Summer Reads by Mrs. Fenwick. 2009 edition!
Title, author, genre, number of pages and ratings!
Story of a Girl. Sara Zarr. RF. Pp. 192. 4 of 5 stars. Adult content. Deanna Lambert made a huge mistake when she was in eighth grade. The problem is, no one, not even her family, can forgive and forget. But the problem isn’t just Deanna, but her brother who has a baby and who lives in the basement! Every day, Deanna lives with the bullying and the silent treatment of her father. Enter a summer job, working at Picasso’s serving pizza. Her boss is one of her few friends who accepts her as she is.
Buried. Robin Merrow MacCready. RF. Pp. 198. 4 of 5 stars. Claudine has a lot of secrets, too many to keep track of. When she develops a system to keep organized using sticky-notes, she feels at peace and calm. With an alcoholic mother and no father in the picture, she relies on her wits, her best friend, and attending the after-school AA meetings. But, even her sense of order can’t help her when her biggest secret is uncovered. Lies cannot stay buried forever.
The Rules of Survival. Nancy Werlin. RF. Pp. 260. 4 of 5 stars. Matthew and his two sisters live with their abusive mother and aunt in Boston. Things are getting progressively worse as the taunting and abuse escalates. Luckily, the kids get the help they need from an ex-boyfriend and an ex-husband. But, are things going too smoothly?
The Weight of Silence. Heather Gudenkauf. RF. Pp. 373. 4 of 5 stars. Adult content. Callie witnesses her mother losing her baby in a fall (?) down a flight of stairs when her parents have been fighting and her father had been drinking. Callie cries and cries and her father whispers something in her ear, and she hasn’t spoken for 3 years. This was filled with disappearing children, false accusations, and a clever twist in the ending. I liked the way the author makes you think one way, but I thought the book was a bit too long and a bit silly at the end.
Last Shot. John Feinstein. A Final Four Mystery. RF. Pp. 251. 3 of 5 stars. As a mother of a basketball player and a lover of the college final four and March madness, I thought I’d love this book, but not so. It was a bit confusing and drawn out and I thought the plot was a little silly. Two junior high writers win a contest and are invited to fly to the Final Four basketball tournament. While there, they overhear threatening and blackmailing comments made to a star player. They try to piece together the puzzle to save the game.
Twenty Boy Summer. Sarah Ockler. RF. Pp. 290. 5 of 5 stars. Adult content. Anna and Frankie have been best friends since grammar school. But, Anna has a secret that her best friend should know about. Through a series of unfortunate and deadly mistakes, Frankie takes Anna’s journal and learns the truth. Will they be able to remain friends or will the truth ruin their friendship? Set against the California coastline, enter two cute surfers, family secrets, and sad memories.
Pretty Little Liars. Sara Shepard. RF. Pp. 288. 5 of 5 stars. Adult content and language. Five friends from junior high share secrets, clothes and dreams. But one friend disappears, and three years later, the remaining friends get strange texts alluding to things no one should know about. I found it a bit confusing, but the way the book ends, makes me want to read the sequel! Very scary, too!
Flawless. Sara Shepard. RF. Pp. 330. 5 of 5 stars. Adult content and language. Well, I enjoyed Pretty Little Liars so much, went to Borders and bought the sequel and read it in one afternoon! The story continues with finding Allison’s body and text messages. The author drags you in, making you think one thing, but then comes full circle with a surprise. I was home alone reading this and got spooked! Got a bit tired of mentioning all the brand names of items, that seems a bit silly, but a pretty good read.
Hit and Run. Lurlene McDaniel. RF. Pp. 180. 4 of 5 stars. Four high school students, who may never have met, share a secret, which brings them together. Each chapter was told from a different perspective, making the book a quick read. Read about Analise, Laurie, Quin and Jeremy and how one night changed their lives forever. I was surprised at the ending!
