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. 

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. 

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 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). 

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. 

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.  

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. 

The Wild Robot Protects

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins in the sky, with a bright sun and puffy clouds and a large flock of geese.

Why you should read this book: After returning to her island with her new, improved body, Roz the wild robot hopes to live a peaceful life with her animal friends, until a new threat comes to her home: a poison tide seeping through the ocean, killing all life as it goes. With Brightbill grown and mated and her new grandbabies on the way, Roz is determined to save all her friends, and when she learns that her new body is waterproof, she goes on an underwater journey to seek out a new ally, the Ancient Shark and to find the source of the poison tide. Along the way, she learns from many new animal friends and discovers her own strengths as well as the power of large groups to tackle the problems of large infrastructures.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's not as good as the first one but I thought it was better than the second one; however, some readers took issue with its progressive messages regarding the environment and gender, so if you're the type of reader who gets bent out of shape by progressive messages regarding environment and gender, maybe this delightful story about a wild robot protecting the planet isn't for you. 

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.

Extra Ezra Makes an Extra-Special Friend

Written by: Kara LaReau and Vincent X Kirsch

Why you should read this book: Ezra is a flamboyant elementary student who lets his light shine extra bright, injecting pizzazz and panache into everything he does, and his many friends appreciate his way of being "extra." When he meets a new kid, Jane, with rainbow barrettes and a glittery soccer ball, he's determined to make her his extra-special friend, but Jane is "blue" and has no interest in being cheered up. Ezra has to think hard about how to change his usual approach and offer Jane what she really needs, finally making a friend through the power of empathy.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You hate rainbows and glitter.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Written by: Bessel Van der Kolk, M.D.

First line: One does not have to be a combat soldier, or visit a refugee camp in Syria or the Congo to encounter trauma.

Why you should read this book: Written for a lay audience, this is the summation of thirty years of research, experimentation, theory, and work on the subject of trauma: what it is, what it does, and what we, as vulnerable humans can do to counteract its pernicious effects. Van der Kolk describes his introduction to working with traumatized Viet Nam veterans and how his experience led him to dig more deeply into the neurology of trauma and its potential treatments, as well as the important discussion of childhood trauma, and how it impacts untreated adults. Almost half of the book, however, details the various types of treatment that the author and his colleagues have found most effective, with impressive data demonstrating how appropriate treatment can turn around the life of an individual who has always suffered from the pain of the past, returning to them the possibility of a fulfilling life. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You yourself have never experienced anything unpleasant in life, and neither has anyone you've ever met.

The Wild Robot Returns

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins in a city, with buildings and streets and bridges and parks. 

Why you should read this book: Roz, the wild robot, who learned from the animals and adopted an orphan goose and then was reclaimed by her creators in The Wild Robot finds herself physically refurbished (but with her memories intact) and confined to a dilapidated farm where she fixes machines and cares for cows, who are surprised to meet a robot who speaks Animal. Roz can't let any humans know that she is different from other robots, but she finds companionship with the farmer's motherless children, Jad and Jaya. Despite the children's love for her, she wants nothing more than to go home to her island and her old family, and when her son, Brightbill, finally finds her, she must learn more lessons about humans and herself.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's not quite as magical as the first one, but it's still a satisfying sequel.

The Magic Book

Written by: Willo Davis Roberts

First line: If I had known ahead of time what I'd be getting into, I'm not sure I would have gone with my dad to that used book sale.

Why you should read this book: Alex, like most of Roberts's protagonists, lives in a world where adults are largely ineffective at helping kids with basic stuff; in Alex's case, his biggest problem is a bully names Norm. When Alex is basically waylaid by a magic book that looks really old, has his name on the cover, and doesn't act the way books usually act, he and his friends start performing the spell they find inside, with interesting results. In the end, Alex manages to get the best of Norm, but it's uncertain whether the book was magic or if all he ever needed was a little confidence. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Probably the weakest story by this author I've ever read; her talent lies more in uncomfortable realism than in fantasy.

Caught!

