Golden Valley’s Favorite Books and Genres

Emily Cornelis and Patricija Pujate • May 28, 2025

Photo Credits: Jocelyn Antonio

There are so many amazing and entertaining books that go unrecognized. Especially in an age where technology and social media dominate much of people’s free time, specifically the youth. Which is why we’ve decided to find readers among the Golden Valley campus who truly value the hobby, and ask about their favorite books and genres. We hoped to find trends among individuals’ favorite genres and books to see if they correlate with each other. More significantly, we hope this article inspires its readers to find inspiration to pick up some of these books if they enjoy the genre they are categorized in. Reading is a phenomenal hobby that can open up new opportunities and subsequently in the flowing of the creative mind.

A 9th-grade student journalist said her favorite genre was historical non-fiction, but her favorite book was The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This young adult novel falls under the mystery genre, and it is the first installment of a four-book series. The story follows a group of teenagers with a knack for solving crimes. The protagonist, Cassie Hobbes, is recruited by the FBI to join a group of exceptionally talented crime-solvers called The Naturals. The story delves into how each character grapples with themes of self-identity as they discover their hidden motives.

A 12th-grade member of the Golden Valley Chess Club said that his go-to genre for books is romcoms. This is reflected by his favorite book, Book Lovers by Emily Henry. The story follows 32-year-old Nora Stephens, who takes a vacation from her busy New York life as a book agent and travels to the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. There, she meets book editor Charlie Lastra. The two are continuously thrown together in a series of coincidences, and soon Nora is faced with a decision. Should she uproot the stable course of her life in favor of love and a happily-ever-after?

Another 12th grader said her genre of choice was action, and her all-time favorite book is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. The book is the first instalment of a fantasy trilogy that follows Mare Barrow, a Red living in a world controlled and dominated by the powerful Silver elite. The plot is set in motion once Mare discovers she harbors Silver’s abilities. Her attempts to conceal this revelation fail once she is outed by the Silvers and used as a pawn in their power game. Now, Mare is forced to live among the enemy while secretly working to help the Red rebellion. A tran-scendental mix of fantasy, romance, and dystopian. This YA is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Bridge Kingdom.

An 11th grader, president of the FCA Club, said romance was her favorite genre. Despite romance being her favorite genre, her favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a modern classic of contemporary fiction. The novel is told through the lens of seven-year-old Jean Louis Finch, but it hits base with heavy topics such as racism, family life, and social justice. Set in 1930s Alabama, Jean Louis must navigate through the societal pressures to feed into the stereotypes placed on black Americans. Especially once her father is hired to defend a black man in court, accused of assaulting a white woman.

Mrs. Foster, an English teacher at Golden Valley, said dystopian is the genre she most gravitates towards in literature, despite her favorite novel being Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, which happens to be a historical romance. Gone With The Wind is set in the 1930s and follows Scarlett O’Hara, a sheltered and manipulative southern belle. Scarlette is placed on a face-off with a roguish profiteer in a turbulent romance. All this against the backdrop of their
society crumbling with the end of slavery and the Reconstruction period. The story spans the reconstruction
of the South after the Civil War, and Scarlett’s entangled love affair with Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler.

Mrs. McCann, a librarian at Golden Valley, struggled with figuring out a favorite genre, a “near impossible question.” Eventually, she settled on realistic fiction as her favorite genre. Her favorite novel, though, is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This novel is part of YA literature. The Outsiders is a coming-of-age story set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1960s. We follow the conflict between the Greasers, a working-class gang, and the Socs, the upper-class youth. We follow 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis as he navigates a world of economic injustice, prejudice, and social division.

Miss Maria, another librarian at Golden Valley, claimed her favorite genre is fantasy. Her favorite novel is Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett. This historical fiction novel follows Philip before Kingsbridge. As a devoted monk, he is motivated to rebuild the greatest Gothic cathedral in the world. We are brought along the journey as the monk navigates political turmoil, religious conflict, and personal struggles in the 12th century on the road to achieving this massive feat.

This project allowed us to explore the diverse tastes in literature that Golden Valley has. While the preferred genres did not always correlate with the individual’s favorite books, it is safe to say that Golden Valley gravitates towards works of fiction rather than non-fiction. We hope this helps readers find good book recommendations as well as allows them to expand their book taste, because there are some gems in this list!

About the Contributors

Emily Cornelis, CEPAT Writer

Emily Cornelis is a senior at Golden Valley High School and a staff writer for CPAT She is a member of the National Highschoolers honors society and was awarded Student of The Month in February 2022. She is passionate about coffee, Taylor Swift, books and reviewing those books. She hopes to major in English Literature in college and eventually begin writing her own work. To her, being a student journalist isn’t just about informing people, but also inspiring people to get into reading and building a sense of community. What initially inspired Emily to join Journalism was because it gave her a platform to share and express her passion for books. If there are any books Emily would recommend they are The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and Sunday Morning by Jewel. E. Ann. When Emily isn’t ranting or raving about books online, she can be found at the local Barnes and Noble, or binging Netflix with her cat Bonnie Boo

Patricija Pujate, CEPAT Writer

Patricija Pujate is presently a Junior at Golden Valley and a writer for the CEPAT team. She enjoys nature walks, and helping to preserve nature and wildlife. She loves to read psychological thriller novels, and from time to time a good romance novel never hurts. Pondering deep thoughts and turning them into forms of creative expression such as poetry and art helps her decompress and put any negative emotions into something positive. She often enjoys having a peace of mind, knowing she can put emotions into art and not having to keep them all bubbled up and stuck building up to eventual breakdown. She used to be part of book clubs in her old school, Chatsworth High School, as well as briefly in Golden Valley with the now disbanded Fables and Films Clubs. Patricija is also not born in the US but in a small country in Europe called Latvia. She is bilingual and can speak various languages such as Russian, a little German and some Latvian. She enjoys playing video games, traveling, baking and feeding her neighborhood squirrels, she cares a lot for animals and once she is older she strives to get 2 cats and name them Perrywinkle, and Winston. When she is done with high school, she wants to pursue a career in becoming a Psychiatrist. The newspaper brings a new experience to her and something where her creative mind can flourish. She likes the sense of community it brings and loves to see smiles of joy that a simple story can bring. She likes to make a difference and make an impact on people and help others when in need.