Cartoon Network’s critically acclaimed, Tumblr beloved series Steven Universe may seem like simple superhero wish fulfillment on the surface, but underneath, it’s teeming with complexity, not to mention some nifty sci-fi world-building. The title character is the 14-year-old son of former rockstar Greg and an alien Gem named Rose Quartz who stayed on the planet to protect it from a planned conquest by the armies of her homeworld. Greg and Rose Quartz fell in love, and together made Steven—though in doing so, Rose Quartz gave up her physical form, and passed on her Gem to her son. Now, he must navigate the world as a human and Gem, with the help of his dad and his mother’s comrades: Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, the Crystal Gems.

Via this colorful setup, the series tackles some pretty heady material—not only Steven’s journey to find his place in the world and channel his unproven talents, but the surprisingly nuanced relationships between the Gems, which take on shades of identity, gender, and sexuality in a way that kids may not recognize but will intuitively understand.

And if there’s one thing the show has made clear, it’s that Steven loves stories. Once he makes friends with a girl in town named Connie, she introduces him to a series of books much like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. And that got me thinking: what would we find on the bookshelves of the other Gems, and of their various human pals? Here are my best guesses.

Pearl: Among Others, by Jo Walton

Prim and proper Pearl almost garnered Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but the more I thought about her complexity, I had to settle on this wonderful, heartbreaking work by Jo Walton. As with most of the Gems, we are still learning about Pearl’s history, but among the defining parts of her life are not only her love for Rose Quartz, but the ongoing pain of losing her—though there have been hints of some healing. Walton’s tale of a young woman losing her sister, suffering a grave injury, and learning how to navigate a new world alone, struck a chord with me; it echoes a lot of Pearl’s journey, in that the road to finding yourself is long and winding, and at times, heartbreaking. But much as Morwenna finds a new group of friends, and magic once more, so too does Pearl learn how to be her own person again, and give her heart to the Crystal Gems and Steven. I think she’d find their journeys resonant.

Amethyst: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

This dark, yet hopeful children’s book reminded me a lot of Amethyst’s journey. Both are about beings born of tragedy, forced to live with that horror, and overcome their pasts through worlds of wonder and finding purpose. Amethyst was the last Gem to come from the Kindergarten, a horrific graveyard of processing and destruction that sapped a planet’s minerals and turned them into Gems. Nobody Owens of The Graveyard Book, meanwhile, escaped from the murder of his family and was adopted into the graveyard across from his home. While the story could’ve ended there, it didn’t: the ghosts and spirits of the graveyard took in Nobody, and named him such. And Rose Quartz found Amethyst, who taught her she was more than the product of destruction. Two stories about something good coming from something awful—I think Amethyst and Nobody would have a lot to discuss.

Garnet: Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

While I can’t go into too many specifics, something about this tale of forbidden love, duels, snark, and beautiful language would appeal to Garnet, the stoic but caring leader of the Crystal Gems. A powerhouse with a sense of humor, and the product of forbidden love herself, I believe Garnet would take a shine to the world of warring families and witty ripostes—though I’m sure she’d have an issue with the ending. (Which makes me wonder whether or not her Future Vision impacts her ability to enjoy a narrative…can she plot twists coming?). Likewise, I have a feeling she’d also enjoy William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, but the Bard’s enduring work seems more fitting.

Steven Universe: The Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling

It’s almost a no-brainer that Steven would be a fan of Rowling’s stories of a young boy thrust into a position of power, prophecy, and magic. Though Steven was raised with the knowledge that he was different, it’s only now that he’s coming to understand the new and magical world he’s a part of, the legacy of his mother balanced against who he’s becoming, and the abilities that will make a difference in the conflict to come. Where he is slower to anger than Harry, both of them are characters of enormous heart, who put others first, protect their friends, and seek compassion and peace over violence. They also both have a female best friend who saves their bacon and is usually lot smarter than they are. They both know of the pressure that comes with a legacy or a prophecy. I’m sure if they ever met, they’d have a lot to talk about. But something tells me they’d each show off their magic first.

