Mychal Threets

Mychal Threets: I think all of us have had experience after reading the book of looking in maybe our grandparents wardrobe, our parents wardrobe, like, knocking on the back of the wardrobe being like, maybe this is my time. Maybe they're gonna call me in here.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: That's Michael Threes. You might know him for his viral videos about library joy and mental health. Michael is a librarian, storyteller, a mental health advocate, and a joyful force online and in the world. Today's episode is a little different. We're saving my full interview with Michael for a live recording at the American Association of School Librarians meeting or AASL in October.

So if you're going to be in Saint Louis, please join us for that. But we didn't want to wait that long to bring you the joy that Michael spreads. So instead of our usual format, we're diving into an extended reading challenge from the people's librarian himself. Michael is a library kid through and through. Someone who grew up in the stacks and eventually made his calling his career.

In this episode, he takes us through the books that shaped him. It sparked what he calls his book joy. Michael's selection of books are more than just nostalgic favorites. They're stories that sparked his imagination and helped him understand the world and himself a little better. A quick note before we dive into today's episode, we do talk about mental health and suicide.

The topics come up during Michael's reading passage, so we understand if you want to skip forward past this and you can find a time stamp for the section in the show notes. And heads up, if you haven't read Bridge to Teripithia, there's a spoiler coming, so now might be a good time to grab a copy. Just don't blame us when your heart gets ripped out. My name is Jordan Lloyd Bookie, and this is the reading culture, a show where we speak with diverse authors and today, a librarian about ways to build a stronger culture of reading in our communities. We dive deep into their personal experiences and inspirations.

Our show is made possible by Beanstack, the leading solution for motivating students to read more. Learn more at .com and make sure to check us out on Instagram at the readingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter for bonus content at the readingculturepod.com forward slash newsletter. Alright. On to the show. Hey, listeners.

Are you looking for a fun easy way to track your reading and earn cool rewards? Well, meet Beanstack, the ultimate reading app used by a community of over 15,000 schools, libraries, and organizations nationwide. Are you an avid reader? Check with your local library to see if they offer Beanstack for free. A parent, ask your child's teacher if the school library already uses Beanstack.

And if you are an educator searching for a fresh alternative to accelerated reader, Beanstack is the perfect tool to cultivate a thriving reading culture. Ready to turn the page? Visit beanstack.com to learn more. First up on Michael's list, Holes by Lewis Sackar. This book came out in 1998 and became a massive hit that is still popular today.

It's got cursed families, lizards, buried treasure, and one unforgettable outlaw named Kissing Kate Barlow. It's the first book that Michael ever received as a gift, and it's where his book joy began.

Mychal Threets: So I love the book so much. I named my cat after the character. And that book, just was the first book that I was ever gifted. So it was like the art of gifting books was born by way of holes by Lewis Sacker. And I just love the story.

I love the adventure of reading it, out what's gonna happen next.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: I, first of all, want to know

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: who gave you holes. You said that was gifted to.

Mychal Threets: Oh, my great aunt did.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Your great aunt. Was she a big reader?

Mychal Threets: I believe she was. I didn't I didn't realize it at the time, but she must have been because I didn't realize how open it was. I was reading books all the time for her to think of giving me a book for my probably between ninth and eleventh birthday.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Mhmm.

Mychal Threets: I connect it with X-ray. I connect it with Xero, I think, just by description. So even though a different book was a first book that I kind of saw myself for the first time in characters, I think seeing them, seeing their description was like, hey, that sounds a lot more like me than these other characters. But I think it's also just the fact that the kids got in trouble and then things happened and they were able to kind of figure out their way of life and how to keep on going through turmoil. So I think I just like that the book was a learning lesson.

I just liked the various zany characters. I like that they flipped back and forth between the lineage of different Stanley Lnats that there have been. I think I just love the idea that Stanley Lnats is Stanley backwards twice. Just Stanley Stanley but Stanley backwards. I got a kick out of that.

Then I had just always loved anything by Lewis Saker. I loved all the Wayside School stories. So when I found out, oh, there's a book called Holes, I had to read it and then Yeah. I've been hooked for my entire life.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: That was one of my favorite read alouds with my kids, you know, was Holes. Like, I just love it was such it was so fun, everything about

Mychal Threets: It's special.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: And then all those Wayside, just his books are just they hit everyone, you know, just so good.

Mychal Threets: They do. Yeah. I think zany is the best way to describe all of his stories. Yeah. It's just they're out there.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: If you get that laugh out loud, you know that's what they're reading. You know? They're really, like, giggling.

