Sure it’s not summer yet, but let’s admit it… we’re counting down the days until school lets out. Until then, let’s spend some time picking out some summer reads. Try one of these if you want to get ready to read by the ocean, lay by the pool, or just chillax with a great book!

SERIES:

Jenny Han’s Summer series

• The Summer I Turned Pretty
• Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are very different.
   
• It’s Not Summer Without You
• Teenaged Isobel "Belly" Conklin, whose life revolves around spending the summer at her mother's best friend's beach house, reflects on the tragic events of the past year that changed her life forever.
   
• We’ll Always Have Summer
• The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher, brothers she has always loved, when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her.

Hailey Abbott’s Summer Boys series

Summer Boys

Cousins Ella, Beth, and Jamie are at their family's beach house for the summer and first kisses, last dances, new loves, and old flames all add up to one unforgettable summer

Next Summer

On vacation again together, three cousins share their family's beach house and find a whole new selection of boys--and the problems that go along with dating them.

After Summer

As summer draws to a close, friends Beth, Ella, and Kelsi wonder if their summer romances will last through the school year.

Last Summer

The Tuttle girls make the most of their last summer at Pebble Beach before heading off to college.

Hailey Abbott’s Summer Girls series

Summer Girls
Cousins Jessica, Lara, and Greer, aged fifteen to sixteen, approach their family summer at a Maine beach cottage with very different attitudes, but all look forward to meeting new boys and having some fun.

Girls in Love
Jessica, Lara, and Greer spend their summer in Maine flirting with and hooking up with boys and soaking up the sun.

Lisi Harrison’s Clique Summer Collection

Massie

When Massie is kicked out of her exclusive riding camp and her parents insist that she get a summer job, she becomes the highest-selling Be Pretty Cosmetics girl ever by ignoring the company's philosophy.

Dylan
Joining her mother on a business trip to Hawaii, Dylan plans to work on her self-esteem and getting her mother's attention, but instead finds herself pursuing a rich, attractive boy who only has eyes for a bad-girl tennis star.

Alicia

Alicia travels back to Spain for her summer vacation, and when she learns that the newest pop sensation is in town searching for someone to star in his new video, Alicia vows to get cast, but in order to land the job, she will have to beat out her beautiful cousins.

Kristen
As the only member of the Pretty Committee clique not going on an exotic summer vacation, middle-schooler Kristen might just find romance sticking around to tutor math and attend a secret summer school for gifted students.

Claire
Back in Orlando for the summer, twelve-year-old Claire has difficulty connecting with her former best friends, but decides to prove her loyalty by entering Kissimmee's Miss Kiss beauty pageant.

Kim Harrington’s Clarity Books

Clarity
Sixteen-year-old Clare Fern, a member of a family of psychics, helps the mayor and a skeptical detective solve a murder in a Cape Cod town during the height of tourist season--with her brother a prime suspect.

Perception

Trying to decide between her old boyfriend, who betrayed her but wants her back, and the new boy with whom there are definite sparks, Cape Cod high school junior and psychic Clare is puzzled by a secret admirer even as she tries to solve the mystery of a classmate who has suddenly disappeared.

STAND ALONE TITLES:

Don Calame’s Swim the Fly

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's goal is to see a real-live naked girl for the first time. Given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date this is quite a challenge. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team.

Brent Crawford’s Carter’s Big Break

Fourteen-year-old Will Carter's summer gets off to a bad start when his girlfriend leaves him, but then he is cast opposite a major star, Hilary Idaho, in a small movie being filmed in his town and things start looking up.

Black, White, Other... / Joan Steinau Lester

 

TITLE: Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong
AUTHOR:  Joan Steinau Lester
OWNED by CCLS? Yes.

Nina's mother is white, her father is black, and her younger brother Jimi is a spitting image of their father. Where does that leave her? Is she black, white or other?

When Nina enters ninth grade, things start to change. Race riots take place nearby and racial tensions arise at her school and among her friends. It all prompts Nina to think about where she fits in. Does it really matter what color her skin is and if it does matter, why is she just noticing it now?

Learning about an ancestor on her father's side who was a slave helps Nina find perspective. But will Nina be able to determine who she is, keep the peace with her family, and keep her BFF? In order for Nina to find peace, she must take a journey (both figuratively and literally) to figure out who she truly is, black, white, other...

