Summer officially begins June 20, but you don't have to wait to read summery books. Here's a bunch of fiction and nonfiction for all ages - all available on our shelves. Short reviews from the catalog.
The lost summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor
McNees.
Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees
imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire
the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire
in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise
and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make
comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life.
If you're more interested in zombies, then check out the graphic novel, Secret of the summer school zombies, by Scott Nickel ;
illustrated by Matt Luxich.
Trevor thought nothing could be worse than spending the
entire summer in school, until his teachers turned into homework-crazed
creatures. Now Trevor and his friend, Filbert, must find a way to stop the
zombies, or they'll be trapped inside the classroom of doom forever.
The illustrator, Matt Luxich started drawing when he was three years old. Although his
parents didn't enjoy cleaning their son's cartoons off the walls, they
supported his talent. Years later, Luxich attended the Kubert School of
Illustration and Animation in Dover, New Jersey and now he is a freelance illustrator. You never know just where drawing on the walls will take you...
Cam Jansen and the summer camp mysteries, by David A. Adler ;
illustrated by Joy Allen. (easy reader)
On the first day of camp, Cam already has a mystery on
her hands: who set up a fake lockbox to steal campers' snack money? The second book in this three-book compendium follows Cam and her bunk mates as they try to find
out who wreaked havoc in their cabin. The third story is about stolen sports
equipment. As usual, the girl detective relies on her photographic memory
and deductive reasoning to crack each case.
The summer solstice, by Ellen Jackson ; illustrated by Jan
Davey Ellis.
This book looks like a picture book, but is aimed at children in the 2nd - 4th grades. It shows customs and lore surrounding the longest
day of the year. The author includes information about the summer solstice from
many (mainly Western) cultures and locales, from the Chumash and Anasazi
Indians to the ancient Egyptians, from Swaziland to Sweden. she offers a brief explanation
of the earth's tilt, presents a solstice story adapted from a Hawaiian chant, and adds a few
pages of solstice activities.
The girls of summer : the U.S. women's soccer team and how
it changed the world, by Jere Longman.
Even if you don't follow soccer, you've heard stories of the final game of the 1999 Women's World Cup
in the Rose Bowl - the game where the United States beat China on penalty kicks after
two scoreless hours. The author, New York Times sportswriter Jere Longman, ventures
off the field to discuss such topics as the rise of women's sports and women's
soccer in Muslim countries. He highlights stars, such as Mia
Hamm, Michelle Akers, and goalkeeper Brianna Scurry as well as less-heralded players, such as Christine Lilly, Carla Overbeck, and
Sun Wen for China. The book captures the excitement of
soccer and the extreme competitive nature of these women players. Game
descriptions are so vivid that readers will feel they are watching the game on
video.