Mychal Threets: Yes. You feel all sorts of emotions reading all of his different stories. Like, ugh. Sometimes you're worried, then you're you laugh. Next again is is bishop Beverly Cleary.

I love everything by Beverly Cleary. As much as I love Ramona and Beez's Quimby, I love Ralpha Spouse. I think Henry Huggins has always been my favorite one. To this day, I still listen to Henry Huggins

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Really?

Mychal Threets: Probably at least twice a year. I listen to the whole audiobook collection. I think it's just a sense of installation. I mean, I've always loved Beverly Cleary because a lot of people don't realize that she was a children's librarian. That's how Beverly Cleary got started, I gotta love a fellow librarian.

I love that she wrote those stories just because she looked on her library shelves and saw that there were no stories of neighborhood kids being neighborhood kids.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah.

Mychal Threets: And I was a PBS kid. I grew up watching Arthur, watching Mister Rogers, watching Reading Rainbow, those sorts of things. But I was always outside playing, always playing basketball, playing catch on my bike, crashing all the time, trying to go off of jumps, things like that. Just being a rambunctious neighborhood kid. And I think that's why I love Henry Huggins so much because that's exactly what they did.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Right. Interesting. So Henry Huggins would be your second or any of those books, but, yes, that would be your one. Yes. And you you love listening to books too.

I do. Yeah. Me too.

Mychal Threets: But it's great. I I do it all the time. I grew up books on tape. There are books on media, the books on CD, and books on tape as a kid. Now, of course, there's Olivia.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: You're not old enough for books on tape.

Mychal Threets: And there's Hoopla. No. I mean, mean, me and my family will be playing video games, and we would turn down the volume, and then we would just turn we would just listen we would listen to stories, and it's just always been so special to me.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: I love that. And a great tip for parents. You can play all the games you want as long as we're listening to, you know, whatever on here.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Michael's next recommendation is a story of love and loss. It can make young readers feel things they may not have felt before. This was in fact the first time a story broke Michael's heart and also helped him understand some really complicated feelings. It's Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

Mychal Threets: The next one unfortunately is a bit is a bit sadder. Probably like kind of my guiding my way into big sadness two books, like feeling those different emotions. And it is Bridge to Terabithia. That's probably the one. That was the first one in Rhymesdale, like, the day, I'm just like, ah, Leslie Burke forever.

It's also kind of a book about neighborhood kids in a different way, but they're just having these various adventures. I think I was always an imaginative kid. I think going into the land of Terabithia was always special to me reading that book for the first time. I think for most kids, if you read that book, it's probably the first time that you experience a death in a book, especially the death of a child. So it takes a lot out of you, I think, for most people.

I'm sorry if you've never read Pritcher Terabithy and if that's a spoiler. It's been out for a very, very long time though.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Very long time.

Mychal Threets: But it is very shocking when you when you read it for the first time. And you think for for me, I was really I think I remember reading that, and I almost, like, couldn't believe it. Like, I was like, oh, maybe they're in a different part of Cherubithia. They're gonna go back, and Leslie's gonna be there. Mhmm.

I think it took me honestly a couple of chapters of reading it to realize that Leslie was not gonna be coming back. Mhmm. So I think it kind of like for me, for the first time a kid who experienced anxiety, experienced panic and depression and different things, it was first time reading a book where I was like, oh, man. I'm seeing these feelings. I'm seeing these emotions.

How do I respond? How are they gonna respond in the story? What's gonna happen? So, of course, it's not a perfect ending by any means, but I think that book was just it's so special to shaping me as a reader because even though I always talk about book joy, talk about library joy, it's really just an all encompassing thing for the various feelings that you read because sometimes, I mean, there are people who love reading sad books. I do not love sad books.

Richard Chirabithy is probably like the saddest book on my list. But there are people who too do that's what they need from books. I think that's what's important is that there are all sorts of emotions and feelings when we get to read. And for me, that's why Bridgette Terabithia was so special. And it's just this lore of having your heart broken for the first time reading a book, having your soul ripped out.

That first time where you're like, I need my friends to read this book so they also can have their soul ripped out so that we can share this feeling together.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: The next book Michael shares is one that so many of us have a soft spot for. It's the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by CS Lewis. A story full of magic and snow and betrayal, and it's also how most kids learn what Turkish delight is. This classic opened up a whole new kind of world for Michael.

Mychal Threets: I love going into different worlds while reading books. And for me, I was raised in a Christian household, so I also read it from that perspective. So I think it meant something different to me to read that book and see those connections, is the way that CS Lewis wrote the book. But I think just like the power of the character of Aslan, the betrayal of Edmund, I think you're just like, oh, Edmund. Like, what are you doing?

