Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated

Written by: Alison Arngrim

First line: The Los Angeles County Fair is probably not the first place you'd go if you were seeking to be forgiven of your sins, but I have a tendency to find strange things in strange places. 

Why you should read this book: If you were a kid in the '70s and '80s, you probably watched Little House on the Prairie and if you watched Little House on the Prairie, you probably hated that bitch, Nellie Oleson, and considered her the epitome of evil and deserving of any and all abuse heaped upon her by Laura and the show runners, but Nellie Oleson wasn't a real person; she was a conglomerate character brought to life by an earnest, clever, and dedicated child actress named Alison Arngrim, who spent her real life youth taking the lumps earned by a character she portrayed with such natural joy and intensity that people seemed to think Nellie was real and Alison didn't exist. This buoyant and fast-paced memoir tells all about what was going on behind the scenes of the popular, long-running show (Michael Landon never wore underwear, every adult in the cast and crew was drunk at all times, that wig was incredibly painful to wear, and the real bitch was the girl who played Mary) along with her own heart-wrenching stories of abuse and loss. Arngrin is candid and humorous, even when discussing the most painful memories, and illustrates how she managed to survive child stardom relatively unscathed and pivot into adult success in the entertainment industry without compromising her values and beliefs at all. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Trigger warning for candid discussions of child sexual abuse/incest including a somewhat disconcerting confrontation with the abuser in adulthood. 

Queerly Autistic: The Ultimate Guide for LGBTQUIA+ Teens on the Spectrum

Written by: Erin Ekins

First line: Hello there! 

Why you should read this book: Exactly what it says on the tin, this is a thorough and fairly comprehensive book for queer, neurodiverse adolescents, which defines and explains all the terms and issues at the intersection of these three categories. While I found some of the writing extremely simplistic, and perhaps more appropriate to even younger readers, I recognize that some autistic youth might need the information presented very simply. While it doesn't spend much time talk about sex or transitioning, given that these are more adult topics, it devotes a lot of space to the subject of figuring out your own gender and sexuality, and what to do about it when you've come to some kind of conclusion, and the only thing I felt was missing in the entire book would be one or two sentences about taking care of your fingernails before fingering someone. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: While it is chock full of very interesting looking resources, the author is British and a huge percentage of the resources and some other information in the book is specific to the UK and would not be useful for teens in other parts of the world. 

The New Girl

Written by: Cassandra Calin

First line: Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport Otopeni, Romania

Why you should read this book: Leaving her grandparents and all her friends behind in Romania to start a new life in Montreal when she doesn't even speak French is hard enough, but Lia hasn't even gotten on the plane when nature throws another wrench in her plans: Lia gets her first period in the airport, and seems destined for monthly debilitation. Even though she's in a special language class where nobody else speaks French either, Lia feels lost, lonely, and increasingly frustrated with her inability to communicate with the people around her, along with her regular menstrual difficulties, which are also impacting her social life. But, in time, she does learn French, and she does make really good friends, and she does find ways to make her monthly flow less incredibly traumatic. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're the kind of person who flips out at the very thought of menstruation, be aware that Lia just keeps getting her period throughout the book. 

Fresh Start

Written by: Gale Galligan

First line: You thought you had a plan, your life was set in stone...but then you made a tiny friend who taught you how to grow. 

Why you should read this book: Weird, gender-nonconforming kid Ollie Herisson is the daughter of a diplomat, so she's never taken friendship seriously, because her family moves every two years, and so do most of the kids she meets at international schools, so she never expects those relationships to mean anything. With this mindset, she really hurts her best friend on the last day of school in Germany, and she doesn't make a great impression on the first day of school in America. Then her parents tell her that they've decided to stay in one place until she and her sister finish school, and now she has to reexamine her entire belief system, including her prejudices about the kids she meets, and her relationship with her cultural heritage, and the way she interacts with her sister, along with how she thinks about anime, cosplay, storytelling, and apologies.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think anime, cosplay, and friends are stupid. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

Return of the Dapper Men

Written by: Jim McCann and Janet Lee

First line: Long from now, in a land known as Anorev, there lived...well...not many people. 

Why you should read this book: Ayden, a boy, and Zoe, a robot, live in a strange city populated only by children and robots, where time never passes and nothing ever changes. Ayden and Zoe are best friends, but the other robots and children don't like each other and live separate lives, beneath the unseeing eyes of a broken colossal angel clock, until the day 314 dapper men float out of the sky. Now it's up to Ayden and Zoe to restore the passage of time, ensuring that robots and children reunite the way they were meant to interact, and that a tock follows every tick. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You were born middle-aged. 

Clash

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: Okay, okay, but picture this...in a city where crimes and evildoings are piled so high that they've blocked out the sun, only one hero can see through the dark...The Owl!

Why you should read this book: Has Olive Branche, the girl who is friends with everyone, finally met the one person she can't make friends with? Nat is the new girl in school, so naturally Olive volunteers to show her around, but Nat seems more interested in figuring out which of Olive's friends are cool enough for her, and Olive isn't exactly feeling the love. The harder she tries to be nice to Nat, the more she feels pushed out of her circles, until Halloween night, when Nat's true face will be revealed. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're two-faced and insecure. 

A Wedding in Haiti

Written by: Julia Alvarez

First line: My husband and I have an ongoing debate about how old Piti was when we first met him. 

