Don’t Even Think About It

Mlynowski (Ten Things We Did [And Probably Shouldn’t Have]) continues to make comedy look easy in this smart and frequently hilarious novel, which features a collective first-person narrative that fits the premise like a glove. When a group of Manhattan 10th graders inadvertently receives telepathic abilities from tainted flu shots, things rapidly get chaotic (and noisy). Finding out too much information dramatically upends family relationships, friendships, and romances. Discovering the intimate details of their parents’ sex lives nearly undoes two teens, but others, like ultra-ambitious Pi, embrace their new superpower. Then there’s Mackenzie, who can no longer hide that she cheated on her boyfriend, and Olivia, whose quiet façade starts to crumble, whether she likes it or not (“Olivia sank even further. They can hear me worrying about my dumbness! And now they can hear me worrying about worrying about my dumbness. It’s a friggin’ house of mirrors”). Filled with heartbreak, hilarity, and some brutal truths, Mlynowski’s novel will leave readers thinking about the gaps between our private and public selves and the lies we tell others and ourselves. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary Agency. (Mar.)