How to raise a new generation of readers with Shannon Hale | ReThinking with Adam Grant

Shannon Hale is the author of more than 50 books for all ages, including the Princess Academy series and her graphic novel memoirs. In this episode, Adam and his daughter Joanna (a longtime fan of Shannon’s books) talk to Shannon about the powerful lessons books teach us about empathy, and take a closer look at how stories can either reinforce or dismantle the gender stereotypes kids learn early on. The three lament the decline in leisure reading, and brainstorm ways to nurture new readers and keep students interested in books. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Shannon Hale (Instagram: @squeetus | Website: https://shannonhale.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Shannon HaleguestAdam GranthostJoanna Grantcameo

Jan 9, 202637mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: January 9, 2026
Duration: 37m
Channel: Re:Thinking with Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Shannon Hale is the author of more than 50 books for all ages, including the Princess Academy series and her graphic novel memoirs. In this episode, Adam and his daughter Joanna (a longtime fan of Shannon’s books) talk to Shannon about the powerful lessons books teach us about empathy, and take a closer look at how stories can either reinforce or dismantle the gender stereotypes kids learn early on. The three lament the decline in leisure reading, and brainstorm ways to nurture new readers and keep students interested in books. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Shannon Hale (Instagram: @squeetus | Website: https://shannonhale.com/) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

SPEAKERS

Shannon Hale
guest
Children’s and YA author known for books such as Princess Academy, The Princess in Black, and the Friends series.
Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist and host of the ReThinking podcast.
Joanna Grant
cameo
Adam Grant’s daughter who joins the episode to ask questions and share her perspective as a student and reader.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Shannon Hale and Adam Grant, How to raise a new generation of readers with Shannon Hale | ReThinking with Adam Grant explores shannon Hale on raising readers through choice, empathy, and libraries Hale argues that “all reading is reading,” urging adults to validate audiobooks, graphic novels, and fan fiction instead of shaming kids for disliking canonical classics.

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