Haven’t Killed in Years by Amy K. Green - OPTIONAL

Haven’t Killed in Years by Amy K. Green, 368 pages. Berkeley (Penguin Random House), 2025. $30.

Language: R (85 swears, 21 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: R

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Gwen (29yo) has been living her boring, normal life ever since she became an adult. She doesn’t have close friends to keep from forming attachments and doesn’t even wear bold colors in order to not stand out. But still, someone has figured out that she wasn’t born with the name Gwen. On the day that her mother gets released from prison, Gwen finds a box on her doorstep containing a severed human arm, and now she has to do something about it.

There were several things I liked about this book, but the story became convoluted halfway in and the ending was disappointing, which left me feeling meh about the story overall. A killer that comes out of left field isn’t a twist; it’s a wrinkle that disrupts the flow of a good story. Despite that, I really liked Gwen and her character arc, and even the side characters were memorable. They made the story an enjoyable read.

The majority of characters are implied White. Gwen’s and Elyse’s sexual orientations are undefined, and neither is strictly heterosexual. The mature content rating is for drug and alcohol use; illegal activity; kissing; mentions of prostitutes, genitalia, sex, and rape; innuendo; and partial nudity. The violence rating is for blood and gore, corpses, cutting and self harm, assault, gun use, mentions of animal cruelty and suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

Summer of the Bone Horses by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve and Steph Littlebird - ADVISABLE

Summer of the Bone Horses by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Steph Littlebird, 60 pages. CHAPTER BOOK Abrams Amulet, 2025. $15.

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Eddie's grandparents live on the Rosebud Reservation, and he and his parents often visit. But, this summer, Eddie's dad must have some surgery, so he will be staying with his grandparents. At first things are so different, they don't have electricity or running water, their hymnbooks at church are in Dakota rather than English. But soon, Grandpa brings Eddie some toys called bone horses and teaches him to ride Grandpa's horse Buck. Eddie is missing home less and less. 

What a nice story about learning the old ways of your culture. The illustrations were timeless, it was not until the author's note that I became aware that Eddie's story happened over 70 years ago. I think there's a little nostalgia in all of us that would like to take us back to simpler times. There is a lot of text, but it is simply written and at just 60 pages would be appropriate for 3rd-4th grader. The characters are Sioux. 

Lisa Librarian 

Coach (Track #5) by Jason Reynolds - ADVISABLE

Coach (Track #5) by Jason Reynolds, 250 pages. Caitlyn Diouhy, Atheneum (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $18. 

Language: (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (beer offered to MC, drug dealers and gang activity SC); Violence: PG (Adult gets nose broken) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

12yo Otie is an athlete - but he runs track, so he doesn't get the recognition at school like the football or basketball team players do. In fact, he's bullied. When a boy makes fun of Otie's hair during a talent show comedy routine, Otie tries to give himself a hair cut. Of course it's a disaster, starting the ball rolling of one bit of trouble after another. His father is gone a lot, he is always thinking about how he can build a time machine to more quickly get to the olympics he's so sure he'll be part of. But a pair of expensive shoes gifted to him, may just become his undoing. 

Set in 1985, Coach is about a childhood experience of Coach, mentor and trainer of Ghost, Lu, Patina and Sunny of the track team the Defenders.  I'm giving this a higher rating that I would if it was an independent novel. The "Ghost" series is so popular it's a necessity to purchase this one as readers will ask for it and read it. However, it didn't have the excitement, the danger, the engagement of the rest of the books in the series. I felt like I was missing something; should I have re-read Ghost or the others to better appreciate this sequel (prequel?)? I was not drawn in by Otie - I felt he was ordinary - I didn't care a lot about the character, and found the ending another example of things happening to the character that are out of his control, rather than experiencing consequences for his actions or lessons he could learn. And, if you didn't know it was part the series, calling it Coach could make the reader think the title character is someone else. 

The characters are black. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Faerie Isle by Sine Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn - ADVISABLE

The Faerie Isle by Sine Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn, 76 pages. Candlewick Press, 2024. $19

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Irish faeries come in many forms. They include leprechauns, banshees, selkies, water horses, pookas, changelings, mermaids and many others. Most faeries have a dark side, but if you are kind and respectful, they usually leave you alone. They also often give assistance to the needy. You can protect yourself from them with such things as salt, horseshoes, and rowan branches. Knowing how to be on good terms with them is the best protection.

