Summer Reading... The Good Kind (I Hope)
Hey! Sophie here! This title is probably not overly appealing, but lounging at the beach and being stuck home alone are the perfect times to pick up a book and read. And Iâve got several suggestions.
Beastly and/or A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn: These novels are modernized retellings of Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, respectively. Beastly centers around Kyle Kingsbury, who had it all-- looks, money, popularity-- until he pissed off a witch in disguise, and, well⌠he became somewhat beast-like. A Kiss In Time centers on Princess Talia, who has recently been woken from a 300-ish year sleep by Jack, a kid who was just trying to get to the beach and take a break from European museums. The two are now stuck in Miami, together, and despite the fact his kiss woke her, the two canât stand each other. But the world Talia lived in is very different from what sheâll encounter todayâŚ
These are both great books, I swear, and I donât read straight-up-romance novels (or âgarbageâ said in a French accent as someone I know calls them). Theyâre stand alone, although Beastly does have a companion novel centering on the witch, Kendra, and I donât read a bunch of stand-alones, either. Iâm more of a series type of girl.
Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner: Circaâs father was great at restoring old photographs and heâs been teaching her, too. He has to make a delivery and then⌠heâs dead, killed in the tornado and accident that spring up during the events. Just as Circa and her mother begin to move on, Miles shows up, who just so happens to have the picture Circaâs father was meant to deliverâŚ
Circa Now is a great book. I really liked it, even though one part made me want to scratch my eyes out. (If youâve read it, feel free to guess.)
Harry Potter by JK Rowling: Donât make me explain. If you donât know Harry Potter, you live under a rock. And itâs a fun series to re-read when you have all this extra time springing up
Pick up some Greek myths or Arthurian legends:Â Both can be told in many different ways for many different age levels. For the Greek myths, I would recommend literally just Googling âgreek myth pdfs;â youâll find something. For Arthurian legends about the tales of King Arthur and the ever-so-gallant Knights of the Round Table, try King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as told by Roger Lancelyn Green.
Ways To Live Forever by Sally Nichols: Okay, so my next couple books are considered middle-grade, but thatâs what Percy Jackson and Harry Potter and Warriors are considered, too, and theyâre featured on here so WHATEVER. Like The Fault In Our Stars, W2LF centers around a child with cancer. Sam knows he is nearing the end and wants to have a normal experience before his disease gets the best of him. Itâs quite a touching book.
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper: OOMM centers on Melody, a girl with cerebral palsy and the world around her. Her whole life, sheâs been part of the special education classes, but theyâre now allowing the special ed kids to attend regular classes, which is a relief since Melodyâs brain is way-beyond pinning buttons on their poor classroomâs snow man. She joins the Quiz Team and makes friends⌠that maybe canât see past her disabilityâŚ
OOMM is a really, really great book that explores not only disabilities, but peoplesâ reactions to them. I loved it and have read it several times.
Notes From An Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dione is a great story about being comfortable in your own shoes. Another novel of hers, The Total Tragedy Of A Girl Named Hamlet, is also a great story with a similar theme. Donât know which I recommend more. And even though Iâve never read it, Iâve heard good things about Models Donât Eat Chocolate Cookies.
Peak by Roland Smith: Peakâs parents are both big rock climbers, even if he hasnât seen his dad in years and his mom doesnât climb anymore, especially since they now live in New York and all thatâs there to (illegally) scale is skyscrapers. After being caught illegally scaling a skyscraper, Peak's father shows up and offers him the chance to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. Peak accepts, and learns that if he makes it to the top before his birthday, he can be the youngest person to ever reach the summit.
Peak is amazing. Itâs great, really, I promise.
So, it might not be the longest list in the world (or have overly convincing reasons), but over the summer youâre working or at camp or doing the required summer reading, so you donât have a ton of time to read for fun⌠Thatâs my excuse for I donât know exactly which books to consider prime summer reading material, Iâll admit, but these are all really good books. And also use your time to catch up on series that you haven't been able to read in a while, or even read books that you know you'll have to read next school year so you can read it for fun and then analyze later with everyone else. So Iâll see you next week! (P.S. Sorry about last week. And also, Iâve decided to stop my âBook of the Weeks.â Theyâre pretty pointless, donât you think?)
