The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom

Written by: Shari Franke

First line:

Why you should read this book: In many ways, Ruby Franke was no different from millions of other abusive narcissists whose deranged worldviews and behavior make life hellacious for their families, but there was one way in which she distinguished herself and stood out enough to gain notoriety and reprobation, which is that she filmed herself being a terrible mother, posted the videos on YouTube, and monetized them to the tune of millions of dollars before the world turned on her. As the eldest daughter, Shari Franke was the first of her family to see her mother clearly and understand that what was going on in her house was not normal, or healthy, or, eventually, legal. These are Shari's Franke's memoirs, from her earliest childhood, of what it was like to grow up under the influence and control of an absolute monster who somehow managed to hide her crimes behind the mantle of respectable Mormonism for almost two decades before Shari was able to break away and eventually seek justice for herself and her younger siblings. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: There's some lurid stuff in here.

Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir

Written by: Tessa Hulls

First line: If you had told me five years ago that my mother and I would find ourselves here, traveling back into the past in the hopes of building a bridge between us, the sheer impossibility would have caught in my throat like a bone. 

Why you should read this book: I notice that I read a lot of memoirs written by adult women about their complex relationships with their problematic mothers, but this one seems overwhelming in comparison, almost impossibly complex, and deep, and heart-wrenching. To understand her relationship with her mother, Tessa Hulls must understand who her mother is, and to understand that, she must understand her mother's trauma, and to do that, she must understand her grandmother, who she knew only as a small and crazy Chinese lady who lived in her house in California, physically, but mentally existed in some evanescent slice of world history involving the Communist Revolution. Now grown, her grandmother passed, Hulls takes her mother back to Hong Kong and China in an attempt to recreate the lives of her ancestors while recalling her own childhood and how her American upbringing made her a stranger to the past. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's heavy; no wonder it took the author a decade to write. 

Pride and Prejudice

Written by: Jane Austen 

First line: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Why you should read this book: I can't believe I've never blogged this one before; it's the literary equivalent of a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa with marshmallows for many readers, and the story of the Bennet sisters, who must marry well before their father's estate is entailed to their unctuous cousin, is one I've consumed many times. Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest sibling, has a lively mind and wit, and on first acquaintance is deeply unimpressed with the wealthy, condescending Mr. Darcy, but as the story unfolds, she realizes that there is more to Mr. Darcy than snobbery and smug disapproval. There are lies and betrayals and romance and all kinds of snide remarks and cutting observations and true danger and, as in every Jane Austen novel, everyone gets the husband she deserves. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You have to actually be a reader; if you don't like reading you will find Austen's prose difficult to detangle. 

Speechless

Written by: Aron Nels Steinke

First line: Mira? Mira, is everything OK?

Why you should read this book: Mira suffers from selective mutism: she has no trouble expressing herself at home--she spends hours creating original animations and uploading them to the internet--but she's never been able to speak out loud in school. It doesn't help that her former best friend Chloe has become her biggest bully and is also living in her house and kissing up to her mom. But Mira manages to make one friend who's willing to work around her disabilities, and a new therapist who sees her and understands what she's going through, and suddenly she's expressing herself all over the place. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think children should be seen and not heard. 

When Stars Are Scattered

Written by: Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

First line: For me, the first years are lost. 

Why you should read this book: This is an award-winning graphic novel memoir for children, and about children, and so full of tragedy and privation and heartache and loss and suffering and trauma that I personally was crying for about fifty percent of the book. Orphans Omar and his nonverbal brother Hassan have lived in a refugee camp for most of their lives, and the story follows Omar's trials and triumphs when he is persuaded to go to school. It's difficult to succeed academically in a refugee camp, and even if he finishes high school, there's no guarantee that he will ever be able to leave the camp or live a life with any sense of hope or possibility.

Why you should read this book: It does have a happy ending, but that doesn't mitigate the author's pain or make up for the childhood that was stolen from him. 

Super Boba Cafe

Written by: Nidhi Chanani

First line: OHMYGODTHISISHOWIDIEOHGODDDTHEWATERAH

Why you should read this book: Aria's excited to spend the summer with Nainai, her grandmother, and determined to put her sleepy little neighborhood boba cafe on the map by leveraging the power of kittens and social media, but her plan is too good. The shop is suddenly, virally successful, making it hard to ignore some of the Nainai's more peculiar behavior, especially the way she vanishes every night into her secret kitchen. Aria is determined to uncover Nainai's secret, and then, when she realizes the seriousness of her grandmother's secret work, to find a way to make life easier for her heroic grandmother. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't care if California falls into the ocean. 

How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir

Written by: Molly Jong-Fast

First line: I am the only child of a once-famous woman.

Why you should read this book: Metaphorically, the experience of reading this book is similar to seeing a horse and a thinking, "that is a cool-looking horse," and then you get on the horse even though you don't really know much about horses, and the horse understands this and takes the opportunity to start galloping through the forest at a breakneck speed and you are dodging branches and hanging on for dear life and yes, it's exhilarating but also terrifying and the horse just keeps going until it's got that all out of its system and then abruptly stops in a beautiful meadow not far from where you parked your car and just acts like everything is copacetic and your nightmare ride never happened. Admittedly, while I was aware of the existence of Erica Jong, the author's once-famous mother, I never actually read any of her books, so all my sympathy and interest was held entirely for Jong-Fast from the beginning, and I both enjoyed and was traumatized by her descriptions of a childhood dictated by her mother's absolute chaotic lifestyle and ability to express love, seamlessly woven together with the story of her adult experience of her mother's dementia and decline. The writing achieves that level of flawlessness that allows you to sink into the narrative without noticing how the author is performing all these magic tricks, and it would have been a good story even if she wasn't a tremendous writer. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're still trying to impress your narcissistic parent. 

Nana & Kaoru Volume 6

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: Is my mom really...DEAD?

Why you should read this book: Kaoru's mom is not really dead, but she does manage to guilt trip him into moving to Okinawa, and he justifies his abandonment of Nana because she's going to leave him for university anyway, so what's the point of torturing himself for another year? In Okinawa, he finds that his skills a ropemaster are in high demand, and he enjoys a scene with his favorite fetish model before realizing that BDSM, for him, is inextricably entangled with his emotions for Nana; meanwhile, Nana realizes that she can't live without Kaoru. She travels to Okinawa twice to salvage their relationship, which still seems undecided until the (very) satisfying (but somewhat unbelievable) climax of the story, after which the young couple agree that whatever the future holds, they will make their decisions together. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't really understand BDSM.

Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice

Written by: Jessica Willis Fisher

First line: When I go back to examine the earliest memories of my life, I can distinguish three short scenes.

Why you should read this book: The author recounts the devastating details of her childhood, which involve repeated sexual abuse by her father beginning at a very early age, along with physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse, and the eventual realization that her seven younger sisters were all receiving the same treatment, and that nobody was coming to help or protect them. Meanwhile, Fisher was forced to perform in the family band and held responsible for the family's financial wellbeing, writing most of their music and putting on a brave face for the fans and the television cameras that eventually surrounded her life. While Fisher escaped and lived to speak out about what happened to her and see her abuser incarcerated for his crimes, this narrative also highlights the unknown but assuredly vast number of children who experience the same forms of sexual, physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse do not have the means to escape and never see justice or have a chance to tell their stories. 

