Marco Polo Brave Explorer

Written by: Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin

Why you should read this book: This short easy chapter book tells of the adventure of Marco Polo, a mouse-shaped Christmas ornament who is repurposed as a children's toy that can be checked out of the public library, except that no kid ever checks him out because he's so small every adult is sure that he will be lost. Finally, a little boy named Seth overcomes his father's objection to Marco Polo because he has a secret: Seth is afraid to attend his first sleepover, and also afraid that his friend will make fun of him if he brings his primary love object, an old gray bunny, for comfort. Marco Polo, being small enough to hide in Seth's sleeping bag unnoticed, does indeed go on a tremendous adventure, and Seth learns that your real friends don't make fun of you, and are probably afraid of the same things you're afraid of. 

Why you shouldn't check out this book: You wouldn't let your child play with a plushie that every other kid in town had played with.

Love in the Library

Written by: Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura

Why you should read this book: Tama, like most of the Japanese-Americans interned in the Minidoka Incarceration Camp during World War II, is not happy with the circumstances of her life surrounded by desert dust, barbed wire, and guard towers. Every day she goes to work in the camp library, even though she knows nothing about being a librarian, and every day, George, a Japanese-American man her age comes to the library to read, check out books, and smile. Tama has nothing to smile about until George comforts her in a low moment and she realizes that the thing he has been smiling about the entire time is her, Tama; the story ends with them getting married and giving birth to the author’s uncle while still in the camp.

Why you shouldn't read this book: This book mentions truths about American history that some people would rather not deal with.

The Altered History of Willow Sparks

Written by: Tara O'Connor 

First line: Samuel? What are you...? 

Why you should read this book: When Willow Sparks stumbles upon a secret library housed within the public library, she is astonished to learn that everyone in town has a novel of their life shelved in alphabetical order, and that she can change the particulars of her life by writing revisions into the book. Suddenly, her skin is clear, her wardrobe is cool, she doesn't suck at dodgeball, the hot guy wants to walk her home, and the mean girls aren't quite so mean. But, of course, there are side effects to such potent magic, including the fact that Willow's best friend Georgia can't follow where Willow's headed, and in pursuing popularity, she could lose Georgia for Good. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: There's not a ton at stake and it's not exactly a brand new conceit for a fantasy story.

The Penultimate Peril

Written by: Lemony Snicket

First line: Certain people have said that the world is like a calm pond, and that anytime a person does even the smallest thing, it is as if a stone has dropped into the pond, spreading circles of ripples further and further out, until the entire world has been changed by one tiny action.

Why you should read this book: Having decided once and for all to take their destinies into their own hands and stop waiting and hoping for the adults around them to make the correct decisions, the Baudelaires are now free to misinterpret the data and make bad decisions on their on behalf, just like adults. At the heart of the VFD schism, holed up in the Hotel Denouement with dozens of volunteers and villains, the siblings struggle to discern friend from foe and serve a higher cause, with strikingly disappointing results. Old friends and enemies come together to prove that, even inside a library, nothing is knowable and even the very best of intentions can go awry.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You subscribe to the quaint notion that all villains should be easily recognized and without redeeming or attractive qualities, because the line between good and evil is vast and without confusion.