Quinn presents this Irish folklore in a straightforward way by sharing the traditions around each faery and then, consecutively telling a short story about each one.  He also presents modern take-offs from these grim characters, along with regional preferences and origins. Quinn includes the Celtic names of the faeries along with a glossary of terms. While the illustrations are entertaining, many of the pages are almost too dark to read the type, making it difficult to read.  

MOMMAC

Find Her by Ginger Reno - ADVISABLE

Find Her by Ginger Reno, 212 pages. Holiday House, 2024. $18

Language: G (2 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (mention of a father beating on his son; the Dad tries to hit the son, but is stopped)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Wren's Cherokee mother has been missing for 5 years, three months and 12 days. Wren is starting middle school, missing her Mom and frustrated with her white Police Chief Dad who refuses to share any information about the investigation. Wren refuses to stop looking for her Mom and spends her days searching and practicing her detective skill by finding missing pets. When Wren receives help from an unexpected source and one of the pets turns up badly injured, she suddenly finds herself deeper in trouble than she ever expected to be.

I really loved the relationships in this book. Wren's father is white and her grandmother is Cherokee and her relationship with both family members feels authentic and loving, but not always easy. The other important relationships in the book - her friend Brantley (white), her teacher (white) and Landry (her father's deputy) are also very realistic and positive. I also appreciated the handling of the current crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women- it does not shy away from the issue, but neither does it make it too overwhelming for a middle school audience. Lastly, the book handles issues of bullying, being biracial, child abuse and animal abuse exceptionally well. Each of these issues are heavy and tough to navigate, but they never felt overwhelming and it never felt as if Wren was left to deal with them all be herself and without support. 

Jen VanHaaften, Middle School Librarian

Dive by John David Anderson - ADVISABLE

Dive by John David Anderson, 325 pages. Walden Pond Press, 2025. $20

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (mention of adults drinking and smoking, but no reference to kids using substances); Violence: PG (Kass is chased by two homeless men and is terrified by the incident; off page beating)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

13yo Kass is a diver who has transferred to a private Catholic school so that she can be on a prestigious diving team and improve her skills. But nothing seems to be working as it should and Kass desperately misses her old school, her friends and struggles to find her way at her new school. Until Kass meets Miles, a 17yo boy who dives in a completely different way... scavenging and dumpster diving on the posh side of town for things he can salvage or sell to help take care of his Dad. Miles understands what it means to feel trapped and Kass starts to wonder what would happen if she starts breaking out of the boxes that she feels forced to live in... until she and Miles are trapped and struggling to find a way out.

I loved the unexpected connection between two divers - one who dives in a pool and one who dives in a dumpster. The friendship between the two kids is unexpected and unsettling and yet compelling. I love the way that Kass explores  and pushes boundaries as all teens and tweens do, but knowing that she is loved by her family and where she can turn for safety. The story felt very unpredictable, yet most kids will connect with the feeling of not fitting in and struggling to find their "spot" in the world. Kass is dealing with parents who have money struggles, missing her best friend who goes to her old school, trying to make friends at her new school and the challenge of connecting both worlds. All of these challenges slam up against her fascination and friendship with Miles and the clash of their two worlds. The story is compelling and curious and familiar all at the same time. I think kids will find it fascinating.

Jen VanHaaften, Middle School Librarian

Baby and Solo by Lisabeth Posthuma - OPTIONAL

Baby and Solo by Lisabeth Posthuma, 416 pages. Candlewick Press, 2021. $20.

Language: R (311 swears, 112 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

The Bad Thing that happened changed everything about Joel’s life and made him very familiar with mental hospitals. His therapist thinks that things are going to be better now, and Joel’s newest prescription is to get a job. Joel (17yo) is thrilled to get to pass as a normal kid working at ROYO Video with other normal kids his age. But being normal isn’t at all what Joel thought it was.

Tragedy strikes and we all have to deal with what comes after. Joel’s story is about hope that we can climb up from rock bottom and that we can help each other out—while The Bad Thing in your life might be different from The Bad Thing in my life, all of our feelings about our respective Bad Things are valid. And all of that makes Joel’s story heavy but also good. Joel is the narrator and sometimes breaks the fourth wall, and some parts are laugh out loud funny, and all of that is mixed in with the hard parts. Which is how life is too.

