Monday, June 9, 2014

a pathway into empathy

John Green talks about reading. Awesome!




Friday, June 6, 2014

Summer Reading for Book Enthusiasts

Today I read an article posted on NPR's Monkey See Blog: The Muscle-Flexing, Mind-Blowing Book Girls Will Inherit The Earth by Linda Holmes. I have been trying to compile a Summer Reading List worthy of #WeNeedDiverseBooks and this was just the push I needed.

I'm not sure I like the term Book Girls… as many of the Book Girls traits are not limited to a specific gender. I prefer the term Book Enthusiasts or Book Aficionados.

It's awesome that these Book Enthusiasts have created a market and community for what they love, and that they take their passions to heart.

So, to all those #WeNeedDiverseBooks fans out there, here's a summer reading list to ponder.




The Best Book In The World by Rilla Alexander may be the perfect gift for all Book Enthusiasts. (pre-order)
If you found the best book in the world, would you stop reading? Could you stop reading? If you had homework to do, or dinner to get through, could you put the book down? On a train to the zoo or on a flight to Kalamazoo, would that break the spell? If in a forest you walked, while scary monsters stalked… would that be enough? If every animal in the land were to be led by a big band, in a grand parade in your honour made… would you put the book down?
What could possibly be so good about a book? Well, open me up and find out for yourself!
Alexander’s superb artwork makes this an unforgettable and magical tale that encourages children to read. The Best Book in the World draws young readers into the richly rewarding world of books.


The List below advances from Middle Grade up through Young Adult. Here are some favorites to look forward to reading this summer …


The Return of Zita The Space Girl by Ben Hatke

HeroBear and the Kid by Mike Kunkel

The Platypus Police Squad: The Ostrich Conspiracy by Jarrett J Krosoczka

Timmy Failure: Now Look What You've Done by Stephen Pastis

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

Goblins by Philip Reeve

Scary Tales: Home Sweet Horror by James Preller

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

The Witch's Curse by Keith McGowan (a great read aloud)

Penelope Crumb Never Forgets by Shawn K Stout

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossman

The Misadventures of the Magician's Dog by Frances Sackett

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Thickety by J.A. White

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer

Arlene, The Rebel Queen by Carol Liu with Marybeth Sidoti Caldarone

Courageous Women Rebels by Joy Crysdale

Peace Warriors by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Be A Wilderness Detective by Peggy Kochanoff

Ouch! By Joe Rhatigan

Spending Spree by Cynthia Overbeck Bix

World War II Spies by Sean Stewart Price

Our Rights: How Kids Are Changing The World by Janet Wilson

A History of Just About Everything by Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky

Why Do We Fight: Conflict, War and Peace by Niki Walker

The Dolphins of Shark Bay by Pamela S Turner

Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes

Tandem by Anna Jarab

Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Eleanor and Park and/or Fangirl and/or Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Branded by the Pink Triangle by Ken Setterington

Fourth Down and Inches by Carla Killough McClafferty

We Were Liars by e. lockhart

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares


Other books to keep an eye on:

The Fall by Bethany Griffin a psychological thriller and a remaining of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Due out in the fall of 2014

Beware The Wild by Natalie C Parker this debut novel looks like a scary, mysterious, swoon-worthy romance.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab won't be released until February of 2015, but I already have my pre-order in. The ability to travel between parallel universes sounds amazing.

The Adjacent by Christopher Priest is a book where history and fiction intersect.

And, because you've surely already read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, read Paper Towns this summer.

And, because it is so good… you should read the adult novel, All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. If you are under 16, just skip the chapter entitled Berlin. You will love this book!



I wish you a summer 
filled with Happy Reading!