Connie Maheswaran: A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeline L’Engle

Appearing early in the series when Steven tries to befriend her and accidentally traps her in one of his signature rose-colored bubbles, Connie Maheswaran is one of the best characters on the show. A totally normal young girl, Connie is wicked smart, enthusiastic, adventurous, supportive, and bookish. She’s there for Steven, and he’s there for her, best friends to the end. She even begins to take sword lessons from Pearl, so she can be by his side when things get dangerous (and she’s pretty darn good). I immediately thought of this Madeline L’Engle’s classic as Connie’s book. I feel like she would relate instantly with Meg Murray, the intellectual, no-nonsense, caring, get-stuff-done-and-keep-your-head cool heroine, thrust into a world of super-science, cosmic evil, and family dilemmas, with a conclusion that I’m sure Connie can relate to: sometimes kids can solve things for themselves.

Greg Universe: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

If there’s any book that really encompasses Greg, I think it’s this one. The zany, wacky, insane, and literally out-of-this-world hilarious SF classic seems to strike at the heart of what makes Greg, well, Greg. A normal guy who just wanted to live his life and sing his songs to large crowds is side-tracked when he spies a beautiful, giant woman with enormous pink big hair at one of his concerts. (To be fair, she’s the only one there). Falling in love with Rose Quartz introduced Greg to the world of the Crystal Gems, an alien culture, magical powers, and literally thousands of years of history. And he took it all in stride with a cool demeanor, some frustration, but with a patience and good humor that I think Hitchhiker’s Arthur Dent would find admirable. And like Dent, Greg quickly finds a person he cares about in this weird new world, and works tirelessly to understand her, love her, and teach her about the world she’s sworn to protect. Granted, Dent lost the Earth and Greg didn’t, but that just means Dent needs a Rose Quartz to help next time!

Lapis Lazuli: The Iron Giant, by Ted Hughes

One of the most mysterious Gems we’ve met, Lapis seems to be a lot of things to different people. Some look at her as royalty, or at least a high-ranking Gem. Others look at her as a tool to wield in their schemes. Others still see her as a weapon of mass destruction. But Steven looks at her as a friend, and that’s made all the difference. Reminiscent of Hogarth and the titular Iron Giant, I think Lapis would see the book (or the excellent movie), as a means to understand what she’s in the process of figuring out: that she is her own person, her own Gem, and is allowed to decide for herself what and who she wants to be. Much like the Giant, Lapis has tremendous strength and power, but for once, she’s in control of her life, and she gets to decide that life, no matter what.

Peridot: The Animorphs series, by K. A. Applegate

While tempted to simply write Degrassi High, I wanted to find a book series that would do several things for Peridot: focus on a group of rebels with special abilities, an alien learning to fit in, an alien empire looking to conquest by colonization, and of course, ample material for shipping wars. And there’s none better than The Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate. Five teenagers are gifted the ability to turn into any animal they touch, in order to combat an alien threat, as well as protect the Andalite alien who gifted them the abilities in the first place. Peridot, our lovable little green dorito, would fall head over heels for this gaggle of powered teens, and I am sure she would identify with Ax, who also must learn to navigate a world he finds new and bizarre and weird. It’s no Camp Pining Hearts, but I think she’d enjoy it all the same.

Rose Quartz: V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore

We don’t know much about Rose Quartz. We know she was a soldier. We know she rebelled against her Homeworld rather than see the Earth destroyed for its resources. We know she carried many terrible burdens. We know she loved Greg, and she loved Steven enough to let him live, and sacrifice herself for him. And while we don’t know much beyond that, we know enough to know that V for Vendetta by Alan Moore would appeal to her. The tale of fighting a totalitarian regime, of doing what it takes to make a statement and to deter the seeding of a terrible ideology, I think would ring home for Rose. Maybe she’d see herself in it. Maybe she’d agree in doing whatever you have to make a better world. Maybe we’ll never know. But she had a huge heart, and because of her, the Earth lived. Maybe that’s enough.

Who’s your Steven Universe reading buddy?