Many award-worthy books often get published by virtually unknown authors. Some of these books often get skipped by passerby at the bookstore, whether it’s because of a misleading title or uninteresting cover. Today we’re counting down the top books that have had their fair share of don’t-judge-a-book-by-it’s-cover style ratings. Here are the top five books nobody’s reading, but everyone should. (this list is in no particular order)

5. The Magicians, Lev Grossman

Recently made into a television show on the SyFy network, The Magicians, by Lev Grossman, is one read I’ve been sucked into most recently. I originally picked up the book after watching the first few episodes of the show, (which is highly recommended, by the way) eager to find out what happens next before anyone else in my family, so I could look smug when one of their favorite characters dies, and I’d knew it would happen from the the start. *cough* GameOfThrones *coughcough*. But once I started, I was immersed in a wondrous world of magic, danger, love, and adventure. Not trying to give anything away, the book is excellent, and I recommend the show just as much.

4. NEED, Joelle Charbonneau

Although Charbonneau is a rather popular author, I was very surprised to see that nobody around me at school was touching her most recent novel. NEED is a wonderful book, which should be sharing the spotlight along with her other bestsellers, (ie: The Testing) but still, a few months after the books release, I heard no praise. This is quite surprising, and I urge anyone who’s reading this to check it out, at least for a moment.

3. Calvin, Martine Leavitt

I have a rather interesting experience with this book. It sat in the display shelf in the entrance to the library for weeks, and I never saw anyone take a second glance at it. I decided to pick it up one day, and loved it. Its a very mature novel, and may not be for some people, so a fair warning. It deals with some pretty shocking, yet serious issues, as you watch the main character slowly go insane. When you think of Calvin, you most likely think of the comic strip, “Calvin and Hobbes,” and that’s exactly what its based upon. Calvin is exactly like the Calvin from the strip, he lives next-door to a girl named Suzie, had a stuffed tiger named Hobbes, and more. Calvin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and he believes the only way to cure him is to make a dangerous  trek across frozen Lake Erie to track down Bill Waterson, and make him make one last Calvin and Hobbes strip.

2. Johnny Hangtime, Dan Gutman

This book, while being the shortest on the list, is just as good as any of its predecessors. Gutman writes to children, and about children, and while it is a little fast if your into big bulky novels, it deserves its spot on the list. A  little bit of back round here: I practically loved Gutman when I was younger, and I owe him my ambition for reading and writing. His novels were great quick reads, and I still have boxes of every book in the “My Weird School” series in the back of my closet. However, there’s one book I always come back to: Johnny Hangtime. It wouldn’t be on this list if it was a great seller, and it wasn’t until I heard him speak live about the book, and why he believes it didn’t sell, that I understood why. He calls it one of the best he’s written, and he believes, that the title has everything to do with it. He titled the novel “Johnny Hangtime” even after everyone he knew told him to re-title it “The Stunt Kid” (because its about a stunt kid) for they thought the title was misleading. Its a wonderful book about daring to take risks, and the price that comes with it. A definite recommendation.

1. ADVERBS: A Novel, Daniel Handler

Many names on this list are at least somewhat recognizable, or at least have some sort of credit attached to their names. However, mention the name Daniel Handler in an everyday bookstore, and you might get some puzzled looks. But does the name Lemony Snicket ring any bells? Probably. Apparently Mr. Handler thought his name was just a bit too…Normal. However, normal  would never be a word used to describe ADVERBS. Full of amazing wordplay and sensory language, ADVERBS is a wonderfully detailed, and well thought out novel which sucks you in with the same fluid motion and charm as any of Snicket’s books.

Hope you enjoyed my list, and why  not check some of these books out? They’re all amazing reads.