Those are your those are your siblings just for Turkish delight. And I have since had Turkish delight at the library. I remember the first time I had it being like, this is my

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: This is what they're talking about?

Mychal Threets: Gave away his family for. Like

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: I know.

Mychal Threets: I thought it was, like, cinnamon rollers or something. Like, not that cinnamon rollers are worth betraying your family for, but I was like, at least it wanna be something, like, superiorly delicious.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: No offense to those who love Turkish delight, but I definitely had that exact yes. My daughter was like, I need to try Turkish delight. You know? I remember going out. We found it.

She's like, this is it. I'm like, yeah. Maybe this wasn't a good one. Let's go find some other one. You know?

Mychal Threets: Exactly. Like you said, it is not I'm not saying it's gross. I'm not saying it's the worst treat ever, but it is not

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Just like, is that gonna be your reason?

Mychal Threets: Yes. Are you going to say, you know what? Turkey delight family. Maybe you are. Maybe we'll find out.

Maybe that'll be the comments to this to this response. But but no. But but all those all those feelings and just it was just so cool. Mean, I think all of us had the experience after reading the book of looking in maybe our grandparents' wardrobe, our parents' wardrobe, like, knocking on the back of the wardrobe and being like, maybe this is my time. Maybe they're gonna call me in here.

And they're just, again, talking about the emotions of Richard Terabithia, of what you experienced reading Beverly Cleary, Lewis Saker. I think that's what CS Lewis brilliantly did in building his world. It's just so many emotions. I mean, there's there's happiness. I mean, even Lucy and mister Tumnus, that relationship of how bad he felt, I think he just introduced different things to you.

But think it's a unique book where you can really read it at so many different age ages. You could be very, very young.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah.

Mychal Threets: It's pure imagination. It's pure discovery of the joy of literacy, of the emotions of being a reader, of not knowing what's gonna happen, of Lucy not being believed about the world, of of everything. It's just Yeah. It's such a thrill to read. I think you catch something new every single time you read Chronicles of Narnia.

The next one is, Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Oh, yeah. I've never read it by no one. Yeah.

Mychal Threets: You should read it. It's a great book. I was lucky enough to be invited to the National Book Awards, I think, last year, and Gordon Korman was there. I think I did a very good job of not fangirling and not freaking out when I met him and he just is such a kind human being. He just went up to people.

He actually could be very much like kept to himself.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Really?

Mychal Threets: And I think I was talking to somebody else and then the person that he was there with, I was talking with her and then he disappeared. And I'm like, oh my goodness. It's Gordon Gordon. So I read that book all the time. So that was very cool for me to make that connection to read his book Yeah.

And then to meet him. But then Son of Mob, it just it's in the title. The character is the son of the mob leader. He's coming from the family that's a mob, that's a mafia. So you would think like this isn't a book for kids, this isn't a book for teens.

Right. But like they don't really talk too much about like what his family does. He kind of hints at it a little bit, but it's more so just like this kid who happens to be a regular kid.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah.

Mychal Threets: But his dad is the leader of the mob. His uncles are like the godfather. These are godfather type of people, but they're just characters. And he just is like, that's my dad. That's my uncles.

That's my family friend. And so you go through, like it's almost like like Henry Uggans going through the different stories. Yeah. And it's the same way that Son of the Mob just presents these different interactions, these different moments. But you can also keep in mind, you're like, but this person is also the son of the mob.

This is how the mob boss is responding to his son doing this. And it's like, is the character gonna be okay with it?

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: What about that can achieve so much for you? Do you remember? Or like, I mean, you write everything.

Mychal Threets: Oh, I you know what?

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: I think I don't I I definitely didn't make

Mychal Threets: any connection why I'm not I'm not the son of the mob. But I think in shaping me as a reader, I think it was just a different sort of book, just a different type of book Yeah. To read. It was one of those books where I was like, this is a new perspective. This is a new way to look at things.

I think I always liked reading books from different perspective. And I think it's also just like that my family, my dad always liked those sorts of movies. He liked Denzel Washington movies. He liked war movies. He liked the spy movies.

So I think reading a book that was similar to the movies that my dad liked, I was like, oh, this is kind of like the same thing but just in book format. So I think I was, like, subconsciously just making those connections in my mind. The Giver by Lois Lowry really kind of shook up my life in a good way as a reader where I was, like, kinda like a different part of my brain was unlocked when I read The Giver where I was like, I've never had these thoughts before. I've never thought about things this deeply while reading the book. I mean, reading about what does pain feel like.

