Many parents have asked me to recommend books for their children to read. Here are several books fellow teachers, students and I recommend. Hope you find something you and your child will enjoy.
Summer '07 has been a dud for me so far. I haven't read any books. I am reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. It is about a boy who's father works for the Nazi's and the family moves to Achwitz. He sees kids his age, but they are behind a wire mesh wall. I will let you know when I finish, how good it is. I have others that I plan on reading. And I will will let you know about those later in the the summer.
Here are new book picks that I have read this summer '06:
Hawk Song, Snake Charmer, and Falcon Dance by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes- This is a trilogy about a Falcon, Danica Shardae, who is going to inherit the avian throne soon. She must make some tough decisions that will not only effect her life, but the life of the avian realm. One of her toughest decisions is to marry their worst enemy, Zane Cobriana, he is leader of the reptile world. They must join and make a mighty team to fight against other evil leaders in the world. It is a great trilogy, with a theme of forbidden love and really good conflict between the two factions.(recommended by Micaela Hammett)
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - A High School senior, Bella Swan, has moved from Phoenix, AZ to Washington State. There is not only a difference in climate and temperature, but being the new girl is different. When Bella walks into Science class, her seat is next to a boy that is very different, Edward Cullen. She tries to be a friend to him and he is very hard to get to know. It is another great forbidden love story. The 2nd book New Moon was just as good as the first. Very different from the first. The 3rd book comes out in September. (Recommended by Barb Dees and Rene Morgan).
Any of the 3 in the series by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies, Pretties, Specials. They are great teen rebellion books. And nonconforming to the norm.
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel is about a young boy who works in a blimp (air ship). He has many adventures with a young lady and pirates. There is a second book out called Skybreaker. I haven't read it yet, but Andrew (Bawb) Waring, highly recommends it.
Mr. Cole's Pick
A Child Called "It" - by Dave Pelzer - The true story of a boy surviving horrific abuse by his mother (several "naughty" words).(Katy Portillo says good but sad)
Holes - by Louis Sacher - A boy is sent to a reform camp in the desert for a crime he didn't commit. The author does a stupendous job of tying together seemingly unrelated subplots.
Bruises - by Anke de Vries - A girl often comes to school with suspicious bruises. People start to wonder why. (Katy Portillo Highly recommends this book)
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson - A formerly "normal" girl begins to act strangely after a summer party. She all but refuses to speak.
Define Normal - by Julie Ann Peters - seemingly "normal" girl is assigned to do peer counseling with a girl who has "problems". The line between "normal" kid and the "problem" kid becomes blurry. Things are not always what they seem. Katy Portillo gives an A++++ to this book.
Jade Green - by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - A young girl goes to live with remote relatives when both of her parents die. She begins to see and hear strange things and eventually learns that she was not the first young girl who came to live there. It's a spooky story. (Katy Portillo says it is a good story with and eerie twist).
Dunk - by David Lubar - A boy decides he would really like to have a summer job as a verbally abusive clown in a boardwalk dunking booth. The job is much more challenging than he expected. There are several interesting subplots.
No More Dead Dogs - by Gordon Korman - a "star" athlete is honest enough to know that he's a mediocre ballplayer. His trademark honestly makes his life difficult at times. His sincere dislike for hokey tearjerker books and plays leads to unusual circumstances. There is some good comedy.
Touching Spirit Bear - by Ben Mikaelson. A boy commits a serious crime and submits himself to tribal justice. His penalty is to live alone on an island for a year. He learns a lot about growth and forgiveness.
In the Forests of the Nights - by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. This a book about a "young" vampire. The author was only thirteen when she wrote it.
Mrs. Brincks' Picks
Cirque de Freak - A Vampire series. Very good series of a teenage boy who becomes a half-vampire. He is introduced to the dark world of the Vampires. There are 12 books to the series. If you like vampires and not too much gore, this is a terrific series. I loved them all. Very interesting and exciting.
Swallowing Stones - by Joyce McDonald - This is a story of two teenagers who are faced with many of life's obstacles. Michael innocently shoots his new rifle into the air on his eighteenth birthday, and he never thought the bullet would kill anyone. Should he tell? Jenna is the daughter of the dead man. How is she going to deal with the death of her father? Their lives cross paths. There are a lot of subplots that are very eye-opening for teenagers. This is a terrific thought provoking book.
Getting Away with Murder - by Chris Crowe - A true story of a 14 year old Emmett Till, who was murdered in Mississippi in 1954. A very emotional story. I have to admit that after reading the book, I could not sleep. It upset me to think our American people could be so cruel to any race. But a very good book.
Crash - by Jerry Spinelli - A 7th grade football player learns a valuable lesson in popularity. He is not sure being popular is so cool, especially when you hurt someone's feelings.
Stargirl - by Jerry Spinelli - A High School transfer student beats to a different drum. Most students don't know what to think about her. Soon the student body embraces her individually. But when she joins the cheerleading squad and cheers for both teams, she is soon the school freak. A great book on conformity vs. non conformity.
