All Is Nat Lost

Written by: Maria Scrivan First line: Hi, I'm Natalie! My class is learning about American independence so, Midway Middle School is taking a trip to Philadelphia Why you should read this book: Nat really wants to join her class for an overnight trip to Philadelphia, but her parents worry so much about whether she's responsible that she's afraid they won't let her go especially after she loses her bike. When they finally agree, Nat is overjoyed, and everything seems to be going well until she loses her phone and she and her friend lose the rest of the group! Now it's Nat and Flo in the big city, frantically trying to complete the scavenger hunt and find their way back to the rest of their class.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I imagine there is a species of parent that would lose their minds over a story about two pre-adolescent girls who get lost in a big city and not only does nothing bad happen to them, things work out pretty well.

The New Girl

Written by: Cassandra Calin

First line: Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport Otopeni, Romania

Why you should read this book: Leaving her grandparents and all her friends behind in Romania to start a new life in Montreal when she doesn't even speak French is hard enough, but Lia hasn't even gotten on the plane when nature throws another wrench in her plans: Lia gets her first period in the airport, and seems destined for monthly debilitation. Even though she's in a special language class where nobody else speaks French either, Lia feels lost, lonely, and increasingly frustrated with her inability to communicate with the people around her, along with her regular menstrual difficulties, which are also impacting her social life. But, in time, she does learn French, and she does make really good friends, and she does find ways to make her monthly flow less incredibly traumatic. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you're the kind of person who flips out at the very thought of menstruation, be aware that Lia just keeps getting her period throughout the book. 

Everyone Is Lying to You

Written by: Jo Piazza

First line: There are things I know I should be doing before bed in order to get a "good" night's sleep.

Why you should read this book: Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college, but they haven't spoken for over a decade, until Bex, now a famous trad wife influencer, invites Lizzie, who writes for a women's magazine, to join her at a conference and get the exclusive scoop. Lizzie's entire industry could use a boost, and Lizzie definitely wants to know why Bex ghosted her in the first place, so she takes the job and finds herself navigating the strange, plastic world of Mommy content creators. When Bex disappears after her husband is brutally murdered, Lizzie is reminded of her investigative journalism background and, following clues seemingly provided for her by an unseen friend, decides to uncover the truth.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Definitely a guilty pleasure sort of thing.

Reverie

Written by: Ryan La Sala

First line: This is where it happened. 

Why you should read this book: I think, at its core, it's a metaphor about maladaptive daydreaming, the kind where it's so easy to escape into your dissociative fantasy world that your coping mechanism becomes more real to you than the real world, and begins to impact your real life and all your relationships, but it's also a YA queer fantasy, so the daydreams are very, very real and if the characters can't control them, it could be the end of life as we know it. Kane doesn't have any real memories of the night he supposedly crashed his car and burned down a local landmark, but, as he heals, he starts to realize that he's missing a lot of memories, mostly those pertaining to close friendships he doesn't remember having, but also that he was the leader of a group of teens with superpowers and that other worlds are creeping out of people's imaginations and taking over reality. Kane has to figure out who to trust and who to protect, and to defeat a magical drag queen who wants to use him to create another world in place of the one Kane calls home. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: It took me a while to get into it.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

Smaller Sister

Written by: Magie Edkins Willis

First line: Olivia, darling, meet your new baby sister.

Why you should read this book: Lucy has always counted on the friendship of her big sister, Livy, but lately Livy has been changing and pushing her away and behaving in other ways that Lucy can't understand until she finds out that her sister has been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Lucy can't understand her sister's anorexia, but she's determined to help her through her recovery. But Livy's body dysmorphia eventually impacts her sister's self-image, and Lucy has to handle her own problems as her body changes.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Possibly triggering for those with eating disorders. 

Invisible

Written by: Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriella Epstein

First line: I came as soon as I heard. 

Why you should read this book: When the principal insists that Jorge "George" Rivera agree to community service hours "with students like you" so the school can win an award, he assumes that means working with the other gifted kids, not cleaning the cafeteria with the Spanish-speaking students who already think he's a gringo. Despite the principal's blithe categorization, the five members of this breakfast club seem to have nothing in common, until they bond over the common cause of helping a mother and daughter living in a car across the street from the school. Each child has their own secrets, fears, strengths, and weaknesses, but they all find that they're willing to risk punishment in order to do what they know is right. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You only talk to people who share you exact ethnic background and financial circumstances.

The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

Written by: Jarvis 

Why you should read this book: With simple, meaningful language and simple, colorful illustrations, the author conveys a vast allegory of meaning about what it is to be different, what it is to be accepting, and what it is to be a loving friend. A little boy is best friends with David, a child who is visibly unlike other children, but still happy and kind and well-liked. When his difference become more acute and less acceptable, his friend finds a way to make him happy, not by making him more like other kids, but by helping him feel more like himself.

Extra Ezra Makes an Extra-Special Friend

Written by: Kara LaReau and Vincent X Kirsch

Why you should read this book: Ezra is a flamboyant elementary student who lets his light shine extra bright, injecting pizzazz and panache into everything he does, and his many friends appreciate his way of being "extra." When he meets a new kid, Jane, with rainbow barrettes and a glittery soccer ball, he's determined to make her his extra-special friend, but Jane is "blue" and has no interest in being cheered up. Ezra has to think hard about how to change his usual approach and offer Jane what she really needs, finally making a friend through the power of empathy.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You hate rainbows and glitter.