M's Verdict: Good read! The story was a relevant coming of age tale that not many books address so well. Perhaps the story may have been more authentic coming from someone who was biracial and was able to give the story a more personal touch, however I did enjoy it. Nina is a believable chigh school student with a typical HS friend whose your BFF one day and then the friend of your enemy. I liked how Nina's father's book about their slave ancestry gave the reader a historical look into the past and compared situations in Nina's realistic and present world to the world of a slave. This book would be a great transition into historical fiction and would provide any teen with a great story on figuring out who you are and how your family stories help to shape who you become.

Currently Reading...

• Matt de la Pena's I Will Save You 

Hunger Games Madness Part II: HG Books

So, it's one month after The Hunger Games was released in theatres and you've read The Hunger Games and maybe, just maybe (or more than likely), you decided to keep reading and have read Catching Fire and Mockingjay and are done with Suzanne Collins's trilogy. Well, now what should you read?

I have a few ideas for you which I'll break down into two posts. For this particular post, let's focus on... the spin-off, HG-related print craziness (i.e. the cookbook, tribute guide, etc.). If you haven't already done so, you have to check these books out!


The Hunger Games Tribute Guide / Emily Seife

The ultimate guide to the twenty-four Tributes participating in Panem's 74th annual Hunger Games. Follow the Tributes' journey from the Reaping to the Games, with a look at all teh highlights along the way. Get exclusive information about the Tributes' strengths and weaknesses, their weapons of choice, and their training before entering the arena.

The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook: From Lamb Stew to "Groosling" -- More Than 150 Recipes Inspired by the Hunger Games Trilogy / Emily Ansara Baines

Presents recipes inspired by the Hunger Games novel trilogy, including such dishes as lamb stew, roasted parsnips, and dark chocolate cake.

The Hunger Games: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion / Kate Egan

From the screenwriting process, casting decisions, and sets and costumes to the actors' performances and directors' vision, fans can go behind the scenes of "The Hunger Games" movie with this companion to the film.

The Hunger Games Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series / Various Authors

The book takes fans deeper into the post-apocalyptic world created by Suzanne Collins--an alternative future where boys and girls are chosen from twelve districts to compete in "The Hunger Games," a televised fight-to-the-death. When sixteen-year-old Katniss learns that her little sister has been chosen, Kat steps up to fight in her place--and the games begin. This unauthorized guide takes the reader behind the stage. The Hunger Games Companion includes fascinating background facts about the action in all three books, a revealing biography of the author, and amazing insights into the series' major themes and features--from the nature of evil, to weaponry and rebellions, to surviving the end of the world.

How about your aural senses? Try The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond movie sound recording! The big names are Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars; various other artists have songs on the disc as well.

If you're such a fan that you've already read (and possibly own) every single HG-related book, then perhaps you're reading for something new to read. Stay tuned for a list of survival, adventure, and dystopian fiction novels. Perhaps one of the books on that list (forthcoming) will help fill the gap until the next HG movie (or book?) is released.

Mr. Death's Blue-Eyed Girls / Mary Downing Hahn

TITLE: Mr. Death's Blue-Eyed Girls
AUTHOR: Mary Downing Hahn
OWNED by CCLS? Not yet.

Two teen girls are shot and killed while on the way to school... it was the last day of school before summer break. Everyone in town is sure that the killer is the ex-boyfriend of one of the dead girls, but the police don't have enough evidence to hold him.

What if everyone thought you were guilty of such a horrible crime when you were innocent? And all the time the real killer was still out there...

M's Verdict:Eh. Mary Downing Hahn ghost stories tend to be really popular with local middle school students, so I thought I would see what all the fuss was about. I am going to assume that this book is a little different from her regular tales, because from reading just this one novel, I do not see what all the fuss is about. I'm thinking that since the author based this novel on a real-life murder that took place during her younger years and affected her personally, she got so caught up in the emotions surrounding the horrible tragedy that she was unable to separate and create an enjoyable fictional tale of murder, intrigue, and mystery. The result? An "eh" fiction novel that would have been better presented in a nonfiction format. Also, being based on a murder that happened in the 1950s, I feel that some of the details in regards to brand names, activities, and style/fashion would likely be lost on the intended teen reader. Overall, I'd say skip it and try one of her ghost stories like Deep and Dark and Dangerous, All the Lovely Bad Ones, Wait Til Helen Comes, or The Old Willis Place.

M's Extra Note... So I read this book and wrote this blog post awhile back. Now after having read a few books since, I must admit that MDBEG does have something special that not many books have. As a historical fiction novel, I would recommend it. As a true-life mystery or as realistic fiction, I can't say it would be my first choice. But this novel might be a great transition for readers who like Hahn's other works; ghost story to historical fiction.

