For those who enjoyed The Gossip Girls. 4. Also, a charming book that is not in a
series, The Ladies of Missalonghi, by Colleen McCullough. This is tiny treasure.
2011 Teacher Recommended Summer Reading List : John Handley High School
Amy Ballenger 1. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova – “poignant novel about a busy, vibrant woman in her 30s who has a car accident, leaving her to deal with a crippling disorder called left neglect.‖ 2. Come Sunday by Isla Morley – “Morley explores a mother's grief. Abbe Deighton, part-time journalist and full-time wife and mother, finds herself living in Hawaii with her preacher husband, Greg, and precocious three-year-old daughter, Cleo, thousands of miles from her South African birthplace. Her flight from an abusive father and complicit mother is not accidental—her poet brother also fled to America—and when Cleo is killed in a car accident, Abbe re-examines the choices that have brought her so far from home.‖ 3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker – “The Color Purple is a snapshot of the lives of the black people in the American South during the 1920's thru the 1940's before the Civil Rights movement. But it furthers the tale by including African history (in letters from Nettie) and how the culture is changed from the long-lived native culture to the white man's future culture as well. Injustice permeates this novel.‖ 4. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult – The book “takes its title from the duration of a high-school shooting rampage perpetrated by Peter Houghton, a much-bullied New Hampshire teenager.‖ Margaret Cameron 1. Ellen Foster – Kaye Gibbons 2. Charms for the Easy Life – Kaye Gibbons – “Kay Gibbons writes books about the South and Southern families. She writes in a way that makes the reader feel that he or she has met these people before, and is an invited voyeur.” Julie Foster For youth who enjoy series I recommend the following; 1. The Books of Ember series. Three books, The City of Ember, The People of Sparks , and The Prophet of Yonwood, by Jean DuPrau. Sci/fi , fantasy. 2. The Maximum Ride series, by James Patterson. Four books, The Angel Experiment, Schools out Forever, Saving the World, and The Final Warning. Suspense. 3. Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty. For those who enjoyed The Gossip Girls. 4. Also, a charming book that is not in a series, The Ladies of Missalonghi, by Colleen McCullough. This is tiny treasure. Jason Herron 1. The Screwtape Letters--C.S. Lewis -- Screwtape, a high ranking assistant of the devil, writes letters to his young nephew Wormwood, an aspiring minion, in an effort to teach the young demon how to control a human and secure his soul for eternity. 2. The Fountainhead -- Ayn Rand -- Roark is an incredibly talented artist and architect who could work anywhere wants if not for his unwavering conviction in doing things his way and not conforming to the style of the day. A moving story of how one person can stand against the masses. 3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy : J.R.R. Tolkien -- After reading The Hobbit in fourth grade, I’ve read the entire series multiple times and find something new, beautiful, and meaningful each time. Curl up in the shade and a bright, breezy day and let Tolkien take you to another world. 4. The Age of Spiritual Machines : Ray Kurzweil -- As our society grows increasingly dependent upon technology to make it through our busy lives, it is interesting to ponder where it all will lead. Kurzweil shows how our society has been changed by technology and predicts how our world will change as technology advances at an exponential rate. Mind-blowing nonfiction! 5. On the Road : Jack Kerouac -- This is truly a seasonal book that must be read when you have the opportunity to take a road trip. An American classic that needs to be read as you are speeding off away from home. Larry Lovelady 1. Prince of Tides b y Pat Conroy. Savannah Wingo, a successful feminist poet who has suffered from hallucinations and suicidal tendencies since childhood, has never been able to reconcile her life in New York with her early South Carolina tidewater heritage. Her suicide attempt brings her twin brother, Tom, to New York, where he spends the next few months, at the request of Savannah's psychiatrist, helping to reconstruct and analyze her early life. In beautifully contrasting memories which play childhood fears against the joys and wonders of being alive, Tom creates and communicates the all-consuming sense of family which is Savannah's major strength as a poet and her tragic flaw as a human being. Conroy has achieved a penetrating vision of the Southern psyche in this enormous novel of power and emotion. BOMC main selection.Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale 2. Flamingo Rising by Larry Baker. The reader will encounter mature themes supporting the development of the main character over time, in the context of a coming-of-age story in which students explore both the beautiful and the unpleasant aspects of the American Dream 3. .A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Owen Meany, the only child of a New Hampshire granite quarrier, believes he is God's instrument; he is. This is John Irving's most comic novel, yet Owen Meany is Mr. Irving's most heartbreaking character. "Roomy, intelligent, exhilarating and darkly comic...Dickensian in scope....Quite stunning and very ambitious."
