Did the Sweet Valley series inform a young girl's ideas of dating and romance? Does Harry Potter have anything to do with how we think about elite education? Is Bella Swan, a love-obsessed teen really an accurate portrayal of a teenage girl?

The stories we grow up with, stay with us our entire lives.  They are our first window into the world and so much of what we learn and how we grow up is shaped by children's stories.   Maria Vicente is a Senior Literary Agent at P.S. Literary representing bold and innovative books for kids, teens, and curious adults. Her favorite books to work on allow readers to experience something new about the real world or invite them into fictional worlds they’ll never want to leave. 

Maria and Poorva take a trip down memory lane and revisit stories from their childhoods to examine where ideas on complex social issues like gender, race, and identity come from.