Mrs. D’s Reads

Things Hoped For

by Andrew Clements

Grades 6-12

This is a sort of sequel to Things Not Seen, as Bobby shows up again as a character, but you don’t need to read the first to read this one. Gwen is living with her grandfather in New York City as she studies music. When her grandpa mysteriously disappears one day shortly before Gwen’s college auditions, she must deal with the stress of holding things together while he is gone. A nice coming of age story even if the resolution about her grandpa is a little weird.

Young at Heart

Movie

I was very moved and inspired by this documentary about a community choir for seniors (average age 80 years old) who sing rock and roll songs. The people in this group are full of spirit and energy, but the aging process keeps rearing its ugly head. My 13 year-old daughter loved it so much that she put the video of one of their songs on her my space page.

The Usual Rules

by Joyce Maynard

Grades 7-12

A girl’s mother is killed in the Twin Towers during 9/11, and suddenly her place in the world is up for grabs. She tries out living with a dad she hardly knows and works very hard to become a different person. Soon she finds her way back to herself and begins to discover how to pick up the pieces. A rare look at a young person struggling with a very personal portion of a national tragedy.

Paper Towns

By John Green

Grades7-12

This Michael Printz Award winner (Looking for Alaska) has created an interesting mystery here around the disappearance of a girl shortly before her graduation. The next door neighbor boy, who has had a crush on and connection to her his whole life, believes she has left a breadcrumb trail for him to find her. Green’s insights into the young adult mind are astute and honest.

I am the Messenger

by Markus Zusak

Grades 9-12

This is a great novel from the author of one of my favorites: The Book Thief. In this one, Ed, an unmotivated almost 20 year-old, starts getting playing cards in the mail that have people’s addresses on them. He has to go to these addresses and “fix” whatever is wrong with them by delivering a “message.” The process of being the messenger jolts Ed out of his lethargy and he starts really living his life. Definitely for YA.

Secrets of Rundoon

By Dave Barry &

Grades 4-8

The third installment of the Peter Pan prequels that started with Peter and the Starcatchers sustains the excitement, as well as the gravity, of the earlier books. The villains are still scary, the heroes still worthy, but the authors also weave in Peter’s growing sense of ‘otherness’ as the kids around him grow up and he does not. A fun read.

Tigerheart

by Peter David

Grades 5-12

This retelling of the Peter Pan story turns it a bit on its ear, revealing the shelfish, childishness of Peter, and contrasting it with the earnest quest of a boy who comes to Neverland asking for help. There is both a good adventure and a deeper journey here. Read it at whichever level makes sense to you.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

Grades 7-adult

I have always been a fan of Alexie’s short fiction, and this novel reads a lot like many of those short stories that made me a fan. There are incredible moments in this novel, and it is through those moments that the story of both the individual and his community is revealed. Great stuff, and very deserving of the National Book Award it won last year.

The Road

by Cormac MacCarthy

Adult

I have tried to tackle this book several times in the last year. Some of the best readers I know said it’s a must read, so I persisted. I liked it, but it’s not an enjoyable read. This is bleak, post-apocalyptic, sometimes horrifying stuff. But the core of it is a story of love between a father and son, and that core got me through the parts I didn’t want to face. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! But understand this is not pleasure reading.