I don't know how Lois Lowry, like, managed to describe

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah.

Mychal Threets: Feeling of discovering pain. Like, it's never something I had thought about until I read that book in that section where he experiences pain for the first time knowingly and just being awakened to color. Yeah. I think it made me look at the world a little bit differently. I'm like, am I actually seeing color?

Am I Is this black and white? Am I seeing things the same way that other people do? Mhmm. The Giver is just so powerful in that it's very sad. It's a lot of wonder.

There are some darker moments in the book. I think that's why for a lot of libraries, for a lot of bookstores, they don't know whether to put it in the children's section or in the young adult teen section or even sometimes the adult section. And just because

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Oh, yeah.

Mychal Threets: There are so many things, there are so many questions that it poses and presents. And I think it made me a more intellectual reader reading that book.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah. I sometimes think of that book a little bit as kinda like The Matrix is to movies for me, you know, like, it kinda

Mychal Threets: Oh, wow. Do know

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: what I mean? Where you're like,

Mychal Threets: I do.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Could this be this? Is this what this could be? You know? Yeah. You start looking at your world with, a different lens.

Yeah.

Mychal Threets: Yeah. That just unlocks it just like that. If you believe in like folders and you're running, this unlocks like a whole room full of folders and you're like, oh, is this my world now? Like you said, like, what have I been looking at? What have I been living is I think a lot was what a lot of us think when we read that book for the first time or even again, these all these books, you reread them and you're like, oh, I didn't even think of that the first time.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Next one was brand new to me. It's called Love Among the Walnuts by Gene Farris, a book that Michael describes as lemony snicket meets one flew over the cuckoo's nest. It's weird, it's warm, and it's full of offbeat characters.

Mychal Threets: Exactly not everyone is one of my absolute favorites. I love that book just because it just it was so much fun. It's so silly, but it's a little bit different. It's actually kinda difficult to find. I think only even if you want if you're looking forward on, like, Libby, I've only come across a few libraries who have Love Among the Walnuts.

It's a story of a kid who has some very rich parents. Something happens and the parents fall into a coma and then the parents have some obnoxious, unruly brothers who very much want to get access to the parents' fortune. So one of these stories. And the kid is maybe

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Lemony Snicket. You know?

Mychal Threets: None of directors on series of unfortunate events. Okay. It's a very slapstick Lemony Snicket style book.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Okay.

Mychal Threets: And then meanwhile, the kid, as the parents are in the coma, is taken to a a mental institution. That's basically what it is because the people there are essentially walnuts. They're a little bit different as an adult. I think I connect with it because of the mental health aspect, because of the characters being just a little bit different. But it's just a fun read.

It's a quick read. It's one of those ones, again, all these stories you can read multiple times, I think, because you get the different perspectives of the different characters. You pay attention to one's point of view, you're like, ah, look at this silly person. Look at this person. And it's just a lot of fun.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Think just reading that book, I think that was, like, the first major series for probably, like, the second or third major series that I had read in my life where I I kind of was like, this is a book series that the world is reading. I think as a kid, it was very much everyone's reading Harry Potter and then I forget the other ones I was a part of as a kid, but definitely

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah. Harry Potter is a big one. Yeah.

Mychal Threets: Harry Potter was like the big boom where, like, everyone's reading this. We're all at bookstores. We're all at Barnes and Nobles. We're all at the library waiting for this book. And then I think Hunger Games Yeah.

That was, like, when I was like, oh, I get to actually be at the beginning of this. I can make these decisions to read this book at the same time as everybody else. And again, more world building just being like, wow. Yeah. My tribe of people are the book people.

We're all reading about Katniss Everdeen. Every book I was like, I'm like, I'm a reader. I'm a bookworm. I'm trying to read more and more books. I think the Hunger Games where I was like, oh, I'm making more and more reader friends, like, people who are, like, who are already reading this book and we're like, what's your theory?

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah.

Mychal Threets: What's your theory about that? It wasn't something where for Harry Potter or Hermione, you go into the world and you're like, hey. Did you read this book? And they're like, oh, I'm already on Gobble of Fire. I'm already on

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Right.

Mychal Threets: Half Blood Prince.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: They were already out.

Mychal Threets: Actually, everyone's in line at the library, at the bookstore. Yeah. Yeah. That's how I connected with it. Well, I mean and it's also just it's The Hunger Games.