Fade. Lisa McMann. RF. Pp. 248. 3 of 5 stars. Adult content and language. This book is a sequel to the book Wake, which I didn’t read. I wish I had! It was a bit confusing because I had to fill in the parts and that was a pain, but once I figured out what was happening, it was all right. Janie and Cabel are high school students who have huge secrets – falling into dreams, horrible parents, and who secretly work for the police. Their next assignment, to track down a predator at their high school, but this means putting Janie in his path!
The Colors of Courage, Gettysburg’s Forgotten History. Margaret S. Creighton. Non-Fiction. Pp. 236. 4 of 5 stars. A very intense, yet informative book. I had to read it for a summer class, and I was a bit overwhelmed with all the information, but I certainly learned a lot about those people who played a role in Gettysburg. A good read for history buffs!
Apart from the Crowd. Anna McPartlin. RF. Pp. 430. Adult Content. 5 of 5 stars! I read it in one sitting! This novel follows the lives of 5 quirky people, each with their own pain and secrets, whose lives are intertwined. Throw in strange townspeople and a big dog, and you’ve got it all. Both funny and sad, I was very happy with the ending!
The Last Lecture. Randy Pausch. Autobiography. Pp. 206. 4 of 5 stars. A real tearjerker. This book would make a great companion piece to Tuesdays with Morrie. Dying of pancreatic cancer, and being told he only has a few months to live, Randy writes about his life as he prepares for his last lecture. What lessons will he leave for his wife and 3 children? I laughed, I cried, it makes you think of your own mortality and what legacies you’ll leave behind.
Facing the Lion. Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton. Autobiography. Pp. 123. 3 of 5 stars. Each chapter chronicles the life of Joseph, who grew up on the African savannah as a Maasai. Even though this takes place in Kenya, it would be an interesting parallel study to the story, Of Beetles and Angels, which follows a family from Somalia. I learned a lot about African culture and traditions from this book, with each chapter focusing on something different.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Sherman Alexie. RF. Pp. 230. 5 of 5 stars. Poor Arnold. Born with water on the brain, extra teeth, drunkard parents and a wise grandma, he decides to leave the reservation to attend a prestigious white school, Reardon. Little did he know changing schools would lead to a basketball championship, a pseudo-girlfriend named Penelope, and interesting friends. A great book! Laughed out loud!
Because I am Furniture. Thalia Chaltas. RF. Pp. 352. 5 of 5 stars. Adult content and language. Told in poetry form, this book chronicles the life of Anke, the third and forgotten child. She is invisible, only showing herself on the volleyball court. She lives with her older brother, sister, mother and abusive father. Filled with pain and anguish, Anke becomes invisible no more when she confronts her father, who is taken to jail. A quick read, I read it in one sitting!
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. Gabrielle Zevin. RF. Pp. 271. 4 of 5 stars. Due to a freak accident, imagine waking up having lost the last 4 years of your life? That’s exactly what happens to the main character, Moira. Slipping on some steps at her school, she hits her head and erases the past 4 years! Trying to fill in the gaps are her friends and family. Does she take the time to listen or does she reinvent herself? She meets Ace, her tennis-playing boyfriend and can’t remember what she saw in him. She doesn’t remember her parent’s divorce. Why does she dislike her mother? Only time will tell.
Taken. Edward Bloor. Fiction. Pp. 247. 3 of 5 stars. This story takes place in the year 2035 where kidnapping rich kids is commonplace. Charity Meyers is not so lucky. She gets kidnapped and thinks, based on her research; she’ll be let go within 24 hours. But the plan is not working. Bungled attempts at escape, a downed helicopter and being with people who are not who they seem! Interesting concept, but a little too long…. I thought the book could have ended much sooner, it seemed to drag out. Not one of my favorites.76.
Artichoke’s Heart. Suzanne Supplee. RF. Pp. 276. 4 of 5 stars. As someone who is constantly watching my weight and exercising daily, I could relate to the main character, Rosemary, who is struggling. When her mother gets cancer, all her troubles come to a head. She envies the Bluebirds, befriends beautiful Kay-Kay, and longs for Kyle, the big football player. Can Rosemary shed pounds and fears at the same time?
