From childhood, Kudakwashe Rutendo's earliest report cards had one minor complaint — she never stopped reading in class — an early sign of a lifelong reader. Now an actor and student at the University of Toronto, she's taking her bookworm status to the next level as a panelist on Canada Reads 2024.

While Rutendo's reading journey started with fantasy and mystery, her taste began to expand as she grew up and connected with literary communities on social media — and now she'll read any book as long as it's recommended with a good pitch.

Rutendo is championing Téa Mutonji's linked short story collection Shut Up You're Pretty on the Canada Reads 2024, which will air on March 4-7.

Ahead of the debates, she sat down with CBC Books to share some standout stories from a wide range of genres, including the "gateway books" that expanded her literary appetite.

Nancy Drew is a teenage super sleuth known for solving hard-to-crack mysteries. From finding a missing will to retrieving family jewels, she's on the case. First published in 1930, there are now over 50 books where Nancy saves the day.

"When I was in Grade 4, I was obsessed with Nancy Drew," said Rutendo. She was only allowed to take out two books at a time at her school library, so she devised a system.

"I'd tell my older sister, who is a grade older than me, 'You have to get books 47 and 49 because I haven't read those. And I'll get 32 and 31.' And then we'd have this little book exchange system where she would just give me all the books and then I'd return all four."

As a bloody war wages on, Queen Talyien's arranged marriage to the son of a rival clan promises peace. But when he mysteriously disappears before they can begin their lives together, the kingdom is in shambles. Years later, he invites Talyien to meet but an assassination attempt leaves her stranded and unsure of who to trust.

"It's one of the best fantasies I've read in the longest time," Rutendo said, also nodding to the second two books in Villoso's trilogy. "In 2021, I was in a huge reading slump. I devoured that series. It's feminist. It's poignant. It's just beautiful."

The land of Orïsha used to be magical — until a ruthless king killed all maji — including Zélie's mother, a Reaper who could summon souls. Now Zélie has the chance to strike against the monarchy and bring magic back. But to do so, Zélie must brave intense danger and learn to control her own powers.

Children of Blood and Bone is Tomi Adeyemi's first novel and debuted as a bestseller, as did its sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance.

"What it did for the Black community, especially in the publishing world, it's almost indescribable," said Rutendo. "It really showed the publishing industry that there are people who are interested in Black stories; Black stories sell, Black stories are wanted. And I think it completely revolutionized it."

"Reading it was just extraordinary because I was seeing myself in like these YA fantasy roles that I had never seen previously. So that one just completely was like a paradigm shift for me."

Sop is a poetry collection that explores the feelings of love and fear that come with the end of teenagerhood. Self-conscious and sentimental, it captures the most fleeting moments, from nostalgia and infatuation to anxiety.

"It was one of the first poetry books I read," Rutendo said. "I don't know what I was expecting when I read it, but she has a very precious, rare way of making the mundane seem beautiful. She really hones in on describing love, the desire to be loved, the desire for love in a very contemporary way."

When aging Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell her life story, she enlists unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant. Monique is confused but determined to use this chance to make waves in the journalism world. As Monique learns about Evelyn's life — from her journey to Los Angeles in the 1950s and her choice to leave the spotlight in the 80s — she begins to feel more connected to the actress. But the more Evelyn reveals, it becomes clear that Monique was chosen for this task for a somber reason.

"I started reading it right after I had only been reading fantasy," said Rutendo. "So I never really expected to devour fiction in general. And then I read it and it was like a whole new world had opened."

"It was a huge moment for me because I was like, 'There's so many different genres out there and there's always going to be at least one book that you adore. It's just a matter of finding it.'"

"After I got out of my fantasy phase and I was more deliberate with my reading choices, I realized there was a whole Black canon of fantastic authors that I hadn't read, like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler," Rutendo said.

"I was on set and Tatyana Ali recommended Kindred by Octavia Butler to me. I remember that she was like, 'It's one of those books where something happens and you'll be robbed of speech.' And that's exactly what happened, exactly how she put it."

In this time-bending novel, Dana disappears from her home of California and ends up in Maryland to rescue a boy named Rufus who is set to inherit a slave owner's plantation. Soon, she realizes that the reason she must protect Rufus is to ensure that he assaults her ancestor, causing her to be born in the future. Dana must endure the brutal trauma of slavery and fight to return to the present.

"I think it's a fantastic book in general I think it adds a lot of value. The story itself is just so well done. I'm usually very critical of slave narratives. I feel like especially now there's been so many done that I don't think that there's any point in adding to it because how long can you continue to make those narratives before Black people start to see themselves only in that way. But again, this came out way before and not only that, it was handled with such care and with so many nuances and perspectives that I hadn't considered that I thought it was just fantastically done. And even in the end, the main character doesn't leave the experience unscathed. And I thought that was very powerful."