#1 – Jimi and Me by Jaime Adoff

1. Summer ReadingAugust 29, 2008Check out these great book choices and select one to read during Summer Break. Receive bonus points for participating in a book discussion and completing a project to share on Literacy Day.

2. #1 – Jimi and Meby Jaime Adoff This verse novel carries Keith, a biracial teen, through the tumultuous first six months after his father’s death. His dad, a music producer who called him “Little Cool” and shared his love for Jimi Hendrix’s music, is shot to death in Brooklyn. Their money seems to be gone, so he and his mom move to Ohio to live with his aunt. Keith copes with a small town, a racist bully, and panic attacks, but he also meets a shy beautiful blonde and plays his guitar fiercely.

3. He uncovers the truth of his father’s money losses, and he finds another Jimi who was in his father’s life, so the title has a double meaning. Look for a great ending, which takes place in Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Often funny, Adoff also captures the real pain and doubts facing a teen as he faces the challenges of growing up. An engaging, fast-paced story for anyone who “hates to read.” It’s also a wonderful coming of age story for rising freshmen.

4. #2 – The Truth About Foreverby Sarah Dessen A long dull summer stretches ahead of Macy (the narrator who is smart and sensitive) while her boyfriend is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drill for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of her father. This is a story about change. Sometimes unexpected things can happen-things like the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic staff.

5. Or her sister’s project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things like meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl’s world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder if it really is better to be safe than sorry. What is the truth about forever? Recommended for all grade levels.

6. #3 - Runnerby Carl Deuker High-school senior Chance is a “ghost-walker” at school-barely talking, just passing, finding escape only in long, solitary, after-school runs. He’s just waiting to graduate and enlist in the army to get away, but a new friend named Melissa gets through to him. His hard-drinking father can’t keep a job, and Chance worries how they will pay the bills. When a marina worker offers him a job picking up and delivering a mysterious package on his daily run, Chance can’t turn down the lucrative opportunity, even though he is sure it’s illegal. As his friendship with smart Melissa grows, so does Chance’s concern about his job and its possible links to local smuggling rings.

7. Melissa’s curiosity about his runs, however, nearly get her in danger. Deuker drops plenty of hints about what’s in the packages, but the tragic blockbuster ending may be a big surprise. The sports and suspenseful action easily draws readers as Deuker crafts a story that tackles timely issues of terrorism, patriotism, poverty, and privilege. Chance’s dilemmas grip the reader and keep the pages turning. Mild use of language. The guys will connect with this plot, but it is a great story for all high school students.

8. #4 – The First Part Lastby Angela Johnson This is a gripping story about a teenage father, loving his daughter. How did this happen? Johnson develops the ploy through the narrative of the father, Bobby, in a series of vignettes “then” and “now.” There is believable language, with occasional swearing and some references to Bobby’s sexual experiences with Nia, the baby’s mother. Bobby’s family truly cares about him and his baby. Stress over the baby’s arrival, however, causes his parents’ separation, and this, of course, does not help Bobby cope with the situation. Bobby and Nia had planned to give the baby up for adoption, but tragedy strikes, and everyone’s future is changed.

9. How can he take care of this child and provide what she needs; he has to go to school, prepare for his future education, and stay in touch with friends. The characters in the story are thoughtful, conscientious, and loving young people with failings, but trying to do better. Readers grow to care about what happens to them. Both male and female readers will find the story appealing because it deals with sensitive issues that adolescents face in the real world. Recommended for all grade levels.

10. #5 – The Lightning Thiefby Rick Riordon The escapades of the Greek gods and heroes get a fresh spin in the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, about a contemporary adolescent New Yorker who learns that he is a demigod. Perseus, (AKA) Percy Jackson, has big problems. His father left before he was born, he’s been kicked out of six schools in six years, he’s dyslexic, and he has ADHD. That’s only the tip of the iceberg: he vaporizes his algebra teacher, learns his best friend is a satyr, and is almost killed by a minotaur before his mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood—where he discovers that Poseidon is his father. More problems!

