Summer Reading 2009
A Long Way
Gone: Memoirs of
a Boy Soldier
By Ishmael Beah
Tamar: A Novel of
Espionage,
Passion, and
Betrayal
By Mal Peet
Thirteenth Tale
By Diane
Setterfield
The Book of Lost
Things
By John Connolly
A Long Way Gone is a memoir by Ishmael Beah in which he tells his story of
being a 12-year-old boy growing up in war torn Sierra Leone, losing his family
and being forced to be part of the government army. During his time as a child
soldier, Beah sees and commits acts of unspeakable violence that are often
partnered with war. He was released from the army and sent to a UNICEF
rehabilitation center, and Beah slowly works his way into a different life – one
of humanity and hope.
The subtitle alone ought to be enough to get a few folks interested in this book.
Although one of the longer selections, it is so worth it. Despite its length, a
reader is still left with the feeling of not wanting it to end. Sometimes it is a war
story. But other times, it is an even more intriguing love story. The book
alternates between the present—where Tamar, the granddaughter of an English
spy during WW II, is searching for the answers that she never got from her
grandfather—and the first-hand account when we are transported back to when
the grandfather was dropped into Holland to aid the resistance movement
against the Nazis. Set amidst the backdrop of WW II in Holland, anyone who
knows anything goes into this book knowing that the news will not be good.
Still, tough times tend to bring out the resolve in people - even after they have
lost in love and in war through betrayal.
Once you begin reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, you’ll have a
tough time putting it down! This novel draws you into suspenseful, ghost story.
Margaret Lea, a reserved, quiet author is offered the opportunity to write the
true life story of another author, reclusive Vida Winter, who is dying. Vida
Winter has made a living by weaving her own life story into fantastical twists.
Margaret must unravel the stories that Vida relays to her as she solves the
mystery of not only Vida Winter’s past, but her own.
Fairytales gone wild! Re-enter the world of magic that you grew up with as a kid in
John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things. Follow the coming of age story of a twelve
year old boy named David, as he searches for a way to keep his ailing mother alive,
deal with her loss, accept the new marriage and step-mom that has entered his life, and
overcome the jealousy of the attention given to his new infant brother. As David
encounters each hardship, he escapes into the world of books and fairytales as we know
them today, but with a twist; David becomes part of the fairytales. While searching for
a way back to his world, he faces temptations and fears, and must make the right
choices or pay the ultimate price: death.
Great Expectations Great Expectations is the story of an orphan named Pip. It's not an easy life for young
By Charles
Pip, barely scraping by with an overbearing older sister who can barely stomach the
Dickens
sight of him. There is mystery and intrigue as he fetches food and a file for a halfstarved escaped convict who surely would've died otherwise, and continues to visit the
crumbling mansion of Miss Havisham only to be mocked and belitted by her beautiful
ward Estella.Pip is somewhat startled to find that after several years of toiling away as a
blacksmith's apprentice that he has a mysterious benefactor. The allowance he is given
allows Pip to pursue his dream of becoming a gentleman. He moves away from the
marshes and moors and into the bustling metropolis of London. He soon learns about
the transforming influence of wealth and privilege, struggles with jealousy and
unrequited love, and finds himself torn when he discovers the identity of his secret
Summer Reading 2009
benefactor. You will have “great expectations” for this laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreakingly sad book. Its language is beautiful, its plot compelling, its characters
complex and complete.
Generation Green
By Linda
Siversten
Winterdance
By Gary Paulsen
Body of
Christopher Creed
By Carol PlumUcci
We Beat the
Streets
By Sampson
Davis, George
Jenkins, and
Remek Hunt
Elsewhere
By Gabriella
Zevin
Maybe the most appealing thing about this book is that it was written by a teen and his
mom. The mom is an environmentalist, and the teen is, well, a teen, albeit, one who
has grown up green. The cover is inviting, too. Its format would allow for reading
parts randomly, but one could also dive in and find it interesting from cover to cover. If
you are concerned about the state of the environment, then this is the book for you.