Why you should read this book: I think this is the first book I've ever read that included a trigger warning, with page numbers (for the three most shocking incidents of abuse); unlike some survivors, Fisher explains exactly what her father did and it is horrific indeed. 

Nana & Kaoru Volume 5

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: "Zero points"? What" What does he mean?

Why you should read this book: Forced to confront their emotions by a crotchety old leather master, Nana and Kaoru both acknowledge their bond and the symbolic nature of a collar to keep them tied together, after which Kaoru makes Nana a bespoke collar, with love, leading to a fun, full-circle encounter in the field where he first took her after her first collaring. There's a fun sequence where Tachi and Mitsuko top Kaoru in the basement of the bondage shop (deepening his relationship with Nana), after which we get a very different story about a couple in their twenties, toying with BDSM to save their relationship, who are both advised with great perspicacity by the now wise in the ways of kink teenagers Kaoru and Nana. But the book ends with the main characters once again being forced to confront the fact that they have only a year of high school left, and there are no guarantees in life, because loved ones can disappear in an instant. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: This one actually has sex in it, but, due to Japanese censorship laws, the male genitals are drawn as magic markers.

The Reason I Jump

Written by: Naoki Higashida (translated by KA Yoshida David Mitchell)

First line: When I was small, I didn't even know that I was a kid with special needs. 

Why you should read this book: Perhaps there's never been another book like this one, written by a nonverbal, autistic 13-year-old whose primary method of communication is spelling out words by pointing, one-by-one, at the Japanese hiragana letters on a grid. Most of the book is presented in the form of Q and A, with the author answering questions about why and how he does what he does by explaining his inner experience, along with a few provocative short fiction pieces that also provide interesting insight into a mind that might have once remained forever closed to neurotypical observers. The young author's sensitivity and understanding of his own condition, his relationship with the rest of the world, and his expectations for the future, are delightful and eye opening. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You just find all children annoying. 

Wake the Wild Creatures

Written by: Nova Ren Suma

First line: At first it was beautiful.

Why you should read this book: As long as she can remember, Thalia has lived at Neves, the crumbling, derelict remains of an old Catskills hotel, which shelters a motley assortment of vulnerable and abused women and children within a shroud of magical mist. On the first full moon after her thirteenth birthday, when she is prepared to become a full member of the community, tragedy strikes, her mother is arrested, and Thalia is sent to live with an aunt she's never known, in a stifling and unnatural suburban environment, in a room with a cousin who seems to despise her. But Thalia is convinced that her mother and her community will call her home, and she's been waiting patiently in her new, alien environment, for the day when the mist will open up and welcome her home again. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: One of the author's hallmark stylistic devices is to never explain any supernatural occurrence in any way whatsoever.

October, October

Written by: Katya Balen

First line: We find the owl at the very edge of our woods, the morning after the storm. 

Why you should read this book: October has always lived in the woods with her father, searching for treasure (and finding it!), climbing trees, howling at the sky, and living her intentional, wild, off-the-grid existence (now with a baby owl whose life she's saved), until the day the woman who is her mother turns up to wish her a happy birthday. Now her entire life has been turned upside down, and October is forced to confront her own prejudices while simultaneously adapting to the strange new world that is modern London and the parent whose love she has chosen to reject for so long. This is a lovely, compelling story about that magical moment in our lives where we must take accounting of the inventory of our own childhoods, and determine what should be kept for the rest of our lives and what needs to be left behind in the dustbin of history.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think children should just do what they're told the first time you ask. 

Nana & Karou Volume 4

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: What am I doing?

Why you should read this book: As the end of their junior year approaches, Nana and Kaoru continue having increasingly intense BDSM sessions while revealing to themselves the depths of their feelings for one another. Kaoru tries to improve his grades so Nana won't leave him behind at college, while giving her everything she needs to finish out her high school career strong, weathering her own tribulations and never letting anyone down. For her part, Nana begins to worry about a life without Kaoru, and begins to think more carefully about his needs and happiness.

Why you shouldn't read this book: This is a softcore BDSM manga that contains, among other things, three entire chapters of teenage perverts scouring the internet to find an obscure pegging video from the '90s for a dude they don't even like as a person, in the name of helping him regain his pride. If this is distasteful or nonsensical to you, likely you should not get anywhere near this book. 

Crevice: A Life Between Worlds

Written by: Anna Redsand

First line: We drove across endless white alkaline flats into the Navajo Nation.

Why you should read this book: These thirteen thoughtful, provocative essays detail the relationship between the author, a white woman; and the land and people of Dinetah, the Navajo Reservation where she grew up, which will always remain her "home-not-home." Although this is the land of her childhood and her memories, Redsand's life and experience have always showed her the divide between the rich cultural traditions of her friends and neighbors and the paternalist, colonialist intentions of her missionary parents. Like all "Third Culture Kids," she struggles to locate her own identity, feeling acutely that she does not belong in either world, and it takes the space of thirteen essays to unpack all the knowledge and emotion she has accumulated around the in-between spaces in which she has always existed.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are a proponent of assimilation. 

Hatchet

Written by: Gary Paulsen

First line: Brian Robeson stared out the window of the small plane at the endless green northern wilderness below.

Why you should read this book: Thirteen-year-old Brian is consumed with the secret knowledge that his mother cheated on his father, which is why they are divorced, and the reason Brian is a passenger in a Cessna flying across Canada to spend the summer with his father in the oil fields, all of which becomes suddenly much less important when the pilot has a heart attack and dies mid-flight. Armed with only the little hatchet his mother gave him before his trip, Brian manages to survive the crash and use every ounce of strength in his body and lick of intelligence in his brain to continue surviving alone in the wilderness. A modern-day boy-versus-nature story highlighting the resilience of the human spirit and the boundless nature of human ingenuity in the face of uncertainty.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You would never give a teenager an edged blade. 

The Sociopath Next Door

Written by: Martha Stout, PhD

First line: Imagine--if you can--not having a conscience, none at all, no feelings of guilt or remorse no matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern for the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members.

Why you should read this book: In accessible language written for a lay audience, the author demystifies the concept known to many as sociopathy, a popular term for the constellation of mental disorders that spring up around the roughly four percent of the population who, for whatever reason, lack a conscience. She demonstrates that such individuals, while often sensationalized in the media as bloodthirsty killers, are typically small, mundane people living small, mundane lives, and also making everyone around them miserable for their own satisfaction. This book endeavors to explain the internal processes of the sociopath, and help other recognize these tendencies in those around them. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It was published twenty years ago, but you will almost certainly recognize some terrifying aspects of modern America in its pages.

Everyone Is Lying to You

Written by: Jo Piazza

First line: There are things I know I should be doing before bed in order to get a "good" night's sleep.

