off the war. But it focuses on the Germans who are poor and just living their life. A lot of books about WWII focus on the victim groups, like the Jewish or the Japanese. I think that aspect is another reason as to why the book stands out.

I always forget how sad this story actually is. Liesel losing her brother, Max hiding in the basement, the ending 😭. There’s so much in this story and it’s so fascinating to follow along to.

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

Outrun the Moon introduced me to the world of Stacey Lee’s books. I’ve read nearly all of her young adult historical fiction books and am pleased to say that I enjoyed all of them. Lee creates strong, Chinese female protagonists who stand up for what they believe in and can hold their own. I love all of her characters’ fierceness and courage and how they didn’t let societal norms get in their way. In Outrun the Moon, St. Clare’s is for the rich, white girls who live in the expensive parts of San Francisco. But Mercy didn’t take any of that and figured out a way to get herself enrolled.

Historical fiction is a way that I can learn about events in a personal and fun way. Reading about someone’s experience through an event gives me a perspective, rather than just the facts I get in history class. For Outrun the Moon, I learned about what it was like to live through 1906 San Francisco earthquake and deal with the aftermath. I also learn about things that aren’t touched on in history class, like the sinking of the Titanic in Stacey Lee’s Luck of the Titanic.

With these stories, I’m able to learn about the event–the facts–while also learning about the people in the event and how it was experienced by society. I’d say that’s a pretty cool way to learn.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game introduced me to the world of science fiction. I’ve never been a huge science fiction person, which is interesting since fantasy is one of my favorite genres and sci-fi and fantasy often go together. Anyways, my dad recommended this to me, so I gave it a shot. It was good and I ended up reading the second book in the series as well, Speaker for the Dead.

After getting a sneak peak in the sci-fi genre, I started adventuring a bit more. I read the Across the Universe trilogy last year, which I enjoyed for the most part, and some sci-fi standalones: The Weight of the Stars and most recently, The Words in my Hands. There’s still a large amount of sci-fi books I haven’t read, some of which are on my TBR. I’m hoping to dive a bit deeper into the genre, which I haven’t been doing very well this year, but I’m hoping I’ll get to a few.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I will never be able to not praise this book. This is one of those books that you either love or hate. I’m on the loving side. The writing is so lyrical and descriptive without making the reader bored. I’d love to visit the world Erin Morgenstern created and see all these sites that she came up with.

I will admit, this book can be really confusing if you’re not paying attention while you read. You can not read this book if you are tired. The short stories added in are all connected to the main plot; everything in this book is connected. That’s part of why I love it so much.

This was also one of the first books that I was able to confidently say is one of my favorites. I’ve always struggled with the question of “what’s your favorite book?” but I was happy to be able to answer with one that wasn’t from my childhood.

The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang

I read this series at the beginning of the year, and let me tell you, it stuck with me for so long afterward. I can not believe R.F. Kuang wrote and published this at such a young age. Her worldbuilding and writing talent shine through in all three of the books.

I haven’t read much political fantasy, so The Poppy War had a lot of information about the government that was a little hard to keep track of. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the detailed worldbuilding and how each province was based off an animal in the Chinese zodiac. Some of the events and people in the story point to real life events and real people.

The characters are well-developed, especially Rin who is our morally grey protagonist. She is a very complex character and I love it. She is definitely one of the most powerful female characters I have read about. This series in whole is fantastic; I’m in awe of R.F. Kuang.

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

I don’t even know what to say about this series. It’s so different from the books that are normally circulating around. It’s wholesome and fun and while there are serious mental health topics, they’re handled in a well-mannered way with an overall positive experience.

With COVID still being a prevalent issue and many other negative things happening, Heartstopper was–and still is–a perfect series to show that there is still good in this world. It may be fictional, but seeing the characters interacting, especially in the TV show, gives me a bit of hope.

Each book in the series is better than the next. I love seeing how Nick and Charlie’s relationship develops further and eventually, how Nick learns to be there for Charlie through Charlie’s mental health journey. I can not wait for Volume 5 to come out, I have no doubt that it will be amazing. Season 2 for Heartstopper is officially in production and I am so ready for more wholesomeness.

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Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
What are some books that got you into reading?