Hilarious and harrowing. Warped. Creepy. Addicting nonetheless! I dare you to read these VERY short stories. The first of a series. BEST READ-ALOUD EVER! 

Deza Malone's family has the motto "We are a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful" and Deza is consistently marked in her school as someone who is sure to go far in life. However, when the Great Depression hits Deza's hometown of Gary, Indiana, her father loses his job and must travel in order to find work. Her mother uproots the family and goes out in search of Deza's father, with Deza and her brother ending up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. As life continues to go on, Deza's brother Jimmie leaves the camp in the hopes of becoming a performer while Deza and her mother try to carry on in the hopes of finding Deza's father. (from Wikipedia)

Heart, humor, adventure, and vital historical perspective! (from Ms. Levine)

Hansel and Gretel actually had their heads chopped off. Who knew? If that statement sends you scrambling for your favorite search engine, Gidwitz is savoring that reaction. And for readers who shriek with bloodthirsty delight, not skepticism, he has much more in store. Fracturing the folk tales of the Brothers Grimm, Gidwitz brings together old and new traditions of matter-of-fact horror. Publishers Weekly

Read this one, then on to the two sequels! These are not to be missed, but do not read right before bedtime.

Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. (publisher's note)