Kidnapped

Written by: Willo Davis Roberts

First line: It's a mistake to earn the reputation of being a liar. 

Why you should read this book: Joey Bishop is known for telling tall tales, so when he tells people that he witnessed his classmate/enemy Willie Groves getting kidnapped after school, he gets mocked and lectured and patronized and chastised and reminded about the boy who cried wolf, but not believed. Joey is no fan of Willie, but his vivid imagination suggests such horrible outcomes that he continues to talk about the kidnapping until some adult, any adult, will listen. Unfortunately for Joey, it turns out that the wrong adult was listening all along. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Some of the plot points are, perhaps, a little bit convenient.

In the Unlikely Event

Written by: Judy Blume

First line: Even now she can't decide. 

Why you should read this book: This is one of perennial favorite children's author, Judy Blume's, adult novels, and while the story itself is fiction, the unlikely event of the title is a real, historical one: a period of two months during which the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey was the unfortunate site of three separate deadly plane crashes, which eventually led to the closing of Newark Airport but ushered in a season of terror and PTSD for the people of Elizabeth. Told from multiple viewpoints, the story focuses on fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman, who experiences her first love, her first heartbreak, and any number of adult life lessons against the backdrop of these tragedies. As the story unfolds, we witness the surprising connections among the many characters, and the numerous ways they all cope with the impact of the cycle of explosions and death. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: There are so many points of view that you really need to consult the dramatis personae included at the beginning of the book.

The Unfinished Angel

Written by: Sharon Creech

First line: Peoples are strange!

Why you should read this book: The angel has been hanging out in this sleepy town in Switzerland for a long, long time, never entirely sure what its purpose might be, or how to fulfill it, or literally anything about being an angel, but the angel is basically content with existence until the day an American girl moves into the tower where it lives. Zola, unlike most humans, can see the angel, and unlike the angel, Zola has very specific ideas about what angels are supposed to do, and, being American, has no compunction about explaining what those things are and demanding action. With Zola's eye for social justice and the angel's ability to influence the course of human behavior, life is about to improve for everyone in this part of the Swiss Alps in an inspirational story that reminds us what it is to be human and what it is to be divine.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Although the author includes specific notes about how and why the angel's imperfect voice is written as it is, I couldn't help but constantly feel like the angel seemed to talk exactly like J.Lo from Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday, which was a little distracting.

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.

Blackflies

Written by: Robert Munsch and Jay Odjick

First line: Helen got up very early one morning, looked out the window, and said, "No snow!"

Why you should read this book: It's a tall tale (but not that tall, from what I've heard) about the insects in Alberta, Canada, and how unpleasant and annoying their presence makes the spring. Helen's family is carried off by said invertebrates, and Helen must arm herself with the most intense pesticides available to small children and rescue them from the woods. The illustrations are fun and will make most American children glad they're not Canadian.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get itchy just thinking about large numbers of bugs.

The Little Girl Who Wanted To Be Big

Written by: Dave Engledow

First line: There once was a little girl who wanted to be big.

Why you should read this book: There's so much that you can't do when you're little—ride roller coasters, use the stove, drive a tractor—and this little girl wants them so much that she exercises and eats broccoli, to no avail. Her parents advise her to think big if she wants to do big things, and the book takes a fun turn as it illustrates the little girl getting bigger and bigger and taking on more and more of the world. The pictures are Photoshopped images of the author's own family, and children will enjoy seeing the little girl appear big enough to have a real impact on the world as her size gives her the opportunity to do everything she's ever wanted to do. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a fully grown adult and you're still not big.