First, foremost, and forever, my answer is The Mysterious Benedict Society. When I first read this, I was just at the age where I started to notice how carelessly written some juvenile fiction novels were. But not so with The MBS! This book respects the intelligence of children and celebrates the different team members’ various strengths. The adults are kind and supportive as the children must make tricky decisions for themselves. It’s a book about ingenuity, teamwork, and hope.
Along the way there is plenty of humor, heart, and intrigue, leading to a heart-pounding showdown with the antagonist. As a lifelong library user, this was the first book I felt compelled to buy, new, from a bookstore—it has lived on my shelf ever since, a friend that I can keep close and revisit time and time again.
I can’t talk about favorites without mentioning comics! Revenge of the Baby-Sat is the one Calvin and Hobbes collection that we had at home when I was little. Over the years I’ve acquired them all, but this volume is the one that I read first, and the one I have re-read the most. This and the Peanuts 50-year treasury were the two “starter” books that inspired my lifelong interest in newspaper comics.
Up next, we have the Unwind Dystology. I read Unwind in its original state—as a standalone book. I liked it fine, and it certainly was thought-provoking. A chapter near the end made me choke up in my algebra II class. (Why was I reading during math? I don’t know.) After years of questions from his fans, author Neal Shusterman decided to expand the story and the world, and it is in this expansion that the series becomes a standout work. What was supposed to be a trilogy ended up being four books plus a collection of short stories. Shusterman can see straight to the heart of humanity, and then somehow he gently lays it all out for his readers in a way that evokes empathy and understanding. I was on the bus when I finished the last book, and once again I had to hold back tears. The story is gripping and multifaceted, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
I found Journey (available through SearchOhio) when I was shelving new books in the library. I paused to flip through it and nearly cried over the linework. It deserved more than a hurried page-through, so I checked it out and gave it a proper read at home. I love ink and watercolor, I love wordless picture books, and I love stories about wonder and imagination, so you might say I was predisposed to like Journey. I felt I was “eating” the artwork with my eyes: a slow and careful taking in of every brilliant detail, savoring it like a rich desert.
Every Day was not the first book by David Levithan I had read. I knew I liked his narrative voice, but I’m not a big fan of teen romances, which rules out a lot of his work. However, the premise of Every Day was intriguing: A soul wakes up in a different body every morning, “borrowing” that person’s life for a day. How does a wandering soul form lasting connections? How does this affect their sense of self?
Levithan’s writing is pristine, and the story is unique and compelling. This standalone work eventually became a trilogy, and the third book explored a lot of the questions and consequences raised by the premise. The story is beautifully bittersweet; I’ve never read anything else like it.
I got into the anime and manga scene after high school, and spent a few years scrambling around and trying to get a sense of all the big-name titles that everyone else had grown up with. Time and time again I heard that Fullmetal Alchemist was simply the best. So I read it, and I concur: it’s the best! It has great action, comedy, and lovable characters. As you continue reading, a grander plot unfolds. Thoughtful readers can spend time considering the intricacies of the world-building, which is very rich without being obtrusive. It’s one of the greatest examples of storytelling that I have ever experienced.
There’s also an excellent anime adaptation!
Thank you for indulging me as I gush about all my favorite titles. Of course, there are plenty of stellar books that I haven’t included here—if I really let loose, this list would be infinite! These titles are the ones at the forefront of my mind and closest to my heart. There certainly is personal preference involved, but all of these books are quality works from an technical standpoint as well. Happy reading!
