Summer Reading Lists

I love reading lists!!! I love to read the MD Black-Eyed Susan books because I KNOW that they are going to be great. AACPS comes out with summer reading lists every year... eventually. The books on those lists are good reads too. But sometimes, you're just looking for a list that is catered to YOU. This year I have been so busy reading books for a purpose that I haven't been able to read books that I want to read. With the summer coming up though, I have decided to write down those books that I have come across that look good and save them for my OWN summer reading list! How about you? What would be on your list? Maybe we'll put it on ours!

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Greenglass House by Kate Milford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**2015-2016 MD Black-Eyed Susan Nominee

Ben, Nora and Milo Pine, the Pine family, were looking forward to a quiet, low-key holiday at Greenglass House. Their usual clientele of smugglers dropped during the holidays which left the Inn virtually empty for the small family to enjoy the break together. But this stopped being the average holiday as soon as the bell began to ring signaling the Whilforber Whirlwind's ascent up the steep slope carrying their fist guest with many others to follow. Soon the family found their smuggler's Inn bustling with strangers and Mrs. Pine called in the Inn's chef, Mrs. Caraway, and her daughter Lizzie. They also brought Lizzie's younger sister, Meddy, who was all for occupying Milo's time. Milo and Meddy decided to play a role-playing game and together they realized that each guest has an agenda for being at the Inn. When items begin to go missing, the missing items aren't the only things that turn up. Down every hallway and behind every door, the secrets of Greenglass House beckon to Milo and Meddy and dare them to explore.

First, I have to say, I'm not a mystery girl. I couldn't really tell you why, but when I found out I had to read this book and that it was a mystery, I wasn't too thrilled. The cover I thought was gorgeous, but a mystery?...eh. I reluctantly started the book and right away was impressed with the writing. It was like someone telling a story with full, rich details. I wasn't too intrigued, but drifted along until THE part came when my stomach totally dropped. There was a moment that I did not see, but had been there all along that took Greenglass House from an okay book to one of my favorites! The storyline was brilliant and so neatly tied itself up at the end. I really can't recommend this book enough. If you're looking for an amazing read, then look no further...Greenglass House by Kate Milford.

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New Kid Books

Here are a few books that are due out soon for kids!

Mission Mumbai: A Novel of Sacred Cows, Snakes and Stolen Toilets
by Mahtab Narsimhan
Published: 29 March

  Travel to the colorful and chaotic streets of India from the comfort of your home in this hilarious and heartfelt story about friendship and family. 

When aspiring photographer Dylan Moore is invited to join his best friend, Rohit Lal, on a family trip to India, he jumps at the chance to embark on an exciting journey just like their Lord of the Rings heroes, Frodo and Sam. But each boy comes to the trip with a problem: Rohit is desperate to convince his parents not to leave him behind in Mumbai to finish school, and Dylan is desperate to stay in India to prove himself as a photographer and to avoid his parents' constant fighting. Keeping their struggles to themselves threatens to tear the boys apart. But when disaster strikes, Dylan and Rohit realize they have to set aside their differences to navigate India safely, confront their family issues, and salvage their friendship. 

The Classy Crooks Club

by Alison Cherry

Published: 29 March

  Twelve-year-old AJ dreads spending an entire month living with her strict Grandma Jo. Not only does her grandmother dictate how she walks, what she eats, and which rooms she can enter, she fills all AJ's free time with boring sewing lessons. Grandma Jo wants nothing more than to transform her adventurous, fun-loving granddaughter into a prim and proper lady.

But AJ’s dull summer takes a sharp turn when she discovers that her grandmother's "bridge group" is actually a heist club. When Grandma Jo offers to let AJ learn lock-picking instead of embroidery in exchange for help with a few capers, AJ is happy to join her grandmother's madcap band of thieves, who claim to steal only for ethical reasons. But even the most respectable ladies can hide truly surprising secrets, and AJ finds she must decide for herself what it means to be one of the good guys.

Our Teacher is a Vampire and Other (Not) True Stories

by Mary Amato

Published: 31 March

  It all begins when Alexander H. Gory Jr. passes around a notebook in which he reveals a tantalizing secret: he has proof that their teacher, Mrs. Penrose, is a vampire. Soon the entire class is speculating and adding their opinions to the notebook until . . . it lands in Mrs. Penrose s hands. It turns out that Mrs. Penrose has been keeping a secret: she is expecting a baby. But since the notebook is encouraging her students to write and improving their spelling and grammar, Mrs. Penrose allows it to continue circulating.

