Read, Write, Repeat.

Any way you look at it, it’s been a rough senior year for Glee’s Mike Chang so far.

He got yelled at by Sue Sylvester on the third day of school. He had to convince some reluctant football players that dancing would help their sports skills. He watched several New Directions members leave the group and start a competing club. And then, just as he was helping whip the remaining glee clubbers into tip-top dancing shape, he received an A- on a chemistry test.

Brittany would have been thrilled, but Mike was devastated.

Turns out an A- is considered an “Asian F” in Mike’s family. In fact, the grade was low enough for his dad to call an emergency meeting with Principal Figgins to discuss Mike’s future.

It also turns out Mike’s parents want him to go to an Ivy League college and become a doctor or a lawyer. Mike, who’s played by Harry Shum Jr., wants to dance, but is afraid to tell his parents. He tries to improve his chemistry grade and secretly try out for the school musical, but there are too many schedule conflicts. His mother finds out he’s been cast as Riff and is supportive, but his father confronts Mike and ultimately disowns him when Mike admits he wants to perform.

And you thought your life was complicated.

Mike’s girlfriend, Tina, tries to help by visiting Mike’s father at work and sharing a DVD of his performance in “West Side Story.” But Mr. Chang is unmoved and accuses Tina of having unrealistic expectations and fostering the same in his son.

This is the point in the story where, if I were a librarian at William McKinley High School, I would have given Mike a copy of Good Enough (Harper Teen, 2008) by Paula Yoo.

Because it’s not an assigned English literature text and wouldn’t appear on a recommended reading list for the SATs, Mike probably would have had to read it on the sly, but I think the benefits would have been worth the risk.

It’s the story of Patti Yoon.

And her story is not unlike young Mr. Chang’s. Patti’s parents expect nothing but the best from her. But only if the best will look good on her applications to Harvard, Princeton or Yale. Straight As are an expectation and extracurricular activities are carefully chosen.

In fact, Patti was introduced to the violin as a young child so it could be her “hook.” Something that would help her stand out from the many other talented, college applicants with 4.0 GPAs and high standardized test scores.

But for that to happen, Patti has to be a good violinist.

Fortunately, Patti has a natural aptitude for the instrument. That coupled with private lessons and a rigorous practice schedule have turned her into one of the best high school players in the state. But her practice SAT scores aren’t as high as her parents would like them to be, so Patti finds herself on a strict schedule of studying, test-taking and violin playing.

There are breaks for her to attend church, where Patti’s youth group is made up of other Korean teens whose parents expect similar success. But there aren’t any breaks when a cute trumpet/guitar player invites Patti to jam with his band or attend a rock concert. And when she tries to juggle her schedule and secretly do a few fun activities, her parents find out and react pretty much like Mike’s dad.

Meanwhile, Patti is enjoying music more and more, and her private instructor is encouraging her to apply to Julliard. But that involves finding the time to master new music, send in an audition tape and then audition in person. This leads to more secret activities for Patti.

Things reach the tipping point when Patti gets accepted to Princeton, Yale and Julliard. (She’s wait-listed at Harvard.) She thinks her parents will be happy, but they’re more upset that she applied to Julliard without telling them.

Parents of struggling students everywhere are rolling their eyes right now.

But Patti’s parents want the best for her and are truly upset. And despite their high expectations, Patti loves her parents. But, like Mike, she gathers the courage to share her true feelings. Her exact words are, “Stop giving me such a hard time.” And, frankly, I wanted to put the book down and applaud when she said them.

Patti ends up deciding to go to Princeton, not Julliard. Some people might be frustrated by this ending, but it’s a choice she makes based weighing all the things that make her happy (violin, English lit, her church group friends) and choosing the school that gives her the most options. She does enroll in a special program there for musicians.

Ultimately, Patti’s biggest revelation in the book isn’t which college she’ll attend, but learning that success and happiness aren’t the same thing. And by choosing Princeton and its music program, she’s taking steps to a future that she thinks has the best chance of making her happy.

And that’s what Mike Chang needs to do, too. He took the first step when he talked with his parents and persisted in his goals even after his father stopped speaking to him. In “Hold on to Sixteen,” Mike’s father watches Mike perform at Sectionals and says he’ll support Mike if he decides to study dance in college.

So things seem to be looking up for Mike Chang now. But it’s a long season. And as we know with Glee, almost anything can happen.

But knowing that they’re good enough, just the way they are, is a good starting point for all the kids at William McKinley.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Mike Chang – Good Enough by Paula Yoo.
• Artie Abrams – Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson.
• Noah Puckerman - So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

I grew up going to libraries. They were universally accessible, well-stocked, well-staffed and free.

So, sometimes, I forget that not everyone grows up with such easy access to books.

But I never forget that everyone should.

That’s why I was thrilled to hear about author Jean Reidy’s online auction to support the library at the Musana Children’s Home in Iganga, Uganda. Eighty orphaned children live there full time. Another 120 come each day from surrounding communities to attend school.

The home makes a difference, providing food, shelter, medical care, education and safety to people who desperately need it. But resources are tight. And the children’s needs increase each day.

Here’s what Jean has to say about the home.

“The Musana community was founded and is run by three young women from my hometown here in Colorado. In addition to dormitories and classrooms, the school has a small library badly in need of books … I hope you will join me at the auction and reach beyond our borders to celebrate literacy and a love of reading ─ as well as earth, space and a kid’s sense of place.”