Joel is White, Nichole is described as “pale,” Poppins is described as “tanning-bed tan,” The Godfather is Asian, and Maverick is Puerto Rican. There are also a couple of LGBT characters, but identifying them would be spoilers. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, discussions of eating disorders, kissing, innuendo, partial nudity, and mentions of drugs, abortions, condoms, prostitution, pornography, incest, and sex. The violence rating is for mild assault, mentions of blood and other bodily fluids and murder, and for suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

Dan in Green Gables written by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Claudia Aguirre - OPTIONAL

Dan in Green Gables: A Modern Reimagining of Anne of Green Gables written by Rey Terciero and illustrated by Claudia Aguirre, 256 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Penguin Workshop (Penguin Random House), 2025. $18.

Language: R (10 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (adult drinking and smoking, child abandonment, homelessness); Violence: PG-13 (homophobic language, high school bullies, off-page reference to one instance of parental physical abuse, references to parent’s physical abusive relationships).

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A modern, gender-bent retelling of Anne of Green Gables, this graphic novel follows Dan, a 15 yr old boy who has a mom with a drinking problem and itchy feet. She drops him off at his paternal grandparents house in Eastern Tennessee in the mid-90s. He has to figure out how to put down roots in a place he’s never been, when he doesn’t necessarily look or act like everyone else.

I loved Anne of Green Gables growing up, and also I loved this modern(ish) retelling. For many of our students, the 90s are just as historic as the 1890s. I thought it was very clever how the creators were able to gender-swap the story, and keep so much of Anne’s passion for life and her impact on those around her still in this new version, with Dan and his story.

Reviewer: Kiera Beddes, ELA teacher, #bookswithbeddes 

Castle in the Sky: The Official Cookbook by Studio Ghibli - GIFT

Castle in the Sky: The Official Cookbook by Studio Ghibli, 64 pages. VIZ Media, 2025. $17.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - GIFT

AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME

This cookbook tells an abbreviated version of Sheeta’s story from the movie in order to showcase its recipes in context—like the breakfast Sheeta and Pazu share in a cave and the stew Sheeta makes for the airship pirates. Then there are extra recipes at the end that are inspired by the movie—including candy shaped like the crystal necklace!

Each recipe includes a difficulty indicator; the majority of them are labeled as “easy,” and only one is at the highest level of “difficult.” I love the idea of getting young readers more excited about the characters and action by using the recipes in this cookbook to add more immersion to the experience—not to mention developing a new skill. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, and the violence rating is for mild assault, battle scenes, and gun use.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

My Presentation Today is About the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by AnneMarie Van Haeringen, - ADVISABLE

My Presentation Today is About the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by AnneMarie Van Haeringen, 224 pages. Levine Querido, 2025. (originally published in the Netherlands in 2022). $20. 

Language: G; Mature Content: PG (some talk of animal reproduction, not awkward or cringy) Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

A group of animals have prepared presentations about, well, animals. Sometimes they have a real connection - did you know there are only 7 animals that are truly black and white and they don't interact with each other geographically? The Zebra did! The fox gives their presentation on stalking, catching, killing and eating geese - despite the goose's objections. Other animals include the snow leopard, sea anemone, hummingbirds and even a unicorn. 

Most of the animals are relatively obscure, and the information is accurate and interesting. The reader learns about both the animal presenting as well as their presented animal. What a great lesson on perspective, voice and tone. The presentations can be read out of order. Some of the animals in the classroom interrupt and add their own information, just like in real life. Bibi Dumon Tuk has won the Batchelder award twice and I adore her stories - Mikis and the Donkey and Soldier Bear. I really think kids would love this hybrid non fiction. Includes an index. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Totally Awesome World of Steph Curry by Neal E. Fischer - ESSENTIAL

The Totally Awesome World of Steph Curry by Neal E. Fischer, 123 pages. Becker and Mayer Kids  (Quarto), 2025. $15 (pb)

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Follow Steph Curry from his days shadowing his NBA player dad to his current status as a certified basketball phenomenon.

