Students! Welcome back. I know it's a little hard to get started back to school for most everyone, but one of my favorite parts of the new school year is the book conversations that I have the first week with you. I love having you come to the library with new reading recommendations, comments on your summer reading, and your readiness to check out new books. Here's to a new year of reading together!
Here's a peek into some of my summer reading.
Counting by 7's
By Holly Goldberg Sloan
Middle Grades
Being a genius is a lot harder than it sounds. Often you don't quite fit in with the other kids... at least that's what Willow Chance has found to be true. Just when Willow has started to feel hopeful for the future, a tragic accident puts her in the hands of a lazy school guidance counselor and a nail salon family.
This book has received a lot of attention and recognition this year for being well written and thought provoking.
My Rating: Good
The Light Between Oceans
By M.L. Stedman
High School/Adult
Tom and Isabel enjoy the privacy and freedom of their own island as they watch over a lighthouse off the coast of Australia. One day a baby girl washes up to their island, and it seems like a miracle after the loss of several babies of their own. They quietly claim her as their own, and it isn't until several years later that this secret begins to unravel.
Don't start this book until you have time to finish it!
My Rating: Epic!
Hot Zone
By Richard Preston
High School/Adult
This is a nonfiction thriller that I listened to as an audio-book on my way to Vermont. This is called the "terrifying true account of the origins of the Ebola virus." Although written in 1994, it has horrifying implications, considering what is happening in Africa this summer with the Ebola virus outbreak.
A fascinating non-fiction read with real life connections!
My Rating: Good
The One and Only Ivan
By Katherine Applegate
Upper Elem/Middle Readers
Ivan, a silverback gorilla, tells this tale from his "domain" (or cage) at a mall. When he makes a promise to a dying friend, he uses his artistic skills, ingenuity, and leadership abilities to make things happen. As a Newbery winner, I was hoping to be more impressed than I was with this book.
My Rating: Good
Four: A Divergent Collection
By Veronica Roth
Middle/High Readers
The
Divergent trilogy has been wildly popular with readers from youth to adult and has recently been made into a movie.
Four is a series of short stories that follow
Divergent (Book One) from the viewpoint of Tobias. Although it was intriguing to read a familiar story from another point of view, I didn't find this book compelling on its own; however, I would recommend it to die-hard fans of the
Divergent saga.
My Rating: Good
The Invention of Wings
By Sue Monk Kidd
High School/ Adult
Sarah Grimke is eleven years old when her parents gift her with her own slave girl. Sarah tries to return this unwanted gift but Hattie is hers to keep. The story follows the two girls growing up in the same house but who have very different life journeys.
This book comes from the author of
The Secret Life of Bees.
Rating: Epic (emotionally) / Good (enjoyable)
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey
By Nick Bertozzi
Middle/High Readers
This graphic novel depicts the dangerous Antarctic exploration led by Ernest Shackleton in 1914. In this real life adventure, the gritty details, harsh realities, and astonishing feats are told with minimalist pictures and word bubbles.
Somehow, I found myself caught up in the drama of the story without realizing whether I was reading text or scrutinizing pictures. If you've never tried a graphic novel, this is a great one to start with!
Rating: Epic
What have you been reading? Have they been good, bad or epic?
*All images taken from amazon.com
