Summer Reading

Summertime for me means extra time for reading. This summer was no exception. I’ve read some amazing books and have a few left on my pile. If you’re still looking for books to read, one list I consulted was the We’re the People Summer Reading List. Another great spot for ideas is the We Need Diverse Books Summer Reading Series. I’m hoping to squeeze in a few more before school starts again. Here are four that really stood out for me.

18692431Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Summary: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

*Watch for Audrey’s review of Everything, Everything coming up at the end of the month.

shadowShadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Arthur A. Levine Books

Summary: Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra’s near-comatose abuelo begins to say “No importa” over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep…. Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.

Sierra soon discovers a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers, who connect with spirits via paintings, music, and stories. Her grandfather once shared the order’s secrets with an anthropologist, Dr. Jonathan Wick, who turned the Caribbean magic to his own foul ends. Now Wick wants to become the ultimate Shadowshaper by killing all the others, one by one. With the help of her friends and the hot graffiti artist Robbie, Sierra must dodge Wick’s supernatural creations, harness her own Shadowshaping abilities, and save her family’s past, present, and future.

* Check out K. Imani’s review from earlier this summer.

NoneNone of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Balzer + Bray

Summary: A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex… and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

* K.Imani reviewed None of the Above back in April.

leaves The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary: Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future.

* Read my review here.

 


 

 

As summer comes to an end, I have just a few more books I’m trying to enjoy. Right now I’m in the middle of Wolf Mark by Joseph Bruchac  and next up will be Written in the Stars  by Aisha Saeed.

Wolf MarkWritten in the StarsWhat have been some of your favorites this summer? Let us know what books have been catching your attention.

Cover images and summaries via Goodreads

2 Replies to “Summer Reading

  1. Have you read Sofia Quintero’s SHOW AND PROVE? I’m in the middle of that one right now and am really enjoying it. I have to make progress on my own work-in-progress, but I’m finding this one so hard to put down.

    1. I have Show and Prove on my list and am really looking forward to it! I may not get to it before school starts, but for sure this fall. Thanks for reminding me of that one.

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