I pause my self-absorbed word vomit to tell you about some good books. Did I mention that I'm taking a YA Lit class where all we do is read? I am. So far this semester, I've read about 26 books. You can find more info and books by visiting my other blog's link in the sidebar. These are the few that really stood out.
First off: Stuck In Neutral, written by Terry Trueman. This book is so incredible. It may change your life. It's written from the perspective of a 14 year old boy with cerebral palsy. He's in a wheelchair and cannot communicate; he can't do anything. He can't even blink voluntarily. But his mind works just fine. He's quite brilliant in fact. If you remember, I worked for about 6 months with handicapped children. I got to see how they, if anything, have more personality than the typical person. I got to see how people avoid them and/or treat them like babies. I am completely serious when I say that every single person should read this book. It will change how you think.
Next up, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, written by Mary E. Pearson. This book destroyed a couple of my very carefully cultivated ideas. 1) For a book to have deep meaning, the author has to be dead. 2) I don't like anything freaky or sci-fi. This book was published last year, and it deals with some very real world issues. I loved this book and its slightly freaktastic plot. It was absolutely fascinating. Read it.
The Wednesday Wars and Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt. The Wednesday Wars is a delightful book. It's very funny, but it also portrays the year 1967 and the Vietnam War. My mom read it aloud to my family, and they all loved it too. Trouble was a bit more serious than Wednesday Wars. It tells the story of a grieving family and examines cultural prejudice and family relations. It is sad, but very well-written. Even with the tragedy, I came away uplifted.
If you are looking for a summer read, these books have 5 stars from me. They all have engaging plots, good writing, not too many pages, and they give you something to think about. Happy reading!
2 comments:
Thank you! We are always looking for summer reading around here. :)
Kate, this comment is for all your recent posts that I just read. All I have to say is wow. I just love reading what you write. It amazes me how simple you can put it and how easily I can connect with what you're saying. I love how you always have such a bright, positive outlook on things. You're definitely up there in my list of people I want to be like. Thank you for posting. I'll have to read those books. They sound great. :)
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