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