Jean visited the home in 2010. (That’s her with some of the children in the picture.) She decided to use the publication of her most recent picture book Light Up the Night to raise awareness and funds for the library. She rallied other authors, artists, businesspeople and creative folk of all kinds to donate items that you can bid on, with proceeds going toward the library.

There is something for everyone.

Especially if you’re a reader, a writer, a librarian, a teacher or a parent. A partial list of items includes:

– Manuscript critiques by published authors and agents.
– Classroom visits by published authors.
– Signed books.
– Artwork by professional children’s book illustrators.
– Handmade jewelry.
– Home decor.
– Handmade baby blankets and quilts.
– And more, more, more.

It’s easy to leave a bid.

Visit the auction anytime between now and Nov. 18. And if you promote the auction via Facebook, Twitter or your blog, you can be entered in a separate contest to win a $100 gift card for — what else? — books!

If you’ve ever been grateful for being able to pick up a book and read it, this is one way to help someone else grow up with the same gift.

Stop by Jean’s auction today!

Glee’s resident bad boy, Noah Puckerman, doesn’t have to work on his image.

He’s already got it down. Witness his mohawk haircut, his wardrobe of jeans, boots and T-shirts, and his awesome guitar. Then, there’s the street cred he obtained by a stint in juvie and his history of romantic liaisons with many of the girls at William McKinley High School — and possibly even some of their mothers.

So at first glance, Puck doesn’t seem to have much in common with Ari Samuel Abramson, the main character in So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) written by Micol Ostow and published by Flux in 2009.

Puck is cool and plays music. Ari plays music because he desperately wants to be cool. But, if I were a librarian at McKinley High, I’d still give Mr. Puckerman, who’s portrayed by Mark Salling, a copy of this book and encourage him to read it.

Why? Let me count the ways:

1. It would get Puck in the library. I know from previous episodes that Puck is not a regular library user. When he was in the library with Lauren Zizes last season, he looked around in awe and asked, “What IS this place?” My job would be to help him realize libraries serve as more than a place to pick up girls.

2. It wouldn’t intimidate him. My guess is that Puck is not a voracious reader. So giving him a big, heavy or otherwise off-putting book wouldn’t work. This book doesn’t look overwhelming. It’s got a cool cover and parts of the story are told in comics and illustrations (done by David Ostow), which give it a graphic novel feel. I think it might suck Puck in and compel him to keep turning pages. I’d make sure to give Puck the paperback version, because it would be easier to him to carry around. (And because, frankly, the library would be out less money if he never returned it.)

3. It covers topics that relate to Puck’s life. Ari is Jewish and attends Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School. His family is very focused on Ari’s achieving good enough grades and SAT scores so he can attend Brandeis University and become a doctor or a lawyer. Ari is pretty sure he doesn’t want to attend Brandeis, although he isn’t really sure what he wants to do instead. What he does know is he wants to impress Sari Horowitz and thinks forming a band is the best way to do this. Of course, it has to be a secret band. Ari’s parents aren’t too excited about things that don’t show up on standardized tests. How does this relate to Puck? He’s Jewish and has said he thinks Jewish girls are hot. And, he plays guitar like Ari.

4. It would remind Puck of his strengths. And show where he could improve. I think Puck would laugh at the trials Ari’s fledgling band, The Tribe, goes through. There’s Ari’s best friend, the cool and popular Jonas, who attracts fans but has little musical talent. There’s geeky, ultra-conservative drummer Yossi Gluck who’s chosen merely because he owns drums. And, there’s Yossi’s younger sister, Reena, who isn’t supposed to be part of the band at all but who can, surprisingly, sing. I’m sure Puck would feel he could create a better band in five minutes. But if he paid attention, he’d also notice that being “cool” doesn’t solve all of Ari’s problems and actually creates some new ones for him.

I’d especially encourage Puck to read the scene on page 237 where Ari’s parent’s find out about the band the night after Ari finds out Jonas and Sari aren’t who he always thought they were — and neither is Yossi Gluck. Which leads Ari to ponder the inevitable question, “Who is he?”

The answer just might be that Ari’s an idiot. But once Ari realizes that, he also realizes that he can make choices to fix that. Is Puck an idiot? Sometimes. Could he benefit from some self-reflection? Probably. Might an innocent book get him started thinking?

A good librarian would argue that it could.

And all for only $9.95.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Noah Puckerman - So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Glee cheerleader Brittany Pierce may be best known for not being the brightest bulb in the choir room.

But that’s not why I’d give her Antony John’s new book Five Flavors of Dumb (Dial, 2010) if I were a librarian at William McKinley High.

I’d give it to her because there’s more to Brittany than initially meets the eye.

Sure, Brittany can be a bit dim. She’s known for comments that make the rest of the Glee Club do a double take like, “Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?”

She struggles knowing her left from her right, is pleased when she can sound out the word “L-O-V-E” written on the choir room white board, and she still believes in Santa Claus. She even proudly wears a T-shirt reading, “I’m with stoopid” featuring an arrow pointing toward her face.

But Brittany, who’s played by the multi-talented Heather Morris, can also be one of the wisest characters on the show. She alone can call Santana Lopez out when she’s hiding her true self behind a wall of false bravado. She stands up to Sue Sylvester when Sue wants to shoot her out of a cannon — leading Quinn and Santana to do the same — and she showcased her uncommon knowledge of cat diseases to help the Brainiac academic decathalon team win an important match.

