Paiging Summer!

Summer is here and the heat is on!  There is nothing like a good book to take you away from it all.  Here are a few books that I've read poolside this summer...

Another Book for the Grad...

 

The North Star

by Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick Press | April 14, 2009 | Hardcover

I love this author! His books are so insightful and full of meaning. I stumbled upon this one while looking for a book to give my oldest son as a memento of his graduation from grade 8.  This one is perfect! It has a gentle life lesson and the message is clear.

It is often said that life is a journey, and we all know that is true. But sometimes it’s hard to know which path to follow when signs point in so many directions. In this beautifully illustrated book,  Peter H. Reynolds encourages readers to observe, to wonder, and to consider diverging from the well-worn path — to pursue their dreams. The North Star is sure to have a profound effect on its many readers.

If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out these others by the same author:

A Gift For The Grad

Yay, You!

Moving Out, Moving Up,

Moving On

by Sandra Boynton

Illustrated by: Sandra Boynton

Little Simon, April 2001

 

 This is the perfect celebratory book for "onwardly mobile" readers. The catchy rhymes speak to the graduate:

"You did it!"
"You're done!"
"You made it!"
"You're through!" 

Then asks, "Now what will you do?"

What follows is a tongue-in-cheek dash, in rhyme, through the many options life holds:

"Do you long for adventure?"
"Do you love to read maps?"
"Would you rather stay home with your chocolate, perhaps?"

It is a simple picture book perfect for giving. Behind all the silly illustrations and simple rhymes is a very real, very sweet sentiment of pride and support that any loving friend or family member will be glad to share with that special successful person, young or old.

I may be purchasing one for a certain graduate myself!

Summer Reading for Teen Girls

What Happened to Goodbye
by Sarah Dessen

     Mclean has moved four times in the last two years.  Ever since her parents very public divorce, she has lived with her father and his restaurant management job keeps them moving around.  At each new place, Mclean changes her first name and also the persona she has in school.  Now she is in the second half of her senior year and in another new city.  Mclean renames herself Liz at first, but then finds herself using her real name, making real friends, and feeling connected to a community.  But Mclean hasn’t been herself in years.  In fact, she’s not really sure she knows who she is, just that she is not any of the personas she has been before.  This smart, thoughtful book examines the feeling of losing oneself only to realize that it’s hard to find yourself again.

    Dessen excels at creating worlds in her books:  communities and characters that readers will want to linger with and befriend.  Mclean is one of those people, as are many of the secondary characters.  Mclean is a protagonist that readers will understand immediately.  She is much more of a mystery to herself than to the reader, which is a great piece of the novel.  She is strong and resilient, independent to a fault, but at her core she is afraid, defensive and hurt.  It’s an intriguing mix of characteristics. 

     Dessen’s secondary characters are also well written and complex.  Mclean’s friends read as real people, their interests and quirks make for well-rounded characters.  From Beth, the new girl who never managed to make friends, to Dave, the genius whose parents no longer trust him.  They are far more than they seem, perfect foils for Mclean who is far more than she thinks she is.

     Dessen writes with humor, charm and a light touch.  What could have been a problem-novel becomes something much more enjoyable in her hands.  This is a book that will speak to almost every teen. 
Highly recommended, this book is sure to fly off of library shelves into the hands of Dessen’s fans. 

 Appropriate for ages 13-16.

Check out the author's website for more great summer reading...

http://www.sarahdessen.com/

   

It's A Book

by Lane Smith

Roaring Brook Press | August 10, 2010 | Hardcover 

 A humorous look at what happens when one character, reared on a diet of the Internet and gaming, cannot fathom what to do with a book and slings a barrage of annoying questions;

"Can you blog with it?"
" How do you scroll down?"
" Can you make the characters fight?”

   Readers know who is speaking by each animal's unique font type and color. Exasperated, Monkey hands over the volume. Life, death, and madness, all in a single illustrated page of Treasure Island, draw Jackass in. He responds with a knee-jerk reaction (“too many letters”) and hilariously reduces it to text speak, but his interest is piqued. He covets the book and readers watch him pore over it for hours. Repeated images of him transfixed, shifting left to right, up and down, ears upright, then splayed, and eyes wide open, fill a wordless spread and offer a priceless visual testimony to the focused interaction between readers' imaginations and a narrative. Mouse delivers the final punch line, which will lead to a fit of naughty but well-deserved laughter, and shouts of “Encore.” A clever choice for readers, young and old, who love a good joke and admire the picture book's ability to speak to many.

Suitable for all ages (with an alternate ending!) but kids in Grade 3 and up will get the humour in it.

Dino Hockey

Dino Hockey By Lisa Wheeler

     Rhyming couplets set the scene for a fantastical sports event: a hockey game played between opposing dinosaur teams: the Meat-Eaters and the Veggiesaurs. Gott's action-filled paintings amplify the sports moves and the players' comically exaggerated expressions, from the scowling face off between T. Rex and Tricera to the jubilant post game celebration, covered by eager dino newscasters. Kids new to hockey may need help visualizing terms such as assist and check, but even if they don't have a full grasp of specifics, many children will be caught up by the inventive premise, the slapstick humor, and the energy in the words and pictures. By sorting teams by herbivores and carnivores, this also sneaks in a science lesson that is reinforced with a scoreboard visual. A final page promises a soccer-field sequel.

If you like this one try the others in the series...