Written by: Willo Davis Roberts

First line: I'd had a reputation for being crazy ever since I let Sean Wilson and Hank Kavorkian talk me into going wild river rafting with them down the Stilly. 

Why you should read this book: Vickie's not a bad girl; she just doesn't always think things through when they sound good in the moment, so when her mother leaves Vickie and her little sister Joanie with their strict grandmother for the week, running away to her dad's seems like a her only possible solution. But, when they finally get to their father's new little apartment, everything falls apart, because their dad is nowhere to be found, there's evidence that some kind of crime took place in his new home prior to his disappearance, they're out of money and almost out of food, and strange men are poking around much too close for comfort. With the help of a boy named Jake and the other neighbors in the building, Vickie and Joanie only have a few days to solve this mystery!

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think running away will solve all your problems.

It Came in the Mail

Written by: Ben Clanton

First line: Liam loved to get mail.

Why you should read this book: Liam is disappointed on a daily basis because he never receives any mail, but has the realization that sending letters might be the answer. Rather than bother his family or friends, Liam chooses to write directly to his mailbox, requesting "something BIG," which arrives in the form of a delightful fire-breathing dragon. Delighted with his response, Liam continues sending similar letters until he is overwhelmed with amazing mail and must think of a solution to his new problem.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You only ever get bills. 

Root Magic

Written by: Eden Royce

First line: When Gullah people die, babies in the family get passed over the coffin so the dead person won't come back from the beyond to take them away.

Why you should read this book: This absolutely gorgeous novel weaves a rich story about two children who begin to study their family's ancestral knowledge, the traditional root work of the Gullah-Geechee people of South Carolina, after their beloved grandmother's death. It's the early 1960s and Jezebel and Jay must navigate a present made complicated by racism and classism along with the tangled details of the past revealed as they learn and grow and discover what magic is, how it works, and how they will choose to use it. A delightful page turner containing powerful messages about identity and empathy along with just enough spookiness to satisfy a young reader. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a crooked cop.

Gone Crazy in Alabama

Written by: Rita Williams-Garcia

First line: Vonetta, Fern, and I didn't sleep well last night or the night before.

Why you should read this book: School's out and the Gaither girls are off again, this time headed to Alabama, where Big Ma has returned to live with her own mother. Alabama is even more different from New York than Oakland was, and Black people in the south still live by different rules that clash with the ideals they learned in California: how can they even be related to a sheriff who's white and in the KKK? Delphine, who has always taken care of her family, finds that she has to deal with all the same problems, plus a whole passel of new issues including a decades-old family feud, the clashing of the old and the new, unpleasant chores, the return of their once-beloved uncle, an amorous neighbor, overt racism, and really, really bad weather.

Why you shouldn't read this book: While it ends well, I felt this one was a bit sadder/scarier than the first two books in the trilogy.

The Wild Robot

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins on the ocean, with wind and rain and thunder and lightning and waves.

Why you should read this book: A quiet but surprisingly powerful and charming tale of a robot shipwrecked and activated on a island populated only by animals, armed only with basic programming to be helpful and to learn. Through observation of her surroundings, Roz the robot learns how to survive and thrive in her environment, until her neighbors stop seeing her as a monster and start believing her to be a very helpful friend. But Roz is a valuable piece of equipment: is there any place in the world for a truly wild robot.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The ending may be a bit ambiguous for some young readers to find satisfying (but in writing this review I realized there's a sequel so it's probably OK).

A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch

Written by: Jill Murphy

First line: It was the very first day of Mildred Hubble's second year at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches.

Why you should read this book: Starting the year off on the wrong foot, Mildred Hubble mistakes a fire drill for an actual fire and pours a bucket of water on Miss Hardbroom's head, after which she spends a goodly percentage of the book transformed into a frog by her arch-nemesis, Ethel. In her amphibious form, Mildred meets a magician who's also been transformed into a frog, having lived in the pond behind the school for so long that he enjoys eating flies and can't quite remember his own name. With the help of her friends, a lot of creative thinking, and a little felonious rule-breaking, Mildred manages to regain her human shape and eventually free her new friend as well.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I really don't know how to feel about the kidnapping and bondage scene.