Perhaps most importantly, she’s not ashamed of who she is.

Of all the Glee characters, Brittany is, oddly enough, one of the most secure. She doesn’t seem bothered by the perception that she’s dumb and she seems to be quite good at standing up for what she wants, whether it’s refusing Artie’s prom proposal because he called her stupid, telling Santana off for hiding her true self by pretending to date Karofsky or starting a fashion trend by wearing leg warmers on her arms. She’s not hiding a deep secret, and she’s not ashamed of who she is. What you see is usually what you get.

That’s why she reminds me of Piper, this book’s main character.

Like Brittany, Piper has a challenge that seems obvious. She’s deaf. But Piper doesn’t let that define her. She succeeds in regular high school classes thanks to her excellent lip-reading skills, her ability to speak, a pair of hot-pink hearing aids and a refusal to give up. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s very smart.

Unlike Brittany, Piper doesn’t have many friends. There’s Ed Chen from the chess club. And then there’s her brother, Finn, who alternately annoys her and helps her. In fact, Piper is counting down the days in her senior year until she can graduate and attend Galludet University a college for deaf and hearing-impaired students where everyone knows sign language.

But Piper’s life takes an unexpected turn when she sees a band called Dumb perform on school grounds. She can’t hear the music, but she’s drawn to its energy. And when she gets into an argument with the self-satisfied lead singer about how the band should market itself, she finds herself facing a challenge — get the band a paying gig in a month.

No one thinks she can do it.

Several band members aren’t pleased that she’s meddling in their affairs. Her father thinks she should find another hobby and her mother thinks the band is just a passing fad. But quicker than a sound check, Piper puts her mark on the band. She gets them interested in writing original songs (some of which are good and some of which are, well, like Brittany’s “My Cup”). She also helps them salvage a disastrous recording session, books them on a local radio show and even gets them on TV.

But the band doesn’t make it easy. The lead singer adds a beautiful but untalented guitar player to the group. The other guitarist is secretly in love with the bass player. And the drummer — Piper’s friend, Ed, who’s the most musically talented of the group — doesn’t get the respect he deserves because he looks like an accountant. When all the tension spills over into an actual brawl, on live TV no less, Piper’s life gets really interesting.

Suddenly she’s in trouble at school and at home, and everyone in the band expects her to fix things. Plus her feelings for her best friend, Ed, might be turning romantic. Can she decide what she wants, dish out a little justice and save the band from itself in time to give its members the big break they say they want?

Only if she can channel her inner rock star.

If I were a Glee librarian, I’d give the book to Brittany (after making sure it’s within her reading-comprehension range). I’d ask her to pay special attention to page 234 where Piper gets some really good advice:

Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.

Brittany does seem pretty content with who she is, and that’s good. This book would reinforce that. It also would help her realize that others shouldn’t be allowed to label her or limit what they think she can accomplish.

Most importantly, it would also help her see that although there might be five flavors of dumb, there many, many more ways to be smart.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Glee’s Mercedes Jones has a lot of fine qualities.

• She’s a good friend. When her classmate Kurt’s father is hospitalized, she provides support and encouragement.

• She fights for what she believes in. When cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester bans tater tots from the William McKinley High School cafeteria, Mercedes stages a Norma-Rae-like protest.

• And, she’s a good songwriter. Her anthem “Hell to the No” was my favorite of all the student-penned songs in Season Two.

But Mercedes can be a bit of a diva.

That shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Nearly every character on Glee has been a diva at one time or another. But Mercedes’ divahood is different.

It’s not a constant state. It only bursts out when she feels overlooked by Mr. Shuester or overshadowed by other Glee Club members.

Unfortunately, those things happen frequently.

Mercedes, who is played delightfully by Amber Riley, joined Glee Club expecting to be the star. Early on, when she was asked to sing backup, Mercedes announced, “I’m Beyonce! I ain’t no Kelly Rowland.”

Later, when she realized her solos would be few and far between thanks to the oversized voices of Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry, she lamented, “You guys only trot me out to wail at the end of a number.”

Things came to a head when the Glee Club held a fundraising concert. Mercedes decided she wanted the closing number that Rachel was slated for, so fellow overlooked Glee Club member Lauren Zizes offered to be her manager.

Lauren had Mercedes command respect by listing her demands, which included being carried onto the stage and having fresh puppies to dry her hands on.

Frankly, it was all a little much.

Around this time, if I had been a librarian at William McKinley High School, I would have gently suggested Mercedes read Dramarama by E. Lockhart (Hyperion, 2007). In fact, I would have handed it to her personally.

Why? It’s the story of a muscial-loving girl who’s overshadowed by her superstar best friend.

And while the book isn’t an exact retelling of Mercedes’ life, there are some pretty strong parallels.

Let’s start with the basics.

Sarah Paulson is a gawky, white, “Cabaret”-obsessed adolescent. Her best friend is Demi, an African-American gay teen who likes Liza Minnelli just as much as she does. If you change the races around and substitute Patti LuPone and Aretha Franklin for Liza Minnelli, you have Mercedes’ relationship with Kurt Hummel.

Demi christens Sarah “Sadye” (pronounced SAY-dee) to reflect his belief that she has what it takes to be famous. He encourages her to not try to be like petite, blonde Kristin Chenoweth, but to focus on “being Sadye” and bringing her own talents to light.