Why you should read this book: The novelist recalls two meaningful trips she and her husband Bill took to Haiti with Piti, a charming and capable young man they befriended years earlier, along with a delightful assortment of other characters. In the first half of the book, they travel to Haiti to attend Piti's wedding, a comically difficult trip in both directions; after falling in love with the people they met on the previous journey, they feel the need to visit again in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince. Haiti is a foreign land to Alvarez, despite the fact that she is from the Dominican Republic next door, and she is equally enchanted and inconvenienced at every turn, capturing the land and its people, their trials, tragedies, and triumphs with a clear eye.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're shocked--Shocked!--to learn that some people take bribes. 

Girl Juice

Written by: Benji Nate

First line: Nana...Naaaana! Help! I'm booored!

Why you should read this book: This absolutely irreverent and somewhat madcap comic follows perpetually sexy and slutty Bunny, who wants nothing more than to remain "hot and simple" forever, being admired by everyone who sees her and having weird freaky sex with everyone she meets, without taking responsibility for anything, a position that fascinates and grates on her roommates. Some of these pages stand alone, and others follow little arcs that involve scenarios like Bunny going camping or her roommate being possessed by a demon. Lighthearted but not lightweight, this book is always funny and sometimes serious.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get bent out of shape by sexual debauchery and go out of your way to shame sluts who refuse to feel shame, or you are afraid of clowns. 

Wash Day Diaries

Written by: Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

First line: Stand clear of the closing doors, please.

Why you should read this book: Four young Black women support each other as they navigate relationships, careers, family, mental health issues, and their hair. Kimana is avoiding an abusive ex while preparing for an upcoming gig; Cookie is repairing her relationship with her homophobic grandmother while crushing on a new girl, Nisha is navigating being pursued by two hot guys who are also professional connections, and Davene is hiding chronic depression. The ride-or-die friends are always there for each other, accepting of their foibles and journeys and rejoicing in each other's success.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't believe in accepting other people's foibles and journeys.

Turtles All the Way Down

Written by: John Green

First line: At the first time I realized I might be fictional, my weekdays were spent at a publicly funded institution on the north side of Indianapolis called White River High School, where I was required to eat lunch at a particular time--between 12:37 P.M. and 1:14 P.M.--by forces so much larger than myself that I couldn't even begin to identify them. 

Why you should read this book: Teenager Aza "Holmesy" Holmes has been living with anxiety and invasive thought for a while now, probably since her father died when she was a little kid, and although they control many aspects of her life, they don't control her best friend, Daisy. When Daisy learns that Aza used to be friends with the son of a missing billionaire (they met at "sad camp" for kids with dead parents), Daisy wants to exploit that connection in the hopes that she and Aza can collect the reward for finding the missing man. But Aza's reunion with her old friend only exacerbates her illness until her behavior threatens all her relationships and even her life. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: John Green is not exactly known for happy endings. 

The Way Home

Written by: Peter S. Beagle

First line: My brother, Wilfrid, keeps saying it's not fair that it should all have happened to me.

Why you should read this book: It comprises two novellas, set in the universe of Beagle's perennial classic, The Last Unicorn, the first of which features some characters from that book, but both of which center around the experiences of a young protagonist named Sooz. In the first story, "Two Hearts," nine-year-old Sooz runs away to the palace to implore King Lir to personally come to her village and slaughter a griffin that has been eating her friends. In the second, "Sooz," seventeen-year-old Sooz undertakes a much more difficult journey to a fairy realm to rescue the sister she never knew she had. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Once again, I have managed to read a series out of order, and must go back to read another book called The Lost Journey that takes place in between The Last Unicorn and The Way home, so if you haven't read those books, you should get on that before reading this one. 

Invisible

Written by: Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriella Epstein

First line: I came as soon as I heard. 

Why you should read this book: When the principal insists that Jorge "George" Rivera agree to community service hours "with students like you" so the school can win an award, he assumes that means working with the other gifted kids, not cleaning the cafeteria with the Spanish-speaking students who already think he's a gringo. Despite the principal's blithe categorization, the five members of this breakfast club seem to have nothing in common, until they bond over the common cause of helping a mother and daughter living in a car across the street from the school. Each child has their own secrets, fears, strengths, and weaknesses, but they all find that they're willing to risk punishment in order to do what they know is right. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You only talk to people who share you exact ethnic background and financial circumstances.

Carmilla

Written by: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

First line: In Styria, we, though by no means magnificent people, inhabit a castle, or schloss.

Why you should read this book: This is a vampire novel—a gothic vampire novel—a gothic LESBIAN vampire novel—a gothic lesbian vampire novel, which predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by a quarter century, which is likely enough information to sway the type of readers who would enjoy this book. The narrator, an innocent but isolated girl who craves the friendship of other girls, is enchanted by the random beautiful stranger who appears on her land while she's mourning the death of another girl she had hoped to visit. While constantly praising her new friend's looks and engaging in constant shows of physical affection, the protagonist begins to suffer a mysterious illness exactly like the strange malady that killed her old friend.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Can't handle the thought of girls engaging in trembling embraces and soft kisses.

The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

Written by: Jarvis 

Why you should read this book: With simple, meaningful language and simple, colorful illustrations, the author conveys a vast allegory of meaning about what it is to be different, what it is to be accepting, and what it is to be a loving friend. A little boy is best friends with David, a child who is visibly unlike other children, but still happy and kind and well-liked. When his difference become more acute and less acceptable, his friend finds a way to make him happy, not by making him more like other kids, but by helping him feel more like himself.