The notebook becomes a terrific place for jokes, poems, stories and the correspondence between the students and their favorite author. The notebook serves an even more important role when Mrs. Penrose s baby comes too soon, and she is replaced by a no-nonsense substitute. The students begin to express their fears for their teacher, their frustrations and their hopes. "

Seeking Cassandra

by Latricia Clifton

Published: 31 March

 When work takes Cassies mom abroad, Cassie is stuck living with her dad in his Winnebago in Palo Duro Canyon State Park for the summer. She loves her dad, but hes different since the divorce, and, for that matter, so is she. Shes gotten used to a different lifestyle thats not exactly compatible with the rougher living in the Canyon, where her dad is a handyman. She misses the conveniences of city living, and shes not too sure about the kids here. They seem awkward. Uncool. And, in the case of mysterious X, possibly dangerous.

Strange Mr. Satie: Composer of the Absurd

by M. T. Anderson

Published: 8 March

 In Paris, at the turn of the twentieth century, when artists were experimenting with new ways of seeing things, Erik Satie had something new to say about music. Most people didn't understand his pieces; critics called his music surreal. But Erik Satie didn't care. He wanted to make music that followed no rules but its own. Satie's life was strange and wonderful, frenetic and lonely all at the same time. He was friends with Picasso, and with wizards and puppeteers; he scraped himself with a stone instead of bathing, and he once threw his acrobat girlfriend out a window. Now award-winning author M. T. Anderson tells the story of the irreverent French composer in a biography that is witty, accessible, and endlessly surprising, while Petra Mathers' fanciful illustrations capture all the vibrancy that was Erik Satie's topsy-turvy world.

New Teen Books!

We haven't done this in a while. Let's look at some teen books that are due to become available to the pubic this week!

Walk the Edge
by Kate McGarry
Published: 29 March

 Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life. 

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules. 

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

Image and Imagination: Ideas and Inspiration for Teen Writers

by Nick Healy

Published: 1 March

 More than 150 compelling photos and provocative writing prompts work together in this hybrid photo book/journal to inspire young adults to think, dream, create. Writers looking for inspiration and ideas will find what they need here. Image and Imagination is a repository of story starters, a practice space for fun and informal writing, and a turnkey to unlock the writer within. 

Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival

by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhaus

Published: 29 March

  Jaap Sitters was only eight years old when his mother cut the yellow stars off his clothes and sent him, alone, on a fifteen-mile walk to hide with relatives. It was a terrifying night, one he would never forget. Before the end of the war, he would hide in secret rooms and behind walls. He would suffer from hunger, sickness, and the looming threat of Nazi raids. But he would live.

This is just one of the true stories told in Hidden Like Anne Frank, a collection of eye-opening first-person accounts that share the experience of going into hiding to escape the Holocaust. Some were just toddlers when they were hidden; some were teenagers. Some hid with neighbors or family, while many were with complete strangers. But all know the pain of losing their homes, their families, even their own names. They describe the secret network that kept them safe. And they share the coincidences and close calls that made all the difference.

Apology

I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to everyone for my absence. I've been really sick these last couple months and it's been taking some time to catch up on everything that I have had to lay down. Thank you so much for your patience!

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander


Jumping and dunking. Passing and free-throwing. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a quick moving story written in poetry about twin brothers, Josh and Jordan, and a very important moment in their lives. The book begins with carefree basketball metaphors as the reader sinks in to the normal lives of the two boys before those normal lives turn upside-down. Dad is hypertensive and Mom balances the family between cautious worry and a strong demeanor. Meanwhile, Jordan breaks from the dynamic duo when he suddenly becomes interested in the new girl at school. This leaves Josh with some tender feelings when he is no longer in his brother's spotlight. When dark times enter the family...then through family you can find the light.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was not my favorite. I had to groan and grumble through the basket ball jargon. I am not a basketball fan, BUT this book really does go much deeper than merely a sport. It's a book about the importance of family written through the eyes of a teenage boy and what an amazing perspective! Through the tough exterior comes a sensitive boy that worries about his Dad, respects his Mom and misses his twin brother. I highly recommend this book to boys. I feel it's someone they can relate to and it's hard finding books for boys. I do think everyone will enjoy it though.

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January Reading Challenge

Happy New Year!!! Let's celebrate the New Year with a January Challenge!! This month's challenge is to read "new" books. This can be newly published or newly bought!! Also, it's a month of firsts so you can also read the first book of a series. Comment below on what you have been reading!!