Summer Reading List

Local schools will begin school in three weeks time, but for a few schools, summer is just beginning. Here's a summer reading list I whipped up for the learning community where I currently work.

Fiction

1. A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
3. Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey
4. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
5. Enrique El Negro by Carla M. Pacis
6. The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger
7. Chenixi and the Foreigner by Sally Rippin
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
10. Broken Memory by Elisabeth Combres
11. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
12. Children of the River by Linda Crew
13. Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler
14. Invisible by Pete Hautman
15. Click: One Novel Ten Authors
16. Serendipity Market by Penny Blubaugh
17. Looking for Alaska by John Green
18. No easy Answers edited by Donald R. Gallo
19. Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
20. All We Know of Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Non-Fiction

1. A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
2. The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
3. Jewels by Victoria Finlay
4. When They Were 22: 100 Famous People at the Turning Point in Their Lives
5. This I Believe: Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women
6. The Scientist As Rebel by Freeman Dyson
7. Unmentionables: From Family Jewels to Friendly Fire
8. Choices: The Skin You’re In by Dianne Webber
9. Choices: Sisters and Brothers by Elizabeth Siris Winchester
10. The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

Picks from the list

Broken Memory by Elisabeth Combres (Canada: Groundwood Press, 2009).
Emma is a victim of war. With the help of a Hutu woman, she was able to survive. Her journey to self healing was made possible by people who, like her, had an experience of war and hatred.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (New York: Random House, 2003)
Christopher, an autistic savant, solves a mystery and discovers a secret about his mother.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (New York: Dell Books)
Julie Ashton recovers from the aftermath of World War II through stories told to her in letters by members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. While London shaked and trembled under German blietzkrieg, the little island of Guernsey in the English Channel bore the burden of being occupied by Hitler’s army.

Enrique El Negro by Carla M. Pacis (Mandaluyong: Cacho Publishing House, 1997)
Yabon was fifteen when he travelled to Europe as one of Ferdinand Magellan’s crew. A boy from one of the tropical islands of the Pacific, he spent many months and years seafaring with the famed Portugese explorer. Renamed Enrique, he set foot in Spain and a new life awakened him to the many cultures of peoples and the world.

A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel (New York: Penguin Books, 1986)
This collected essays on books and reading by Alberto Manguel presents the historical and cultural relevance of reading and the book we’ve grown to love and appreciate inspite of the changing times. 

When They Were 22: 100 Famous People at the Turning Point in Their Lives edited by Brad Dunn (Kansas City, US: Andrews McMeel)
A compilation of success stories and poignant vignettes from celebrities, luminaries and popular personalities in various disciplines. Stephen Hawking found love at 22 years old and rose from depression; Estee Lauder enjoyed cooking creams in her uncle’s kitchen and, at age 22, she sold homemade lotions like pancakes!

Choices: Sisters and Brothers by Elizabeth Siris Winchester (New York: Scholastic, 2008)
Are you the eldest in a brood of many? Are you the youngest sibling or the middle child? Are you an adopted child or a child of a mixed marriage? Winchester lends tips and advice for the teenager grappling with sibling issues in this handbook and guide. Applicable for parents, teachers and professionals working with/for teens.