Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive outside the Lines

Written by: Jonathan Mooney

First line: Sons, You have each asked me a question, in different ways, at different times, and, I think, for different reasons.

Why you should read this book: Framed somewhat as a letter to his children, this book braids Mooney's experience growing up with dyslexia and ADHD with an examination of the limiting and historical ideas of normality and a discussion of the power of being different. While he struggles for much of his youth to blend in and succeed according to other people's standards, he comes to understand that the conditions others call disabilities are, for him, wells of strength from which he can draw new ways of being. Through his cultural research, he discovers that there is, scientifically, no such thing as normal after all, that it is our differences that make us human and allow us to thrive, and that viewing differences as problems robs humanity of its fullest potential.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never had to work to fit in. 

Clash

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: Okay, okay, but picture this...in a city where crimes and evildoings are piled so high that they've blocked out the sun, only one hero can see through the dark...The Owl!

Why you should read this book: Has Olive Branche, the girl who is friends with everyone, finally met the one person she can't make friends with? Nat is the new girl in school, so naturally Olive volunteers to show her around, but Nat seems more interested in figuring out which of Olive's friends are cool enough for her, and Olive isn't exactly feeling the love. The harder she tries to be nice to Nat, the more she feels pushed out of her circles, until Halloween night, when Nat's true face will be revealed. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're two-faced and insecure. 

Tidesong

Written by: Wendy Xu

First line: Once upon a time in a kingdom by the sea, a dragon fell in love with a human fisherman.

Why you should read this book: Distantly descended from dragons, Sophie has the power to control the weather, but if she wants to master magic, she needs to get into the top academy for magic, so her parents send her to study with her cousin Sage and Aunt Lan. Sophie is eager to learn by Aunt Lan seems determined to wear her out with boring chores and keep all her secrets to herself. When Sophie takes matters into her own hands, she accidentally traps a young dragon called Lir in human form, and now his father, a dragon king is enraged, and time is running out to fix her mistakes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You have no patience for studying the basics. 

All the Lovely Bad Ones

Written by: Mary Downing Hahn

First line: Grandmother met us at the Burlington Airport, a big smile on her face and her arms open for a hug. 

Why you should read this book: Banned from summer camp due to their constant pranks, Travis and his sister Corey are spending the summer at their grandmother's quaint Vermont hotel, and when they learn that the property is supposedly haunted, they can't help themselves. Little could they know that their carefully orchestrated fake haunting is just the thing to wake up the real ghosts who slumber there, uneasy in their graves. Now it's up to these two tricksters to learn the property's chilling history and set to right the evils of the past. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: For a ghost story it's not especially scary. 

How We Fight for Our Lives

Written by: Saeed Jones

First line: The waxy-faced weatherman on Channel 8 said we had been above 90 degrees for ten day in a row.

Why you should read this book: Gripping and provocative, this memoir describes the poet's early life, his burgeoning understanding of his own sexuality and what it meant to be queer and Black and smart and sexy and living in Texas. As he grows up, he grapples with how best to express these truths to himself, his family, and to the world. Woven through Jones's coming-of-age is the story of his mother, who raised him as a single mom, and the strength of her heart, along with its weakness.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you have a problem with promiscuous gay sex, this might not be the story for you.  

A Wedding in Haiti

Written by: Julia Alvarez

First line: My husband and I have an ongoing debate about how old Piti was when we first met him. 

Why you should read this book: The novelist recalls two meaningful trips she and her husband Bill took to Haiti with Piti, a charming and capable young man they befriended years earlier, along with a delightful assortment of other characters. In the first half of the book, they travel to Haiti to attend Piti's wedding, a comically difficult trip in both directions; after falling in love with the people they met on the previous journey, they feel the need to visit again in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince. Haiti is a foreign land to Alvarez, despite the fact that she is from the Dominican Republic next door, and she is equally enchanted and inconvenienced at every turn, capturing the land and its people, their trials, tragedies, and triumphs with a clear eye.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're shocked--Shocked!--to learn that some people take bribes. 

Took: A Ghost Story

Written by: Mary Downing Hahn

First line: The old woman stands on the hilltop, just on the edge of the woods, well hidden from the farmhouse below.

