Growing up, Yara Shahidi rarely turned on the tube. Now, she’s a rising star on ABC’s Black-ish (Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m. ET). The 15-year-old beauty shared exclusively with Us Weekly some of the books that keep her entertained.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
At age 7, she devoured the dark yarns over happily-ever-afters. “I’d be watching Sleeping Beauty, like, ‘That’s not how it actually ends!’ I was that kid.”
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Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Newbery Medal winner about an orphan seeking family in 1935 is “heartfelt,” she says. “He knows he is destined for great things.”
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Illustrated poems ignited the actress’ imagination: “One’s about a girl who eats a whale. I thought if I stopped eating, I could do it too. My plan didn’t last long!”
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Immortality is debated in this novel, which taught the Minnesota native that “there’s something beautiful in enjoying the time we have.”
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Before seeing the 2014 film starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, Shahidi tore through the gripping tale of cancer-stricken teens. “I’m not a book crier, but I cried!”