Lots of photographs, lots of side bars and simple, interesting information to read. I hope the publisher puts out more biographies in this style.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Trespassers by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, - NO

The Trespassers by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, 337 pages. Delacorte (RandomHouse), 2025. $13 (pb)

Language: R (100+  swears,  20+ ‘f’); Mature Content: R (drinking, drugs in use; briefly described on page sex); Violence: PG-13 (blood and death, other deaths mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NOT RECOMMENDED

After four years in LA, Finley and her mom are back in Alaska. After doing well in LA, Fin falls back in with her old friend group - the group that shares a trauma, and someone among them harbors even more dangerous secrets. Fin’s world swiftly falls apart.

I read 95 pages and I couldn’t take any more.  I don’t feel Alvarez invents anything new here - nothing that inspires me to see this as something new and different.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Field Guide to Broken Promises by Leah Stecher - NO

 

A Field Guide to Broken Promises by Leah Stecher, 288 pages. Bloomsbury, 2025. $19

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: NOT RECOMMENDED

Evie is used to moving around - following her mother’s climb up the ladder to a network news reporting job.  But this time is different - this should be their last move ever!  Evie is ready to shine on her last first day at a new school.  And she walks into her first class - there is her BFF from summer camp! What’s this? Dara disses Evie in front of the whole class and calls Evie her stalker.  Now everyone is suspicious of Evie - and Evie is sure something more dire is at play.  Dara must have been replaced with a golem - and Evie is a great Cryptid hunter - just ask her dad. She finds two other students who are willing to help her investigate the golem and help Evie get her friend back.

When Evie declared that Dara must be a mythical creature I lost it. And when two other students believed her and helped her investigate - more weirdness. While the ending is quite strong, I can’t forgive Evie’s bonkers behavior in the rest of the book. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer - ADVISABLE

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer, 427 pages. Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $15

Language: PG (7 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: PG-13 (bloody violence and bloody death)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Young adult Mallory

Teenager Mallory is a tour guide for the haunted House Saphir, the home of Bastien Le Bleu, a man who murdered several of his wives over a century ago. She’s also a con artist, along with her sister Anais, and together they run their family shop of fake magical treasures. During one of her tours, a young man named Armand, claiming to be a descendant of Le Bleu, asks for Mallory’s help in ridding his family mansion of Le Bleu’s evil ghost. Mallory and Anais are barely scraping by, so she happily takes Armand up on his generous offer to pay her for her assistance, thinking it will be easy money. Mallory soon learns that she’s in over her head and she’s put herself and Anais in danger.

The charming banter between Mallory and Armand is a lot of fun. The spooky setting is a perfect backdrop for the storyline. I enjoyed the mystery and the main characters, Mallory, Armand and Anais.

The ethnicity is mixed and the main characters cue white.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah

Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall, - OPTIONAL

Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall, 100 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Chronicle Books, 2024. $16

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

7yo Stella and 4yo Marigold are sisters and the best of friends.  They love to play pretend together and tell each other secrets.  Stella is always there for her sister.

Stella & Marigold is very similar to Beezus and Ramona.  The book is about their everyday life.  The illustrations are very colorful and are on almost every page.  A good book for a student that has outgrown a leveled reader and needs something a little more difficult.

Stella and Marigold are presumably white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate - ADVISABLE

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate, 263 pages. Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $18. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

"The Secondhand Home for the Tossed and Treasured" belongs to a mother and daughter who are refugees from Ukraine. Pocket Bear, who was found in a cupboard in their home, was the first toy which started the collection. He is a handmade bear intended as a companion and reminder of home for a soldier during WWI. Now, Pocket Bear, called "Sarge" by the other toys, is daughter Dasha's favorite, and at night Pocket Bear organizes the toys in the shop - who come alive when no one is around to notice - and inducts new toys, ready for their rehabilitation and possible adoption by another child to love them.  Zephyrina is the cat who finds most of the tossed and treasured, bringing home discoveries during the night which Dasha and her mother restore. Zephyrina's latest find is a rare and valuable bear which might change everything. 

I loved learning about the history of teddy bears, especially Mascot Bears and what may have been the prototype for the Steiff Bear. Dasha had been injured by a bomb while in Ukraine, so there were some meaningful connections to war, both modern and WWI from a hundred years ago.  I read the short summary on the book flap and was immediately excited to read "Pocket Bear." It was not as much magical realism as I expected. More about the Cat's involvement, but I still loved every page. The chapters are short, the text on the large size, so it's market is certainly upper elementary, but the story is engaging and the ending exciting enough for middle school readers as well.

