Here’s a partial update on my summer reading list. I found a couple of great books and one that I think better fits a high school library.

Witness, by Karen Hesse

I really enjoyed this short but powerful historical novel and would recommend it to middle school readers.

A Ku Klux Klan comes to a small town in Vermont in 1924.  This story is told by different townspeople, including a young Jewish girl who comes to the town for the summer each year and an African-american girl who lives in the town.  Some townspeople are swayed by the message of the KKK and some are not.  The situation comes to a head when violence erupts and the townspeople have to take sides.

A Hero’s Guide to Saving the Kingdom, by Christopher Healy

This is a laugh out loud book for tweens and middle schoolers who love strong female characters and rooting for the underdog.  Recommended to me by a student as her “favorite” book she read this year, this book was also a Junior Library Guild selection.

Well, it turns out that the bards got it wrong.  In their songs, they tell the story of one Prince Charming who saves Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.  In fact there are four Prince Charmings (Liam, Gustav, Frederic and Duncan) who turn out to be quite a disappointment to their kingdoms and the fabulously smart, capable and adventurous princesses they supposedly save.  What will these misfit princes do when a wicked witch steals all the bards from each kingdom and keeps them hostage?  Will they be able pull together and fight dragons, giants, trolls, bandits and more in order to save the bards…and themselves? What a fun read!

Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvery

This book won a Printz Honor for Young Adult literature.  Sometimes YA books work for middle school, and I wanted to give this one a try. This book has very graphic scenes and mature content, suited for a high school library and not a middle school library.  Despite the fact that it won’t work for my own library, if you like a good mystery, this is a great book about two high school boys who become involved in a brutal murder.  There is suspense and a good story – lots of elements of the mystery to uncover.  Despite the fact that my mission is to uncover books that work for my prek-middle school students, I couldn’t put this book down.

More results from my summer reading coming soon!  Please don’t forget to comment with books you’d recommend!