Why you should read this book: Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college, but they haven't spoken for over a decade, until Bex, now a famous trad wife influencer, invites Lizzie, who writes for a women's magazine, to join her at a conference and get the exclusive scoop. Lizzie's entire industry could use a boost, and Lizzie definitely wants to know why Bex ghosted her in the first place, so she takes the job and finds herself navigating the strange, plastic world of Mommy content creators. When Bex disappears after her husband is brutally murdered, Lizzie is reminded of her investigative journalism background and, following clues seemingly provided for her by an unseen friend, decides to uncover the truth.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Definitely a guilty pleasure sort of thing.

If You Could Be Mine

Written by: Sara Farizan

First line: Nasrin pulled my hair when I told her I didn't want to play with her dolls. 

Why you should read this book: Sahar has always known that she is in love with her best friend, Nasrin, and she's pretty sure, based on the way Nasrin is kissing her all the time whenever they're alone, that Nasrin feels exactly the same way about her, so she's surprised, confused, and hurt when Nasrin announces that she's marrying a much older man she barely knows. For Nasrin, this is the sensible decision, because they live in Iran and it's straight up illegal to be gay, so why shouldn't she marry someone who will love and care for her, and continue making out with Sahar on the side? Although homosexuality is criminalized, when Sahar finds that out that being trans is perfectly legal, she realizes she has a shot at holding on to their love. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You changed for love.

So Far from God

Written by: Ana Castillo

First line: La Loca was only three years old when she died.

Why you should read this book: This is a story in the tradition of Spanish magical realism, but set in modern-day New Mexico. Sofi has four daughters and no help from her good-for-nothing ex, but she keeps it together throughout her life, working hard while strange things happen to her family, beginning with the death of her youngest daughter, who proceeds to fly out of her coffin before they carry her into church, and announce that she has visited heaven and hell. Things do not get any simpler or easier for Sophie, but she does her best for her children as long as she is able, and for her community when her children don't need her. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: There's a lot of Spanish in this book and a lot of it seemed to be slang or regional dialect, so the internet couldn't translate everything.

Howl's Moving Castle

Written by: Diana Wynne Jones

First line: In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. 

Why you should read this book: As the eldest of three sisters, Sophie expects to lead a boring and unfulfilling life, until the day she bumps into Wizard Howl, learns that her sisters have swapped identities, and runs afoul of the treacherous Witch of the Waste. Transformed into an old woman (and gradually realizing she's more than a little witchy herself) Sophie takes refuge in Howl's moving castle, a magical hideaway powered by an opinioned fire spirit. While the Miyazaki film based on this book is delightful and one of my favorites, the book is much richer and deeper and will hold many surprises and details that wouldn't fit into the movie.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a cowardly womanizer.

Maurice

Written by: E. M. Forster 

First Line: Once a term the whole school went for a walk--that is to say the three masters took part as well as all the boys. 

Why you should read this book: It's the early nineteen hundreds and Maurice Hall appears to be a typical suburban English boy--strong, snobbish, eager to conform--attending public school and then Cambridge, but within himself he recognizes a strange proclivity: Maurice is a homosexual, which, at the time was both a legal crime and an almost unspeakable moral offense. At Cambridge he carries on an emotionally intimate and romantic three-year relationship instigated by his friend Clive Durham, falls deeply in love, is eventually spurned when Durham determines to be "normal" and marries a nice girl. What's remarkable about this book is that, after grieving deeply and for more than a year, Maurice's heart heals and he is able to love again, passionately and without reserve, even knowing what fate may await a man of his desires in that time and place. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It wasn't published for a half century after it was written because you couldn't publish a story about a gay person with a happy ending a hundred years ago; this is a story for people with intellectual sensitivity and without cruel prejudice. 

The Secret School

Written by: Avi

First line: On a cool Monday morning in early April 1925, Ida Bidson, aged fourteen, carefully guided her family's battered Model T Ford along a narrow, twisting dirt road in Elk Valley, Colorado.

Why you should read this book: Ida loves education and dreams of becoming a school teacher, but to do so she has to graduate from the tiny one-room schoolhouse, pass her exit exams, and go to high school in town. Calamity strikes when Mr. Jordan, the head of the school board, who doesn't think girls need education anyway, decides to close the school down two months early. With the democratic support of the other seven students, Ida endeavors to secretly run the school until the end of the term, playing teacher for the other kids while working to maintain her studies and follow her dream.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're one of those people who freaks out about children's stories where clever children disobey and outwit dull and stubborn adults.

My Life as a Fake

Written by: Peter Carey

First line: I have known John Slater all my life. 

Why you should read this book: Inspired by a real life literary hoax, this is a fictional novel about a literary hoax, but in the story, the literary hoax literally grows legs and walks around terrifying its creator in the manner of Frankenstein's monster. It's one of those strange, dreamlike narratives where you get the sense that absolutely every character is lying about almost everything they say, including the first person narrator, and everybody in the story is kind of unlikeable at the core, but the reader is drawn in enough to keep reading just to figure out what's actually going on. Sarah Wode-Douglass, the editor of a prestigious British literary magazine, takes a weird vacation to Kuala Lumpur with John Slater, a famous poet she doesn't like at all, and meets a disgraced Australian writer who once perpetrated a literary hoax that, if he is to be believed, was way too successful. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: I'm not entirely sure it ever explains itself satisfactorily. 

Nana and Kaoru Volume 3

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: It's coming!

Why you should read this book: Nana finally recovers from her illness thanks to a well-placed suppository, after which the real world intrudes for a while, with Nana and Kaoru having a surprising encounter involving theatrical makeup, and another one where a bunch of people burst through Kaoru's door looking for Nana while she's restrained in his bed, and a very long sequence involving Nana and Tachi's year-long track and field rivalry. This results in another threeway breather where Nana and Kaoru both admit to themselves, but not each other, that they really, really, really want to cuddle. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: At this point in the story, it's hard not to get frustrated with how much effort the characters who have been engaging in hot BDSM scenes for thousands of pages are putting into pretending not to love each other. 

Our House Is on Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis

Written by: Greta Thunberg, Svante Thunberg, Malena Ernman, and Beata Ernman

First line: This could have been my story.

Why you should read this book: Svante and Malena, loving and successful Swedish musicians, understood what it was like to be a little different, but when their two daughters, Greta and Beata, both began exhibiting difficulty moving through the world, they had to stretch their understanding to find ways to accommodate neurodiverse kids in an unaccommodating world. While Beata suffered debilitating intolerance to noise, Greta became increasingly despondent over climate change and the fact that the people who should be doing something about it were not. Of course, at the age of fifteen, Greta's "student strike" outside Parliament turns her into one of the most well-known climate activists and inspires countless young people to join her cause. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's very difficult, emotionally speaking: a lot of the book is about how much Greta and Beata suffer before their parents are able to figure out how to keep their sensitive children healthy, and the rest of it is basically about the very dire situation threatening all life on planet Earth right now. 

Telling Tales: A History of Literary Hoaxes

Written by: Melissa Katsoulis

First line: From disgruntled Mormons and fake Native Americans to bored students and lustful aristocrats, the bizarre history of literary hoaxers is every bit as revealing as the orthodox rollcall of Western writers, as is their acute appreciation of what inspires, frightens and resonates with their generation.