Friends Forever

Written by: Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

First line: And this year...I was an eighth grader.

Why you should read this book: In a stunning conclusion to the powerhouse trilogy about childhood friendships and growing up as a girl, Shannon must navigate not only the convoluted world of friendship, but also boys, relationships, personal appearance, and what she eventually learns is an anxiety disorder. Often insecure and frequently feeling left out, even when she's in the midst of her companions, she sometimes missteps and pushes herself further from the center in her attempts to belong and reassure herself of her own goodness and self-worth. However, through breakups, depression, confusion, and disappointment, Shannon learns to love and accept herself, to see navigate her most complicated friendships, and even to see her parents in a whole new light.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It stands alone, but it also makes more sense if you've read the first two books.

Buy Friends Forever Now

Jonesy

Written by: Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle

First line: Hey! Over here! It's me, Jonesy! Welcome to the worst day ever. 

Why you should read this book: Angry teen Jonesy has a secret power: she can make anyone fall in love with anything, unless that thing is her, which makes her even angrier. Plus, every time she uses her power on people, it backfires in ways that one should expect if one goes around willy-nilly telling people one dislikes to fall in love with random things. But not everyone sucks as much as Jonesy wants to think they do, and her shenanigans may very well help her find love in the long run. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're just a perfect kid with no flaws. 

Get Jonesy Volume 1 now!

Nisrin's Hijab

Written by: Priya Huq

First line: Alright, big hand for Nicole!

Why you should read this book: Following a sudden, gruesome, and apparently racially motivated act of violence, Bangladeshi-American teen Nisrin chooses to wear a headscarf, although her family is secular and their reactions to her decision range from confusion to anger. In school, her hijab elicits aggression from teachers and students, made even more complicated by the fact that she knows very little about Islam (the narrative makes it seem like her choice is motivated by PTSD rather than religious sentiment, which is then further complicated by her family's experience of violence prior to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971). By holding firm to ideas that she always feels but can't always express, Nisrim is able to find a new path forward while also repairing the relationships that suffered after her original ordeal. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: I wonder how a reader who wore a hijab for religious reasons would feel about this story, in which the hijab symbolizes many things, but not a submission to God.

Buy Piece by Piece the Story of Nisrin's Hijab here

The Sylvia Game

Written by: Vivien Alcock

First line: In October, Emily Dodd had the flu so badly that she nearly died of it. 

Why you should read this book: This unusual and somewhat convoluted story follows a little girl who is forced, against her will, to go on vacation with her father, even though he's an artist who is always broke and she's sure her family can't afford the trip and she'd rather just go back to school. Suspicious, she follows her father around the seaside town and begins to uncover mysteries: a Renoir that's been stolen, or destroyed, or forged, or maybe all three; the hinted connection between a teasing half-Roma working boy and the little lord of the manor who knows more than he's saying but doesn't always tell the truth; the question of whether her father is secretly a criminal, involved in something ghastly; what connection the purloined painting has to Emily; the possibility of some sort of malevolent ghost.... Nothing is exactly as it seems, and Emily will have to go to great and somewhat unpleasant lengths to uncover the truth. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're considering insurance fraud as a solution to your ancestral problems.

Click

Written by: Kayla Miller

First line: I know, right?!

Why you should read this book: Olive is happy to be friends with everyone the fifth grade, until it's time for the school variety show and everyone teams up with their best friends, leaving her the only unpartnered kid in the show and the only person without an act. Just as she's starting to understand the concept of cliques and what it means to be outside, her cool Aunt Molly comes to the rescue with a crash course in entertainment, leading Olive to the perfect solution to her problem. It turns out that there is a very special role for the kid who gets along with everyone and has never needed to find her own clique. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't get along with anyone. 

Katie and the Cupcake Cure

 

Written by: Coco Simon

First line: Every time I have ever watched a movie about middle school, the main character is always freaking out before the first day of school.

Why you should read this book: As promised by the title, this book's central thesis is that cupcakes are the solution to all of life's problems, which I am not going to argue with, although anyone over the target age group of this book (number one in the Cupcake Diary series) may be able to think of a few exceptions. Katie is wholly unconcerned about starting middle school, which, she believes, won't be any different from elementary school, until it turns out that her best friend, Callie, has made new friends over the summer and will henceforth be walking to school, sitting at lunch, and otherwise engaged during the school day with the "Popular Girls Club" (they literally and unironically call themselves that) even though she swears that Katie is still her best friend. But Katie bounces back with the help of some new friends and a lot (A LOT) of cupcakes.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Trying to cut out sugar.

Becoming Brianna

Written by: Terri Libenson

First line: Well, here I am again.

Why you should read this book: Brianna can't figure out why she agreed to have a bat mitzvah when she doesn't know any Hebrew and hardly even feels like she's Jewish, but she did tell her mother to sign her up and now she's stuck with her decision. But as she finds herself more and more stressed out trying to learn an entire new language while being asked to find meaning in a religion that seems increasingly at odds with her own personal worldview, she's also in between her divorced parents' disagreements, and meanwhile, her best friend seems jealous of the attention Brianna's suddenly getting from the popular girls who want in on the party of the year. Will Brianna muddle through this ceremony with her relationships intact or will she lose her parents' respect and her best friend for good?

Why you shouldn't read this book: Do you often throw up before public speaking?