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Are You Normal? More Than 100 Questions That Will Test Your Weirdness satisfies one of the most basic and pressing needs of tweens and near-tweens: to minutely assess how they compare to others. Look at Greg Heffley, the “hero” of the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series – he introduces himself as the “52nd most popular kid” in school. Greg is pretty oblivious to the feelings of others, but he knows exactly where he stands in relation to his peers.
 

For this book, author Mark Schulman and his team polled hundreds of kids about their school and leisure activities, family situations, habits and preferences. Readers will learn that if they cut their spaghetti instead of twirling it, they are in the minority – only “15% of kids cut it, versus 82% who twirl (3% don’t eat spaghetti at all).” So whether you like pepperoni on your pizza or not, bite your fingernails or toenails (eww!), or prefer smooth peanut butter to chunky, there’s something in this book that everyone can say “yes” to. Sneaky math bonus – the book uses a variety of graphing techniques to meaningfully display relationships between numbers.
 

“Will my personality change as I get older?” “Is my voice unique?” “Does my brain stop working when I am asleep?” Older kids love learning about themselves too, and Richard Walker’s Who Am I? The Amazing Science of Existence discusses topics ranging from emotions to metaphysics, and delivers concrete answers to questions teens might not have even considered. The author presents facts about issues related to bioethics, such as stem cell research, but avoids controversial statements. Sharp photos and snappy design add to this book’s appeal, while puzzles and other interactive elements keep it challenging.