11. Poseidon has been accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt, and unless Percy can return the bolt, mankind is doomed. This fast-paced adventure is captivating, dangerous, and just plain funny. Percy is a reluctant hero, the modernized gods are hilarious, and the parallels to Harry Potter are obvious. This novel might create a rush of readers wanting to read the classic stories about Greek gods and heroes. A great read for incoming freshmen, but a just-can’t-put-it-down book for everyone. If you like a story that’s really funny, grab this book and get ready for a fast-paced adventure.

12. #6 – One Foot in Edenby Ron Rash Rash writes about a lost place and time through the five voices of vivid, thoroughly human characters. This is a story about family secrets and family bonds. The plot combines a love triangle and a murder mystery. Will Alexander is the sheriff in a small town in southern Appalachia, and he knows that the local thug Holland Winchester has been murdered. The only thing is the sheriff can find neither the body nor someone to attest to the killing.

13. Simply told through the voices of the sheriff, a local farmer, his beautiful wife, their son, and the sheriff’s deputy, One Foot in Eden will hold the reader captive. Rash pulls the reader into this world immediately following World War II with colloquial dialect and descriptions of a way of life that has disappeared. It’s a “must read” mystery; a real page turner. Plan to meet Ron Rash when he visits our campuses on Literacy Day. A great novel for grades 10-12.

14. #7 – Notes from the Midnight Driverby Jordan Sonnenblick Narrator Alex Gregory starts off by describing his first drinking episode: getting drunk alone, hijacking his mother’s car in order to drive to his father’s house and give the man a piece of his mind (his parents are separated), and taking an unplanned detour into a neighbor’s yard, destroying a lawn gnome. What begins as humor takes on darker implications as the story develops. Not because Alex has a drinking problem (he never takes another sip in the story), but because of a drunk driver’s impact on Sol Lewis, the resident of a nursing home to whom Alex is assigned by Judge J. Trent as part of his community service for his crime.

15. Alex’s best friend, Laurie, sticks by him throughout this challenging time. And Sol, who starts out crotchety, turns out to be much wiser below the surface, and far more complicated. After all, he does see more than friendship between Alex and Laurie. The bond that guitar-playing forges between the Alex and Sol serves not only to make them peers musically, but also personally, allowing Sol to reveal his own past. This story examines the growth of a young man who discovers the positive side of suffering consequences for a past mistake. Recommended for all grade levels.

16. #8 – Double Helixby Nancy Werlin Eighteen-year-old Eli Samuels, whose once-vibrant mother is losing her long battle with the ravages of Huntington’s disease, is hired at the Wyatt Transgenics Lab. Eli’s father is dead set against the job because of a “secret” he harbors concerning the lab’s owner, Dr. Quincy Wyatt, and Eli’s mother. Dr.Wyatt takes a special interest in Eli and engages him in stimulating conversations about genetics. Shortly after starting work, the teen meets Kayla Matheson, a beautiful girl who eerily reminds him of a photo of his mother when she was young. Slowly, Eli uncovers one layer after another of the shocking truth about Dr. Wyatt’s genetic-engineering experiments and their connection to his parents, Kayla, and himself.

17. With the support of his longtime girlfriend and soul mate, he confronts Dr. Wyatt in a gripping climax to the story. The author raises fundamental bioethical issues for teens to consider. She weaves a riveting story around well developed characters and their complex relationships that will stick with readers long after the book is closed. Werlin keeps the suspense high in this mystery that leaves room for lots of thought and discussion. A great read for all high school students.

18. #9 – The Kite Runnerby Khaled Hosseini This novel is a heartbreaking story that parallels the demise of an unlikely friendship and the decline of Afghanistan at the end of the 20th century. The story follows Amir as he suffers from regret and guilt and eventually returns to his native country to atone for his childhood mistakes. Amir comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country’s revolution and its invasion by Russian forces.

19. Parts of this story are graphic, but it is a powerful account of family and love. A riveting story about friendship, social injustice, and war. Violence is still a constant force that threatens the people of Afghanistan today. Readers explore the culture of a previously obscure nation. A powerful, challenging novel for highly motivated readers. Mature themes and violence. Recommended for grades 11-12.