Sadye knows Demi is gay right from the start, but she still has a small crush on him and spends time with him instead of with boys who might be interested in her romantically. This also echoes Mercedes’ crush on Kurt and her feelings of being overlooked when he starts dating Blaine.

Things fall apart when Demi and Sadye go to summer theater camp.

Demi and Sadye are convinced they’ll nab fabulous lead roles and be best friends forever. They even make recordings of their thoughts and observations to look back on once they’re both Broadway stars.

So Sadye is disappointed to find that while Demi is a shining light at camp, she’s just … average. As Demi’s star rises, he becomes more popular — especially among some of the gay boys there. This success, along with the freedom not to have to hide who he is, pulls Demi away from Sadye.

Sadye, meanwhile, is struggling with not being as talented as she had previously assumed and with the teaching methods of some of the plays’ directors.

She’s smart and opinionated, just like Mercedes, so she shares her ideas, which does not endear her to the camp staff or her fellow campers.

So, what happens?

Many writers would have Sadye discover her own way to shine at the camp and have her end up knocking everyone’s socks off with some recently developed or previously undiscovered talent.

But E. Lockart doesn’t take that path. She lets Sadye struggle and even make a decision that benefits Demi greatly, but hurts her.

Ultimately, Sadye has to go back to Brenton, Ohio and decide how to move on with her life if being a Broadway star isn’t a likely option.

Mercedes is undoubtedly a better singer than Sadye.

But, she still has to make some of the same decisions. With Kurt and Rachel not going away, how will she adjust to being out of the spotlight? Will she continue to be friends with them, or let her own hurt feelings stand in the way of all their successes? And, will she focus on what’s best for the Glee Club or what’s best for her?

If I were a Glee librarian, I’d ask Mercedes to pay special attention to the scene where Sadye doesn’t congratulate Demi when he gets the lead role in “Bye Bye Birdie” and she finds she was cast in a small part in the camp’s only nonmusical production. I’d also ask her to focus on the page where Sadye uses the talents she does have to make a positive impression.

Other things that make this a GLEE-ful read include:

The insanely awesome references to musicals from “Bye Bye Birdie” to “Cabaret” to “Wicked” to “Guys and Dolls” to “Funny Girl” and many more.

The fact that it’s set in Brenton, Ohio, which Sadye and Demi want to leave just as much as Rachel and Kurt want to leave Lima, Ohio. As Sadye put it, “In Brenton, Ohio, where I’m from, committing suicide would be redundant.”

The goofy songs Sadye makes up about meatball sub sandwiches, cheating boyfriends and knee socks. They’re reminiscent of Brittany’s song about the styrofoam cups in the Glee kids’ New York hotel room.

At the end of the book, Sadye and Demi reunite outside a Broadway theater in a scene similar to the one where Rachel and Kurt meet at the Gershwin Theatre that is home to “Wicked.”

There’s also a playlist of songs referenced in the book. To find it, you need to visit E. Lockhart’s Dramarama Web site. It’s worth a visit for the song list and also for the video links she’s included for musical theater fans. My favorite is the one of Broadway’s Alan Cumming singing “Taylor the Latte Boy.” It rocks.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

I have a confession to make.

Not too long ago, I had bright purple streaks in my dark brown hair.

It was fun.

My children’s classmates thought I was the coolest mom ever, and convenience-store clerks with multiple piercings gave me compliments.

So … I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Glee’s Tina Cohen-Chang with her slightly goth look, colorful make-up and ever-changing hair.

I think she’s cool.

But I’m not sure Tina would agree.

She seems to want to change herself to put up a specific image. In season one, she revealed she didn’t really stutter, she had just done it to get attention. And in season two, she wore blue contact lenses so she’d look more like the models she saw in magazines.

And while I totally admire her hair, nails, make-up and clothes, Tina (who’s played by Jenna Ushkowitz) doesn’t strike me as a true goth. She’s a little too cheerful. A little too eager-to-please.

And, she’s shown a lack of confidence — whether it’s bursting into tears while singing “I Follow Rivers” at the poorly attended Glee Club fundraiser or worrying that she wasn’t as good as Rachel when Mr. Schuster asked her to sing “Tonight” from “West Side Story.”

So, if I were the librarian at William McKinley High, I’d pull Tina aside and give her My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher (Wendy Lamb Books, 2011).

Because it’s about a girl who discovers what’s under her make-up and day-glo hair.

Vanessa is a high school artist with big dreams. She doesn’t just want her art to stand out, she wants to stand out as well. As she says early on in the book, “All the talent in the world doesn’t equal an actual personality. It’s not enough only to make the art. You have to be the artist.”

So her look is always changing. Her friend, Nick, colors her hair whenever she asks him to and does her make-up to match.

And Vanessa plans outfits that help her stand out.

For example, on the day she has a job interview at an art supply store she wears a purple net top, short, black pleated skirt and hot pink fishnet stockings. She considers wearing something else, but decides this look is “more professional.”

As the book proceeds, Vanessa gets so caught up in reinventing who she is and finding newer, cooler, more artistic friends that her focus on her art wanes. She saves her project for the school art show until the very end and then spray paints a wall and a nearby park in a misguided attempt at public art. Meanwhile, she pushes her two long-time friends — Nick and Holly — to do things they’re not ready to do because she thinks they’re not taking enough risks. And, Vanessa almost does something she’s not ready for either.

It takes temporarily losing their friendship for Vanessa to see that she may be pushing herself and them too hard.

So she decides to back off.

