By Lydia Mathers
As much as I love to read, I'm also big on crafting. Making something with your hands can be so rewarding, and there are tons of ideas hidden in the Young Adult (YA) fiction section. With that in mind, I made this "Read This, Try That!" list that combines fictional stories with related nonfiction craft advice and inspiration. Keep reading to find your next creative outlet!
Read: Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge
Wilhelmina "Will" Huxstep is a creative soul struggling to come to terms with a family tragedy. She crafts whimsical lamps, in part to deal with her fear of the dark. As she wraps up another summer in her mountain town, she longs for unplugged adventures with her fellow creative friends, Autumn, Noel, and Reese. Little does she know that she will get her wish in the form of an arts carnival and a blackout, courtesy of a hurricane named Whitney, which forces Will to face her fear of darkness.
Then Try: The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life : 50 Custom Lampshades and Lamps by Judy Lake
You can make your own whimsical lamps like Will or simply browse the creations in this books on custom lamps.
Read: From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
Told through letters, aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra learns a lesson about love while directing a movie for the Midsummer Night arts festival, in which her longtime crush and his twin brother are also participating.
Then Try: Learn to Speak Film : A Guide To Creating, Promoting & Screening Your Movies by Michael Glassbourg
Presents a guide to the basics of movie making, offering guidance on cinematography, visual storytelling, filming with a crew, post-production, and promoting the final product. This book will take you through the same types of steps that Twinkle takes while directing her movie.
Read: Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
After Cam's father gives him a cardboard box for his birthday, they fashion it into a man that comes to life, but things spin out of control when a bully steals a scrap of the cardboard to create creatures that disobey his orders and multiply into an army.
Then Try: Cool Cardboard Projects You Can Create by Marne Ventura
Simple step-by-step instructions teach readers how to make original projects from cardboard. This book will show you how to build your own life-size cardboard "man" (it's actually a robot, but you get the idea), as well as other interesting builds.
Don't forget, you can use these books to count towards your Teen 10 to Try challenge on Beanstack! If you read a book in each of the 10 categories, you will win a gift card of your choice, AND you will be entered in a drawing for a library tote bag. Find more information on this challenge here.