Sold

Written by: Patricia McCormick

First line: One more rainy season and our roof will be gone, says Ama.

Why you should read this book: Despite her stepfather's gambling addiction, Lakshmi and her mother are getting along pretty well, and Lakshmi is excelling in school and looking forward to one day being married, but following a drought and a flood and heavy gambling losses, she is determined to take a job as a maid in the city, so she can send money home and give her mother a real roof. Unfortunately, the auntie who promises to find her paying work sells Lakshmi into sexual slavery in another country, and she becomes a prisoner in brothel, forced to perform sex work to survive. As she comes to understand more about her circumstances, she must tease apart the lies that control her from the truth that might set her free. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's a novel about a 13-year-old girl being sex trafficked. It's not happy. 

Uncle Tom's Children

Written by: Richard Wright

Firstline: My first lesson in how to live as a Negro came when I was quite small.

Why you should read this book: This collection features five short stories and one biographical essay written early in the author's career. These pieces all describe the inherent terror of the Jim Crow south and the way it victimized Black people in twentieth century America, with violence and murder featuring prominently among the arsenal of tools used by segregationists to enforce social control. These are dangerous, frightening stories about a zero-sum game that is always fixed in favor of the house, wonderfully written with deep insight and wisdom, but difficult to read in terms of the suffering of the characters.

Why you shouldn't read this book: There aren't really any happy endings and four of the stories have absolutely brutal endings. 

The Tryout

Written by: Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao

First line: Breathe... Just breathe...

Why you should read this book: This is a memoir that recounts the trauma of the author's experience. As one of two students of color in her suburban school, Christina has more than the usual reservations about starting middle school, but when she and her best friend Megan decide to try out for the cheerleading squad, she begins to develop a little optimism and self-esteem. Cheerleading is a lot of work, and as she trains, Christina starts to feel Megan slipping away from her, even as she develops a greater understanding of her own cultural heritage and her parents' struggles as a mixed-race couple. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think more things ought to be popularity contests. 

Where the Weird Things Are: An Ocean Twilight Zone Adventure

Written by: Zoleka Filander and Patricia Hooning

First line: A voice wakes me up. 

Why you should read this book: The journey of a small, anthropomorphic robot from the surface of the ocean, through the pelagic zone, and down to the benthic zone showcases a number of unusual marine species. As the robot, Mesobot, encounters each creature it learns of the interesting qualities that allows it to survive in its world, while the Mesobot begins to question whether its own unique properties are special and interesting until discovering that its purpose is educational and it is indeed a very special robot. Based on the real journey of the real Mesobot, this book also includes a lovely appendix offering further information about the robot and all the animals it meets. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You prize conformity.

The Republic of Salt

Written by: Ariel Kaplan

First line: It was three nights until the New Year, and in the mountains north of Mazik Rimon, Naftaly Cresques was lying on the ground beside two old women and a Mazik who was mostly dead. 

Why you should read this book: The second novel in the Mirror Realm cycle, this doorstop of a fantasy novel picks up pretty much where the last one left off, with Naftaly and his crew in the Mazik land and Toba and the now-mortal back in the human world, and all of them knowing that if they can't stop Tarses from taking over both realms it's not going to go so well for anyone. Arduously, all the characters must travel to Zayit, outwitting enemies, finding surprising allies, eating lentils, and learning more about magic, especially as it pertains to part-mortal magicians. The pacing is good, so that the story keeps moving forward in a Lord of the Rings Kind of way, even though it takes everyone a very long time to get where they're going. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Due to its structure and the way Naftaly's powers work, it's kind of obvious precisely how the book is going to end (hint: a cliffhanger). 

Not Quite a Ghost

Written by: Anne Ursu

First line: The house stood a little apart from the rest of the block, as if it did not quite fit in. 

Why you should read this book: Violet Hart is already dealing with that strange uncertainty that accompanies the transition from elementary to middle school and the questions of whether the people you've been friends with your entire life will remain your friends once puberty commences, and now her mom and stepdad have decided to purchase this really creepy house so she can have her own room, even if that room is in the extra creepy attic. This isn't quite a ghost story, although there's definitely something like a ghost in the house, but it draws most of its spookiness from its discussion of undiagnosed chronic illness and its use of symbols and themes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Anyone who's ever been accused of malingering when they felt awful or been gaslit by "friends" who had turned against them will understand what Violet is going through in this well-paced and clever story.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you still haven't gotten a diagnosis, it might be a bit frustrating. 

Unexpected Stories

Written by: Octavia Butler

First line: The Robkohn Hao, Tahneh, was sharing her evening meal with her chief judge and discussing the current drought when she first learned of the foreigners who had entered her territory.