Why you should read this book: This is not an exhaustive catalog, but rather a touristy journey highlighting some of the most remarkable and entertaining cases of literary hoaxes, perpetrated for various reasons. Some hoaxers are out for money, others for fame; some are trying to impress their parents, and other are attempting to discredit entire organization. It's interesting to learn their methods and their motivations, and of course, their inevitable unmasking. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're considering perpetrating your own literary hoax and looking for advice on how to get away with it. 

Nana and Kaoru Volume 2

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: The name's Sugimora Kaoru.

Why you should read this book: This sweet, exploratory, completely nonsexual BDSM fantasy story about two Japanese high school students fumbling their way through desire continues with Nana and Kaoru's secret relationship impacting their interactions in their school life, which then flows back into their "breathers." Several chapters comprise Nana's first spanking, and then there's a weird interlude with Tachi strongarming Kaoru into a scene after he and Nana miss their connection on New Year's Eve, and finally there's an absolutely massive storyline about Nana getting sick and needing a lot of help to insert a suppository. Meanwhile, Nana's friends are starting to question her relationship with Kaoru, Tachi is getting really jealous, and Kaoru struggles with his feelings of love, tenderness, and devotion to his sub, none of which seem dominant to him, all of which he's sure Nana would reject. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's a funny softcore BDSM fantasy manga about teenagers, so probably a lot of people just aren't going to vibe positively with this content, and they should just step away and go cry about obscenity somewhere else, because this page doesn't believe in literary censorship.

The Last Cuentista

Written by: Donna Barba Higuera

First line: Lita tosses another pinon log on the fire. 

Why you should read this book: Petra and her family are among the lucky few granted a place on the great starships leaving Earth just before Haley's comet smashes into it and destroys everyone and everything, including her beloved storyteller grandmother, and now she will spend hundreds of years in cryo-sleep, having important computer files uploaded to her brain so she can be a scientist when humanity finds its new home. But even as the ship launches and Petra falls into an uneasy stasis, dissidents have taken over the ship, and when Petra finally awakes, it is into a strange, nightmare reality controlled by "The Collective," a group that has evolved into a species she can barely recognize as human, which has eliminated hunger and war by eliminating art, culture, love, feelings, family, and the stories that Petra loves. Alone among the others on the ship, Petra retains her memories of Earth, and armed with her grandmother's stories, she must find a way to save what remains of humanity from The Collective's single-minded focus to destroy it. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It took me way longer than usual to read because this book is frankly terrifying for a children's story; I don't scare easy in print (I think the last time was Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box) but something about this girl forced to pretend to be brainwashed while mourning the loss of her family and the rest of humanity and made to live among the fascist Collective just hit way too close to home. 

I'm Glad My Mom Is Dead

Written by: Jennette McCurdy

First line: It's strange how we always give big news to loved ones in a coma, as if a coma is just a thing that happens from a lack of something to be excited about in your life. 

Why you should read this book: Her entire life, Jennette McCurdy has known that the only important thing in the world is appeasing her mother and doing whatever it takes to keep her happy. When this means becoming an actress and doing everything possible to make it in Hollywood, she becomes an actress and does everything possible to make it in Hollywood; when this means developing an eating disorder, she develops an eating disorder. Although she becomes rich and famous, not until her mother's death does McCurdy start to understand how incredibly mentally ill and abusive her mother was and how much work she has to do to reclaim her life from her tortured upbringing. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If your mom is a controlling hoarder but she's still alive and you haven't gotten rich or famous and you can't figure out how to escape her abuse, or even if you have, this book might be kind of triggering.

Frizzy

Written by: Claribel A Ortega and Rose Bousamra

First line: 

Why you should read this book: Ever since she was little, Marlene has been subject to the painful and weekly humiliation of having her textured hair straightened at the salon, but no matter what she does, she can't seem to keep her hair "presentable" according to her family's expectations. It doesn't help that some of her Latino family are white and she is constantly being compared to those with naturally straight hair, or that nobody even talks about how racism is impacting her self-image. Can Marlene find the secret to keeping her curly hair curly without being attacked for how she looks?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're the perfect cousin everyone else in your family is being told to be more like. 

Speak Up!

Written by: Rebecca Burgess

First line: A new day, a new planet to explore.

Why you should read this book: Mia has autism, and she's struggling with bullies and sensory issues at school, and only her best friend, Charlie (who goes to a different school) knows her secret: that she is the singer and songwriter for the internet sensation, Elle-Q. Mia's mom is desperate for her to learn how to "fit in" by making prolonged eye contact, while Charlie is pushing Mia to take Elle-Q to the next level (a live performance for all their virtual fans), both of which feel impossible to Mia. Hardly anyone seems to realize all the thoughts Mia has inside her; saying them out loud is hard, but if she can't figure out how to express herself, nobody will ever know.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I personally found it very difficult to read the mom's recommendations, which sound exactly like something you'd read in a pop psychology book for parents of autistic children, written by neurotypical people who torture autistic children for a living. 

The War I Finally Won

Written by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

First line: You can know things all you like, but that doesn't mean you believe them. 

Why you should read this book: Beginning very shortly after the end of The War That Saved My Life, this book begins with Ada about to have her clubfoot surgically corrected, after which she must heal, not just physically from the surgery, but emotionally, from a lifetime of abuse at her mother's hands. She, her brother, and their guardian Susan are offered a "little" house on the Thornton estate, which is soon filled when Lady Thornton decides to move in with them (there's a war on, after all) and Lord Thornton brings Ruth, a German-Jewish refugee to stay as well. Despite being very different people from very different circumstances and being suspicious of each other, this strange blended family come to share each other's pain and joy and to learn what it means to love.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It made me cry even more than the first one. 

Right Back at You

Written by: Carolyn Mackler

First line: Dear Albert Einstein, I am only writing this letter because Barb told me I had to. 

Why you should read this book: An epistolary novel about a friendship between two twelve-year-olds who discover they have a great deal in common, despite being separated by three hundred miles and thirty-six years. Mason doesn't want to talk about his feelings at all, and is surprised to find the letter he hid in his closet answered by a girl in the past who demands to know why she found his letter in her closet. Once they decide the unlikely situation must be caused by a wormhole, they can start to share their secret thoughts with each other, discovering surprising connections and ways they can help each other across a seemingly insurmountable distance. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think Lord of the Flies is an inevitability. 

The War That Saved My Life

Written by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

First line: "Ada! Get back from that window!" Mam's voice, shouting. 

Why you should read this book: Born with a clubfoot to an abusive mother, Ada has only once in her life left her room, and was beaten for it, but she's been secretly teaching herself to walk, although it is painful and bloody. Thus, she is able to sneak out and join the other children being evacuated to the country from London at the beginning of World War II, to be cared for by a depressed woman mourning the death of her "best friend" (or, as we say today, "they were 'roommates'"). In the country, she learns a great deal about the world, and herself, and love; discovers crutches, and ponies, and the fact that she is capable of much more than her mother led her to believe; and finds possibility in life that she never could have imagined from her window at home. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's pretty sad, although the ending is hopeful. 

The Star Side of Bird Hill

Written by: Naomi Jackson

First line: The people on the hill liked to say that God's smile was the sun shining down on them. 