Lisa Librarian 

Dear Jackie by Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley - ADVISABLE

Dear Jackie by Jessixa Bagley, illustrated by Aaron Bagley, 284 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL Simon and Schuster, 2025. $25 

Language PG (5 swears, 0 f); Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Jackie is a 6th grader just starting middle school. Her friends keep pressuring her to start dressing more girl like and to get into make-up and boys. Jackie is not interested, and would much rather spend her time with her lifelong friend, Milo. When Milo starts playing on the soccer team, it seems they may be moving in different directions. In an effort to take the pressure off herself and fit in, Jackie starts sending secret admirer notes to herself. Soon she realizes she may be in over her head, and there's no easy way out. 

All the cringey things about middle school! Jackie's dilemma rings true, and she doesn't really want to change herself, but she wonders if she is acceptable to others.This book takes a look at the sometimes narrow definition of what a girl should be. The art is well done and easy to follow and the story engaging and relatable. Jackie and her family appear Black, and Milo presents East Asian. 

Michelle in the Middle 

The Maid of Sherwood Forest by Sian Ann Bessey - ADVISABLE

The Maid of Sherwood Forest (A McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance #2) by Sian Ann Bessey, 296 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2025. $19.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULT - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Mariah (23yo) walks into a costume shop dressing room and exits into a kitchen from medieval times—exactly the time period where her costume allows Mariah to fit in. The door she came from does not return her to the twenty-first century, and Mariah must continue to work in the kitchen or else have no roof over her head, no family, no job, and nowhere else to turn.

The second in this series, Mariah’s story is a standalone, though I recommend reading the first one as well because I love Bessey’s historical fiction-take by using time travel as the reason for unexplained historical people and events. Mariah’s story is focused on the legends of Robin Hood, and I enjoyed learning some new parts of his tales that I haven’t heard before. With humor and wit, life-or-death situations, figuring out what’s really important in life, and, of course, romance, Bessey includes a little bit of everything for her readers.

All of the characters are English. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, kissing, and illegal activity. The violence rating is for assault, battle scenes, and attempted murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

Rapunzel and the Sea Witch by Kim Bussing - ADVISABLE

Rapunzel and the Sea Witch (or, The Little Mermaid and the Tower) (Princess Swap #3) by Kim Bussing, 311 pages. Random House, 2025. $10.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Making a deal with the Sea Witch is said to be foolish, but if Hana (13yo) steals a contract and makes a deal with herself to stop the Storm and a war with the humans, that can’t be as bad, right? Until she ends up with legs in a tower. Meanwhile, Rapunzel is found by the Sea Witch and trades her voice to get rid of her Curse. But if Rapunzel can’t find a way to break her Curse permanently, she’ll never get her voice back.

Bussing creatively mashes fairy tales together in this series beyond the advertised “princess swap,” and, though the first two books are referenced, reading them is not required to enjoy Hana’s and Rapunzel’s stories. I love the references to the familiar stories we know—like when the price to enjoy a lagoon symphony is to “kiss the girl”—and that Bussing adds her own new spins to the tales—like how this little mermaid has singing ocean magic! Fairy tales like Hana’s and Rapunzel’s remind us that we have yet to fulfill our grand potential, regardless of how others try to stifle our growth.

Rapunzel is depicted on the cover to have light skin, and Hana is depicted to have tanner skin. Lady Grimm is described as having “fair” skin, Melusine has “pale” skin, and Oliver has “slightly tan” skin. The mature content rating is for kissing, and the violence rating is for mild fantasy violence and assault.

Reviewer: Carolina Johnson

 

Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides: Greek Mythology by Ken Jennings and Mike Lowery - ADVISABLE

Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides: Greek Mythology by Ken Jennings, illustrated by Mike Lowery, 162 pages. NON-FICTION Simon Spotlight (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $20 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

All the interesting tidbits of Greek Mythology rolled into one book. From the birth of the Gods to the heroes, monsters, and quests, this book has it all. Plus it has some quizzes and activities that go along with the reading, 

One of the most engaging ways to discover Greek mythology. Easy to digest segments and great facts. I read it cover to cover even though I know a lot about the subject because it was so entertaining, The Greeks put the fun in dysfunctional families. This is a nice size book, and the illustrations are fun 

Michelle in the Middle