The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary

A 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

A 2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens

Macy's school officially classifies her as "disturbed," but Macy isn't interested in how others define her. She's got more pressing problems: her mom can't move off the couch, her dad's in prison, her brother's been kidnapped by Child Protective Services, and now her best friend isn't speaking to her. Writing in a dictionary format, Macy explains the world in her own terms—complete with gritty characters and outrageous endeavors. With an honesty that's both hilarious and fearsome, slowly Macy reveals why she acts out, why she can't tell her incarcerated father that her mom's cheating on him, and why her best friend needs protection . . . the kind of protection that involves Macy's machete.

"These pages vibrate with Macy's fury, beat with her enormous heart, and take flight. I wanted to burn down the whole damn world and build a new one worthy of her. Instead, I started the book over to witness again the alchemy that turns brokenness into a thing of beauty. Unforgettable."—Ashley Hope Pérez, author of Printz Honoree Out of Darkness and The Knife and the Butterfly   

"Macy Cashmere's one-of-a-kind, no-holds-barred teen memoir will blow your mind and break your heart. Her unforgettable voice is hard-hitting and unflinching, compassionate and streetwise, delivered with a linguistic and structural playfulness that both dazzles the reader and draws them in deep. With The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary, NoNieqa Ramos establishes herself as a literary star on the rise."—David Bowles, author of Chupacabra Vengeance and the Garza Twins series

"Nonieqa Ramos's The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary comes at a relevant time and with a powerful and endearing cast. Macy's story is necessary and unique, and both she and NoNi present voice and narrative unlike anything we've seen before."—Amy Zhang, author of This is Where the World Ends