Reading it will make you an expert in areas from eating to shopping to choosing to
careers in the field of green—so to speak. If you are concerned about your carbon
footprint, then you will enjoy this book.
Call me a fiction reader…at least until now. This true-life adventure story had me
cracking up and crying—more cracking up than crying, though. If you’ve read Gary
Paulsen books and liked them, then you will want to read this. He’s famous for his
adventure stories like Hatchet, Brian’s Winter, and The Car. Winterdance is his
narrative about both training for and competing in the Iditarod, the dogsled race that
sends its competitors over 1100 miles from Anchorage to Juno. Paulsen takes us
through his hilarious adventure of training when he doesn’t have a clue, whereas his
dogs definitely know more than he does. He also takes us through the grueling
Iditarod—where the news is not always good, but he teaches something about how the
race can bring out the worst in people. He points a vivid picture of how life can be
addicting when you’re living on the edge of extremes.
Mystery lovers, here’s the book for you. A missing person, a cryptic e-mail, a few
young hackers, and one curious young adult are the makings of this thriller. Torey
Adams is one of the most popular kids in school. He is smart, athletic, almost
guaranteed a scholarship, and lucky enough to have a very cute girlfriend. So why
should he care when the nerdiest kid in school goes missing? But it bugs him. As he
tries to find some answers, he finds out more than he bargains for, and he realizes that
there is more to life than what he had thought. In looking for the body of Christopher
Creed, he discovers what he can and cannot live with—and perhaps even unearths some
very old ghosts.
Three medical doctors return to their home turfs to practice medicine and change the
lives of kids in their neighborhoods. This is a great book about hope and courage in the
face of a society that seems to want to see its youth fail. The book is their collective
autobiographies about how they went from growing up in really bad parts of a city in
New Jersey to being doctors. They all three faced obstacles—a life of crime and drug
use would have been an easier option, or so it felt like it sometimes. This book
chronicles how they faced, sometimes failed, and ultimately made it out of the bad
neighborhood only to return to it as doctors. This would be a great book choice for you
if you love biographies and stories of success.
Get ready to cry. When 15-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she ends up
in Elsewhere. It sounds like a beautiful place…marvelous beaches, always warm
and peaceful…and you can’t get sick or any older. Perfect, right? Except it’s not
Earth, and Liz misses her old life terribly. In Elsewhere, Liz will age backward
from the day of her death until she becomes a baby and returns to Earth. But that’s
not what she wants. Liz wants to turn 16, get her driver’s license, go to college, fall
in love. How can any of that happen in Elsewhere? Is Liz capable of letting go of
the life she knew and embracing this new life? While you’re reading this thought-
Summer Reading 2009
provoking novel, here’s something to ponder: perhaps living a life in reverse is not
all that different from living a life forward.
Game
By Walter Dean
Myers
Staying Fat for
Sarah Byrnes
By Chris Crutcher
Basketball – it’s his life. As a high school senior, Drew Lawson knows this is the
year to show recruiters all he’s got. He dreams of getting a scholarship to play
college ball and eventually going pro. But his plan has hit a major glitch. Coach’s
new offense is making the new white kid a star, and Drew is steaming mad. He
knows he can’t lose his cool; he needs ball to get to college. But what’s going on?
What’s with his coach? Sports fans, this book is for you. Read Game by Walter
Dean Myers and see how deep Drew’s game really is.
Any good friend knows what it means to be a good friend: we do anything for each
other. We would take a fall or tell a lie all for the sake of protecting a friendship.
But would we stay fat for a friend? Just so that friend would not have to feel so
alone? Eric Calhoune thinks it is a no brainer. When he joins the swim team and
starts to get in shape and get some friends, his outcast friend, Sarah Byrnes, feels
abandoned. But staying fat isn’t the only length this friend is willing to go to. Read
this book and find out what Sarah is really afraid of. She is a great friend to have—
even when she is not saying a word—one you might be willing to stay fat for. This
well-written book gives its readers a mix of plots and suspense where the characters
survive the traumas of the teen years with more than a little help from their friends.