Kelly Stallard 1. The Giver: Lois Lowry – This novel makes you question just how much freewill we really have. 2. A Soldier of the Great War: Mark Helprin – I read this book many years ago and liked it so much I loaned it my father, who loaned it to my sister, who loaned it to my brother. I never saw my copy again. I can only wonder how many more people found this novel about World War I Italian soldiers as captivating as my family did. I can’t loan it to you, but you can find it at the library! 3. River God: Wilbur Smith – Here’s another favorite in my family. This one started with my father and even my mother, husband and daughter could not resist reading it. When you meet Taita, a very clever slave in ancient Egypt who claims to have invented the chariot and indoor plumbing, you will have to question all you ever learned about this civilization. According to Taita, history books have it all wrong. 4. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah: Richard Bach – Exactly what is reality? Donald Shimoda wants to help you find out. 5. Cold Sassy Tree: Olive Ann Burnes – This novel is set in a fictional town in Georgia in 1906. Grandma Blakeslee has died, and while her children and grandchildren mourn, Grandpa Blakeslee sneaks off and marries a much younger woman – and a Yankee no less! This story is told from the perspective of Will Tweedy, Blackslee’s 14 year old grandson. It is both humorous and touching. And yes, I’ve lost my copy of this one as well, but this time to my husband’s family. Mary Tedrow 1. For light reading try the new genre of graphic novels. Two that will surprise you with their depth and emotional impact are both based on true stories. Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis I and II by Marjane Satrapi. They’re comic books! 2. If you’ve never tried Magical Realism it’s a fun way of viewing the world. From Central and South America, these writers incorporate seemingly supernatural events into everyday life, as though the miracles were just a daily occurence. My two favorites: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. Also try One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. People can fly, read minds, grow wings…. 3. Students Tell Me: Boys say that High Fidelity by Nick Hornby tells it like it is. (Or anything by Hornby.) Girls love the novels Speak by Laurie Anderson and Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard. Jane Troup I grouped mine by authors I have always loved. 1. Anne River Siddons is an author I have always enjoyed. Her novels are usually about families and relationships. 2. The following novels from Pat Conroy are about his year teaching on an island off of the coast of Georgia, his last year on the Citadel basketball team, and growing up with a marine as a father: The Water is Wide, My Losing Season, and The Great Santini. The Prince of Tides and Beach Music are two of his more famous novels. 3. Sue Grafton’s novels are alphabetical…Kinsey Millhone is her heroic private eye who operates under very normal everyday conditions. S is for Silence is one title. 4. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood – Rebecca Wells. If you like this one, there is at least one prequel. Virginia Williams 1. Sold – By reading this, you will never take the freedom you have for granted. This was researched and written by the writer of Speak. 2. The Giver – A classic that shows you life is not what you think it to be. 3. Godless – By reading this, you will be more alert to ―friends‖ who may try to change your faith or view in things around you. One of my favorite books – really blew my mind! 4. What Happened to Cass McBride? – This book was exciting from start to finish. It really makes you realize the small things you do have an impact on the world around you. The question isn’t answered till the end of the book! These novels are recommendations only. There will be no test on any of them when you come back to school. They are merely suggestions to keep all of you reading over the summer and to keep the idea of the 100 Book Challenge alive. Many of the books are adult content and parents should be involved in the selections of any of these books. For an interesting twist, check out the following: Teenreads. This site is created for a teen audience. Includes lots of graphics, book covers and categories like "Books into Movies" "New Cool Books" and "Ultimate Teen Reading List."
http://www.teenreads.com/ The American Library Association has a recommended reading page that also breaks books down into other categories like "Outstanding Books for the College Bound" (which further breaks books down into themes like humanities, science and technology, and history and culture.) They also have a list for reluctant readers, which would be a good resource for us as well. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/recreading/recommendedreading.cfm Reading Rants: Out of the ordinary teen reads.
http://www.readingrants.org/
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. More lists with pictures and reviews. http://www.clpgh.org/teens/books/ For those who are already readers, they can join (password protected) a social networking site for readers "Goodreads" It works like Facebook. You only 'friend' those you select. http://www.goodreads.com/ Shefarie: another social networking site (a la Facebook) for readers. http://www.shelfari.com/ Guys Read: Directed exclusively at males to develop a lifelong love of reading. http://www.guysread.com/ Boys Read: Same premise as above with links to book covers and quick reviews. The lists are divided by age levels. http://www.boysread.org/books