She dyes her hair its natural brown (a color it hasn’t been since sixth grade), cleans up her public art and eventually learns that, as she puts it, “There’s a shock to not being shocking.”

I don’t think Tina pushes other people to do things they’d rather not. But, like Vanessa, I don’t think she’s 100 percent sure of who she is beneath the colored extensions and pink eyeshadow. I think spending some time with Vanessa would encourage her to think about what really makes her special.

So, if I were a librarian at William McKinley High, I’d give Tina the book and ask her to pay special attention to page 134 where Nick talks to Vanessa about her desire to be larger than life.

Because once Tina is clearer about who she is on the inside, her attempts to decorate her outside will be even more effective.

And, if I may just digress, I hope Tina gets a little more time to figure these things out in season three. She didn’t get much screen time in season two — her only two attempts at solos ended with her sobbing. And her featured moment in “Born This Way” was way too brief. (So was her role in the “Glee 3-D” movie, but it’s probably best if I don’t get started on that topic.)

If you’d like to see which books I’ve recommended to other Glee characters, they are:

• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

You might have heard some buzz about Sister Mischief, the debut young adult novel by Laura Goode (Candlewick, 2011).

And, you might be wondering what makes it so special.

Well, for one thing, it’s a sharply written book with compelling characters and an engaging plot. For another, it’s got a killer voice. Here’s a sample:

Me and my sisters are four mud-slinging, bomb-dropping, clam-jamming, bringers of mischief about to spit some rhymes like you’ve never heard … Hold on to your hosiery, because we’re about to load you up with a fat dose of wickedness, whimsy, thievery, sensation, charm and general ruckus-making.

In fact, New Mexico librarian Angie Manfredi (known as @misskubelik on Twitter) recently tweeted that this book was, “The best multicultural, feminist, lesbian, hip-hop romance you’ll ever read.”

And, she just might be right.

That’s why — if I were a librarian at Glee’s William McKinley High — I’d recommend this book to hilariously mean but troubled teen Santana Lopez, who’s played with skill by actress Naya Rivera.

Why? Because it says everything Santana needs to hear.

First, it has a main character just as strong and opinionated as Santana herself. Esme Rockett is the leader of an unlikely high school hip-hop group in Holyhill, Minnesota. She’s Jewish, lesbian and one heck of a lyricist. Her bandmates are her best friends — Marcy, Tess and Rohini, who’s better known as Rowie.

Second, Esme finds herself in a situation similar to Santana’s. Esme is in love with her best friend, Rowie. Rowie loves her back, but isn’t willing to go public with the relationship and isn’t even totally sure if she’s lesbian, bisexual or something else.

While Santana’s best friend and sometimes love interest, Brittany Pierce, doesn’t seem to feel the family pressure Rowie does to conform to a heterosexual lifestyle, Brittany did choose Artie over Santana last season and has not fully responded to several declarations of love from Santana.

But that might be OK.

Almost everyone has had the experience of loving someone who doesn’t love them back in the way they’d like. And few people find true, lasting love their first time out of the gate. I’d hope Santana would see that even though Esme’s romance with Rowie doesn’t end the way she hoped, Esme still has a lot to give and a bright future.

The biggest difference between Esme and Santana is that Esme has a core group of friends she trusts implicitly. Her life isn’t always easy, but her friends know her and love her. And, she has an extremely tolerant and understanding father. While Esme isn’t above causing chaos at school when she thinks there are wrongs to be righted, she doesn’t lash out randomly at her classmates like Santana famously does.

That’s because Esme has accepted herself, something Santana still struggles with.

So if I were Glee’s librarian, I’d give Santana the book and ask her to read it, paying special attention to page 256, where Esme’s dad comforts her, saying, “You did the most sacred, human thing in the world. You fell in love with another human being. I know how it feels to lose that.”

I’d also refer Santana to page 317, where Esme and Rowie have a hard conversation and decide their friendship and musical collaboration can continue even if their romance doesn’t. That also might be good for Santana to know. Last season, I got the feeling that Santana was hinging all her hopes on having things work out romantically with Brittany. And if the relationship doesn’t heat up in season three, she needs to have a back-up plan.

Other things that make this book a GLEE-ful read include:

• The original rap lyrics by Esme, Rowie and their friends. And, yes, they’re much better than “Trouty Mouth,” the single Santana penned last season on Glee.

• The shout-outs to female hip-hop and rock artists. There are mentions of Queen Latifah, MIA and Salt ‘N Peppa. There are references to Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, Patti Smith and more. In fact, you could spend a few enjoyable hours Googling or YouTubing some of the lesser-known artists mentioned just to get a feel for their music.

• The varied assortment of people in Esme’s circle of friends. There’s a super-smart Indian girl, a butch-looking band geek, a traditionally pretty and popular Minnesota-Lutheran girl, an African-American brother-and-sister team, and a skinny-jeaned hipster with more depth than you might originally expect. Their group meets in a shed off school property, but it almost could be the choir room at William McKinley. There’s even a strict but sympathetic teacher who keeps the group from getting into too much trouble.

So all things considered, I think you and Santana should check it out. Word.

If you’d like to see which books I’ve recommended to other Glee characters, they are:

• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

I often interview authors on my blog.

But today, I’m interviewing a teacher with a commitment to providing inclusive books to her students.

Meet Abigail Swetz, a mother, teacher, dog owner and (lesbian) wife who lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

During her first year teaching, Abigail taught anti-bullying lessons, integrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) books into her curriculum and helped found the Indian Mound Middle School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).