Why you should read this book: Their mother suffering from a lethargic malaise they cannot understand, sixteen-year-old Dionne and her ten-year-old sister Phaedra are shipped off to spend their summer with their Grandmother Hyacinth, in Barbados. The quiet neighborhood of Bird Hill, where everyone knows everyone and has since they were born, is a far cry from the from the familiar boundaries of their lives in Brooklyn, and while Phaedra finds herself interested in Hyacinth's knowledge and her own heritage, Dionne bristles thinking of the excitement she's missing in New York and how this island pales in comparison. Heartbreaking and uplifting, this is a story about family and the splendor of love, and the power and meaning of those things. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: So sad. I cried like three times. 

Bad Dreams in the Night

Written by: Adam Ellis 

First line: My favorite movie as a kid is something nobody seems to have heard of. 

Why you should read this book: A collection of short horror stories presented in comic format, this book runs the gamut from creepy to horrifying, touching on various subgenres, putting new twists on old stories and probably showcasing the author's own fear. There's sci-fi horror, gothic horror, true crime horror, and just weird horror. Nothing too graphic, they're mostly chilling and atmospheric, sometimes touching or even comedic, but also spooky.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Some of it is a bit gruesome. 

Efren Divided

Written by: Ernesto Cisneros

First line: Once again, Efren Nava woke up to a chubby pajamaed foot in his face. 

Why you should read this book: Efren and his little twin siblings live a cramped but happy existence with their hard-working immigrant parents in their little apartment full of good food and good cheer, and Efren is excited for milestones like being able to walk to school by himself and help his best friend run for school president. Then, his life is turned upside down when his mother is the victim of an ICE raid and is deported to Mexico. Now Efren's father is working all the time to raise the money to bring their mother home while Efren finds himself struggling to take care of his family with the same grace and care that his mother once provided. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It doesn't exactly have a happy ending. 

Signs of the Imminent Apocalypse and Other Stories

Written by: Heidi Bell

First line: The brightest of lights and a liquid dark presence, a smell like smoke and mussels gritty with sand, motion over water streaked with moon.

Why you should read this book: These quietly epic stories stand with one foot planted in the fairy tale realm and the other in our strange reality, joined together by darkness and magic. Some of them are more experimental, such as the eponymous story, an abecedarian of modern troubles, or "This Is Your Life," written as catalog copy for a lifestyle brand, while others lean more into the realm of magical realism, such as "Obscure Magic," in which a girl is imprisoned, Rapunzel style, on a magical estate where her mother seeks to protect her from the outside world. A powerhouse collection of humans seeking human connection with all the messiness, joy, heartbreak, and triumph that entails.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You have to blackmail people into accepting your companionship. 

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal

Written by: Conor Grennan

First line: It was well after nightfall when I realized we had gone the wrong way.

Why you should read this book: In order to mitigate the "unrepentantly self-indulgent" nature of his plan to spend a year traveling the world partying and rubbing up against strange women, Conor Grennan schedules a two-month stint volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal. To his surprise, he falls in love with the orphans of Little Princes, who call him "Brother" and have mastered the art of the tackle-hug, and feels compelled to return to Nepal after his grand tour. When he learns that most of the children aren't truly orphans, and some of them have vanished, he dedicates himself to recovering the lost ones and tracking down all the families who thought they were sending their kids to a better life, combatting Maoist rebels, war, poverty, bureaucracy, the cold, knee pain, inclement weather, language barriers, lack of medical care, and a diet consisting almost entirely of white rice and lentils. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You believe empathy is a weakness. 

Nana & Kaoru volume 1

Written by: Ryuta Amazume

First line: Show me the back, too.

Why you should read this book: Kaoru is a perverted slacker who spends most of his time and money on BDSM porn and Nana is the student council top-of-the-class overachiever, the object of Kaoru's fantasy and completely out of his league. When the guidance counselor tells Nana she needs to relax on the same day that Nana finds the bondage costume Kaoru bought in her exact size, the two embark on a personal journey of growth through fetish, with loser Kaoru developing confidence as a master and Nana finding release from stress through their depraved "breathers." This is a sweet, softcore BDSM romance.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're offended by how other people get off. 

Mr. Knocky

Written by: Jack Ziegler

First line: The three o'clock bell had just rung and I was running all over the schoolyard, yelling at the top of my lungs.

Why you should read this book: Mr. Knocky is a socially challenged old man who terrifies the local children with his weird and boring stories, which are presented without solicitation in the middle of the kids' games. One day, Mr. Knocky gets hit in the head with a snowball and ends up flat on his back in the snow. The kids are terrified, and when it turns out Mr. Knocky is OK, they are much more accepting of his presence and don't find his stories so weird and boring. 

Reverie

Written by: Ryan La Sala

First line: This is where it happened. 

Why you should read this book: I think, at its core, it's a metaphor about maladaptive daydreaming, the kind where it's so easy to escape into your dissociative fantasy world that your coping mechanism becomes more real to you than the real world, and begins to impact your real life and all your relationships, but it's also a YA queer fantasy, so the daydreams are very, very real and if the characters can't control them, it could be the end of life as we know it. Kane doesn't have any real memories of the night he supposedly crashed his car and burned down a local landmark, but, as he heals, he starts to realize that he's missing a lot of memories, mostly those pertaining to close friendships he doesn't remember having, but also that he was the leader of a group of teens with superpowers and that other worlds are creeping out of people's imaginations and taking over reality. Kane has to figure out who to trust and who to protect, and to defeat a magical drag queen who wants to use him to create another world in place of the one Kane calls home. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It took me a while to get into it.

Sold

Written by: Patricia McCormick

First line: One more rainy season and our roof will be gone, says Ama.

Why you should read this book: Despite her stepfather's gambling addiction, Lakshmi and her mother are getting along pretty well, and Lakshmi is excelling in school and looking forward to one day being married, but following a drought and a flood and heavy gambling losses, she is determined to take a job as a maid in the city, so she can send money home and give her mother a real roof. Unfortunately, the auntie who promises to find her paying work sells Lakshmi into sexual slavery in another country, and she becomes a prisoner in brothel, forced to perform sex work to survive. As she comes to understand more about her circumstances, she must tease apart the lies that control her from the truth that might set her free. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's a novel about a 13-year-old girl being sex trafficked. It's not happy. 

Uncle Tom's Children

Written by: Richard Wright

Firstline: My first lesson in how to live as a Negro came when I was quite small.

Why you should read this book: This collection features five short stories and one biographical essay written early in the author's career. These pieces all describe the inherent terror of the Jim Crow south and the way it victimized Black people in twentieth century America, with violence and murder featuring prominently among the arsenal of tools used by segregationists to enforce social control. These are dangerous, frightening stories about a zero-sum game that is always fixed in favor of the house, wonderfully written with deep insight and wisdom, but difficult to read in terms of the suffering of the characters.

Why you shouldn't read this book: There aren't really any happy endings and four of the stories have absolutely brutal endings. 

The Tryout

Written by: Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao

First line: Breathe... Just breathe...

