Rather than the updates like we've done the last few summers, I am going to focus more on reader's advisory; this summer focusing on books that (I think!) fit well into our two summer reading themes: Dig Into Reading (ages 4-11) and Beneath the Surface (12-18). Both age groups overlap our middle schoolers, so hopefully everyone will be able to find a good book this summer!
My first suggestion for the summer is one I really, really love...and I swear I don't think I've reccomended it before.
The first time I read Holes by Louis Sachar, I was probably about 11. Since that first reading, I've picked it up about four more times. I don't know what it is, but I just fell in love with Stanley and all the guys at Camp Green Lake. Even though it's generally a realistic fiction book, it does have the element of mysticism to it that I enjoy in my books.
If you're not familiar with Holes, here's the gist: The Yelnats family was cursed when Stanley's dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great grandfather...well, stole a pig, hopped a boat to America, and never looked back. That curse is what lands Stanley at Camp Green Lake...that is neither green nor has a lake. While there, he makes friends with the delinquent boys, including Zero, a quiet kid who has "zero future". At camp, the boys dig holes daily: five feet wide by five feet deep...and if they find something "interesting", they're supposed to bring it to the attention of the Warden; a woman known for wearing venom-infused nail polish (to make the red extra shiny). The story flips between the past and present, bringing not just one, but three stories together and might just help break a family curse.
Sachar is known for his young adult fiction, and Holes is a great place to start with this author, or pick him up again. You may be familiar with his other series, like the Wayside School books or the Marvin Redpost series.What you may NOT know (at least I didn't until last year), but Holes has a sequal called Small Steps that was published in 2006. Small Steps picks back up with Armpit living at home in Austin, Texas...trying to stay out of trouble...but when X-Ray arrives, things start to spiral out of control.
Have you read Holes or are you familiar with other books by Louis Sachar? I myself rather enjoyed the Wayside School books. They're a great laugh! Feel free to share your thoughts on the book, the author, or tell me what you're reading! I'm always on the look out for a good book!
Happy reading --and we hope to see you into the library for Teen Thursdays (ages 12-18 at 4PM) or the Summer Reading Program (Thursday mornings starting July 11th, 9:30 AM), or just into the library.
-Samma
No comments:
Post a Comment