The GSA raised awareness about anti-LGBTQ bullying by participating in the Day of Silence, when students across the nation take a voluntary vow of silence for a day to commemorate and honor all those throughout history who have been silenced by hatred and discrimination. Students could choose to wear a black ribbon and be silent, wear a rainbow ribbon in support, or not participate at all. Between students and staff, the GSA handed out more than 400 ribbons.

Today, Abby is an eighth-grade reading/language arts/social studies teacher at Georgia O’Keeffe Middle School in Madison.

And, I’m thrilled to have her visit Read, Write, Repeat and share her views on building an inclusive classroom or school library.

Why is it important for teachers and librarians to make sure their collections are as diverse and inclusive as possible?

I think Bonnie Augusta, who used to be the LGBTQ Resource Teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District, said it best. Her argument was that students must see themselves reflected in the curriculum for them to learn. For example, if a primary school teacher is teaching a unit on families and only reads books with families that have two heterosexual married parents, then that teacher is ignoring the experiences of many of his or her students.

What about students with divorced parents who share custody? Or parents who aren’t married? Or single parents? Or same-sex couple parents? When a student see him or herself reflected in the curriculum, it creates an automatic buy-in.

The, “Wow! That’s exactly how I feel!” factor is, I believe, even more important during the middle-school years, when all kids are going through identity transformations and need to know there are all kinds of people out there in the world, and the world will accept you for whomever you figure out yourself to be.

What process should a teacher or librarian interested in developing a more inclusive collection follow? What resources should they consult?

There are a great many resources out there, I am happy to report, from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center and the American Library Association. Here are two links.

• CCBC’s list for Elementary School Children and Adolescents.
• ALA’s Rainbow List.

These lists are a great place to start. But I would make sure that adults who are looking to suggest books to children and young adults really consider how the LGBTQ aspect of the book is being presented before they do so, especially if a young person is questioning.

Some of these books are really quite brilliant; some of them are also quite heavy. Many books with LGBTQ characters deal with their struggle, and that’s accurate and I’m thankful those books exist. I’m also thankful that other, more positive, books exist. We don’t want to mislead adolescents into thinking life is all rosey, but if every “gay” book you have in your library includes anti-gay violence, then it’s time to add some different books.

What makes a library collection inclusive? How would a teacher or librarian know they’ve succeeded?

Covering the entire LGBTQ acronym (with more than a single book for each letter). When a student comes asking you for another suggestion after having read one of the books, you know you’re on your way.

How willing are children and teens to read about characters different than themselves?

Very willing! This might sound contrary to my previous statements about students needing to see themselves in the curriculum, but this is really just the flip side of that coin. When you think about it, reading a novel or memoir is really just legal identity theft. For a few hours while you read that book, you get to become someone else! Without any of the consequences of actually living that life? How amazing! And also, how important for adolescents trying to figure themselves out.

Are there any pitfalls to watch out for?

Yes, like I said before, try to avoid being overly negative.

Thanks, Abigail!

*******

Here is Abigail’s list of starter books she thinks well-equipped libraries should have on hand. All are appropriate for high school, and many for middle school. The letter in parentheses corresponds to the part of the LGBTQ acronym that the book represents.

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (G, with a bit of T)
The adorable story of a boy meeting a boy, courting that boy, messing up and losing that boy, and then gaining that boy back again. It’s so sweet that it almost smells like bubblegum, but don’t let that fool you, there’s some deep stuff in here about trust and friendship and what it feels like to be falling in love. Levithan is an inspired author. I routinely laugh out loud when reading his books, or I can be found scrambling for a pencil, wanting to copy down some amazing turn of phrase he’s made. Best for both middle and high school. (Editor’s note: This book was also featured on my blog as a GLEE-ful read recommendation for Kurt Hummel. Full review here.)

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (L)
Another book with an alternative structure, Hard Love intersperses its chapters with articles from the characters’ zines. (I described these to my students as “blogs before the Internet.”) The story follows Marisol, a “rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin,” and Gio, whose name is really John but he was trying to impress Marisol so he changed it to sound more foreign and interesting. Marisol expands Gio’s world; Gio provides Marisol support. And falls for her in the process. Best for both middle and high school. (This book has a sequel, but I wouldn’t recommend it.)

Hero by Perry Moore (G)
In Moore’s world, superheroes exist. They form The League, an arm of the police force designed to deal with the supervillans who also exist. A coming-of-age story, Hero follows Thom as he discovers two key facts about himself — he is gay, and he has superpowers. Neither of which would make his father too happy, if he were to find out about them that is. Action-packed, and appropriate for both middle and high school.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters (T)
Luna tells the story of a transgender teen through the eyes of sister Regan. Liam is a senior, seemingly on his way to the Ivy League with fame and fortune to follow. But all he wants is to be Luna, the woman he truly is at heart. Regan has seen Liam dress as a woman for years in the privacy of their shared basement. This is the year Luna decides to climb the stairs for the rest of the world to see. Sad and yet hopeful, this book is appropriate for both middle and high schools.

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez (Q, with a bit of G)
Frederick is the new kid in eighth grade. He’s also the short kid and the kid with asthma … and he definitely doesn’t want to add “the gay kid” to that list. But what if it’s true? As his relationships with Xio, his best friend who wants to be his girlfriend, Victor, the school’s gorgeous soccer star, and Iggy, whose brother even calls him the F-word, all develop, they lead Frederick down a questioning road. Will he ever figure himself out? Or let himself admit it? Best for middle school or an easy (and sweet) high school read.

