Chicken Cheeks (the beginning of the ends)

by Michael Ian Black

If you like borderline inappropriate picture books, you'll love Chicken Cheeks. In short, rhyming text, the author roles through a list of animals by naming their rear ends. You and the children you read this with will laugh hysterically at the variety of creatures stacked one upon the other as they try to reach a sweet treat. One of my favorites is the image of a guinea pig holding up a deer. Pick up this book and just try to read about "turkey tushy" and "flamingo fanny" with a straight face.

Into the wild nerd yonder

by Julie Halpern

As I started this book I kept thinking, "I don't know if I can stand this teen life story." However, I kept with it and things progressed beyond crummy ex-friends and into a view of high school that is about as comfortable as anyone feels during that part of life. The main character, Jessie, doesn't realize how cool and comfortable she appears in others' eyes. She's an admirable young woman to be sure. An absolute pro at pre-calculus, she impresses a new friend by helping him study. Jessie also happens to be a phenomenal seamstress (she sews her own quirky skirts), a self-taught punk drummer and throughout the book manages to learn to play Dungeons and Dragons very successfully. This is a book for anyone who has ever downplayed their own talents in order to fit in.

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin

Set in 1972 in quaint Bright's Pond, PA - where the world revolves around pie at the Full Moon Cafe - this is the story of the Sparrow sisters: 700-pound home-bound prayer maven Agnes and her sister/caretaker/town librarian Griselda.

This book felt like "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg, with an equal part of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" by Peter Hedges.

It's a folksy, small-town gossipy kind of story. Everybody knows everyone else's business - or do they really? It's funny and touching, with many characters you'll recognize from your own life.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

For those kids who loved the Wimpy Kid books and are ready for the next level - I present to you Oliver Watson!

Oliver had a genius-adult level mind even in the womb. He remembers being born, and he started scheming at just a few days old. Everybody, including his parents, thinks he's stupid (maybe even mentally retarded). But that's all a cover for the elaborate underground empire Oliver has really created. He's the third richest person in the world, and almost no one knows.

Oliver's mean, and he's sneaky. He's gotten where he is in business by being ruthless. But now he's set his sites on becoming class president. Why something so simple? You'll have to read to find out!

m.i.a. by Michael Allen Dymmoch

This was promoted as a mystery, but I think I disagree. More, it's a family drama about a grieving young widow, her teenage son, and the intriguing man who just moved in next door.

Much of the story is influenced by Rhiann's past - her friendships and relationships growing up, and their losses now and during the Vietnam War. Chapters rotate between the three characters' voices, and we see how current events become entangled with the unspoken past.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and act naturally, and even though I thought I knew where the plot was going, there were surprises along the way.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Tan is an incredible artist with a strong sense of the absurd. His 2007 book, The Arrival, was a wordless story about immigration. This one is highly illustrated short stories about everyday life.

Each tale stands alone, but together they give a bigger picture of the world. All are a little strange, kind of dream-like, and many of the characters don't seem to be human (more monsters and aliens, from the pictures) although they're extremely human in nature. Tan's illustrations are low-contrast in color, and extremely detailed in illustration: the book's endpapers can be a 20-minute exploration in themselves.

This is the kind of book that makes me feel like maybe I'm not smart enough. There's a lot going on here, and maybe I'm not getting it all. But that's not a bad thing - it's actually an excellent book I'd recommend highly. And definitely worth a read-along so you can discuss what's really happening and how you see it.

The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton

Nonfiction can be tough - how to express what really happened without getting bogged down, and still be interesting? Well, authors take note: 1) find interesting subject matter.

This tale of Bob & Joe Switzer's invention of glow-in-the-dark and then glow-in-the-LIGHT colors is a catchy idea with a fantastic implementation. It's a story told pretty simply - the brothers aren't really alike, they fall on hardships, they work together (even though it's usually apart) and eventually they have success they could hardly have expected.

The book's artwork is retro - it looks kind of like the funky, old Disney educational videos - and is rendered in predominantly black and white. Color is only introduced to the tale as the brothers develop it.