Why you should read this book: Two previously unpublished stories written early in the career of the master science fiction author were discovered after her death and come together in this book, highlighting many of the themes for which she went on to become famous. In "A Necessary Being," a hierarchical alien society requires the most powerful among them to serve for the good of all, even against their will. "Childfinder" was originally sold to Harlan Ellison's final, unpublished Dangerous Visions anthology and discusses issues of race and class through the device of a society where psionic powers are controlled by a powerful cabal. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're unfamiliar with Butler's work, you might want to start with some of her popular novels. 

The Covenant of Water

Written by: Abraham Verghese

First line: She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning.

Why you should read this book: An engaging multigenerational tale of a twentieth century Indian family, plagued by a mysterious condition that is marked by an extreme aversion to water (but little fear of anything else) and frequently results in deafness, a love of heights, and premature death by drowning. Each generation finds love, even in the face of suffering and adversity, but mourns helplessly when those afflicted with the Condition are lost. As science and medicine progress, perhaps there is hope that one day they can save their loved ones from this strange and confusing affliction. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Kids die. 

The Pomegranate Gate

 Written by: Ariel Kaplan

First line: Naftaly was dreaming again, in that strange dreamlandscape where the stars whirled overhead like snow on the win and the people he met all had square-pupiled eyes.

Why you should read this book: In this powerhouse fantasy epic beginning in the Spanish Inquisition with the expulsion of the Jews, the narrative moves between that world and a parallel world populated with magical beings, a strange and even more dangerous place which both mirrors and influences the human realm. Separated from her family and the group of Jews fleeing the country, a young woman named Toba, who is both clever and clumsy stumbles through the gate into the land of the Mazik. This new place is complex, and operates by rules that Toba does not quite understand, but if she wants to survive she will have to untangle the mystery of her own past, and events that took places a thousand years before she was born. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you don't like really long books that end when things are getting really interesting because they're the first tome in an epic series, you shouldn't read really long books in epic series. 

Eric

Written by: Shaun Tan

First line: Some years ago we had a foreign exchange student come to live with us.

Why you should read this book: Another absolutely stunning and surreal work by the artist, this small children's story presents a small protagonist, referred to as a "foreign exchange student," although his origin is...unclear. Eric looks sort of like a demon, and sort of like a leaf, and sort of like a shadow, and he is substantially tinier than whatever species his host family might be, and his worldview and life experience are clearly so different from ours that it's a struggle for the narrator and the reader to quite comprehend what he might be thinking. However, Eric is so interesting and appealing that the narrator and the reader both very much want to untangle the mystery of his inner experience, and see some part of the world through his eyes, and to know that his emotions are positive and that he feels safe and enjoys our world. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're deeply xenophobic and automatically reject anyone who is different from you. 

Among Flowers

Written by: Jamaica Kincaid

First line: One day, in the year 2000, I was asked to write a book, a small one, about any place in the world I wished and doing something in that place I liked doing. 

Why you should read this book: For reasons that may not seem reasonable to people who aren't professional writers and very avid gardeners, the author takes a grueling weeks-long hike through the mountains of Nepal to collect seeds. Along the way her life is threatened by Maoists; her conscious is wracked with guilt; she suffers from heat, cold, and various other privations not typically sought out by successful Americans; and she has, apparently, the time of her life. The result is a surprising and tidy travelogue unlike any story that I've ever read.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Usually, when I encounter a word I don't know, I look it up and write down the word and its definition, but if I had stopped to look up every single Latin plant name in this book, it would have taken me twice as long to read. 

Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Ashes

Written by: Linda Addison

First line: Consumed, reduced to ashes,/beautiful grey,/light as angel wings

Why you should read this book: From the award-winning author, a poetry collection that is equal parts creepy and intense. These poems speak of death, of our fear of it, of the comfort of its inevitability, but also of love, and longing, and the knowledge that from ashes new things may grow. Addison's precise and loving use of language recreates the world in her image, with the knowledge that there is no darkness without light and no light without darkness, a balance that humanity must embrace, because we can never escape it. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You prefer poems that rhyme and paint pretty pictures.

The Saga of Ilkay and Collected Stories

Written by: Natalie Wright

First line: Thundering hooves, a stampede of thirst compels them.

Why you should read this book: An entertaining collection of fairy tales, this slim volume is intended to represent a book found by a character in the author's Dragos Primeri series. The stories include those referenced in the books, as well as new stories that hint at relevance in later works, as well as poetry and illustrations. These are delightful tales of perseverance, determination, and love and may be enjoyed without reference to the original series.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It might be better if you had read the original series. 

