Young Adult

I consider this a “must” read. My friend Carla Salley loaned me her copy, and I admit that I read it twice in two days. This funny tale of summers spent with grandma rivals Mark Twain and Tom Bodett. Sweet simplicity. You can read this book in under three hours, so grab a coffee and spend a delightful afternoon at Border’s. This book is a treasure!

Powerful historical fiction that is sure to incite classroom conversations about slavery. Engle, a past Newbery honoree, is a terrific writer.

Roland Smith is always dependable, and this entry in his I, Q series with Michael P. Spradlin is a great read, as Angela, Q and company battle international terrorists. Satisfying page-turner.

Can you believe that it was only a hundred years ago this month since the airplane was invented? Too bad nobody asked the Wright Brothers to invent good airline food. This is a very compelling and informative biography.

Trying to put her past behind her (a crazy basketball season and breaking up with her boyfriend), Kylie focuses on pursuing a softball scholarship to UCLA. Good book for teenage girls trying to manage lots of issues at once. Sound like anyone you know?

When I grow up I want to write like Will Allen. In an era when most books for teens deal with suicide, pills and plenty of other depressing topics, it is refreshing to read something that is funny and enjoyable (and I’m not the only one who thinks this, as Allen won the National Book Award). I recommend this for everyone and wish there were a lot more books like it!

Through a series of letters home, 15-year-old “Voss” talks about how he was successfully smuggled out of Slobovia in a crate of black market cheese puffs and his hilarious ensuing adventures, in this remarkably sharp satire for teens.

Sixteen-year-old Sami has a lot to deal with when she moves with her mother to Scotland to turn a struggling family farm into a “tourist farm.” While her cousins want to tell her what a magical country Scotland is, Sami feels like a peasant without electricity. A group of eighth-grade girls I have been reading with likes this book because: (a) it is written like a diary; (b) there’s a ghost; and (c) it has a hot guy.

Fun for middle school boys, this collection of 35 short stories wins major points simply by limiting entries to 2-6 pages. Quirky and creepy stories that are sure to spark lively conversations.

There are several things I like about this little book. First of all, my mother is a lighthouse fanatic, and I can see how this book would be great for any parent or teacher to read with children before or after a lighthouse visit. More importantly, I love books that feature teenage-girl protagonists who rock, and 15-year-old Ida Lewis is such a character (and she is a real-life heroine who lived in 19th century Rhode Island). A delightful quick read.

Call me crazy, but I have a hunch that this classic may just become a popular bestseller this month. One of the great justices adapted films do is draw children to read books and discover for themselves that books are usually better than films (although I cannot wait to see the movie).

I honestly have no idea how I have overlooked putting this book on a prior edition of the Lazy Readers’ Book Club, as this was my favorite book of 2006. If you are a teacher, you HAVE to buy this book. This book is applicable for all ages, but teenagers love it the most. It is filled with funny personality quizzes that delight students. Parents and teens: BUY THIS BOOK. Great fun! I’d also like to plug the publisher, Klutz, which publishes a lot of high-quality books.

If I am going to throw in a holiday book, I want to make sure I expose you to a terrific author. Barbara Park is one of my favorites, and her Junie B. series gets a lot of reluctant readers hooked on reading with its humorous situations all children (and adults, for that matter) can relate to and appreciate.

David Levithan is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. As it is February, I realized I had to include at least one book for Valentine’s Day. This collection of 18 delightful stories about love written from different perspectives (first, second and third person) chronicles love in all its forms, and I would recommend this book not just for teens but for their parents, as well.

I am making it my mission to get students to read Judy Cox. This is her second story about two rat brothers who live in a cage in Ms. Dove’s fifth-grade classroom who, once in a while, escape for an adventure around the globe. Make sure to check out its predecessor, The Mystery of the Burmese Bandicoot (see July 2008 review).