Actor and producer Reese Witherspoon has announced a new feature for Reese’s Book Club: a young adult offering. Witherspoon and her company Hello Sunshine revealed Leah Johnson’s debut, You Should See Me in a Crown (Scholastic Press) on August 17, as the inaugural YA pick for the book club, which presents a woman-centered title to be selected by Witherspoon every month. Witherspoon’s young adult choices will be announced mid-month, while her adult selections will continue to be announced at the beginning of the month.
“I’ve been reading so many incredible, diverse stories in the YA genre and can’t wait to share them with you each month as an additional pick,” Witherspoon wrote on her website.
You Should See Me in a Crown centers on Indiana high school senior Liz Lighty, a Black queer girl who decides to run for prom queen to secure a $10,000 scholarship prize. Johnson told PW in her spring 2020 Flying Starts interview, “All of those honors and accolades and the love that comes along with being prom queen, I wanted to give all those things to somebody who traditionally has been told that they don’t deserve them.”
On August 18, Johnson discussed her book on Instagram Live with actor Lexi Underwood, who played Pearl Warren in the Hulu mini-series adaptation of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, a September 2017 Reese’s Book Club selection. Underwood served as the guest editor for Reese’s Book Club during the conversation with Johnson.