Why you should read this book: This is a memoir that recounts the trauma of the author's experience. As one of two students of color in her suburban school, Christina has more than the usual reservations about starting middle school, but when she and her best friend Megan decide to try out for the cheerleading squad, she begins to develop a little optimism and self-esteem. Cheerleading is a lot of work, and as she trains, Christina starts to feel Megan slipping away from her, even as she develops a greater understanding of her own cultural heritage and her parents' struggles as a mixed-race couple. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think more things ought to be popularity contests. 

Where the Weird Things Are: An Ocean Twilight Zone Adventure

Written by: Zoleka Filander and Patricia Hooning

First line: A voice wakes me up. 

Why you should read this book: The journey of a small, anthropomorphic robot from the surface of the ocean, through the pelagic zone, and down to the benthic zone showcases a number of unusual marine species. As the robot, Mesobot, encounters each creature it learns of the interesting qualities that allows it to survive in its world, while the Mesobot begins to question whether its own unique properties are special and interesting until discovering that its purpose is educational and it is indeed a very special robot. Based on the real journey of the real Mesobot, this book also includes a lovely appendix offering further information about the robot and all the animals it meets. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You prize conformity.

The Republic of Salt

Written by: Ariel Kaplan

First line: It was three nights until the New Year, and in the mountains north of Mazik Rimon, Naftaly Cresques was lying on the ground beside two old women and a Mazik who was mostly dead. 

Why you should read this book: The second novel in the Mirror Realm cycle, this doorstop of a fantasy novel picks up pretty much where the last one left off, with Naftaly and his crew in the Mazik land and Toba and the now-mortal Asmel back in the human world, and all of them knowing that if they can't stop Tarses from taking over both realms it's not going to go so well for anyone. Arduously, all the characters must travel to Zayit, outwitting enemies, finding surprising allies, eating lentils, and learning more about magic, especially as it pertains to part-mortal magicians. The pacing is good, so that the story keeps moving forward in a Lord of the Rings kind of way, even though it takes everyone a very long time to get where they're going. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Due to its structure and the way Naftaly's powers work, it's kind of obvious precisely how the book is going to end (hint: a cliffhanger). 

Not Quite a Ghost

Written by: Anne Ursu

First line: The house stood a little apart from the rest of the block, as if it did not quite fit in. 

Why you should read this book: Violet Hart is already dealing with that strange uncertainty that accompanies the transition from elementary to middle school and the questions of whether the people you've been friends with your entire life will remain your friends once puberty commences, and now her mom and stepdad have decided to purchase this really creepy house so she can have her own room, even if that room is in the extra creepy attic. This isn't quite a ghost story, although there's definitely something like a ghost in the house, but it draws most of its spookiness from its discussion of undiagnosed chronic illness and its use of symbols and themes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Anyone who's ever been accused of malingering when they felt awful or been gaslit by "friends" who had turned against them will understand what Violet is going through in this well-paced and clever story.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you still haven't gotten a diagnosis, it might be a bit frustrating. 

Unexpected Stories

Written by: Octavia Butler

First line: The Robkohn Hao, Tahneh, was sharing her evening meal with her chief judge and discussing the current drought when she first learned of the foreigners who had entered her territory.

Why you should read this book: Two previously unpublished stories written early in the career of the master science fiction author were discovered after her death and come together in this book, highlighting many of the themes for which she went on to become famous. In "A Necessary Being," a hierarchical alien society requires the most powerful among them to serve for the good of all, even against their will. "Childfinder" was originally sold to Harlan Ellison's final, unpublished Dangerous Visions anthology and discusses issues of race and class through the device of a society where psionic powers are controlled by a powerful cabal. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're unfamiliar with Butler's work, you might want to start with some of her popular novels. 

The Covenant of Water

Written by: Abraham Verghese

First line: She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning.

Why you should read this book: An engaging multigenerational tale of a twentieth century Indian family, plagued by a mysterious condition that is marked by an extreme aversion to water (but little fear of anything else) and frequently results in deafness, a love of heights, and premature death by drowning. Each generation finds love, even in the face of suffering and adversity, but mourns helplessly when those afflicted with the Condition are lost. As science and medicine progress, perhaps there is hope that one day they can save their loved ones from this strange and confusing affliction. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Kids die. 

The Pomegranate Gate

 Written by: Ariel Kaplan

First line: Naftaly was dreaming again, in that strange dreamlandscape where the stars whirled overhead like snow on the win and the people he met all had square-pupiled eyes.

Why you should read this book: In this powerhouse fantasy epic beginning in the Spanish Inquisition with the expulsion of the Jews, the narrative moves between that world and a parallel world populated with magical beings, a strange and even more dangerous place which both mirrors and influences the human realm. Separated from her family and the group of Jews fleeing the country, a young woman named Toba, who is both clever and clumsy stumbles through the gate into the land of the Mazik. This new place is complex, and operates by rules that Toba does not quite understand, but if she wants to survive she will have to untangle the mystery of her own past, and events that took places a thousand years before she was born. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you don't like really long books that end when things are getting really interesting because they're the first tome in an epic series, you shouldn't read really long books in epic series. 

Eric

Written by: Shaun Tan

First line: Some years ago we had a foreign exchange student come to live with us.

Why you should read this book: Another absolutely stunning and surreal work by the artist, this small children's story presents a small protagonist, referred to as a "foreign exchange student," although his origin is...unclear. Eric looks sort of like a demon, and sort of like a leaf, and sort of like a shadow, and he is substantially tinier than whatever species his host family might be, and his worldview and life experience are clearly so different from ours that it's a struggle for the narrator and the reader to quite comprehend what he might be thinking. However, Eric is so interesting and appealing that the narrator and the reader both very much want to untangle the mystery of his inner experience, and see some part of the world through his eyes, and to know that his emotions are positive and that he feels safe and enjoys our world. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're deeply xenophobic and automatically reject anyone who is different from you. 

Among Flowers

Written by: Jamaica Kincaid

First line: One day, in the year 2000, I was asked to write a book, a small one, about any place in the world I wished and doing something in that place I liked doing. 

Why you should read this book: For reasons that may not seem reasonable to people who aren't professional writers and very avid gardeners, the author takes a grueling weeks-long hike through the mountains of Nepal to collect seeds. Along the way her life is threatened by Maoists; her conscious is wracked with guilt; she suffers from heat, cold, and various other privations not typically sought out by successful Americans; and she has, apparently, the time of her life. The result is a surprising and tidy travelogue unlike any story that I've ever read.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Usually, when I encounter a word I don't know, I look it up and write down the word and its definition, but if I had stopped to look up every single Latin plant name in this book, it would have taken me twice as long to read. 

Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Ashes

Written by: Linda Addison

First line: Consumed, reduced to ashes,/beautiful grey,/light as angel wings

Why you should read this book: From the award-winning author, a poetry collection that is equal parts creepy and intense. These poems speak of death, of our fear of it, of the comfort of its inevitability, but also of love, and longing, and the knowledge that from ashes new things may grow. Addison's precise and loving use of language recreates the world in her image, with the knowledge that there is no darkness without light and no light without darkness, a balance that humanity must embrace, because we can never escape it. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You prefer poems that rhyme and paint pretty pictures.

