Interludes |
Books about interludes, expressing a certain suspension of the mundane. Picture Books, Family Read-Alouds, Lose Yourself in a Project, Picture BooksBrock Cole, Larky Mavis. Having found a tiny baby in a peanut shell, Larky Mavis names him and carries him around as he grows bigger, to the confusion and anger of the adults around her. Sharon Creech, Fishing in the Air. A young boy and his father go on a fishing trip and discover the power of imagination. Paul Fleischman, Weslandia. Wesley's garden produces a crop of huge, strange plants which provide him with clothing, shelter, food, and drink, thus helping him create his own civilization. Bob Graham, Jethro Byrd Fairy Child. Annabelle finds a family of fairies in the cement and weeds, and they sing and dance for her when she gives them tea. Nikki Grimes, Danitra Brown Leaves Town. Recounts, in a series of poems and letters, Danitra's summer at her aunt's house in the country and her best friend Zuri's summer at home in town. Hope Larson, Salamander Dream. On summer afternoons, eight-year-old Hailey meets Salamander in the woods, and if she asks, sometimes he'll tell her a story in this nearly wordless graphic novel. Jonathan London, Moshi Moshi. A young boy reluctantly accompanies his older brother to Japan, but after visiting his pen pal and learning about that country's customs, he is glad that he went. Robert McCloskey, Time of Wonder. Follows the activities of two children spending their summer vacation on an island off the coast of Maine. Cynthia Rylant, The Relatives Came. The relatives come to visit from Virginia and everyone has a wonderful time. Deborah Wiles, Freedom Summer. In 1964, Joe is pleased that a new law will allow his best friend to share the town pool and other public places with him, but he finds that prejudice still exists. Family Read-AloudsJeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks. While vacationing in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother. A second adventure was released in April: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. Michael Chabon, Summerland. Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy. Sharon Creech, The Wanderer. Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard a forty-five foot sailboat, which is en route to visit their grandfather in England. Jack Gantos, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. There are at least 3 other books about Joey. William Golding, The Princess Bride. Buttercup loves Westley, but when he is captured by pirates, she is chosen by the evil Prince to be his bride, beginning a series of fantastic efforts to free her. Polly Horvath, The Canning Season. Thirteen-year-old Ratchet spends a summer with her eccentric great-aunts, hearing stories from the past and encountering a variety of colorful characters. Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted. In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. Patricia MacLachlan, Baby. Taking care of a baby left with them at the end of the tourist season helps a family come to terms with their own loss. Ian McEwan, The Daydreamer. An imaginative ten-year-old boy, who is best understood by his family, recounts some of the adventures he has while daydreaming. Hilary McKay, The Exiles. The four Conroy sisters spend a summer with Big Grandma who tries to break them of their reading habit by substituting fresh air and hard work for books, with unexpected results. The first in a series of adventures for the Conroy sisters. Richard Peck, A Long Way from Chicago. A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother. Also A Year Down Yonder. Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons. On holiday, four children camp on an island, sail, and enjoy a friendly rivalry with two intrepid Amazons who live nearby. If you like this, check out the other books in the series. Adam Rex, The True Meaning of Smekday. When her mother is abducted by aliens, 11-year-old Tip hops in the family car and heads south to find her and along the way meets an alien mechanic, who agrees to help her save the planet from disaster. Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief. Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns his father is Poseidon, and goes to a summer camp for demigods (i.e. kids like him) where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods. The first in a series. William Steig, Abel’s Island. Castaway on an uninhabited island, Abel, a very civilized mouse, finds his resourcefulness and endurance tested to the limit as he struggles to survive and return to his home. William Steig, Dominic.Dominic, an out-going mutt, sets out on a journey and encounters evil villains, friendly strangers, and a companion for life. Stephanie Tolan, Surviving the Applewhites. Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and interests he never knew he had. Cynthia Voigt, Homecoming. Abandoned by their mother, four children begin a search for a home they can grow and thrive in together. There are 7 books altogether about the Tillermans and their friends; this is the first.
Lose Yourself in a ProjectFaith Blakeney, 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special. Then sign up for one of Jenine’s summer classes! Kathy Cano Murillo, The Crafty Chica Collection.“Beautiful ideas for crafts, home decorations, and the shrines from the Queen of Latina style” – from the cover. Betty Crocker, Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls.An authentic reproduction of the original 1957 edition! See page 111 for Mrs. Keller’s favorite macaroni-and-cheese recipe. Gwen Diehn, Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, and Turn. Cool paper ideas for kids to make. Craig Robertson, The Kids’ Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kid and Parents to Build Together. What better time than summer vacation to learn how to build a birdhouse? Ellen Zachos, Down & Dirty: 43 Fun & Funky First-Time Projects & Activities to Get You Gardening . A complete gardening guide organized around simple projects that allow you to learn skills and build on them.
