Piper

Written by: Jay Asher, Jessica Freeburg, and Jeff Stokely

First line: People in my village think I cannot understand what they say because I cannot hear.

Why you should read this book: The Pied Piper legend, which seems to have some root in historical fact, has been given the modern treatment as much as (or more than) any other fairy tale, and although it's a simple story, it's weird enough that there is plenty of room for speculation, romance, and embellishment of the basic narrative. In this version, Maggie, an deaf orphan girl raised by the kindly Agathe, develops a friendship with the mysterious musician who vows that he can rid Hameln of the plague of vicious rats that make life nearly unbearable even for the village's elite. But Maggie, being unable to hear the piper's music, is the only person in Hameln that he can't control, and when Maggie discovers that she has the power to control him, she must choose between a village that has never respected her and a man she can never trust. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't pay your debts

The Missing

Written by: Tim Gautreaux

First line: Sam Simoneaux leaned against the ship's rail, holding on in the snarling wind as his lieutenant struggled toward him through the spray, grabbing latches, guy wires, valve handles.

Why you should read this book: Sam, sometimes knows as "Lucky," missed the fighting in World War One by a day but still has perhaps a bit more experience of loss than others in his generation. Smart, sensitive, and perceptive, he's happy in his comfortable post-war career as a security guard in a high end department store, until the day that a little girl is kidnapped on his watch. Suddenly, Sam's entire world is upended and no matter how many times he tries to walk away, he still feels a relentless compulsion to find this lost child at any cost. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get motion sickness just thinking about boats.

Shooting Kabul

Written by: NH Senzai

First line: It's a perfect night to run away, thought Fadi, casting a brooding look at the bright sheen of the moon through the cracked backseat window.

Why you should read this book: Fadi and his family have to escape Afghanistan before the Taliban comes for his father, but everything happens so quickly, and even though Fadi was holding his sister's hand, in the space of a moment she's lost, the family has no choice but to continue to America without her. Wracked with guilt, Fadi tries to hide his own shame while doing his best to keep his head down and avoid trouble in his new school, but then the attack on the World Trade Center changes his relationship to his classmates and forces him to stand up for himself and others. Fadi places all his hope in winning a photography contest, which he is sure will be the solution to all his problems, and allow him to make up for the mistakes of his past.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It made me cry like fifteen times.