The Saga of Ilkay and Collected Stories

Written by: Natalie Wright

First line: Thundering hooves, a stampede of thirst compels them.

Why you should read this book: An entertaining collection of fairy tales, this slim volume is intended to represent a book found by a character in the author's Dragos Primeri series. The stories include those referenced in the books, as well as new stories that hint at relevance in later works, as well as poetry and illustrations. These are delightful tales of perseverance, determination, and love and may be enjoyed without reference to the original series.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It might be better if you had read the original series. 

American Terrorist

Written by: Tyler and Wendy Chin-Tanner and Andy MacDonald

First line: We're here. Everyone out.

Why you should read this book: Frighteningly prescient, relevant, and meaningful, this is modern and believable story of four ordinary American professionals--a lawyer, a schoolteacher, a scientist, and a journalist--who are branded as terrorists and outcasts for little more than wanting to speak truth to power. Owen is simply reporting on the stories that mainstream media outlets aren't interested in sharing when Hannah and Shannon, both troubled by the realization that the corporations they trusted have no honor and no concern for them, enter his life, and the three run to Michael for help. Realizing they can never clear their names or return to their old lives, they embark on a grass roots campaign of truth-telling and truth-revealing that have the power to create change in the only way that remains to them.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think companies care about you. 

Under the Wave at Waimea

Written by: Paul Theroux

First line: The one wild story that everyone believed about Joe Sharkey was not true, but this was often the case with big-wave riders.

Why you should read this book: Joe Sharkey had some rough moments in childhood, but his adulthood has been a series of glittering, golden satisfactions, built upon his achievements as a champion surfer in the eighties and nineties. Now happily retired from competition, comfortably wealthy, and pleasantly famous, he spends his days in the bliss of the big waves, every day brilliantly and beautifully perfect, until one day, when the sixty-two-year-old Joe Sharkey experiences his first less-than-perfect day in a long time. The aftermath might destroy him, or, with the guidance and encouragement of a very understanding woman, the way he handles tragedy might lead him to a new quest: something bigger and better and longer-lasting than the next big wave. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Your father was career military, his father was career military, you're career military, and you can't imagine any scenario in which your child might choose some other life path. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 2

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: She slammed into Thea's life at a roller derby bout and it was love at first collision. 

Why you should read this book: Volume 2 contains the second 1000 comics of this complete series, and begins to focus more seriously on the issues that were hinted at in volume 1: that everybody needs to grow up sooner or later, or else they will end up very lonely and unfulfilled. While Jamie works out her situation with Erin, Hazel loses Zack because she doesn't want to take the responsibility for life that Zack is seeking in a romantic partner. Although it's still fun and funny, things get real, with other characters moving in more adult phases of their life, eventually prodding Hazel to start thinking about her past, and the events that led to her character formation and her assumptions about the world.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't see why you should have to change when the world could just accommodate your desire for great sex and a cool apartment. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 1

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: If you've read Girls with Slingshots, you know that the classy exterior of these books encases a collection of dick and fart jokes (although not enough of either IMO), stories featuring a potty-mouthed cactus, Clarice the dominatrix flinging a dildo at her coworker's head, Hazel counting used condoms in the trash can to recall a drunken one-night stand, the death and resurrection of a gassy, deranged cat, the physically impossible game of Strip Laser Tag, lesbian sex in the employee's break room, hangovers, STDs, and a lot of puking.

Why you should read this book: Volume one contains the first 1000 comics (plus some new bonus comics) of this complete web series about a group of friends navigating their twenties and questions of sex, love, employment, housing. Hazel Tellington and her best friend Jamie McJack, along with a huge cast of characters (including cats and talking houseplants) drink, love, learn, and do all the insane things that cartoon young adults can get away with. In this volume, Hazel begins her writing career and falls in love with a cabdriver named Zack, while Jamie unpacks her complicated sexuality and falls for the asexual Erin. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're judgy about drinking and promiscuity. 

Neurodiversity

Written by: Thomas Armstrong, PhD

First line: Imagine for a moment that our society has been transformed into a culture of flowers.

Why you should read this book: Differences of the mind are often seen as disabilities to be overcome, but Armstrong argues that these differences--neurodiversities--while often challenging, each come with their own strengths and gifts, and asks readers to consider reframing their views of those who are different and, rather than focus on what neurodiverse people can't do, begin focusing on what they can. Armstrong holds a wide view of neurodiversity, including not only ADD/ADHD and autism, but also dyslexia, mood disorders, anxiety, cognitive disabilities, and schizophrenia, and lays out clear and research-based perspectives on the positive aspects of these conditions along with speculation about their role in overall human success, without romanticizing or downplaying ways in which they may make it difficult to function under certain societal structures. Rather than forcing individuals to a standard of conformity they cannot hope to achieve, he argues for inclusivity that recognizes the how neurodiverse people best function, and how society can accommodate their differences without pushing them out of the center, and how they can create lives for themselves that make the best use of their talents while minimizing any disabling aspect of the way they think.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never met a square peg you couldn't shove into a round hole.

The Happiest Ending

Written by: Yoshiko Uchida

First line: How did I ever let Mama talk me into this, I wondered.

Why you should read this book: Rinko isn't surprised when her mother directs her to help Mrs. Sugino make dinner after her Japanese tutor breaks her arm (Mama made Rinko spend the whole summer helping when Mrs. Hata lost her husband), but she is surprised to learn that Mrs. Sugino's boarder, Mr. Kinju, plans to marry Mrs. Hata's daughter, even though Teru is only nineteen and Mr. Hata is even older than Rinko's own father! As a Japanese-American girl who thinks of herself as very American, Rinko believes in marrying for love, and she just doesn't see how anyone as young and beautiful as Temu could ever love an old man she's never met like Mr. Hata. But the adults don't seem to see the problem, so it is up to Rinko to save Temu from the terrible fate of an unsuitable marriage. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You married for love and it worked out terribly.

Camp

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: Olive! Earth to Olive! Are you listening?

Why you should read this book: Olive is excited about all the new activities she'll try and all the new friends she and Willow will make at overnight camp, but she doesn't anticipate that Willow is going to reject new experiences and demand that Olive serve as her emotional support human all summer! Olive does everything she can think of to help Willow feel safe and comfortable, but it's never enough, and when Willow won't even let Olive dance one dance with one boy, unthinkable words are said, and unthinkable actions are performed. How can Olive, who is friends with everyone, fix a problem that is caused by one of her friends not wanting her to be friends with everyone?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You still have unresolved trauma from an overnight camp you attended in the twentieth century. 

Just Jaime

Written by: Terri Libenson

First line: You always think bad things are going to happen to somebody else, not you.

Why you should read this book: Jaime knows that something is up with her best friend, Maya, who has been acting strange for weeks, but she doesn't anticipate Maya telling her that their friend group "had a meeting" and decided that Jaime wasn't part of the group anymore. It's the last day of seventh grade and Jaime has got to get through this entire day without her best friend, but she soon finds that she's not completely friendless, and that there's life after Maya. Maya, meanwhile, is starting to reconsider her position, wondering if trading her best friend for the approval of the most popular girl she knows was actually the best decision.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't hang out with someone whose puberty isn't proceeding along the exact same path as yours, at the exact same speed. 

