new summer reads

Matched

by Ally Condie (another LDS author!)

In the Society, everything is chosen for you from the food you eat to the person you marry. Casssia is surprised to learn that her Match is Xander, a boy she has known all her life, not a common occurrence. But when she looks at the disc with information about him, the face of Ky, another boy she knows, appears briefly on the screen.

Mistakes like that aren’t supposed to happen in the Society and it draws Cassia to learn more about Ky, an Aberration who was orphaned and then adopted by a couple near Cassia’s home. In learning more about Ky, Cassia also learns more about choices still left to her, the poem from her grandfather about not “going gently into that good night,” and the Society that is showing weaknesses in what is supposed to be a perfectly modulated order for the good of the people.

There is a sequel coming on this one as we follow Cassia on her search for Ky.

The Wanderer

by Sharon Creech

Sophie is a natural sailor and is included in the crew of three uncles and two cousins as they sail across the Atlantic to England. Through the alternating journal entries of Sophie and her cousin, Cody, we learn more about the journey and the intertwined relationships that extend beyond the boat. What really happened to Sophie’s dead parents? Will Uncle Dock find his lost love? Can Cody and his father build a closer relationship? These and other questions are answered during a sailing excursion with enough adventure for a lifetime.

The Truth About Forever

by Sarah Dessen

With her boyfriend away at camp, Macy has nothing to look forward to during the summer except long days at the reference desk of the library with two girls who hate her guts. Then she stumbles into a part-time job with a catering crew named Wish. She meets Wes, a talented artist with a past, Kristy who doesn’t let her scarred face stop her, Monica of the monosyllables, and Bert who is continually playing the game of “gotcha!” She also comes to term with her father’s death after watching him die – unlike her mother who won’t let go of her fanatical hold on her business long enough to allow herself to grieve.

A good summer read that might encourage you to get out of the library and live.

The Lily Dale Series by Staub

Lily Dale is a tiny town in rural New York. It's also one of the few towns on earth dedicated to spiritualism: talking with the dead, telling the future, reading minds, that kind of thing. When Calla's mother dies in a mysterious accident, she opts to live with her eccentric grandmother in Lily Dale for the summer. Calla has no idea her grandmother is a medium, someone who communicates with the dead. When Calla starts seeing strange things of her own, she must decide if she's gifted or crazy. With her new-found abilities, Calla tries to help the dead she meets find peace while trying to piece together what really happened to her mother.

Since Lily Dale is an actual place, that part of the story is rather intriguing. Calla's character can be melodramatic at times, but it never overshadows the main narrative. Over all, the series is worth the time.

The House of the Scorpion by Farmer

Matteo lives in a little house in the middle of a poppy field in Opium, a land between Mexico and the US that is a creative way to solve the problem of both drug trafficking and illegal immigration. El Patron, ruler of Opium, uses those caught crossing the boarders to farm and process drugs.

El Patron takes a special interest in Matteo, teaching him music and allowing him to live in the big house. When guests from the north arrive, Matteo learns that El Patron's attention isn't because Matteo's special; it's because he's El Patron's clone. He will be used for spare parts when the need arises. Matteo fights for survival in this gripping novel that offers frightening answers to some of today's most difficult questions.

Heir Apparent by Velde

I'm not a gamer, but I still liked this creative virtual-reality-game-gone-wrong story from Velde. For her birthday, Giannine receives a gift certificate to a game arcade from her father, who's more out of the picture than in it. The gaming center is surrounded by protesters, who think fantasy and role playing are corrupting the youth. Giannine goes in anyway and starts to play "Heir Apparent," a game where the player has just been named the next king and has to survive till coronation. A few minutes into her first try, Giannine is informed that the protesters have damaged her gaming equipment. She must win the game in the next three hours or her brain will be cooked and she will die.

Despite the desperate situation she's in, Giannine remains funny and resourceful. You'll be laughing even while agonizing about whether she'll survive. It's a great book.

The Surrender Tree by Engle

The next time your history teacher says you need to read historical fiction, read this book. The Surrender Tree tells the story of Cuba's three wars for independence, starting in 1868 and ending in 1899. Centered around real-life healer Rosa, this book of short poems shows how different characters deal with issues like slavery, guerrilla warfare, betrayal, medicine, and surrender. I'm a history geek, so I liked it for the history itself and learned a lot about a new topic. Teens will like it because it's short, interesting, and very readable.