​This book was one of the most fun reads I’ve had in the past few months. As a kid that grew up with Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles, this felt like a welcome back home to my happy place. 

​The Labors of Hercules Beal follows brothers Achilles and Hercules Beal, who are recently orphaned, and are left their parents’ Cape Cod farm and nursery. With Achilles working constantly, a vampire in his home, and a new school to start the year, Hercules is skeptical, especially when he’s assigned to complete Myth Hercules’ infamous Twelve Labors.

Even though the Hydras and Neiman Lion that Myth Hercules aren’t real, Boy Hercules has his own, and sometimes his brother’s issues to worry about. We get to follow along as Hercules might not be conquering monsters, but his own fears, stressors, and grief are beautifully contextualized as something just as terrifying. ​ 

​His biggest lesson learned? You’re never alone. Myth Hercules had aid, but was expected to do each labor himself. Boy Hercules learns to embrace his brother, friends, neighbors, and even his scary homeroom teacher: Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer. This sassy-mouthed seventh grader had me laughing and crying my whole way through this novel, and I really hope that our Weekend Picks readers will enjoy it as well.

Gary D. Schmidt wonderfully executes a very passionate story on grief and non-traditional familial structures. The Labors of Hercules Beal was such a fun read, with such an important message of bringing together communities, and holding onto each other through hell or high water. ​

​Everything We Never Had, written by Randy Ribay, follows the stories of the Maghabol family, and intertwines historical fiction with real questions on identity and the relationships between a father and a son. The story is told in generational pieces, leaving the readers to connect the dots. We hear from great-Lolo (Grandfather) Francisco’s perspective in the 1930 Watsonville riots, Lolo Emil who kept busy trying to make a living with his father’s flaky appearances as a labor organizer in the 1960’s, dad Chris’s experience with his overbearing father and his desire to study Filipino history in the 1980’s, and anxious Enzo who is feeling the pressure to bond in the 2020 pandemic. Hearing every man’s teenage experience, we get to see how each apple falls from the tree, and how one way of parenting doesn’t always result in the healthiest bonds between family. 
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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lolo Emil, Chris, and Enzo are all stuck under the same roof. As Emil and Enzo begin to bond, we start to see how each man’s perspective in life is based in their own experiences and drawing the line between the four generations. Each of the novel’s perspective grapples with embracing ethnicity vs. nationality, masculinity, and living up to societal expectations. 

​This book coincidently lines up with Asian-American Pacific Islander history month, and I could think of no better way to teach such landmark moments in Filipino history, something I was very unfamiliar with before I started this novel. This read lead me to learn history that was entirely skipped over in my education, and I am so thankful to this novel for highlighting another minority perspective. Everything We Never Had, as well as other short stories and novels in Ribay’s catalogue highlight Filipino perspectives, again broadening libraries’ potential to support and represent students and readers of a similar background.

Everything We Never Had has won numerous awards such as: Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, 2025 International Literacy Association Notable Books for a Global Society, and Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APLA)-Literature Award. Ribay is also the author of titles such as: The Patron Saint of Nothing and The Reckoning of Roku: Chronicles of The Avatar. ​

Our second Weekend Picks for May comes to us from another Oakland University student Alyssa Engler. Her featured novel, Monday's Not Coming, focuses on the themes of friendship and loss as it weaves a mystery about a girl who has gone missing: Monday Charles. The story uses non-linear storytelling  as a way to blend the past with the present. 

Alyssa has this to say about herself as an introduction to our readers: "Hello! My name is Alyssa. I'm a full-time student at OU working towards an English Language Arts for Educators degree and a server by night! In my free time, I love hanging out with my German shepherds (the one in the photo is my late baby Bella; right now, I have two, Rebel and Ryder!). But outside of them, you can find me with my head in a craft of some kind!"

Many thanks to Alyssa for her contribution this week, and for pointing us toward another important YA novel read. 

We all have that person; yes, that best friend, sibling, or coworker you just thought of. The one who’s all in, no questions asked. Someone who feels like warmth in the coldest weather, or the sunshine slipping through in your cloudiest moment. Maybe you sat next to them in class randomly on the first day, talked to them at a party and just instantly clicked, or perhaps you’re like me; she happened to apply at your work, and within minutes, you’re laughing and talking like you’ve known one another for a lifetime.

We all have the one person, that special person.

But sometimes life throws us a curveball, something we never see coming.

​What if one day they didn’t show up, didn’t pick up the phone, disappeared into thin air, and suddenly weren’t around; they were gone. That’s Claudia’s fear when she can't get ahold of her best friend: Monday Charles.

Welcome to the first Weekend Picks of May! We kick off ​the month with a contribution from one of Oakland University's current teacher candidates, and my (Amanda) recent student. It's a joy and a privilege to help amplify the emerging voices in ELA education. 

Sean Myers points us toward the amazing work of Alice Oseman, specifically the Heartstopper series that began as a digital “Webtoon” comic. Thank you, Sean, for your May Weekend Pick!

​Sean Myers is an English for Language Arts Education Graduate student at Oakland University. He is currently preparing to go into his final student placement and his student teaching, with hopes to be teaching high school English soon!

​Heartstopper (Volumes 1-5), written and illustrated by Alice Oseman follows the adventures of “out” gay student Charlie Spring, who meets his crush, Nick Nelson, in school. What Charlie doesn’t expect, is Nick’s own “bi-awakening” as the two’s friendship develops into something more. We get to follow their queer-love experience, as well as their friends! Oseman doesn’t just highlight queer male romance, but queer female romance, and transgender identities. We get to see how their own queer soul-searching plays out, and the ripples it has in friends, peers, family, and support systems.

The series began as a digital “Webtoon” comic, releasing short parts every few days, beginning back in August of 2019. As larger sections of the comic were completed, Oseman had volumes 

​As sweet and lighthearted as the series begins, we make our way through the different volumes and get to see more serious themes take center stage: depression, eating disorders, internalized homophobia, sexual harassment, and having to deal with less-accepting people in your families. While these are much more serious topics for a queer graphic novel, it’s important to bring awareness to these discussions, because the uncomfortableness of the topics doesn’t erase their prevalence in teenagers today. We get to learn alongside our characters that not every problem can be fixed with an “I Love You” or an “I’m Sorry”, and it’s so refreshing to see in modern literature.

As someone who identifies as a queer man, who struggles with things like poor mental health and depression, it is so comforting to me to see that someone is telling a story that sounds like me. ​