Recommended (by VOYA) & Owned by FRE

Check out some of these Brand Spankin' NEW and recommended (by Voice of Youth Advocates--a great resource that I use to decide what to buy & read) books.
All of these books are available @ FRE--get 'em while they're hot!

The Disenchantments / Nina La Cour
Colby's post-high school plans have long been that he and his best friend Beth would tour with her band, then spend a year in Europe, but when she announces that she will start college just after the tour, Colby struggles to understand why she changed her mind and what losing her means for his future.

What Boys Really Want / Pete Hautman
The crumbling friendship between writer Lita and entrepreneurial Adam is compromised by unexpected jealousies over each other's romantic entanglements, stolen blog posts and a premature offer to sell a new self-help book.


Sudden Flash Youth: 65 Short-Short Stories / edited by Christine Perkins-Hazuka, Toma Hazuka, and Mark Budman
Presents a collection of shorts stories about significant moments which marked a turning point in the lives of young protagonists by such authors as Anne Mazer, Alan Stewart Carl, Dave Eggers, and Peter Bacho.

Define Normal / Julie Anne Peters

Title: Define Normal
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Author Website
Owned by CCLS? Yes.

The ultimate tale of "appearances can be deceiving," so "don't judge a book by its cover."

Antonia and Jazz, who appear to be complete opposites, are paired up by the school counselor Dr. Dileo as peer counselors. Antonia is an A student who dresses, well, like an A student. Her style is nondescript and simple. On the other hand, Jazz is a rebel rouser. She has piercings, tattoos, wears leather jackets, black lipstick and her hair changes color like the weather. Jazz is the epitome of punk rock and Antonia is more of a, well, nerd. Antonia seems like she's the stable one of the group and even thinks she's there just to try and help the mess that is Jazz, but perhaps two people who appear to be so different can not only help each other, but may also have similar problems.

M's Verdict: I love Julie Anne Peters! If you've never read any of her books, you don't know what you're missing! I highly recommend starting with Luna or Between Mom and Jo.

Who can't relate to being judged based solely on your appearance? What you look like is one of the first things someone notices the first time you meet, that's why people dress up for interviews; to make a good impression. Even though the setting is a middle school, as I read, I definitely pictured that the characters were in high school. It's a story for all ages and at 196 pages, this is the perfect quick read.

Although I loved the believable characters, the great plot, and the drama, there was one thing that just didn't gel. As Antonia and Jazz go through the peer counseling process and begin to learn a few things abut one another, the reader quickly learns that Antonia's mother is suffering from debilitating depression. The depression is so bad that Antonia is essentially running the house and caring for herself and her two younger brothers. Without spoiling the ending, let me just say that I feel that the way that Antonia's story wraps up is just a bit too tidy for me. I'll leave you with this, read it and see what you think...

Harrisburg Magazine's Simply the Best

Vote for FRE--Your Library!

Each year, the readers of Harrisburg Magazine and the community vote for their favorite businesses, restaurants, medical practices, services...AND library. Thank you for SEVEN years of Simply the Best - EVERY year since the magazine had a LIBRARY category! Help us make it EIGHT for Fredricksen by voting.

Click on the Heading Link or Logo (above) and you will be redirected to the voting page.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 1, 2012

RULES:
An e-mail address is required in order to vote.
Only ballots with nominees in 30 or more categories will be counted.

Winners will appear in the August 2012 issue of Harrisburg Magazine.

Hunger Games Madness Part I: The Web

Take Aim, It's Time for Some
Hunger Games Madness!

Ok, so I know I said two things that I said I would do that I didn't...

1. Post my review of The Hunger Games on the blog just as soon as FRE had our Teen HG Book Discussion. Here's the thing about that...I was under enough pressure to simply read the book and (thank goodness) I was fortunate enough to actually really get sucked in (and boy did I jump to get on that band wagon--nail polish & all!) and enjoy the story. However, I feel that it is not quite necessary for me to review such a popular and already loved (or loathed by some) by so many. We'll listen to the masses on this one and leave the lesser known or brand-spanking-new book reviews to yours truly.

2. On our FB page I said I would create a Hunger Games madness on our blog by posting fun HG-related things each day of the week leading up to the release of the Hunger Games movie, but alas, there is just not enough time in the day and sometimes I just get behind. Luckily, I have a moment of clarity and some time to type away, so I promise that I will attempt to provide you with some fun HG stuff to keep you entertained during the empty hours leading up to the release of the very anticipated movie The Hunger Games.