American Terrorist

Written by: Tyler and Wendy Chin-Tanner and Andy MacDonald

First line: We're here. Everyone out.

Why you should read this book: Frighteningly prescient, relevant, and meaningful, this is modern and believable story of four ordinary American professionals--a lawyer, a schoolteacher, a scientist, and a journalist--who are branded as terrorists and outcasts for little more than wanting to speak truth to power. Owen is simply reporting on the stories that mainstream media outlets aren't interested in sharing when Hannah and Shannon, both troubled by the realization that the corporations they trusted have no honor and no concern for them, enter his life, and the three run to Michael for help. Realizing they can never clear their names or return to their old lives, they embark on a grass roots campaign of truth-telling and truth-revealing that have the power to create change in the only way that remains to them.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You think companies care about you. 

Under the Wave at Waimea

Written by: Paul Theroux

First line: The one wild story that everyone believed about Joe Sharkey was not true, but this was often the case with big-wave riders.

Why you should read this book: Joe Sharkey had some rough moments in childhood, but his adulthood has been a series of glittering, golden satisfactions, built upon his achievements as a champion surfer in the eighties and nineties. Now happily retired from competition, comfortably wealthy, and pleasantly famous, he spends his days in the bliss of the big waves, every day brilliantly and beautifully perfect, until one day, when the sixty-two-year-old Joe Sharkey experiences his first less-than-perfect day in a long time. The aftermath might destroy him, or, with the guidance and encouragement of a very understanding woman, the way he handles tragedy might lead him to a new quest: something bigger and better and longer-lasting than the next big wave. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Your father was career military, his father was career military, you're career military, and you can't imagine any scenario in which your child might choose some other life path. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 2

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: She slammed into Thea's life at a roller derby bout and it was love at first collision. 

Why you should read this book: Volume 2 contains the second 1000 comics of this complete series, and begins to focus more seriously on the issues that were hinted at in volume 1: that everybody needs to grow up sooner or later, or else they will end up very lonely and unfulfilled. While Jamie works out her situation with Erin, Hazel loses Zack because she doesn't want to take the responsibility for life that Zack is seeking in a romantic partner. Although it's still fun and funny, things get real, with other characters moving in more adult phases of their life, eventually prodding Hazel to start thinking about her past, and the events that led to her character formation and her assumptions about the world.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't see why you should have to change when the world could just accommodate your desire for great sex and a cool apartment. 

Girls with Slingshots Volume 1

Written by: Daniel Corsetto

First line: If you've read Girls with Slingshots, you know that the classy exterior of these books encases a collection of dick and fart jokes (although not enough of either IMO), stories featuring a potty-mouthed cactus, Clarice the dominatrix flinging a dildo at her coworker's head, Hazel counting used condoms in the trash can to recall a drunken one-night stand, the death and resurrection of a gassy, deranged cat, the physically impossible game of Strip Laser Tag, lesbian sex in the employee's break room, hangovers, STDs, and a lot of puking.

Why you should read this book: Volume one contains the first 1000 comics (plus some new bonus comics) of this complete web series about a group of friends navigating their twenties and questions of sex, love, employment, housing. Hazel Tellington and her best friend Jamie McJack, along with a huge cast of characters (including cats and talking houseplants) drink, love, learn, and do all the insane things that cartoon young adults can get away with. In this volume, Hazel begins her writing career and falls in love with a cabdriver named Zack, while Jamie unpacks her complicated sexuality and falls for the asexual Erin. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're judgy about drinking and promiscuity. 

Neurodiversity

Written by: Thomas Armstrong, PhD

First line: Imagine for a moment that our society has been transformed into a culture of flowers.

Why you should read this book: Differences of the mind are often seen as disabilities to be overcome, but Armstrong argues that these differences--neurodiversities--while often challenging, each come with their own strengths and gifts, and asks readers to consider reframing their views of those who are different and, rather than focus on what neurodiverse people can't do, begin focusing on what they can. Armstrong holds a wide view of neurodiversity, including not only ADD/ADHD and autism, but also dyslexia, mood disorders, anxiety, cognitive disabilities, and schizophrenia, and lays out clear and research-based perspectives on the positive aspects of these conditions along with speculation about their role in overall human success, without romanticizing or downplaying ways in which they may make it difficult to function under certain societal structures. Rather than forcing individuals to a standard of conformity they cannot hope to achieve, he argues for inclusivity that recognizes the how neurodiverse people best function, and how society can accommodate their differences without pushing them out of the center, and how they can create lives for themselves that make the best use of their talents while minimizing any disabling aspect of the way they think.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never met a square peg you couldn't shove into a round hole.

