The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 8: The Outcast

Written by: Kathryn Lasky

First line: You are a mask.

Why you should read this book: In exile from his hateful family, young Nyroc begins to explore the world and contemplate the terms of his destiny. To this end, he changes his name to Coryn and journeys to Beyond the Beyond, for what purpose he can only guess. Along the way, he begins to hone his skills as a hero while collecting allies, until multiple character converge at the sacred volcanoes and the plucky owl can discover the fate that the world offers.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You consider your own offspring, or other people’s children, perfect sacrificial lambs.

Mountains beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World

Written by: Tracy Kidder

First line: Six years after the fact, Dr. Paul Edward Farmer reminded me, "We met because of a beheading, of all things."

Why you should read this book: In turn heartbreaking, inspiring, astonishing, painful, and eye-opening, this Pulitzer-winning book recounts the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer, as seen through the eyes of writer Tracy Kidder, who accompanies him around the world, from Haiti to America to Peru to Russia and back to Haiti, documenting Farmer's determination to eradicate multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, AIDS, and any other disease that comes him way amidst populations that most of the planet has already decided should be allowed to die. Farmer's unrelenting work on behalf of the poorest and most downtrodden people of the world serves as a wake-up call that anyone, anywhere can make a difference if he or she is determined to change the world, and this book demonstrates how Farmer's advocacy for the poor has changed the world: building clinics and houses, cleaning up water supplies, and negotiating with the international groups that determine treatment protocols, distribute funds, and control drug prices. Kidder's sensitive reporting helps the average reader understand the mind of a nearly super-human genius, rendering his subject accessible and encouraging a little more compassion, understanding, and determination from his audience.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've already assuaged your white liberal guilt with your checkbook.

Go the Fuck to Sleep

Written by: Adam Mansbach

First line: Cats nestle close to their kittens now.

Why you should read this book: Pairing familiar, cozy images of peacefully slumbering animals and happy babies with tongue-in-cheek text in which the narrator begs an overly wakeful child to go the fuck to sleep, this is a satirical look at the desire of all adults for their children to turn off at the end of the day so everyone can decompress. Sleep deprived Moms and Dads will recognize the hysterical juxtaposition: there is that adoration of ones offspring paired with parental desperation; anyone who has ever wondered why their child will not go the fuck to sleep will find their feelings mirrored in the increasingly frantic pleas for a little big people solitude free of further requests for drinks, teddy bears, or bathroom trips. For a truly grown-up treat, check out Samuel L. Jackson reading this text at Audible.com.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think it's for children and are horrified by the language.

Guardians of Ga'Hoole Book 7: The Hatchling

Written by: Kathryn Lasky

First line: "It's the hatchling," a young owl said as the group watched Nyroc, only son of the great warrior Kludd, begin a power dive.

Why you should read this book: The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series takes a different turn, and gives evil a new face, as the action shifts to the enclave of the Pure Ones, where Kludd and Nyra's newly hatched son, Nyroc, demonstrates his amazing ability to do everything his mother asks of him. Nyroc is a likable little owl, clever and open-minded, who possesses talents far beyond anything his power-hungry mother can guess at. Will he grow up to fill his father's battle claws, or will there be tasks set before him that he simply cannot answer to?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think asking a kid to murder his best friend is a great test of loyalty.

Ends of the Earth

Written by: Roy Chapman Andrews

First line: Almost every day someone asks me: "How did you start exploring and digging up dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert?"

Why you should read this book: Affable adventurer Andrews provides detailed accounts of many of his expeditions, from his first whale collecting field trip in 1907 through to his scientific exploration and leisure pursuits in China and Mongolia in the late twenties. With rich descriptions of the most imposing animals to ever die at the hands of a gentleman scientist, along with his personal observations on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian peoples and culture and dozens of near-death experiences, this book brings the author's journeys to life in a vivid way. This volume includes dozens of black and white photographs, all taken by the author, in the early part of the last century, documenting some of his travels to distant lands.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Contains a lot of the same material as the later (and shorter) Under a Lucky Star.

Javelinas

Written by: Lauray Yule

First line: You may smell them but never see them.

Why you should read this book: A delightful little book about some delightful little creatures, this undersized, square format volume provides a detailed overview of one of the southwest's most interesting characters, the peccary, specifically those known as javelinas. Sprinkled with amusing and adorable photographs, the book begins with a historical explanation of how peccaries split off from pigs many millions of years ago, how their massive ancestors lived in South America, and how these creatures have only recently made North America their home. Information about mating habits, feeding habits, life cycle, family units, behavior, and getting along with the javelinas in your back yard are all covered in this slim but informative book.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You just want to keep them from eating your landscaping.

Monkey Business

Written by: Wallace Edwards

First line: IDIOM: a group of words whose meaning cannot be understood from the meaning of the individual words; an expression, peculiar to a specific language, that cannot be translated literally.

Why you should read this book: Each page provides a lovely and literal illustration of an idiomatic expression: a tiger crawls out of a carpet bag when the cat is let out of the bag, a bulldog eats hot dogs while musing on a dog-eat-dog world. The colorful, animal-themed illustrations are lovingly painted, with a monkey hidden on every page. Laugh out loud fun for anyone old enough to understand the discrepancy between words and meaning.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You take everything literally.

The Purple Coat

Written by: Amy Hest

First line: Every fall, when the leaves start melting into pretty purples and reds and those bright golden shades of pumpkin, Mama says, “Coat time, Gabrielle.”

Why you should read this book: Every autumn, Gabrielle and Mama go downtown, to the shop where her grandfather makes coats, and Grampa measures Gabrielle for a new navy blue coat. This year, however, Gabrielle decides she wants a purple coat, and Mama’s insistence that she always has a classic blue one cannot change her mind. Can Grampa find a solution that will please Gabrielle and Mama?

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You don’t believe in trying new things.

Last Week My Brother Anthony Died

Written by: Martha Whitmore Hickman

First line: I am looking at my shoes.

Why you should read this book: A little girl gives an honest accounting of her reaction to the death of her baby brother, who only lived a few weeks. Despite their short acquaintance, she still misses him and feels as if her family is incomplete without him, and that no one else can really understand what she’s going through. However, she learns that her minister once lost a child, and he teaches her that sadness comes and goes, like clouds, and that one day, when she's ready, she can begin to feel better.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: Too sad.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Written by: Brian Selznick

First line: The story I am about to share with you takes place in 1931, under the roofs of Paris.

Why you should read this book: A wildly inventive marriage of words and images, this brilliant novel takes resourceful orphan Hugo Cabret on a journey through the streets of Paris and the history of magic, robotics, and cinema on his quest to solve the mystery of an automaton that was destroyed in the fire that killed his own father. Descended from a long line of clockmakers and armed with his father's notebook, Hugo is determined to repair the broken machine, but an angry toymaker is equally determined to foil his plans, for reason that Hugo cannot explain. When he becomes friends with the toymaker's goddaughter, the two begin to piece together the mystery, which unfolds with magical precision in words and illustrations.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've destroyed your life's work for reason you refuse to discuss.