I mean, it's still being created to this day, but just one of those things where I was like, wow. This is it. Sunsets, coffee dates with friends, traveling the world, meeting new people, chilling on the beach at 3AM with your friends. You are someone else's reason to stay. You haven't met everyone who is going to love you yet.

Cupcakes, sunrises, learning new skills, animals, your favorite artist's new album, snow fights, warm showers on cold days, the smell of freshly mowed grass, to try every flavor of ice cream, to meet your future kids and grandkids, graduation, love, getting your dream job one day. You will be someone else's reasons to stay in the future, writing a book, all the new TV shows and movies that are yet to come out, hiking with friends, picnics, belly laughs, to watch your siblings, nieces, nephews, others grow up, to attend your best friend's wedding, beach days, hiring a kayak, and going out at sunset. Laugh till you cry moments to pet all the dogs, the feeling of the sun and the breeze on your skin, fluffy sweaters, going to university or tech, having your own family, the feeling you get when the kid in the room chooses to go to you out of everyone, flowers, finding the perfect iced coffee, tasting new food, the moments where you just smile to yourself, hugs, creating your own bucket list, seeing your favorite artist live, learning to surf, paint, sew, or knit, dancing in the rain, spontaneous adventures with friends, seeing the seven wonders of the world, to hear the words I love you and know they mean it.

And then number 50 is for her is because you are worth it.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: I'll be honest. When Michael read this passage, I teared up. The book he read from, letters to you by Jazz Thornton, is exactly what the title suggests, a series of letters written to others who are struggling. Just like Michael, Jazz has spoken openly about her own mental health struggles and also about the death of a friend by suicide, about not wanting to be here, and about the long ongoing process of choosing to stay.

Mychal Threets: I just think it's so very powerful. Every time I read it, it's just I think it just shows us that we all have a reason to stay. And sometimes I read it and people are like, oh, none of those 50 things are for me. And I think it's important that she did that because it just shows that those are just 50 things that she thought of. It doesn't mean that every reason has to be your reason, but it just shows us that we are all capable of creating our own reasons as well.

I think it just always means so much to me to read those reasons from her just because I know how hurt she was at so many times in her life, how much pain and struggle she experienced and then to look at her now. And then for me, I'd like to think I'm very open about my own mental health and just knowing where I am struggling. I'm I'm currently very overwhelmed and be able to read that and take joy in life to try and find hope in life, to just to try to find a reason to stay, find a reason to make it to tomorrow.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Okay. That was really beautiful. I was like, immediate tears when you started talking about the about somebody else being somebody else's reason to stay because that one

Mychal Threets: It's special.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: That one is true for everybody. Maybe not the 3AM on the beach for everyone, but, you know, everybody is somebody else's reason. Exactly.

Mychal Threets: There's something all around you.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: Yeah. That was really beautiful. Thank you for reading that out loud, and thank you for being here and making that choice to be here and to offer so much to other people. I hope that you are able to carve out that space and time to take care of yourself too.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: If you want to hear more from Michael, he recently launched a brand new podcast with Blair Imani called thoughts about feelings. I'll let him tell you a little bit more about it.

Mychal Threets: So we're so excited. We're hoping that it becomes a safe place for people to listen to, to join us for conversations, conversations between myself and Blair, but also conversations with old friends and new friends, just talking about thoughts, about feelings, talking about all the emotions, all the feelings, all the thoughts. And we just try to remind people that they're not alone, to show people that it's normal to talk about these things that are hard to talk about, just to have conversations about so many things, and we're just so excited for what it might mean to help even one person just stay another day.

Jordan Lloyd Bookey: We will absolutely link to thoughts about feelings in our show notes, and I hope you take a listen there as well. It's a wonderful show. And, of course, you can find Michael's reading list and all of our past author reading list at the readingculturepod.com. And this week, we're skipping that Beanstack featured librarian segment because, well, folks, we just heard from one of our GOAT librarians. And fun fact, Michael was in fact responsible for setting up Beanstack at his previous library.

This has been the reading culture, and you've been listening to my conversation with Michael Threats. Again, I'm your host, Jordan Lloyd Bookie, and currently, I'm reading skin by EB Zavoie and in open contempt by Irvin Weathersby junior. If you enjoyed today's episode, please show some love and give us a five star review. It just takes a few seconds and it really helps. This episode was produced by Mel Webb and Lower Street Media and script edited by Josiah Lamberto Egan.

To learn more about how you can help grow your community's reading culture, be sure to check out all of our resources at beanstack.com, and of course, remember to sign up for our newsletter at the readingculturepod.com forward slash newsletter for special offers and bonus content. Thank you for listening, and keep reading.

Mychal Threets: Hi.