Independent ReadingIbtisam Barakat, Tasting the Sky. At the tender age of three, the author’s life is shattered by war. Joan Bauer, Rules of the Road. Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna finds the strength to face her alcoholic father. Elizabeth Berg, Range of Motion. When Lainey’s husband suffers a freak accident and ends up in a coma, she must figure out how to cope with how life stops and goes on all at the same time. Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The story of a pair of wondrous pants and how they star in the biggest summer of four friends' lives. The first of four books about the Sisterhood. Eoin Colfer, Benny and Omar. For Benny, moving to Tunisia is horrible until he meets Omar, a wild boy living by his wits, and their madcap adventures rile the whole village. Pat Conroy, My Losing Season. You don’t have to win to learn from the game, as Conroy recounts in this account of his senior year at the Citadel. Dominika Dery, The Twelve Little Cakes. The memoir of a happy childhood in Communist Czechoslovakia. Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking. "Life changes fast. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends." These were among the first words Joan Didion wrote in January 2004 as her daughter lies in a hospital and her husband in a morgue. Keath Fraser, editor, Bad Trips. The subtitle of this collection of stories is “a sometimes terrifying, sometimes hilarious collection of writing on the perils of the road” and that says it all. Jack Gantos, Hole in My Life. The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer. Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love. Driven to despair by a punishing divorce and an anguished love affair, Gilbert flees New York for sojourns in Italy, India and Indonesia and pens this account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wants out of life. Gipi, Garage Band. Four young men set up a practice studio for their band in an abandoned barn in this graphic novel from Italy. Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl. On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers. There are two other books about Anidori and her friends. Alice Hoffman, Aquamarine. A mermaid supplies adventure and insights to two twelve-year-old girls, life-long friends who are spending their last summer together before one of them moves away. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston, Farewell to Manzanar. The true story of a native-born American child who discovered what it was like to grow up behind barbed wire in the U.S. Alistair Humphreys, Moods of Future Joys. Humphreys writes of his experiences bicycling alone from England to South Africa, the first part of his round-the-world trip. Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer. What’s a summer reading list without a baseball book? This is one of the best, about the Brooklyn Dodgers, the ’52 World Series, and the great heroes of baseball. Mira Kamdar, Motiba’s Tattoos. A granddaughter reaches out to discover her grandmother’s youth in India, and thereby discover herself. Susanne Kaysen, Girl Interrupted. The author recounts her involuntary stay in a renowned mental institution in the ‘60s. Jack Kerouac, On the Road. A thinly-fictionalized autobiography of a cross-country odyssey that has become the novel of the Beat Generation. Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. The lives of several folks intersect during one magical Appalachian summer. E.L. Konigsburg, The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World. Amedeo moves to a new town with a dream: he wants to discover something and he wants a friend to share his search. Li Cunxin, Mao’s Last Dancer. The memoir of one the greatest dancers of our time, Cunxin was taken from his impoverished family in northeast China to learn ballet. Betty Macdonald, The Plague and I. A very funny interlude, despite its subject matter, as the author recounts her stay in a sanatorium (in Seattle) to recuperate from tuberculosis. Maliha Masood, Zaatar Days Henna Nights. A burned-out, dot-commer from Seattle finds herself and rediscovers her culture on a trip through the Middle East. Robin McKinley, The Blue Sword. Harry, bored with her sheltered life in the remote colony of Daria, discovers magic in herself when she is kidnapped by a native king with mysterious powers. Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Dairy Queen. After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her. The Off Season continues D.J.’s story. Lynne Rae Perkins, All Alone in the Universe. Debbie is dismayed when her best friend Maureen starts spending time with ordinary, boring Glenna. Criss Cross picks up Debbie’s life a few years later. Meg Rosoff, How I Live Now. To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds. Deirdra Silva and Jackie Koney, It Takes More than Balls. A book for the girls of summer, our own John Kern’s wife co-authors a book about women who love baseball. Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain. The newest release by a Bush parent and author, this wonderful book stars Enzo the dog, easily the sweetest voice in literature. Shaun Tan.The Arrival. In this glorious graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family. Terry Trueman, Inside Out. A sixteen-year-old with schizophrenia is caught up in the events surrounding an attempted robbery by two other teens who eventually hold him hostage. Ann Turner, Learning to Swim. Poems convey the feelings of a young girl whose sense of joy and security at the family's summer house is shattered when an older boy sexually abuses her. Justin Wintel, Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s Prisoner of Conscience.The background forSuu Kyi’s 20 years under house arrest is explained in this biography. Gene Yang, American Born Chinese. Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture in this graphic novel. Valerie Zenatti, When I Was a Soldier. The memoir of a young woman's two years of compulsory service in Israel's national defense system. Gabrielle Zevin, Elsewhere. After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must figure out how to "live." |