Gay the Pray Away

Written by: Natalie Naudus

First line: I cannot be trusted.

Why you should read this book: This absolute gem of a YA-romance novel not only tells a heartwarming love story and an uplifting coming-out story, but also does its civic duty in warning the world what, exactly, is going on in the Christian Dominionist movement: how children are being abused spiritually and emotionally, intentionally kept ignorant, forced into obsolete gender roles and legalized servitude, and just generally harmed by fundamentalist religious beliefs. Valerie has been hiding her truth for so long, desperately trying to live up to her family's expectations, but when she meets the gorgeous, grapefruit-scented Riley, she realizes she can't keep pretending to be someone she's not. Valerie is bisexual, and absolutely in love with Riley, and definitely never going to follow the life plan her church claims is God's will for her, because that plan is horrible, and has nothing to do with who she is as a person and what she's going to do with her future. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't care what genders they have, you absolutely just despise seeing people happy. 

Raymie Nightengale

Written by: Kate DiCamillo

First line: There were three of them, three girls.

Why you should read this book: Ever since her father ran away with a dental hygienist two days ago, Raymie has been trying to figure out what to do about this tragedy, and having decided upon a course of action--win a local pageant so he sees her picture in the paper and remembers to come home--she is determined to learn baton. But her baton teacher is useless and the other girls in the class--strange, ephemeral Louisiana Elephante, and tough, rebellious Beverly Tapinski--seem equally determined to prevent her from learning this essential skill. Instead, Raymie, Lousiana, and Beverly form an unlikely alliance based on hunting for a euthanized cat and a library book lost in a retirement home, and eventually get from each other the things they needed when they mistakenly enrolled in baton classes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: As a former champion baton thrower and pageant-winner, you don't have time for nonsense.  

The Greatest of Marlys

Written by: Lynda Barry

First line: One day, I was drawing my weekly comic strip, and as I drew the frame, I had a half-memory of being with my cousins after seeing the torchlight parade.

Why you should read this book: Lynda Barry returns the reader to the magical, confusing, frustrating, delightful, dirty, and exuberant world of childhood with her strange four-panel strips, containing far more words than you would expect, and far more ideas. Marlys, her siblings Freddy and Maybonne, and their cousins Arna and Arnold, live in a gritty but joyful world where adults are bizarre and inscrutable, teenagers are mysterious and exciting, kids have incredible power to interpret and reframe their circumstances, and also there are many cool dogs and interesting bugs. The next-level writing provides a unique and believable voice for every kid, offering short narrative arcs along with imaginative info-dumps from the young protagonists' perspective. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Lord help me, her writing is SO good but frankly, her artwork makes me want to barf.

The Willoughbys

Written by: Lois Lowry

First line: Once upon a time there was a family named Willoughby: an old-fashioned type of family, with four children.

Why you should read this book: Although you may have seen the animated film, the written version of this story about four children who ought to be orphans, given how incredibly terrible their parents are, is infinitely better (and contains a list of interesting vocabulary words and a bibliography of historical examples of the plucky orphan genre with which all well-read children should become familiar). Similar to the aesthetic of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, this book depends heavily on the conventions of "old-fashioned" literature, but offers a bit more clarity and joyousness, and a much happier ending, one where at least ten people's circumstances are improved by our plucky heroes' endeavors. Timothy, Barnaby A, Barnaby B, and Jane, abandoned by their criminally awful parents, must figure out new ways to live and to relate to each other and the world around them in order to move forward from their abusive upbringing, while actively hoping for their parents' actual deaths.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never one time read a children's book from the nineteenth or twentieth century about a plucky orphan, and you don't want to start now.

Not Fade Away

Written by: Rebecca A. Alexander

First line: Even though the doctor's office was warm, I was freezing. 

Why you should read this book: At the age of twelve, Rebecca learns that she isn't just kind of clumsy, but that she is, in fact, losing her sight, and, as she grows, the doctors determine she is losing her hearing as well, because Rebecca suffers from a rare genetic condition known as Usher Syndrome, and can expect to go completely blind and deaf at some point in her life. This memoir details not only Rebecca's journey into disability, but also all the joy and triumph she is able to wring from life despite setbacks and adversity. Although some parts of the story feel like inspiration porn (especially when, at the age of seventeen, she falls out a window and has to spend a year in rehab instead of going to college) a lot of it is simply devoted to the things she loves (a chapter about how much she loves teaching spin class, a chapter about how much she loves her best friend, a chapter about how much she loves her dog), as Rebecca demonstrates that her life is rich and full, and that losing her eyes and ears does not mean giving up on anything. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It might be a bit too chipper and upbeat for some readers. 

All the Ever Afters

Written by: Danielle Teller

First line: Suppers at the royal court have become entirely too oppressive.

Why you should read this book: Similar to the revisionist works of Donna Jo Napoli, this is a more grown-up retelling of Cinderella, from the stepmother's point of view. Beginning with young Agnes being sent to the Manor as a very young girl, because her parents can no longer afford to feed her, this book casts the young protagonist as a hard-working, determined go-getter, who learns through trial and error that nobody is going to take care of her, so she needs to take care of herself. A truly excellent example of the genre, with intelligent storytelling and clever plotting, this is a gripping read, one that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next despite the story's framework depending on the fact that most readers already know a lot of it.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are too busy trying to force someone else's autistic kid to learn basic manners. 

The Best Bad Thing

Written by:  Yoshiko Uchida

First line: "Mama, do I absolutely have to go?" I asked for the third time. 

Why you should read this book: Rinko doesn't even want to visit the recently widowed Mrs. Hata and her sons, who are wild and hop on freight trains for fun, and she definitely doesn't want to spend her summer living with them and helping with their cucumber harvest, but her mother has made up her mind: this is the right thing to do for a fellow immigrant in her time of need. Nothing at the Hata house is her idea of a good time, but gradually, Rinko learns to love unusual Mrs. Hata and even her rambunctious sons and the strange old man who lives in their barn. The only problem is that one tragedy seems to follow the next (although they all seem to be related to the freight train situation) and even with Rinko's help, the Hatas are falling further and further away from prosperity. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You regularly jump off of moving vehicles and nothing bad ever happens to you.

Alternative Remedies for Loss

Written by: Joanna Cantor

First line: "You must be new."

Why you should read this book: Ever since her mother passed away, very young adult Olivia has been sleepwalking through life: sleepwalking right out of college and into an entry-level job, sleepwalking through encounters with men, sleepwalking through the entire country of India. When her father asks her to clean out her mother's office (too soon, Olivia thinks, especially considering the presence of her father's new girlfriend, who showed up only a few months after the tragedy) Olivia stumbles upon a photograph and some letters that hint at some secret, something she needs to learn about her mother to try to make sense of her death. Suddenly imbued with purpose, Olivia becomes a detective as well as a filmmaker, and returns to India to uncover the mysteries left unspoken at the end of her mother's life.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You mainly like to travel overseas for the fresh new shopping experiences.