Why you should read this book: Daniel and Erica are not thrilled about their family's downgrade to living in an old farmhouse in West Virginia, which is creepy enough on its own without the locals warning them about local cryptids Old Auntie and Bloody Bones, who kidnap a little girl every fifty years, and force her to do chores. When Old Auntie comes for Erica and turns out her last servant, Selene, everyone is convinced that there is nothing to be done but wait another fifty years for her release, but Daniel is determined to use every resource within reach to bring his sister home again and save Selene as well. With his parents paralyzed with depression and almost everyone else too terrified of the ghost witch and her skeleton ghost pig, Daniel will have to confront the evil himself. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Honestly, Daniel is kind of a boring and undeveloped character, but perhaps the rest of the story is developed enough that you won't notice. 

Nightbooks

Written by: J. A. White

First line: After his family had finally fallen asleep, Alex slung the backpack over his shoulder and snuck out of the apartment, easing the front door gently home so it didn't slam shut. 

Why you should read this book: Alex has loved scary stuff ever since he was little, but when his notebooks full of handwritten spooky tales start to feel like a liability, he has no idea that his plan to dispose of them will land him smack in the middle of his own horror story. Kidnapped by Natacha, a witch who wants his stories for her own diabolical purposes, he's trapped in his own building, in an apartment that is much bigger on the inside, and much more mysterious than anything he's ever imagined. Along with another kidnapped child, Yasmin, and a seemingly hostile cat called Lenore, Alex must figure out how to defeat Natacha and escape his strange prison before Natacha or her strange domain turn on him.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You accidentally saw a zombie film when you were four and it scarred you for life. 

Sing Down the Moon

Written by: Scott O'Dell

First line: On the high mesas above our canyon, spring came early that year.

Why you should read this book: In the voice of Bright Morning, a young Navajo woman, this book presents a vivid picture of life in Canyon de Chelly in the 1860s, and what happened when white people began to encroach on this territory. Bright Morning has learned to be a diligent steward of sheep and hopes one day to marry the proud Tall Boy, a strong warrior who once killed a bear, but when she is kidnapped and sold into slavery, Tall Boy loses the use of one arm rescuing her. Shortly after that, Bright Morning's tribe, along with all the other indigenous people in the area, are forced on the Long Walk, a deadly forced relocation following the destruction of their homes and resources, and Bright Morning, and all those around her, must decide how much they are willing to risk to survive, and thrive.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Bright Morning and Tall Boy have a happy ending, but many of the people forced onto the Long Walk did not. 

A Different Pond

Written by: Bao Phi and Thi Bui

First line: Dad wakes me quietly so Mom can keep sleeping.

Why you should read this book: Hours before sunrise, a small boy and his father set out in the darkness to catch enough fish for the family's dinner before the father goes off to work. In the quiet, pre-dawn hours, the father teaches the son about fishing and responsibility, and even lets slip a few words about his old life in Vietnam, which he rarely mentions. A romantic picture of the lives and emotions of the hardest-working American immigrants, who will do anything to give their children the upbringing they deserve without allowing them to forget where they came from or the importance of family.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You really hate fish. 

Girl Juice

Written by: Benji Nate

First line: Nana...Naaaana! Help! I'm booored!

Why you should read this book: This absolutely irreverent and somewhat madcap comic follows perpetually sexy and slutty Bunny, who wants nothing more than to remain "hot and simple" forever, being admired by everyone who sees her and having weird freaky sex with everyone she meets, without taking responsibility for anything, a position that fascinates and grates on her roommates. Some of these pages stand alone, and others follow little arcs that involve scenarios like Bunny going camping or her roommate being possessed by a demon. Lighthearted but not lightweight, this book is always funny and sometimes serious.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get bent out of shape by sexual debauchery and go out of your way to shame sluts who refuse to feel shame, or you are afraid of clowns. 

Wash Day Diaries

Written by: Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

First line: Stand clear of the closing doors, please.

Why you should read this book: Four young Black women support each other as they navigate relationships, careers, family, mental health issues, and their hair. Kimana is avoiding an abusive ex while preparing for an upcoming gig; Cookie is repairing her relationship with her homophobic grandmother while crushing on a new girl, Nisha is navigating being pursued by two hot guys who are also professional connections, and Davene is hiding chronic depression. The ride-or-die friends are always there for each other, accepting of their foibles and journeys and rejoicing in each other's success.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't believe in accepting other people's foibles and journeys.

