Summer Reads for Everyone
Jennifer J. Chow, author of The 228 Legacy
It’s summer, the perfect time to relax. The best way to escape (besides going to the beach) is jumping into a book.
Here are my top picks for the entire family to enjoy:
Adult:
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
When Bernadette Fox disappears from her family, her fifteen-year-old daughter Bee compiles email messages, official documents, and secret correspondence to find her mother.
This is a unique story that brings quirky characters to life. It’s also an excellent analysis of the art scene, the tech industry, and Seattle. It’s an entertaining and insightful read about family, community, and individuality.
Children’s:
The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (to be released July 23, 2013)
The award-winning series features Jack and Annie, who travel back in time using a magic tree house.
The books blend history and adventure together for a fun and educational read. In the newest book, the two siblings visit the legendary magician, Harry Houdini.
Historical:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Tom Sherbourne, a lighthouse keeper, and his wife Isabel, decide to keep a tiny baby who washes up in a rowboat—with ensuing moral and psychological consequences.
Set around World War I, the language in this story is beautiful, and the ongoing metaphor of the lighthouse gives a strong cohesiveness to the plot. It’s a haunting tale of a couple forced to make impossible choices.
Multicultural/Mystery:
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Winner of the National Book Award for fiction, The Round House, set in the North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, is the tale of 13-year-old Joe Coutts as he investigates a tragedy that occurred to his mother.
This is a splendid book not only about cultural heritage, but legal entanglements. The combined elements of friendship, family, and adolescence serve as the entrancing core to this novel.
Science Fiction:
Wool (Omnibus edition) by Hugh Howey
When Sheriff Holston breaks the rules of a community that exists in a giant underground silo hundreds of stories deep, he sets off a drastic chain of events.
This novel evokes a believable futuristic setting and provides interesting details about its unique enclosed community. It’s an interesting snapshot of a different future and features a strong and unique protagonist in Juliette, a mechanic.
YA:
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Delilah is a loner who prefers to spend her time reading a book, but when the prince from her favorite fairy tale asks for her help, she’s in for a real-life adventure.
Mother and daughter writing teams always attract my attention. This is a beautiful story of a charming boy-girl relationship that’s complicated by multiple obstacles. It’s also a wonderful book of artwork, filled with lovely illustrations interspersed throughout the chapters.