The Misfits by James Howe (G)
The story of a lovable group of seventh-grade outcasts — the fat kid, the smart girl, the gay boy and the troublemaker — who try to make their school a better place by running for student council on the “No Name Calling Ticket.” This book was actually the inspiration for Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) No Name Calling Week, a nationwide event that promotes acceptance and builds anti-bullying allies at the beginning of the school year. Best for middle school.

Totally Joe by James Howe (G)
Joe is “the gay boy” from The Misfits, and this is the sequel to the other book, picking the story up after the group loses the election but succeeds in creating a No Name Calling campaign in their school with the help of staff. It chronicles Joe’s first (secret) relationship and his journey towards coming out. Best for middle school.

Wide Awake by David Levithan (G, with a bit of L)
The time is the very near future. America has just elected her first gay Jewish president. Plausible, right? Actually, the way Levithan writes it, seems so. No summary could do this story justice, so I’ll just say that if you need to restore your faith in humanity and people power, this is a truly brilliant read. Best only for high school.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green (G)
Each chapter of this book switches back and forth between two characters, both of who are named Will Grayson. Sound confusing? It’s not. The two writers have such skill and the two characters have such voice that the story of these two Wills who meet by happenstance unfolds seamlessly. The two young men share a friendship with Tiny, a very large gay high school actor/football player, who, in one fell swoop, shatters all gay stereotypes. Hilarious, and best for high school.

Two books I’d add to the list — with Abigail’s blessing — are:

Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle (Q and G)
Steven, 16, likes square dancing, his male health teacher and keeping International Male catalogs under his bed. But he is determined that he is absolutely, positively, not gay. To prove this, he tries to buy a Playboy magazine, tries mingling with the meathead jocks and has a series of disastrous dates with girls in his school. When Steven finally outs himself to his best friend, Rachel tells her entire family and urges him to form a gay-straight alliance. This book won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award the year it was published. Best for high school.

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger (G, with a little bit of L)
Russel Middlebrook is a sophomore at Goodkind High School. He has a secret crush on Kevin Land and soon discovers Kevin is also gay. The boys become friends and set up the “Geography Club” with three other gay students, one of whom is Russel’s closest friend, Min. Eventually, however, peer pressure and insecurity take their toll. Russel’s relationship with Kevin ends, but the “Geography Club” becomes the “Goodkind High School Gay-Straight-Bisexual Alliance,” and the protagonist gains new insight into himself and his place in the world. Best for high school.

*******

I hope this list gets you started reading and exploring. And, if you’re looking for more resources on LGBTQ literaure, I’d recommend:

• Lee Wind’s blog I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?
• This forum, blog and fansite: Gay YA: GLBT Characters and Pairings in YA Fiction.

Blaine Anderson joined Glee last season as the seemingly cool-and-collected lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, an all-boys a cappella glee club that competed against New Directions.

He quickly became more than that, however.

Blaine also befriended Kurt Hummel and shared his own experiences being bullied at his former school for being gay. He encouraged Kurt to stand up to David Karofsky and shared Dalton Academy’s zero-tolerance policy for harassment. After Kurt transferred to Dalton, his relationship with Blaine also became romantic. (For a look at how it all began, watch The Warblers’ a cappella version of “Teenage Dream”.)

It’s true that at the end of season two, Blaine, who’s ably portrayed by Darren Criss, didn’t attend William McKinley High. So even if I were the school’s librarian, I couldn’t officially recommend a book for him.

But because I’ve never seen a single faculty member at Dalton Academy or any evidence the school even has a library, I’d feel comfortable making a casual suggestion the next time Blaine stops by to visit Kurt.

And that suggestion would be Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin (Gotham Books, 2008).

Why? It’s a love song to the collegiate groups the Warblers were modeled after.

The book chronicles how the college a cappella movement started when the Yale Whiffenpoofs formed in 1909 and how it’s grown to where it stands today with intense rivalries, national championships, groupies (yes, groupies!) and increasingly complex and evolving arrangements.

Rapkin focuses on three college groups — the all-female Divisi from the the University of Oregon, the irreverent Hullabahoos from the University of Virginia and the tradition-bound Beelzebubs from Tufts University. He looks at everything from the groups’ histories and cultures and quest for vocal perfection to their egos, immaturity and inevitable conflicts.

And, it’s a hell of a read.

I read a lot of books. And this one was so good I had to put it down a few times because I just didn’t want it to end. Rapkin does a great job of making us care about the members of each group even when we’re cringing for crises going on in their personal lives or shaking our heads at some of their decisions. (Note to future a cappellers: NEVER set fire to the mansion an influential alumni is nice enough to let you use.)

The book is also chock full of musical minutiae — arrangements and key changes and choreography and costumes. I like that sort of thing, and if you do too, you’ll be fascinated.

This book would also show Blaine it’s OK to loosen up a little.

The Beelzebubs (who, by the way, sing background on all of Glee’s season two Warblers songs) are very traditional and buttoned up, at least publicly. But the Hullahoos perform in T-shirts, shorts and what looks like wacked-out liturgical robes for goodness sake. And all three groups have enough backstage drama to keep a small soap opera afloat for a season or two.