A Color Named Loved

Written by: M. Ellery and Clara Reschke

First line: Anna lived in Loville.

Why you should read this book: It's a children's book about polyamory, focusing on the abundance of love available to a child growing up in a stable and healthy polycule. Anna isn't quite sure about the new adults joining her family until she understands that she isn't losing anything, but gaining new "colors" in her life, as her parents' new partners bring their own personalities and strengths to raising her. It's a very upbeat and optimistic view of the situation, sure to delight polyamorous people and piss off people who oppose polyamory.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're one of those fundamentalist nutjobs who blows a gasket upon learning that other people are happy leading lives that offend you because they go against your rigid beliefs, and you go absolutely nuclear when you see children be happily raised in those situations. 

American Oz

Written by: Michael Sean Comerford

First line: Rose Dog's eyes fixed on me as he danced around the trailer in agony.

Why you should read this book: Recently divorced and spoiling for adventure, the author (age 53) resolves to spend a year working as a carnie--building, running, and tearing down rides, sleeping in terrible conditions, getting paid under minimum wage, eating on a dollar a day--in order to write a book about this hidden American culture. Along the way, he meets a fascinating cast of characters, hitchhikes thousands of miles, learns skills and lingo and history that most people will never use, is victimized by criminals, cops, and carnies, and generally Jack Kerouacs his way around the country in a cotton candy fever dream. Anyone who's ever dreamed of running away to a magical and terrible world unlike the place they've always lived will find inspiration (possible to stay home) in this engaging and wonderful memoir.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The life described by the author is magical and also terrible, to the point that it almost feels like he might be punishing himself for some past transgressions related to the end of his marriage, but as the story progresses it become obvious that he is delighted to sleep in the rain on highway on ramps and get hit in the head with giant pieces of hardware and have his life threatened by angry men and be pushed around by cops and so on, and the only person suffering in this story is his elementary-age daughter, who doesn't really understand her dad's journey and only feels his abandonment.  

We Don't Eat Our Classmates

Written by: Ryan T. Higgins

First line: Penelope Rex was nervous.

Why you should read this book: School-aged dinosaur Penelope is having trouble making friends in school due to the fact that she thinks children are delicious and she can't stop herself from trying to eat her classmates. Although she is made to spit them out every time, she finds herself shunned by her peers, who do not appreciate her attempts to devour them. Only when the class pet chomps on her finger does Penelope learn a shred of empathy and begin to understand why her behavior is so abhorrent, and how to behave so people will like her.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think some people deserve to be bitten. 

Locomotion

Written by: Jacqueline Woodson

First line: This whole book's a poem 'cause every time I try to/tell the whole story my mind goes Be quiet!

Why you should read this book: A children's book that discusses big issues, this novel in poems takes us into the mind of Lonnie "Locomotion" Motion, a young boy grieving the loss of his parents in a fire, and his separation from his little sister in foster care. Pursuing excellence in self-expression, he examines his own feelings, limns his classmates and the adults in his life, and builds relationships. The voice is remarkable, honest and vulnerable but observant and clever, and Lonnie's journey takes him outside of himself, and into the lives of the people around him, while elevating his own mind from tragedy to hope. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a mean foster mom. 

To Be Honest

Written by: Michael Leviton

First line My parents prepared me far in advance for life's inevitable tragedies (death, rejection, failure, etc.).

Why you should read this book: Raised by parents who taught a strict code of radical honesty, which included everyone sharing every thought that moved through their minds at all times, with the assumption that nobody could possibly be offended by this behavior because they are just being honest and sharing their thoughts, the author grows up never fully understanding what everyone else's problem is, and also not caring. It's both hilarious and heartbreaking, and as he carries this philosophy into adolescence and adulthood, it impacts every facet of his life until he realized, one day, that lying might be a habit that could actually improve his life, at least the part that involves interacting with other humans. After astonishing Ira Glass with his life story and worldview, he decides to be brutally honest in sharing his recollections in print. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Honestly, I loved everything about it, although I wondered if the author and his father ever considered that some of their policy was borne out of neurodiversity as well as honesty.