• Title: A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire

• Author: George R.R. Martin

Justification: A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin is definitely not a YA book, but if you love dragons, strong characters, and world-building like you’ll find in Fourth Wing, you’ll love A Game of Thrones.  You will step into a world with Ned Stark and his family in the North of Westeros.  Ned is volun-told that he will be the Hand to the King, and this decision sets off a chain of events you cannot believe.  This book series is a classic, but comes with a handful of trigger-warnings about violence, alcohol, sex & incest, and, did I say violence?  With supernatural elements thrown in, Westeros is all you can ask for in a fantasyland.

(Just a reminder - this is an adult book and contains adult themes - while many of our high school readers are already reading adult books, if your account is restricted, then this will be off-limits, but I can help you find another classic fantasy if you're interested!)

• Title: The Falconer

• Author: Elizabeth May

Justification: The Falconer by Elizabeth May is a YA Fantasy novel with a great romance and a behind-kicking main female character.  Aileana is an aristocratic lady in high society with all of the expectations that brings.  But, secretly, she is a falconer and is tasked with killing the fae that threaten her land.  She is forced to train with one of the fae, Kiaran, to learn how to kill the fae, and as you can imagine, that is one tense situation.  Aileana and her friends fight battles and traverse worlds in their fantasy YA trilogy.  It’s a wild ride, and it’s always fun to read a strong female lead, as in Fourth Wing.

• Title: Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

• Author: Shonda Rhimes

Justification: In the book, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, Shonda Rhimes, the creator of many hit television shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” discusses how a throw-away line by her sister at a dinner party caused her to change her perspective.  Her sister said she never said “yes,” to anything, and it inspired Shonda to experience the “Year of Yes,” in which she stopped saying no and learned to say yes.  In this informational text, Shonda tells how saying yes to things opened up doors, opportunities, and experiences to which she had been closed off as an introvert, and she talks about all of the inspiring people and things she accomplished that year.  While the text can be a little repetitive, if you love her shows and you love strong females, you’ll love Rimes’ “can-do” attitude and her spunky writing style in Year of Yes.

• Title: Dragons: A brief history of the mythical, fire-breathing beasts

• Entity: Live Science

Justification: Live Science features an article on the history of the mythology of dragons.  It discusses where people in different cultures “got” the idea of dragons for their own culture and what the myths have in common overall.  The article discusses the influence that Christianity had on the belief in dragons and dragons’ association with Satan in the Christian belief.  Finally, they discuss any “proof” of the existence of dragons and where you can find a real-life dragon today!  While this website may not feature any strong female character, it features dragons, which, let's face it, are just cool, and which also show up in Fourth Wing and A Game of Thrones.