Suggestions, Please

May 29, 2006 @ 3:03 am | Filed under: Books

People around town are putting together their summer reading lists. I don’t dare commit to anything so definite as an actual X Number of Books in X Number of Weeks plan, but I have been doing a little list-making (heh, at first I typed “listing,” which is maybe more accurate) of my own lately. There are several new or newish or not really all that new middle-grade and YA novels I’ve been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to for one reason or another.

Here’s the list so far. (And the reason it’s not a Summer Reading list is that I am putting no timetable on it—none, do you hear me? None! I might have five more babies before I get to the bottom of this list, for all I know.)

(That sound in the background is Scott going Wha-huh??)

Anyway, the list:

Gregor The Overlander and sequels, by Suzanne Collins
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (Jane loved this)
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss
Rules by Cynthia Lord

Got any new favorites I should add to this list?


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Comments

14 Responses | | Comments Feed

  1. Olive’s Ocean: I love the Kevin Henkes books for children, like Chrysanthamum and Lily and the Purple Plastic Purse, but I couldn’t get through twenty pages of Olive’s Ocean. All the chapter’s are one or two very small pages long, and the story is very awkward.

  2. This series is classic and I can’t imagine that you haven’t read them, but I’ve never seen them listed in your booklists, so I thought I’d mention The Borrowers. I was absolutely captivated by the whimsy of these stories as a child and I still wholeheartedly believe in Borrowers to this day. 🙂

  3. Have you already read _Woe is I_? I loved it. 🙂

    Julie

  4. I can’t really recommend anything because I’m sure your knowledge of books worth reading far passes mine. 🙂 However, I wanted to comment on The Bartimaeus Trilogy. I listened to these on CD and they were absolutely fantastic. (I got hooked on the series after listening to the first book on an 11-hour drive by myself.) If you’re open to doing that, I highly recommend the audio version.

  5. I’ve been reading your blog for a while, and since I am currently immersing myself in YA fiction, I’d like to add to your reading list.

    The Lynne Trust book is hilarious and entertaining. I really enjoyed her sense of humor.

    Olive’s Ocean was a quick read. While reading, I thought this might be a good choice for reading aloud.

    Shannon Hale is my new favorite YA author. Hale’s prose is so mesmerizing, I just want to jump into the worlds she creates. She also has an excellent website.

    The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an interesing take on Death’s occupation. I found this book in the adult fiction section at my library, but I think it’s been touted as a YA book.

    One of my favorite recent reads is Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Excellent book about taking responsibility for one’s decisions.

    As far as your list goes, Rick Riordan’s novels and Jonathan Stroud’s trilogy are on my summer reading list, too!

  6. I would like to second Jane’s recommendation of The Princess Academy. Who’da thunk a book with that title could be so good?

    I also liked Funke’s Ink books. I didn’t like some of her earlier works but think you should give Inkheart a try.

    For those who aren’t put off by Christian messages (though these books are not preachy–no they are very much fun)you should try The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers. Fun fantasy. In fact, I’m running a contest right now on my site for a free, autographed set, if anyone is interested. But it only runs for two more days. Whether you enter the contest or not, give the books a try. I believe the feechies are a breed that will be long remembered in chidlren’s literature.

    Now I’ve got to go read the The Bartimaeus Trilogy. I’ve had it on my self forever but have never opened it. Too many books, not enough time. But several people have recommended The Bartimaeus Trilogy so I’ve got to give it a go.

    thanks for the recommendations!

  7. Try any (or all) of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld fantasy series, you’ll laugh yourself silly 😉

    Oh, and you’ll love “eats, shoots…”. Then go on to read Bill Bryson’s “Mother Tongue” 🙂

  8. I know it won a Newbery but I am not a huge fan of Olive’s Ocean. Henkes’s novels are just so…s-e-r-i-o-u-s. Hard to imagine that his novels and Lily are written by the same person. Still, one tiny part of the book puts “know-nothings” knickers in a twist so maybe it is good to know what all the hoopla is about.

    Have you read The City of Ember by Duprau? Now THAT is a good book.

  9. Oh, we love the Borrowers! Have I really never put them in one of my booklists! Serious oversight on my part, because they are some of our favorites. So glad you mentioned them, Laura.

  10. What about the Earthsea books, by Ursula K. Le Guin?

    Also, for Jane perhaps (might be too “thick” for the other girls still), Eleanor of Aquitane and the Four Kings, by Amy Kelly.

    It’s the first history book I read that I was completely enthralled with. Amy Kelly is a storyteller first, a historian second, so she can really make it come alive.

    Have you read The Great Brain series, by John D. Fitzgerald? Love them!

  11. I’ve read all the Gregor, all the Percy Jackson(Lightning Theif), Olive’s Ocean, and the entire Bartimaeus Trilogy. The Gregor books are awesome and there are now 4. The sequal to The Lightning Thief came out and it’s called The Sea of Monsters. Olive’s Ocean was one of the previous Blue Bonnet books. (That’s for Texas children books) And the Bartmaeus Trilogy is so good it beats Harry Potter!

  12. Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge. Best darned book of the year. Consarn it.

  13. Oh, I loved City of Ember, also!

  14. How about “Benning’s War”? This is Historical Fiction which takes place during the American Revolution.
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