Top Five Tuesday: Hufflepuff Reads!

It’s Tuesday, which means another top five recommendations for a Hogwarts house is here!  For more information, take a look at my previous recommendations for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.  Top Five Tuesday is a tag hosted by the ever-awesome Bionic Book Worm, so go check out her post here.  This week, I’m giving some suggested books for Hufflepuffs.  This is my own Hogwarts house, so I’m very excited to share some recommendations.  Hufflepuffs work hard and stay loyal to their loved ones through thick and thin, as they are both dependable and trustworthy.  Here are a few reads that are perfect for any Hufflepuffs out there!

It’s a long-running joke in the Harry Potter fandom that Hufflepuff is the house for leftovers that aren’t brave or smart.  I disagree with this, as I believe that houses represent values, not abilities.  In the case of Fangirl, I know a lot of people that would sort the protagonist, Cath, into Ravenclaw, which is certainly a pretty accurate description.  In my own opinion, however, I think Cath values loyalty to others over having high intelligence, making her a prime candidate for Hufflepuff.  Cath can still be a smart person without being a Ravenclaw.

Hufflepuffs value strong personal relationships, which means that Liane Moriarty’s books are practically made for them.  While I picked Big Little Lies, as it’s my favorite of the books I have read from her so far, most titles would work here.  Moriarty’s titles tend to focus on both strong and crumbling relationships, working out the complexities in familial ties, and engaging in big questions about how marriages stay together and fall apart.  A lot of the themes at play here will resonate with Hufflepuffs, making them think about their own relationships.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is such a fantastic book and due to its ensemble cast, there’s a number of houses it could work for.  The reason I picked it for Hufflepuff is primarily because of the unique formatting of the title.  Using old photos to help tell the story is a great creative choice that helps readers feel like they know the characters better.  As Hufflepuffs show compassion towards others regularly, this extra layer of knowledge helps them engage with the story in new ways.

I picked The Outsiders because the protagonist, Ponyboy, is a Hufflepuff through and through.  He is dependable and loyal to his friends, who have had his back on many occasions.  Just like I believe that Cath can still be intelligent as a Hufflepuff, I believe that Ponyboy can be brave.  When his friends are in trouble, he doesn’t think twice before helping out.  He may be a brave character, but his courage stems from his value of loyalty.

Rounding out this list is my classic pick for Hufflepuffs.  The Hobbit is a fairly simple choice because I swear that J.K. Rowling must have used hobbits as inspiration for this Hogwarts house.  Bilbo Baggins is not a particularly brave man, but he values his friendships above all else and will do anything to help them out when needed.

That’s it for my Hufflepuff picks!  It’s a bit harder to pick books for this house because their traits aren’t quite as tangible as just saying “Oh, this character is brave, so I’ll pick this as a Gryffindor read,” but I made it work!  As usual, I’ll be back later this week with some video game recommendations!

What books would you recommend for Hufflepuffs?  Let me know in the comments below!