By April Mittelstaedt
Posted Friday, April 3, 2020

Animal Crossing Inspired Reads for Teens

In 2012, Nintendo released a game for the 3DS called Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It was the latest installment in a popular gentle progression game series. Why am I talking about this 2012 game release now, in 2020, in a library story? Well, on March 20, 2020, the highly-anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released for Nintendo Switch and I have already logged…. Well, we're not going to talk about how many hours I've logged in this game. Just know, I started my game up at 12:07 a.m. as soon as the game let me in.

A bit of quick back story on the game before we get into the real meat of this article: In Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH), you move to a deserted island and are tasked with developing the island to attract the titular animals (referred to as residents). Every day, there are tasks to be done, residents to talk to, and furniture to collect. Seasonal events and tournaments add some spice and variety, but there's no real story progression. With online capabilities, you can travel to friend's islands and interact with their residents or invite them to yours.

Again, I'm sure you're asking me, why are we talking about this game? Well!

Some Books That Remind Me of ACNH Residents

Image Description: Two video game characters, one human the other a clown sheep

The Night Circus and Pietro the Sheep

Image Description:Playable character and animal character smiling at the camera

Thanks to Jessica of Pacifica for letting me visit!

Pietro is widely regarded as one of the worst residents, so that's why I'm starting with him. I love this weird little clown. I also love the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Like with Pietro, I was slow to warm to the Night Circus. I'd heard everyone talking about this amazing fantasy novel, and even bought a copy from a bookstore in Denver, CO, but by the time I got around to reading it, it had been out for years and a lot of the fuss had died down. I should have read it when I first got it, then I would have been able to join in the conversation. So, for both the Night Circus and Pietro, I had no one to talk to about how much I love them.

Image Description: Two video game characters, one human the other a red hamster

Circle of Magic Quartet and Apple the Hamster

One of my absolute favorite series when I was in middle school and high school and college and grad school and now as an adult with a full time job is the Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce. While Briar, the plant mage, specializes in thorny plants like roses, I bet he and Apple the Hamster would be buds. They've both got that… magic about them. The first book in the quartet is Sandry's Book, which I have in a small paperback size that I used to hide in my hoodie pocket while in school.

Thanks to Erica of Cabot Cove for letting me visit!

Image Description: Two video game characters, one human the other a robotic ostrich

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and Sprocket the… Ostrich?

Thanks to Andy of Windfall for letting me visit!

According to the Nookipedia, Sprocket is an Ostrich but I'm not sure how I feel about this classification. Which leads me to the book… At first, I was not sure if I was going to like the Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I had seen a lot of tweets from authors I enjoy about it, but I was definitely on a historical romance kick and this book… is neither historical… nor romance. I'm glad I took the plunge, though. It was an incredible book. I've seen a similar reaction to Sprocket. A lot of people have found him suddenly moving into their island and they're not sure if he's going to be terrifying or not. Luckily for both, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the dialogue and overall amazingness of the interactions.
I think my final hold-out for Sprocket is his hair. Why does a robot ostrich need hair?

Well, it's time for me to get back to the very important task of developing my island, Honoré (named after the BBC series, Death in Paradise). The Bunny Day event is going on and I have a lot of eggs to find.