The Big Game of Everything. Chris Lynch. RF. Pp. 275. 2 of 5 stars. Since my husband is an avid golfer, I thought I’d try this book about the lives of a family and their life on the golf course. Grandfather owns a 13 hole golf course and hires his two grandsons and granddaughter to work there for the summer. Misfit golfers, a huge mouse, and a comb-over complete the picture. I didn’t care for this one at all! I thought the idea was great and the book jacket summary sounded funny, but it was way too long with too much detail. Skimmed the last few pages. L.
The Kingdom Keepers. Disney after Dark. Ridley Pearson. Sci-Fi. Pp. 325.
5 of 5 stars. Imagine having the run of Walt Disney World, after dark! It’s not all fun and games though. The Pirates of the Caribbean come alive and try to kill you. The children of It’s A Small World swim after your ride and try to bite you! This is exactly what happens to five young teenagers, who when they sleep, are transported into this strange world. A great read, I read the entire thing in one sitting! Both scary and funny, with good twists and turns. These teenagers are a lot braver than I’d be! Will they solve the puzzle and save the world?
George’s Secret Key to the Universe. Lucy and Stephen Hawking. Sci-Fi/Informational. Pp. 297. 4 of 5 stars. George lives an uneventful life with his parents and his pet pig when he encounters his interesting and strange next door neighbors. Annie, a wanna-be ballerina makes up stories about her parents, and her dad, Eric, a scientist. Go with George, Annie and Eric as they travel the universe, distant planets and a black hole! Great graphics and explanations. For everyone who is interested in space and science!
Perfect. Sara Shepard. RF. Pp. 298. 4o f 5 stars. Perfect is the third in the series. Adult content. Again, this novel follows the lives of 4 high school girls, each with their own demons and secrets. Anonymous letters and text messages wreak havoc in their lives. The ending came as a surprise to me and makes me want to read the next book, too! A good cliffhanger. I want to find out who A is! The conflicts are getting intense. It is not necessary to have read the first two to keep up as the books do a good job of filling in the gaps.
Runaway. Wendelin Van Draanen. RF. Pp. 245. 5 of 5 stars. Adult content. Holly has runaway before, from her horrible foster homes. She steals supplies, hides out in a high school locker room, makes friends with someone at the shelter and hops on a bus headed for California! During this time, she keeps a poetry journal and continues to write to her English teacher, Ms. Leone. Each chapter had poems and insight as to what she was feeling and seeing. I found this book interesting, sad, yet still hopeful. A very good read.
The Uninvited. Tim Wynn-Jones. RF. Pp. 351. 2 of 5 stars. Mimi needs to get away and think about her life and what she wants. She drives to her dad’s remote camp in Canada, hoping for some alone time. But when she tries to enter the camp, she realizes she is not alone, someone is living there! Who is Jay and why is he in HER camp? But that’s not the worse of it, WHO is sending messages, taking pictures, and ransacking the camp? I found this a bit confusing at the beginning – chapters were told by different characters and/or in flashback form. A long read, not one of my favorites. L
Do You Know the Monkey Man? Dori Hillestad Butler. RF/Mystery. Pp. 193.
2 of 5 stars. This book had the potential to be very clever and intriguing, but it fell way short. Sam has always felt weird about her twin sisters’ death and her disappearing father. When all else fails, she and her best friend, Amanda, visit a psychic who tells Sam that her sister is alive and there is a strong connection still. Sam begins to dream about her sister and father and takes the plunge – doing research and hiring a private investigator to track her father down. What happens when she comes face to face with her sister? Meanwhile, her mother is engaged to Bob, who wants to adopt Sam. But, does Sam need another father?
