Selected by Linda Fairstein

More than 20 years as chief of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan district attorney’s office provided Linda Fairstein with plenty of grist for her series that featured prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.

“I chose the Theodore Boone series” about a 13-year-old aspiring lawyer who uses his legal knowledge to solve mysteries and crimes.

Fairstein admires how Grisham brings his page-turning talents to an audience who desperately needs someone to inspire them to read. “Grisham brought fun, intelligent stories to a space where kids don’t always read, especially boys.” Fairstein says she discovered the series through the second book and has been a fan ever since. “I like the authenticity he brings to the main character and how the books educate young people about justice, access to justice and how the system works.” The Boone series inspired Fairstein to try her hand at getting young people to read—she’s written a series for middle-graders featuring a modern-day Nancy Drew, 12-year-old Devlin Quick.