Despite this, group members can usually laugh at themselves. In fact, they spend almost as much time doing the sort of activities you might expect from overconfident college students — drinking … peeing on a competing group’s van … drinking … making inappropriate sexual references … drinking — as they do perfecting their harmonies.

Blaine’s a great character, but he’s very serious.

I’m not sure he’s intentionally cracked a joke on the show yet. Not that he hasn’t had unintentionally funny lines. My favorites?

“Do you know how many Gaps there are in Ohio? Tons!” (This was said to reassure Kurt that the Warblers would still have chances to perform even though they didn’t qualify for Nationals.)

And …

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a bigger fool out of myself. And that’s really saying something … because I’ve performed in theme parks.” (Said after Blaine’s public, Valentine’s Day seranade of a Gap employee did not have the romantic results he’d hoped for.)

If I were Glee’s librarian, I’d hand Blaine the paperback edition of Pitch Perfect, asking him to pay particular attention to the clever chapter subtitles, such as:

“Chapter One: Wherein twelve ladies in red ties are snubbed at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella — and contemplate returning for seconds.”

And …

“Chapter Ten: Wherein the Hullabahoos travel to Los Angeles for winter break 2007 and attempt to (among other things) gain admission to the Playboy Mansion.”

I’d also ask him to check out page 214 where the Hullabahoos have a major misfire on stage and all of Chapter 11 where Divisi — despite giving a strong performance — loses to the group it’s been focused on beating all year.

It would help Blaine see he doesn’t have to be perfect.

He needs to know that talented, successful people make mistakes all the time. Then, they recover and take more chances. Blaine hides a lot of his insecurities under a very composed, controlled exterior. And, that’s cool … sometimes.

But, if Blaine had been a part of New Directions last season when the kids all wore T-shirts proclaiming what they were most insecure about, I wonder what his would have said. He hasn’t let much slip so far. We know he was beaten up at his first school after attending a dance and that he regrets not standing up for himself. And he’s hinted his relationship with his father isn’t ideal.

I’m not saying Blaine has to wear his heart on his sleeve like so many other characters do, but I think he’d be happier if he learned to let down his guard a little and be OK with being human.

This book also qualifies as a GLEE-ful read because it emphasizes song choice.

And we all know how important that has been to New Directions. The book analyzes how The Beelzebubs sang Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and, in the process, revolutionized how a cappella songs are arranged. How Divisi broke new ground performing Usher’s “Yeah.” How the Hullabhoos lived and died with U2′s “One.”

For the technically minded among you, there’s also a lot of detail about how an a cappella group is recorded to make the most of its sound — and both sides of the debate about how processed, auto-tuned and polished an a cappella album should be.

So all in all, I think Blaine would enjoy it, and so would you.

If you’d like to see which books I’ve recommended to other Glee characters, they are:

• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

If Finn Hudson’s life had a soundtrack, it would probably include The Lovin’ Spoonful’s 1966 hit “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?”

Remember how it goes?

Did you ever have to finally decide?
Say yes to one and let the other one ride?
There’s so many changes and tears you must hide.
Did you ever have to finally decide?

Because for everything the Glee character has going for him — starting quarterback on the William McKinley High School football team, co-captain of the Glee Club, homecoming king candidate — his laid-back attitude tends to get him into trouble.

The most obvious example is with girls.

In season one, Finn dated Quinn and made eyes at Rachel. Then, he dated Rachel and looked longingly at Quinn. Then, he dated Quinn and gazed at Rachel. And in the last episode of season two, he kissed Rachel.

What’s odder still is that both Quinn and Rachel continued liking Finn in … um … that way, even when he dated the other one. Maybe it was because he said things to them like, “Just because I can’t be with you doesn’t mean I don’t believe in you.” And, as he was breaking up with Quinn, “I still love you.”

Dude … seriously.

So, if I were a librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d give Finn, who’s convincingly played by Cory Monteith, the book Struts and Frets by Jon Skovron (Amulet Books, 2009).

Why?

Because it’s about Sammy Bojar, a fatherless boy with a guitar who has to make some decisions.

Like, how to keep his struggling band together. How to survive school when he’s really only interested in music. What to do about a girl he likes in … um … that way and another girl who likes him and he might actually like, too. And what to do about his grandfather who’s no longer the warm, smart, supportive person he used to be and seems to be falling deeper and deeper into dementia.

And then, there’s what may be Sammy’s biggest worry. He knows he can play the guitar, and he’s happy with the original songs he’s written recently, but he worries that he doesn’t have enough confidence or charisma to be the lead singer for a band. I think Finn could relate to that fear, especially after his encounter with Jesse St. James last season.

I’d give Finn the book and ask him to read it all, paying special attention to the scene that starts on page 99 where Sammy realizes how he truly feels about Jen5, the scene that starts on page 221 where he talks about relationships with his best friend Rick, who’s gay, and page 273 when he realizes the difference between being in a band that doesn’t work and being in one that does.

Seeing how Sammy makes his decisions might help Finn make some important ones in his own life.

Like, how he wants to spend his senior year. What he wants to do after graduation. And where, if anywhere, Rachel and Quinn fit into his plans.

Another good thing about this book that makes it a GLEE-ful read is a playlist of songs that served as the soundtrack as Skovron wrote. Artists include Jane’s Addiction, The Pixies, Camper Van Beethoven, Mercury Rev and more.

If you’d like to see which books I’ve recommended to other Glee characters, they are:

• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.