Plain Girl

Written by: Virginia Sorensen

First line: "Esther!"

Why you should read this book: Ever since her big brother, Dan, ran away from their traditional Amish family, nothing has been the same at Esther's house, and now that the men from the county say she must attend public school with the rest of the children, her father's convinced she's going to turn her back on her traditions as well. Esther loves her father, and she loves being a Plain Girl, but in school she learns that the rest of the world is not so terrible, not if it's full of little girls who want to be her friends and teach her to play jacks and even, maybe, trade clothes. Will Esther follow in her brother's footsteps, or can she help to bring her brother back into the fold and make her family complete again?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't want to go back home.