The Happiest Ending

Written by: Yoshiko Uchida

First line: How did I ever let Mama talk me into this, I wondered.

Why you should read this book: Rinko isn't surprised when her mother directs her to help Mrs. Sugino make dinner after her Japanese tutor breaks her arm (Mama made Rinko spend the whole summer helping when Mrs. Hata lost her husband), but she is surprised to learn that Mrs. Sugino's boarder, Mr. Kinju, plans to marry Mrs. Hata's daughter, even though Teru is only nineteen and Mr. Hata is even older than Rinko's own father! As a Japanese-American girl who thinks of herself as very American, Rinko believes in marrying for love, and she just doesn't see how anyone as young and beautiful as Temu could ever love an old man she's never met like Mr. Hata. But the adults don't seem to see the problem, so it is up to Rinko to save Temu from the terrible fate of an unsuitable marriage. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You married for love and it worked out terribly.

Camp

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: Olive! Earth to Olive! Are you listening?

Why you should read this book: Olive is excited about all the new activities she'll try and all the new friends she and Willow will make at overnight camp, but she doesn't anticipate that Willow is going to reject new experiences and demand that Olive serve as her emotional support human all summer! Olive does everything she can think of to help Willow feel safe and comfortable, but it's never enough, and when Willow won't even let Olive dance one dance with one boy, unthinkable words are said, and unthinkable actions are performed. How can Olive, who is friends with everyone, fix a problem that is caused by one of her friends not wanting her to be friends with everyone?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You still have unresolved trauma from an overnight camp you attended in the twentieth century. 

Just Jaime

Written by: Terri Libenson

First line: You always think bad things are going to happen to somebody else, not you.

Why you should read this book: Jaime knows that something is up with her best friend, Maya, who has been acting strange for weeks, but she doesn't anticipate Maya telling her that their friend group "had a meeting" and decided that Jaime wasn't part of the group anymore. It's the last day of seventh grade and Jaime has got to get through this entire day without her best friend, but she soon finds that she's not completely friendless, and that there's life after Maya. Maya, meanwhile, is starting to reconsider her position, wondering if trading her best friend for the approval of the most popular girl she knows was actually the best decision.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't hang out with someone whose puberty isn't proceeding along the exact same path as yours, at the exact same speed. 

Gay the Pray Away

Written by: Natalie Naudus

First line: I cannot be trusted.

Why you should read this book: This absolute gem of a YA-romance novel not only tells a heartwarming love story and an uplifting coming-out story, but also does its civic duty in warning the world what, exactly, is going on in the Christian Dominionist movement: how children are being abused spiritually and emotionally, intentionally kept ignorant, forced into obsolete gender roles and legalized servitude, and just generally harmed by fundamentalist religious beliefs. Valerie has been hiding her truth for so long, desperately trying to live up to her family's expectations, but when she meets the gorgeous, grapefruit-scented Riley, she realizes she can't keep pretending to be someone she's not. Valerie is bisexual, and absolutely in love with Riley, and definitely never going to follow the life plan her church claims is God's will for her, because that plan is horrible, and has nothing to do with who she is as a person and what she's going to do with her future. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't care what genders they have, you absolutely just despise seeing people happy. 

Raymie Nightengale

Written by: Kate DiCamillo

First line: There were three of them, three girls.

Why you should read this book: Ever since her father ran away with a dental hygienist two days ago, Raymie has been trying to figure out what to do about this tragedy, and having decided upon a course of action--win a local pageant so he sees her picture in the paper and remembers to come home--she is determined to learn baton. But her baton teacher is useless and the other girls in the class--strange, ephemeral Louisiana Elephante, and tough, rebellious Beverly Tapinski--seem equally determined to prevent her from learning this essential skill. Instead, Raymie, Lousiana, and Beverly form an unlikely alliance based on hunting for a euthanized cat and a library book lost in a retirement home, and eventually get from each other the things they needed when they mistakenly enrolled in baton classes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: As a former champion baton thrower and pageant-winner, you don't have time for nonsense.  

The Greatest of Marlys

Written by: Lynda Barry

First line: One day, I was drawing my weekly comic strip, and as I drew the frame, I had a half-memory of being with my cousins after seeing the torchlight parade.

Why you should read this book: Lynda Barry returns the reader to the magical, confusing, frustrating, delightful, dirty, and exuberant world of childhood with her strange four-panel strips, containing far more words than you would expect, and far more ideas. Marlys, her siblings Freddy and Maybonne, and their cousins Arna and Arnold, live in a gritty but joyful world where adults are bizarre and inscrutable, teenagers are mysterious and exciting, kids have incredible power to interpret and reframe their circumstances, and also there are many cool dogs and interesting bugs. The next-level writing provides a unique and believable voice for every kid, offering short narrative arcs along with imaginative info-dumps from the young protagonists' perspective. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Lord help me, her writing is SO good but frankly, her artwork makes me want to barf.

