I know what I read last summer….
I read a lot this summer for all ages, including some great non-fiction and picture book titles. You can find the fruits of a lot of that labor in the library this fall. However, with library budgets dwindling in many districts, I decided to read a lot of young adult books so I could donate the books to my daughter’s middle school library. Here is a partial list of that reading…
Runemarks
by Joanne Harris
Grades 5-10
This is a wonderful high fantasy based in the Nordic tradition. Great characters, great adventure, and a wonderful climax.
Erak’s Ransom: Ranger’s Apprentice Book 7
by John Flanagan
Grades 5-10
I have a friend who loaned me this Australian edition of the series, (books 5-7 aren’t out in the U.S. yet) Flanagan published them slightly out of chronological order, so #7 tells the story of Will finally becoming a Ranger, while 5 & 6 tell the story of his first assignments on his own. A fun adventure set in a desert land to the south. Great villains.
The Time Travelers (also published as Gideon the Cutpurse )
by Linda Buckley-Archer
Grades 5-8
This time-travel story has been repackaged and the second one is out now. Two kids accidentally travel back to 1700s England and find themselves in real danger while they are trying to figure out how to get themselves back. A fun read.
Tennyson
by Lesley M. M. Blume
Grades 4-8
When Tennyson’s mom leaves home one night, her father drops her and her little sister at the mysterious family home in the deep south while he goes to search for the mom. Tennyson immediately starts to “remember” things about the house and family that she couldn’t possibly know. This is a suspenseful mystery and ghost story, with some good family drama thrown in.
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox
by Eoin Colfer
Grades 4-9
I have been a fan of this series since I first listened to the audio book of the first installment. This one deals with the time paradox (if we go back and change something does it change, or preserve, the future we know?) as Artemis tries to save his mother from a fatal disease. Lots of adventure and all your favorite characters. Definitely a series you want to read in order.
Benny and Omar
by Eoin Colfer
Grades 5-8
This is a departure for the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but it was a really touching, funny adventure about a boy blooming where he’s planted. Benny feels pretty sorry for himself when his family gets transferred to Tunisia, and the only friend he makes is a street kid named Omar who doesn’t speak English. But selfish Benny learns that there are things Omar has lived through that he can’t ever imagine. A nice read.
Cheaters
by Michael Laser
Grades 6-10
Technology has taken cheating in schools to new heights. This novel takes on a group of organized cheaters who utilize technology, persuasion, and some of the school’s best minds to achieve their ends. When the class brain says yes, and then has second thoughts, he has to decide what he really stands for. This novel effectively explores some important themes of integrity and honesty.
Lost Boy
by Linda Newbery
Grades 5-8
This is a subtle ghost story, set in Wales in a small town. A new boy starts to feel a boy killed in the town in communicating with him. The town bullies get involved, and things come to a head when they target an old man and his dogs. The story is solid, but it loses intensity at times when the author gets too involved with outdoor opportunities in Wales.
Rules
by Cynthia Lord
Grades 5-8
A preteen girl helps care for her autistic brother, who she both loves an resents. When she meets and befriends a boy in a wheelchair, she has to decide whether to be loyal to him even if it isn’t “cool” to her other friends. Some good stuff here about integrity, friendship, differences and peer pressure.
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Grades 5-8
The fever epidemic of 1793 killed thousands, and Anderson gives it a wonderfully human face in this historical novel about a young girl who survives it and finds her own strength in the process.
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaimon
Graders 5-8
This novel isn’t out yet, but it will be by the end of the month. This new story, from the author of Coraline and Stardust, among other things, is a wonderful story that is part horror, part coming of age, and part mystery. Gaimon is a master storyteller with a subtle knack for characters and relationships that draw readers in.
The Hunger Game
by Suzanne Collins
Grades 6 & up
I picked this one up because I have really loved Collins’ Gregor The Overlander series. This is something completely different for her, although it echoes the darkness of the later Gregor books. The story revolves around a state-mandated survivor game where representatives from each region are chosen at random from kids aged 12-18. The twists here are that they don’t have a choice, the whole thing is televised, and it’s a fight to the death. Suspense, action, and some great characters. Thank goodness she sets it up for a sequel.
Thirsty
by M.T. Anderson
Grades 7 & up
I love Anderson’s writing, and this novel has the same wit and odd twists that have made me a fan. However, this story of a boy becoming a vampire in a world that holds public executions for these somewhat common monsters, is a little disjointed and extremely dark. Worth a read if you like vampire books, but not Anderson’s best effort.
Blood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klause
Grades 7 & up
Werewolves and vampires are big news with the popularity of Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight series. This novel of a teenage girl who’s also a werewolf is at times violent, but it is ultimately a story about a girl feeling the first pain and pleasure of love and trying to discover and own who she is. The themes are familiar and are explored in a satisfying way here. There is a movie as well.
Gingerbread
by Rachel Cohn
Grades 9-12
Gingerbread, affectionately nicknamed “my little hellion” by her stepdad, has been through the ringer. But she really wants to find a place that she belongs, and when her mom gets fed up with her, she is sent to New York to stay with the biological father she has never known. Readers will alternately curse and fall in love with this well-crafted, complex character, who’s sassy, unique voice is a pleasure to read. Some pretty grown up situations, but appropriate for high school.
How not to be popular
by Jennifer Ziegler
Grades 7-12
Maggie’s hippie parents have moved her more times than she can count, but this last move was particularly painful for Maggie. So, she decides to be such a freak at her new school that nobody will want to be friends with her. Unfortunately her plan backfires and she is the talk of the school. There is a wonderful Stargirl (Jerry Spinelli) quality here, and a character that readers will admire and identify with.
Breaking Dawn
by Stephenie Meyers
Grades 7-12
Ok, this is the most popular young people’s series since Harry Potter, so I needed to find out what all the fuss is about. The books are exciting enough to keep you reading, and the characters are stock teen drama (except for the whole werewolf, vampire thing). This fourth book still brings you along as a reader, however, seems to violate some of the laws of the universe Meyers has created. I don’t want to create any spoilers here, so I’ll just say that I found some of the more “climactic” scenes a little gratuitous, the object of Jacob’s imprinting a little disturbing, and the ending battle a little convenient. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but I am not raving.
Jinx
by Meg Cabot
Grades 7-12
A small town girl moves to the big city to live with her aunt, uncle, and her mean cousin who dabbles in fashionable witchcraft. Jinx, who has had some bad experiences with spells, lets herself be bullied until she finally embraces who she really is. A nice coming of age book where the nice,good girl overcomes the catty, bad girl.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames
by David Sedaris
Adult
I love Sedaris’ essays, and this collection is no different. His last two volumes have taken a darker turn, but they are still a pleasure to read and threaded through with both biting humor and painful insight. They are even better when you listen to him read them.
Victory of Eagles
by Naomi Novik
Grades 7-adult
I love this series, which is basically historical novels about the Napoleonic wars (think Master and Commander), but with dragons. The characters, the social commentary, and the relationship between person and dragon are all effectively done. If you like wartime adventure or period pieces, give them a try.
Girl, 15, Charming but insane
by Sue Limb
Grades 7-12
This is a hilariously narrated novel about a British schoolgirl trying to come of age in spite of being socially inept. There are all the pains and pleasures of adolescence here, but explained with such wit and self-deprecation that you don’t mind reliving it as a reader. Fun stuff!