Flavor of the Week - by Tucker Shaw - Cyril is in love with Rose. But his best friend, Nick, who is good looking and athletic, comes back to town. Cyril is large in build and is a terrific cook. Nick falls for Rose and a way to Rose's heart is through cooking. Cyril cooks for Nick, but Nick gets all of the credit. See what happens when Rose finds out. At the end of every chapter is a recipe that he cooked for Rose. A great coming of age book.
Flipped - by Wendelin Van Draanen - There are differences in how girls think and how boys think. This is a great book for a boy or girl. You can see both perspectives on teenage relationships. Really a cute story. I don't want to give away the story.
A Break With Charity - by Ann Rinaldi - Any book by Ann Rinaldi is entertaining and informative. This is a historical fiction book about the Salem Witch Trials. It is about a girl who is caught up in the hysteria with the accusations of the town's people. A very well told book for even adults who are interested in the Witch Trials. Ann Rinaldi has written many historical fiction books. The Coffin Quilt about the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Cast Two Shadows, about the American Revolution in the South. Finishing Becca, a story about Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold. The Fifth of March, the story of the Boston Massacre. So if you are interested in any of these topics, you will love these novels.
The House Next Door - by Richie Tankersley Cusick - An eerie ghost story that will not only chill your bones, but enrich your soul. The novel is about twins who share a connection. They especially become mindful of this when Emma enters the house alone. They both become aware of an 100 year old aura of regret or anger. You choose in the end.
A Series of Unfortunate Events - by Lemony Snicket -This is a great series of novels. They are not only entertaining, but they have a little English lesson added in the story. There are different words that might be hard to understand and the author will explain it. Or there might be a an example of alliteration or foreshadowing that the author will point out.
The novels are actually about a brother and two sisters who become orphans when their parents are killed after their house catches fire. The children are sent to live with different sets of relatives. The relatives meet their demise from another relative, Count Olaf, who is trying become the children's guardian, so he can get their inheritance. They really have some unfortunate events that they encounter.
Alli Lantrip's Picks
The Lost Boy - by Dave Pelzer - A sequel to A Child Called It. Dave gets a chance to leave his mom. He runs away and goes into a pizza shop where a policeman finds him and takes him to the hospital. They go to court and he is taken away from his mother and put in foster homes.
A Man Named Dave - by Dave Pelzer - A sequel to Lost Boy. In this sequel, Dave talks about life as a man. The trials, tribulations and overcoming adversities in an adult life.
Kiersten Jolivette's Picks
Chasing Redbird - by Sharon Creech - A girl named Zennia finds a trail behind her house and explores the trail. Each time she goes down the trail, there are many obstacles to go past. There are many other twist and turns in Zennia's life. A very sad story that leaves you wanting more.
Jacob Birch's Pick
Harry Potter: Sorcers Stone - This book is great. It is about a young boy who's parents were killed by a dark wizard. Harry finds out that he himself is a wizard at is asked to attend Hogwarts school of witch-craft and wizardry. In this new world, Harry is faced with many obstacles including his worst fear facing Lord Voldermont. This is a great book and it will make you want to read the next in the seven part story about Harry Potter.
Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets - This book is even better that the first.In this book Harry attends Hogwarts yet again. Only this time things are much worst. Harry at his second year at Hogwarts is tormented by voices inside his head. Even worst,strange things have been happening to young Hogwarts students and the Hogwarts Ghosts.This book like the one before is great.
Harry Potter:Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling out did herself on the third part of the seven part story.In this story Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts and this time the man that betrayed Harry's parents has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban,and is after the young Harry Potter.This story has a great twisted ending to it. It will make you want more.
Harry Potter:Goblet of Fire - In this story Harry Potter is entered into a wizard tournament by someone unknown.This story is great.Harry faces many troubles in this book. Allot of new characters are introduced and Harry finds out that without friends he has nothing.This story has a tragic ending but makes you want to keep reading.You will tear through the pages and in the end be just like Harry Potter just waiting for the next train back to Hogwarts.
Christmas Spurs - This story is about a young boy who grows up in Oklahoma and is faced with many obstacles. This book is great.It is a very sad book but it has a very spiritual meaning to it and is a wonderful book.
Blake Sager's Recommendations:
The Last Treasure -by- Janet S. Anderson - this story is about a kid whose entire blood line lays on his recently teenaged shoulders. The original Smiths houses contains "treasures" that have pulled the Smith family out of their slums. Now there is only one treasure left, and the family is torn apart, "where the long lost sorrows await like spirits in the dark". It is a wonderful book that will make you furious as fast as it will make you laugh.
City of Ember - by Jeanne DuPreu - The premiss of the story is a city that is below the earth. Their supplies are seriously low. A teenage boy and girl explore the inner earth to find more supplies to keep the colony going. But they run into a lot of road blocks while exploring. This novel has a lot of twists and turns. It keeps you on the edge of your seat!! There is a sequel to the novel, People of the Sparks.
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