The Willoughbys

Written by: Lois Lowry

First line: Once upon a time there was a family named Willoughby: an old-fashioned type of family, with four children.

Why you should read this book: Although you may have seen the animated film, the written version of this story about four children who ought to be orphans, given how incredibly terrible their parents are, is infinitely better (and contains a list of interesting vocabulary words and a bibliography of historical examples of the plucky orphan genre with which all well-read children should become familiar). Similar to the aesthetic of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, this book depends heavily on the conventions of "old-fashioned" literature, but offers a bit more clarity and joyousness, and a much happier ending, one where at least ten people's circumstances are improved by our plucky heroes' endeavors. Timothy, Barnaby A, Barnaby B, and Jane, abandoned by their criminally awful parents, must figure out new ways to live and to relate to each other and the world around them in order to move forward from their abusive upbringing, while actively hoping for their parents' actual deaths.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've never one time read a children's book from the nineteenth or twentieth century about a plucky orphan, and you don't want to start now.

Not Fade Away

Written by: Rebecca A. Alexander

First line: Even though the doctor's office was warm, I was freezing. 

Why you should read this book: At the age of twelve, Rebecca learns that she isn't just kind of clumsy, but that she is, in fact, losing her sight, and, as she grows, the doctors determine she is losing her hearing as well, because Rebecca suffers from a rare genetic condition known as Usher Syndrome, and can expect to go completely blind and deaf at some point in her life. This memoir details not only Rebecca's journey into disability, but also all the joy and triumph she is able to wring from life despite setbacks and adversity. Although some parts of the story feel like inspiration porn (especially when, at the age of seventeen, she falls out a window and has to spend a year in rehab instead of going to college) a lot of it is simply devoted to the things she loves (a chapter about how much she loves teaching spin class, a chapter about how much she loves her best friend, a chapter about how much she loves her dog), as Rebecca demonstrates that her life is rich and full, and that losing her eyes and ears does not mean giving up on anything. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It might be a bit too chipper and upbeat for some readers. 

All the Ever Afters

Written by: Danielle Teller

First line: Suppers at the royal court have become entirely too oppressive.

Why you should read this book: Similar to the revisionist works of Donna Jo Napoli, this is a more grown-up retelling of Cinderella, from the stepmother's point of view. Beginning with young Agnes being sent to the Manor as a very young girl, because her parents can no longer afford to feed her, this book casts the young protagonist as a hard-working, determined go-getter, who learns through trial and error that nobody is going to take care of her, so she needs to take care of herself. A truly excellent example of the genre, with intelligent storytelling and clever plotting, this is a gripping read, one that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next despite the story's framework depending on the fact that most readers already know a lot of it.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are too busy trying to force someone else's autistic kid to learn basic manners. 

The Best Bad Thing

Written by:  Yoshiko Uchida

First line: "Mama, do I absolutely have to go?" I asked for the third time. 

Why you should read this book: Rinko doesn't even want to visit the recently widowed Mrs. Hata and her sons, who are wild and hop on freight trains for fun, and she definitely doesn't want to spend her summer living with them and helping with their cucumber harvest, but her mother has made up her mind: this is the right thing to do for a fellow immigrant in her time of need. Nothing at the Hata house is her idea of a good time, but gradually, Rinko learns to love unusual Mrs. Hata and even her rambunctious sons and the strange old man who lives in their barn. The only problem is that one tragedy seems to follow the next (although they all seem to be related to the freight train situation) and even with Rinko's help, the Hatas are falling further and further away from prosperity. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You regularly jump off of moving vehicles and nothing bad ever happens to you.

Alternative Remedies for Loss

Written by: Joanna Cantor

First line: "You must be new."

Why you should read this book: Ever since her mother passed away, very young adult Olivia has been sleepwalking through life: sleepwalking right out of college and into an entry-level job, sleepwalking through encounters with men, sleepwalking through the entire country of India. When her father asks her to clean out her mother's office (too soon, Olivia thinks, especially considering the presence of her father's new girlfriend, who showed up only a few months after the tragedy) Olivia stumbles upon a photograph and some letters that hint at some secret, something she needs to learn about her mother to try to make sense of her death. Suddenly imbued with purpose, Olivia becomes a detective as well as a filmmaker, and returns to India to uncover the mysteries left unspoken at the end of her mother's life.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You mainly like to travel overseas for the fresh new shopping experiences.