Ahh summer, time for water sports, ice cream, fireworks, and
long afternoons spent swinging in your hammock.
If you are like me, one of the greatest joys of summer is looking for a
book to read that is not required by your school. Summer reading is something
that we all did, and so when it comes time to pick a book that you will not
have to write a report about, you want to know you will enjoy it! The topic of
this blog is summer reading, but what I mean by that is that the below listed
books are a few of the ones that I loved the most. They offered my both
enjoyment and escapism. I do not remember a single summer where I was not
eagerly awaiting the next great book to surprise me, and every one of the
titles mentioned here did just that, and the great thing about these books is
that most of them are just as suitable for young readers as for older ones. As
always I recommend parental preference, reading the books before handing them
off to younger readers! Also many of these books have sequels, so don’t stop
after just the first one!
Adventure
These are those wonderful books that kept me reading till
the very last page, I was never without
at least one adventure story growing up and these are some of my very
favorites, the kind that you remember fondly and want to read again and again.
Shakespeare’s Secret: Elise
Broach
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s
Library: Chris Grabenstein
Chomp: Carl Hiaasen
A Wrinkle in Time: Madeline
L’Engle
The False Prince: Jennifer
Nielsen
Fantasy
Although not everyone likes a fairytale, I will recommend
these titles to almost anyone. The Princess Bride is a classic that most
remember as a film, but the book is equal, if not greater in terms of
entertainment value. Cinder is a very recent book, but one that won my heart
after the very first chapter, for its amazing weaving of a classic tale with a
modern setting, someone looking for an epic will love this amazing twist on a
tale we all know. The Blue Sword is not very well known any more, but it is a
classic in its own right, winning the Newberry Honor and ALA notable and best
book award. It is the sequel to the Hero and the Crown, itself a Newberry award
winner, and an epic to not be missed. 
The Princess Bride: William Goldman
The Blue Sword: Robin McKinley
Cinder: Marissa Meyer
Ella Enchanted: Gail Carson Levine
Historical Fiction
I have always loved books set in far away times and places.
Through books I have been able to travel and visit all corners of the earth,
and with historical fiction, I get to be both time traveler as well as globe trotter. I prefer English historical fiction, but
there are almost as many time periods to chose from as there are geographic
locations.
Emma: Jane Austen
Frederica: Georgette Heyer
Carney’s House Party: Maud Hart Lovelace
An Accomplished Woman: Jude Morgan
Mystery
While mystery is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the many sub
genres of mystery make it almost impossible to chose, there are many excellent
choices, from the Victorian police and Agatha Christie mysteries, to the modern
day Nancy Drew or food themed mysteries. Listed below are three of my
favorites, with each being part of a series, there are many more to come if any
of these titles earn your favor.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice: Laurie King
The Daughter of Time: Josephine Tey
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: Alan Bradley
Behold here’s Poison: Georgette Heyer
Fiction
These are those stories that don’t quite fit in anywhere
else. These are those nice books that you can pick up at any time and not worry
about the climax, or having to put the book down at a vital part. The books
mentioned below are almost all appropriate for both boys and girls, and I have
found that although most of these books come under the teen classification,
they are all appropriate for younger readers with an advanced reading
comprehension. As always, I prefer parental preference over my own, parents
have the right and responsibility to choose their younger children’s reading material.
Heist Society: Ally Carter
The View from Saturday: E.L. Konigsburg
Henry Reed’s Journey: Keith Robertson
Flipped: Wendelin Van Draanen
