Novel by Valeria Luiselli; translated by Christina MacSweeney. (2015). Minneapolis, MN: Coffee House Press. “This is the story of my teeth, and my treatise on collectibles and the variable value of objects.” (p. 17) So begins, Luiselli’s experimental “novel-essay” of the story of Gustavo Sánchez Sánchez, otherwise known as Highway. As reflected in this […]
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Children’s graphic novel by Kate Reed Petty and illustrated by Andrea Bell. First Second: New York, 2021. It all started with a disconcerting visit to the dentist. Even though 12-year-old Ruth Keller had been taking good care of her teeth, she had a cavity and a few other concerning areas that could also go
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Autobiography by Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, 1969. (2015 Random House Trade Paperback Edition) Angelou’s memoir deftly recounts her early life starting with her time in a small town in Arkansas where she and her older brother were raised by their paternal grandmother, a brief period living with her mother in St. Louis,
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Fiction book by Simon Stephenson. Hanover Square Press: Toronto, ON, 2020. In 2054, certain careers are now the purview of extremely human-like bots, including dentistry. Jared, a bot-dentist in Ypsilanti, Michigan, discovers one day that, unlike his bot brethren, he has emotions. Specifically, with the help of his friend a human medical doctor, Dr.
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Children’s chapter book by David Walliams with illustrations by Tony Ross. Harper: New York, 2016. Strange things have been happening in twelve-year-old Alfie’s town. When children put their lost teeth under their pillows for the Tooth Fairy, instead of money they find gruesome items like a dead snake, spiders, or an oozing scab. Alfie
Children’s chapter book by Christina Wyman. Farrar Straus Giroux: New York, 2023. More and more kids in the U.S. wear braces. Not all of them, though, are like 7th grader Max Plink, who has to wear braces and orthodontic headgear nicknamed the jawbreaker, because of her severe malocclusion. Even with these treatments, she might have
Early chapter book by Nancy Krulik with illustrations by John & Wendy. Grosset & Dunlap: New York, 2007. Part of the “Katie Kazoo Switcheroo” series. From the smell–a mixture of bleach and mint mouthwash–to the water sucking tube that makes her drool to the pointy tool the dentist uses to pick at her teeth,
Children’s book by Dan Gutman with illustrations by Jim Paillot. Harper: New York, 2019. Part of the “My Weirder-est School” series. It is National Dessert Day so the school nurse has invited a dentist, Dr. Floss, to come talk to the students. That’s when weird things begin to happen. Instead of encouraging the students
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Picture book written and illustrated by Dr. Ben Magleby. Booksurge Publishing, 2008. Sugarbug Doug loves living in your mouth where he can build a strong house, get lots of sugary food, and invite friends to join him. What he doesn’t like are toothbrushes, floss, healthy foods, and water with fluoride. These all make it
Picture book by Laurie Keller. Henry Holt and Company: New York, 2000. Join the 32 grown-up teeth for a day at Tooth School. With humor and cartoon asides, readers learn about the parts of a tooth, the importance of baby teeth, different types of teeth and their uses, and the basics of oral health.
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