How about we start off with this fun tidbit:

"On Wednesday, Hunger Games cracked Fandango’s all-time top five of presellers, an elite roster made up of the final two Harry Potter films and the past three Twilight pics. Hunger Games rose to No. 4, overtaking The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, respectively." (Source)

Now to the Official Part I: Websites

Here are some websites that I shared with my middle school students for fun and were also included in a recent Patriot News article.

Author Suzanne Collins's Website
[Info. on her books, a bio & an author interview]

Fictional Food--> The Hunger Games
[all of the food that was mentioned in the 1st book in the series including some recipes]

The Hunger Games Movie
[the official site of the movie; a great stop for the trailers (even if you've watched them 30 million times;) or cast photos & info or posters]

The Hunger Games Wiki
[what you've been looking for... a wiki for Hunger Games fans; detailed entries on anything HG-related; anyone can add/edit and although there are quite a few typos, it's a great meeting place for HG fans]

Scholastic
--> About the Author:
interview & FAQs
--> About the Books:
read chapters 1 & 2 of each of the HG books for FREE!
--> Video:
Suzanne Collins' message, promos, and more!
--> Games:
play the TRIAL BY FIRE or TRIBUTE TRIALS games!
--> Downloads:
watch book trailers, print posters & bookmarks, or download wallpapers

Stay posted for Hunger Games Madness Part II: ?

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip / Jordan Sonnenblick

Title: Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
Author: Jordan Sonnenblick
Author Website
Owned by CCLS? On order.

You're an all-star pitcher who loves playing baseball with your best friend. Playing gets you status, makes people take notice, and it's what you're really good at. Then during the league championship game, right before you're about to begin your freshman year of high school, you blow out your elbow. Your baseball career is over. You're in denial and find yourself unable to tell your best friend that you will never be able to play ball again (or any other sport for that matter). On top of all of that, your grandfather, who you're extremely close to and who came out to every single one of your games, is starting to show signs of Alzheimer's. Just like you with your injury, your grandfather is in denial and won't let you tell your parents that there's a problem. What would you do? (Oh yeah, and since it's high school, don't forget to add in a little boy-girl drama too.) How would you or how have you handled a similar situation? Read Curveball to find out whether or not freshman Pete Friedman was able to play ball again, save his grandfather, keep his best friend, and get the girl...

M's Verdict: Good read! Recommended to guys & girls and sports lovers or not. It's a relatable story of tragedy, disappointment, and being able to roll with the crazy punches that life sends your way, inevitably all at once. It's about being able to define yourself by your actions not by what sports you play or used to play; it's about the bigger picture. Great morals, a believable storyline, and likable characters make this a story you'll breeze through. If you read any of Sonnenblick's other stories and liked them, you'll love this one just as much if not more!

Troy High / Shana Norris

TITLE: Troy High
AUTHOR: Shana Norris
OWNED BY CCLS? Replacement copy on order.

Cassie Prince lives in the shadows of her all-star athlete brothers; Perry and Hunter. She's a band geek with decent grades and the closest she gets to being involved in a sport is playing in the marching band at Troy High football games. Her best friend Greg is a student at Lacede High (a.k.a. Troy's archenemy/rival). Cassie and Greg's friendship is put to the test when friendly school rivalry turns into an all-out-war and Cassie is forced to choose between Greg and her brothers. Will Cassie choose to be loyal to her school and brothers and give up her one true friend? Or is Cassie willing to sacrifice her new found popularity for a BFF who could become something more?

M's Verdict: Good read. I enjoyed the plot line and characters and read through the story pretty quickly. Although I never read The Iliad in high school (or at any point in time, yet) I would recommend Troy High to anyone who did read it. Whether you loved or hated it, I would think that it would be pretty cool to be able to compare and contrast the two stories and characters. It's a modern twist that is sure to leave readers salivating. It's realistic and wraps the reader up in all the drama that is high school. There's something for everyone; cheerleaders, band kids, football players, misfits, and more. Drama abounds and the rivalry between the Spartans (students @ Lacede) and the Trojans (students @ Troy) is totally entertaining and intense. How can you not want to know what happens between Cassie and Greg?

For more info, check out author Shana Norris's Website .
These are some of the cool thinks @ SN's site:
*book trailer,

*comparison of characters in The Iliad to characters in Troy High
*Troy High character quiz--which character are you?
*Troy High soundtrack! (I love this kid of stuff!!)
*and more!