Ursula K. Le Guin

Every summer I read at least one book for adults: this summer I treated myself to Le Guin's new book, Lavinia, a fabulous look at the founding mother of Rome. Le Guin was my favorite author in my teen and young adult years, but her work isn't for everyone. That's because her books are definitely NOT plot driven; they are driven by characters that always resonate and themes that are fully integrated into the writing and plots. She is one of the best writers out there and has recently been publishing tons of great stuff. Here are some of her books you might like: In A Wizard of Earthsea a powerful and proud young wizard in training is hunted by a darkness he releases when he casts a dangerous, forbidden spell. First in a series. The recently-published Tales of Earthsea was a real delight. Avoid the Sci-fi channel miniseries at all costs. Gifts: Aristocratic but poor, Orrec blinds himself to keep from using his powers to harm others, while his childhood companion Gry learns to use her power of communicating with animals to help them rather than hunt them. The Lathe of Heaven - When George Orr discovers that his dreams become reality, he falls into the hands of a psychotherapist who tries to use George to change the world. Perhaps her most conventional work, this sci-fi book for adults has teen appeal. (Her classics are The Dispossessed, about a physicist on an anarchist planet, and The Left Hand of Darkness, about a human envoy to a planet of androgynes. I couldn't comprehend these until high school and didn't appreciate them until college, but a recent Hillview grad said LHD was "kafkaesque" and loved it.)

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

For my first book of the summer, I chose the complete opposite of a beach read. Junior risks complete ostracization when he leaves his Spokane reservation to attend an all-white school 22 miles away. He copes with the pain, and with more grief than anyone should face in five lifetimes, by keeping a sense of humor as well as drawing cartoons. Often completely (though appropriately!) profane, this book made me laugh and cry throughout. Just a taste: Junior gets the idea to leave the res from his math teacher after Arnold breaks his nose. Why did Arnold break his nose? Because when he saw that his decrepit math book once belonged to his mother, he threw it across the room in frustration. Why did his teacher think Arnold should leave? Because Arnold, besides being one of his brightest students, is one of the only who still thinks he deserves better than a forty year old school book. As a teacher in a well-supported school district, that really moved me. Click here for links to audio clips of the book as well as reviews.

The Dead and the Gone, Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night finishing The Dead and the Gone. (Hillview students may remember that this is the book about Alex Morales taking care of his younger sisters in New York City after his parents go missing in a world-wide climate catastrophe.) I'm sad to report that while it's really gripping, I didn't find it as involving as Life as We Knew It (the original story, about a girl and her family coping with the same tragedy in rural Pennsylvania). What Alex has to cope with to survive is certainly gruesome (looking for his mom in the morgue that was Yankees Stadium, searching the corpses that litter the streets for items to barter for food) and some scenes, especially those involving babies, made me want to cry. But he is much less introspective than Miranda (from the other book) was and I think that kept me at a distance. And though I had some uneasy dreams, it's nothing like the terror I felt for days after finishing Life as We Knew It. Your mileage may vary: I'm probably numbed to the gore from years of horror movies, and maybe less introspection is more your style. So don't let me keep you from trying this out - after all, I was compelled to lose sleep to finish!

Fun Sports Fiction

Looking to read some good sports fiction? Try Mike Lupica, a sports writer who pens great novels for teens about baseball and basketball. Walter Dean Myers's and Chris Crutcher's sports books are also great but definitely for older teens. If you're ready to move beyond Matt Christopher but still want a quick read, try Rich Wallace (Winning Season series) Dan Gutman (Satch and Me, etc.), or Gene Fehler's Beanball. For sports stories featuring girls, try Catherine Murdock's Dairy Queen, about a girl who plays football (not the soccer kind of football!). Kristi Roberts writes about baseball in My Thirteenth Season. Liz Tigelaar tackles soccer in Pretty Tough.

Gone, Michael Grant

Imagine if everyone over the age of 13 suddenly disappeared. And your town was enclosed in a 20-mile radius barrier. And your friends - and enemies - suddenly started developing supernatural powers. Kind of a cross between Lord of the Flies, Heroes, and Shade's Children, this one is a page-turner! I was a little disappointed not to see more closure at the end - Grant is clearly setting himself up not just for a sequel but an entire series. But I couldn't put it down! Oh, this doesn't come out until late June. My buddies at Kepler's set me up with an advanced reader's copy! :)

Schooled, Gordon Korman

If you liked Stargirl, give Schooled a read! Capricorn Anderson has spent his entire life on a 1960s-style, hippie commune with only his grandmother Rain for company. When Rain is badly injured, social services sends Capricorn to a normal middle school. With long curly hair, tie-dye shirts and homemade shoes, Cap is the number one target of ridicule; he's even elected 8th grade president, an "honor" reserved for the biggest loser at school. Will this naive, altruistic and completely innocent young man be corrupted by modern values? Or will some of Capricorn's good vibes rub off on everyone else?

Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature, Robin Brande

Mena's first year of high school is turning out to be miserable. Her former friends hate her, her parents barely tolerate her, and she isn't even welcome in her church anymore. (It's complicated, but basically she apologized to someone and he's using her letter of apology to sue a bunch of people for harassment.) Things start to get interesting in science class when her lab partner turns out to be a cute nerdy type and her former friends protest the unit on evolution. I couldn't put this one down! Sweet romance and some weighty issues.