100 books like Eliza and Her Monsters

I loved this non-fiction book, and reading it, I often broke down in tears, realizing this personal and innocent true teenage story was all leading up to the tremendous death of millions of innocent people.

This is the only Anne Frank book that I recommend to everybody from a young age. It is THE introduction to the real events of World War 2.

In this novel in verse, Elizabeth Acevedo beautifully evokes the landscape and feel of Harlem through the observant character of Xiomara Batista.

Having lived in upper Manhattan for years, I recognized the neighborhood in the vibrant descriptions. I identified with Xiomara’s need to express herself, how she fills the pages of her notebook with what she feels she can’t speak aloud. Her emotions as she confronts the challenges of friendship, romance, and family feel very real.

When a high school teacher opens up for her the world of spoken word poetry and a whole new set of possibilities for self-expression, I find myself rooting for Xiomara to be brave and take the steps she must take on her personal and artistic journey towards sharing her voice.

Going through anxiety can be tough and lonesome. I know most of us are stubborn and want to go things alone, just like Autumn does in this book. West paints a picture of how keeping our trials to ourselves can hold us back and keep us from growing. It can damage friendships and relationships. By giving your close friends and family a chance to see the world through your eyes, you’re giving them a way to truly and deeply understand you, which is all anyone really wants.

“Bittersweet” is the best word I can use to describe Finding Audrey. The story is about a fourteen-year-old girl whose life is disrupted by an anxiety disorder. What I like so much about this book is that it’s not depressing. The story brings to light a serious problem with a lot of levity and charm. I can really empathize with Audrey during her trip back to sanity after being bullied out of school. I laughed a lot, teared up a little, and smiled as Audrey is set on a new path, thanks in part to a pretty sweet romantic connection. The romance was totally unexpected and unfolds very naturally. The author’s light tone on this serious subject reminds me of the sage advice from the wise and wonderful Mary Poppins: a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. 

This gripping and heartbreaking YA novel about Lily and her older, bipolar sister, Alice, has stayed with me. I found the plot and characters so realistic and absorbing that I forgot I was reading fiction. 

This book is an intense read, but set in a world I became thoroughly immersed in. I connected with Lily’s compulsion to be the perfect daughter and straight-A student. I cried for her having to swallow her emotions and words, while internally struggling with her own demons.

It’s a must-read for anyone who has survived their teenage years. It’s considered, wholehearted, and delivers a convincing portrayal of sisterly bonds, mental health issues, and the people who are courageous enough to confront them. I’m teary now just thinking about it.

Even the people we least expect have anxiety. We are all dealing with hidden battles, even those that look so perfectly put together. So much pressure can be put on teenagers, to fit in, to live up to a certain standard, to get the highest grades, and sign-up for every extra-curricular activity known to mankind. I love how Corry dives into that world, really grasping the core of it all and how it affects all of our relationships, and showing us we don’t have to go it alone.

Tiger is a teenage girl who suddenly loses her mother. It’s a real, heartfelt, and painfully sad book, so be warned! This book made me look into my own losses and remember that grief is not a one size fits all experience and that there’s no way to avoid the sadness. To get through it we must keep going. I think it’s a beautifully written and important book for all who are grieving.

This book is about twin Israeli-American teenage girls whose mom has Huntington’s disease and the different ways they go about handling that as individuals and how it affects the sister’s relationship. I love the way religion is handled in this book, with each sister’s different take where it concerns their Judaism. It’s about life, death, and sisterhood. I loved it. 

As a friend sputtered to me over a voice call: “I don’t understand. It’s free to read online; where is everybody?!” 

I agree wholeheartedly. O Human Star is that rare breed: a webcomic taken up over a decade ago, thoroughly plotted from the start, executed with masterful grace and gravitas by an author who loved it enough to do it justice. While executing this story of gay and trans self-understanding, Delliquanti themself realized they were trans, so the pronouns in my (signed!!) copies are different based on when they came out. Finding even a well-written cis gay man was hard in 2012, let alone such a deeply loving story about the entire LGBT community—and all that is to say nothing of the robots. Trans robots FTW!

I remember discovering The Perry Bible Fellowship while I was in college.

It was like nothing I had ever seen before, like some underground secret being passed between friends. The comics were clever, vulgar, sometimes graphic, and always funny.

As a long-time reader of the Funnies Pages in newspapers, Nicholas’ comics opened my eyes to what comics could be in the age of the internet. The Perry Bible Fellowship inspired me, along with an entire generation of cartoonists, to start their own comics.

My comic might not look like it was influenced by Nicholas’ work, but it sparked my imagination and led me to rediscover my love for comic strips.

I’ll admit that I don’t like the term ‘webcomic’, they’re all comics, whether they’re online or in print. And while I might have a preference, one format isn’t inferior to the other, after all—the internet has been an invaluable tool… show more.