When you Reach Me. Rebecca Stead. Fiction. Pp. 197. 4 of 5 stars. Sal and Miranda are best friends, until one fateful day when Sal gets beat up by Marcus and Miranda does nothing to stop the punching. That is the beginning of strange happenings in Miranda’s life – her apartment key gets stolen, shoes get stolen and strange notes appear, all with a mystery for Miranda. This was a strange, yet very intriguing book, with an ending I didn’t imagine. Set in downtown New York, the cast of characters include Miss Wheelie, the television show– $20,000 Pyramid, and “The Laughing Man”.
Fallout. Trudy Krisher. RF. Pp. 309. 5 of 5 stars. Genevieve feels lost at school when her best friend moves away. Her parents don’t understand her nor take the time to really talk to her. Enter Brenda Womper, a tall, outspoken single child of liberal-thinking parents. She speaks her mind, smokes cigarettes, and petitions and protests everything Genevieve and her parents believe. All this is sent in the southern state of North Carolina, against a backdrop of hurricanes and the fear of Communism and atomic bombs. Will Genevieve support her newfound friend? I learned a lot about poetry, Communism and what people thought in the 1950’s. It was a very good read.
The Girl Who Saw Lions. Berlie Doherty. RF. Pp. 249. 3 of 5 stars. Told from two perspectives – Abela who lives in Tanzania and is surrounded by death from AIDS/HIV and the other perspective is told from Rosa, who lives in England with her mom. Somehow, through the course of strange events and foster parents and adoption mishaps, they meet and their lives become the better for it. I learned a lot about the health conditions of Africa, and the process of the foster care/adoption. I found it a little predictable at the end.
I am Scout. The Biography of Harper Lee. Charles J. Shields. Biography.
Pp. 212. 5 of 5 stars. As a lover of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, I was taken with the account of Harper Lee’s life – her likes, her loves, her friendship with Truman Capote and her family history. Filled with anecdotes and pictures and quotes from classmates, it was fun to see how her upbringing was transported into her classic novel.
A Map of the Known World. Lisa Ann Sandell. RF. Pp. 273. 5 of 5 stars. Cora hasn’t been able to come to grasp the fact that her older brother died. Her parents ignore her and each other. Imagine how she feels when she takes an art class with Damian, who was in the car with her brother. Her parents blame Damian for Nate’s death and what will they say when she starts falling for him?
The Great Wide Sea. M. H. Herlong. Adventure/Survival. Pp. 283. 4 of 5 stars. If you like adventure, boating, and survival stories, this one is for you! Three brothers and their father set course for a year of sailing the high seas. But, through negligence and bad luck, their ending is not what they had hoped for. A lot of technical terms and boating scenarios, and sometimes I wasn’t sure WHAT was happening with their boat, but a scary and suspenseful book. A great one for boys, I think.
The Brooklyn Nine. Alan Gratz. Historical Fiction. Pp. 299. 4 of 5 stars. Not being a big fan of baseball, I certainly learned a lot about the history of the sport and how it came to be America’s #1 past time! The story follows one family, starting at the Civil War until 2002, and is broken into 9 innings, like a baseball game. I found some “innings” more interesting than others, but all in all, it was an interesting book. Of note, there are several pages at the end where the author fills in where he gathered his information and expands on names and situations.
Going for the Record. Julie A. Swanson. RF. Pp. 217. 4 of 5 stars. This one is pretty hokey, but I’ll admit it, I did cry, and cry a lot! Leah Weiczynkowski is going to be a senior in high school this year and this will be the best! She competed for a spot on the ODP under 18 soccer team, and qualified! But when her father is late in picking her up from camp and seems preoccupied, Leah could never have imagined why – pancreatic cancer with a diagnosis of a few months to live. The chapters are broken down into dates, so the reader is very conscious of how much time has elapsed. I found the dialogue a bit unrealistic, but as a mother of 3 soccer players, I enjoyed all the soccer talk and felt connected to her parents and their love of the game, too!
