The Girl from the Sea

Written by: Molly Knox Ostertag

First line: It's true, you know.

Why you should read this book: Morgan is just trying to get through high school without drawing too much attention to herself and her deep, dark secret, but all her plans go astray the night she hits her head, falls into the ocean, is rescued by a cute girl, and has her first kiss. Confronting her sexuality and the community's response to it is hard enough, but Morgan's new girlfriend, Keltie, isn't even human: she's a selkie who loves Morgan, but also wants her help averting an ecological crisis that would destroy her seal family. Morgan must own her own fears and desires, conquer her anxiety about her friends and family, and open herself up to the love being offered from all directions.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I guess there are people who want to read queer teen contemporary fantasy romance and people who don't want to read queer teen contemporary fantasy romance. 

The Bye Bye Man

Written by: Robert Damon Schneck

First line: In 1692, while the Devil was leading an assault on the fractious inhabitants of Salem Village, French and Indian raiders were menacing the seaport of Gloucester fifteen miles away.

Why you should read this book: Originally titled The President's Vampire, this book was rebranded after one of the chapters (the least strange and the least true one, in my opinion) was made into a horror film. Otherwise it's a collection of unusual occurrences throughout US history, most of which appear to be simple stories of hoaxes and cons based on some people's inclination to believe in the occult, along with a couple unsolved mysteries. That said, it contains numerous citations, appendixes, and an index, as if it's a real historical work, and, apart from the titular chapter, appears to catalog things that actually happened, reporting both what the gullible believe to have happened and what research suggests realistically could have taken place. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It doesn't quite cohere; there's not an internal consistency to the chapters, although they are each amusing, standalone anecdotes (except for the last one, which is just silly and made up). 

If UR Stabby

Written by: Kaz Windness

First line: Once upon a time, there was a murderous unicorn...

Why you should read this book: If you are angry teen who also likes rainbows, or if you simply have the mentality of an angry teen who likes rainbows, you may enjoy this eclectic collection of 1- and 2-page comics about a murderous unicorn. Stabby lampoons various cultural touchstones including numerous tarot cards, and experiences disappointment in interpersonal interactions. Kind of goth, kind of emo, kind of fun. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: I was hoping for a bit more of a cohesive narrative. 

Other Words for Home

Written by: Jasmine Warga

First line: It's almost summer and everywhere smells like fish,/except for right down by the sea/where if you hold your nose just right/you can small the sprawling jasmine and the salt water/instead.

Why you should read this book: Jude is a little girl who loves her home and her friends and silly movies, but when her older brother becomes a freedom fighter and her mother finds out she is pregnant again, Jude and her mother must leave Syria to immigrate to America. Suddenly she finds herself in an alien world where her English isn't good enough and she doesn't belong or even recognize much of her new environment. With intention and persistence, Jude begins to win over the people around her, and her new home begins to win her over as well.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've had to leave loved ones behind, with no idea what's become of them. 

Mr. Jimmy from around the Way

Written by: Jeffrey Blount

First line: She and her quiet sorrow were the beginning of his giving, nudging him quietly yet powerfully from his youthful preoccupations and awakening a long-forgotten oath.

Why you should read this book: James Ferguson, the wealthiest Black man in America, is a deeply ethical and honorable man, who keenly feels the disgrace of having the single (understandable) indiscretion he's committed in his entire life broadcast across social media. Fleeing to the poorest corner of Mississippi with his tail between his legs, he seeks to do penance for his sins by living in isolation like a hermit monk, until he happens to notice that the occupants of the other twenty-two houses on his street are afflicted with the most abject poverty imaginable in America. Then he uses his stellar work ethic and massive fortune to help his new neighbors while battling racists, classists, and his own demons. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's kind of hard to suspend disbelief; Mr. Jimmy is preternaturally saintly, his enemies are comically evil, and his solutions are all kind of magical.