Top Ten Tuesday: A Very Literary Thanksgiving

Image from The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  In honor of the upcoming Turkey Day, bloggers were asked "Who are the top ten authors you wish you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner?"  Earlier this month, I posted on Twitter (follow me @kharkins1120) that I am thankful for the YA authors that helped me through my angsty teen years and made me into the teacher I am today.  Here are the writers I would be honored to share my table with:

1. Sarah Dessen: I have met her a few times, and she is always so warm and funny.
2. Laurie Halse Anderson: I respect and admire her desire to stand up for the things she believes in.
3. Maggie Stiefvater: I am dying to read The Scorpio Races after hearing such wonderful things about it, but also, she is hilarious in person!
4. Megan McCafferty: I grew up with Jessica Darling, and McCafferty's newest series beginning with Bumped and ending with Thumped this spring offer a critical look at a topic I find it hard to get my head around, teen pregnancy.  She is also a genuinely funny person.
5. Judy Blume: The teen girl goddess herself - no dinner party would be complete without her!
6. Nicole Krauss: My first "adult" novelist and my writing idol.  Her ability to weave a story amazes me.
7. Charlotte Bronte: This is my party, and I'll invite who I want, and I want Charlotte Bronte, so she can give me further insight into my favorite male hero of all time, Mr. Rochester.  That's right Darcy fans, I am "Team Rochester."
8. Margaret Atwood: Her womanly wisdom would be an asset to our gathering, and I would love to hear she and McCafferty discuss female dystopia.
9. Harper Lee: My question for her, why only To Kill a Mockingbird?
10. J. K. Rowling: Last but not least, Rowling's Harry Potter books changed my life.  She is a master of her craft.

Not all are YA, but all are women, and I think women writers need to be celebrated for their unique perspective on the world.  Now, let's crack open a bottle of wine and read the night away!  With these intelligent, sassy women, it's sure to be a good time.

Happy Thanksgiving all!