What I've Been Reading This Summer

What a tremendously busy summer it's been! We just finished our Summer Reading programs at the library, and I'm happy to say that my teens did a great job -- circulation numbers were way up!

Despite being so very busy, I was able to get some excellent reading in. Heads up for these titles:

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Middle School and up

This book was so fun and so heartbreaking at the same time. Steven is a middle school drummer whose obsession with All-City jazz ensemble is trumped only by his unrequited adoration of gorgeous and unattainable Renee. Into the hormonal frenzy that is life in junior high comes the diagnosis of his baby brother's leukemia. Steven's simultaneous annoyance and devotion to little Jeffy is affecting and realistic, as is his frustration with his parents as they, understandably, focus their attention on their younger son at the expense of Steven. Parts of the book are laugh-out-loud funny, and others threaten to produce tears. I highly recommend this one.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

8th grade and up

This book is not for the faint of heart. Sixteen-year-old Katniss lives in a post-apocalyptic world where the majority of people stay in abject poverty their entire lives -- unless, of course, they are chosen to represent the 12 districts of Panem at the Capitol in the annual Hunger Games. In that event, they must fight in a winner-takes-all death match against other children (ages 12-18). When Katniss volunteers to take her little sister's place in the bloodbath, she sets in motion a series of events that will change Panem, and herself, forever. I am so looking forward to Catching Fire, the second in this proposed trilogy.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

5th grade and up

I read this book with complete delight and abandon. I love a light read, and though the book has nearly 500 pages, the subtle humor and adventure made it go by fast. This book is for anyone who likes puzzles and mysteries, or who has ever felt a bit like an outsider in a world that doesn't understand. I think fans of Harry Potter will also like the interactions among the four children who make up the benevolent Mr. Benedict's Society -- Reynie, the defacto leader of the group; Sticky, a boy with a photographic memory and a penchant for polishing his glasses when he's nervous, which is most of the time; Kate, a spunky girl who carries a bucket full of odd items fastened to her belt and who prefers using windows and air ducts to make an entrance; and Constance, a girl whose stubborn will to be contrary just might save them all from the evil mechanization of Ledopthra Curtain, a mastermind whose "thing to come" will let him rule the world. Fun, fun, fun!