Alright, you lovers of reading. I have some great recommendations for you. I absolutely adore young adult literature & I'm excited to share some of these with you (in no specific order). Like I said before, I am quite a genre jumper. Even if I'm reading a series, I tell myself I have to read at least one book in between that's different, or else everything just starts mushing together and I don't enjoy it as much.
Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)- If you haven't read this book, you need to get in your car and drive as quickly as you can to a bookstore/library. I read this book every summer and it is one of my absolute favorites out there. It's not so much a "kids" book. Mitch Albom is also one of my favorite authors. His writing is so beautiful and from the heart and usually non-fiction as it's based on specific stories from his own life. I actually read this while at the airport (super short read) and had someone come up to me and tell me how much he loved this book. I don't actually know how many times I've read it - just that it's one of my summer traditions & makes me cry. Every. Single. Time.
The Always War (Margaret Peterson Haddix) - Love Margaret. I really do. But I did NOT love this book. It's short enough that if you wanted to test me and read it anyway, you could and wouldn't lose sleep over feeling like you wasted your time. I just felt like the plot wasn't fully developed and it was kind of a "blah" book. I didn't feel any real emotions at the end. That's kind of how I judge my reads. If I have any kind of excited, sad, thought provoking, or "WOW!" feelings... that means it was good in my book.
Dead End in Norvelt (Jack Gantos) - I really enjoyed this book. I've heard of a few people who didn't love it, but I thought it was pretty great. It's a Scott O'Dell winner (historical fiction). I felt like it was filled with interesting facts but that I also could just simply enjoy the story line. For anyone with kids, for interest and appreciation sake, this would be for a 6th grader (or up) at least.
Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry) - Lois Lowry is also the author of "Number the Stars" and "The Giver." If you read and enjoyed "The Giver," then I would recommend this book for you (this is a companion, though different characters, to the book). It's a social science fiction book that takes place in a dystopian society, so it is definitely not a "thriller" by any means. If you're not interested in that kind of genre, you won't enjoy this. I tend to like books that take place in a society much different from my own, just because I feel like it's very interesting and raises a lot of thoughtful questions.
Matched (Ally Condie) - LOVED this. It's a trilogy and I will definitely be purchasing "Crossed" when I get back to Utah in my book order. "Reached" comes out in November but can be pre-ordered now. This is also a dystopian society, but the whole feel of the book to me was much more bright and upbeat than "Gathering Blue." I had lots of girls in my class who read this and loved it so it was one I was looking forward to and it didn't disappoint. The plot is incredibly interesting - a government whose written up the "perfect" algorithm for lining people up to decide who and when they should be married. I really loved this. Read, read, read it.
The Scorch Trials/The Death Cure (James Dashner) - These books are both part of the Maze Runner trilogy that I started back in June. I loved the first book and gave it to my mom, who read it in a day. This is a science fiction series that's built on some really interesting ideas and plot. It takes place in a futuristic time period and I really don't feel like I'd be doing any favors by trying to explain it all. I love books/series that unfold over time and this is one of those. There's a prequel to the series called "Kill Order" and it's coming out in a few weeks and you can bet that I'll be buying it. If you enjoyed "The Hunger Games," you'll love this!
Midnight for Charlie Bone (Jenny Nimmo) - This is a magical fantasy book that reminds me a bit of Harry Potter, in that he attends a school, similar to Hogwarts. It's fast-paced and great for any fantasy lover. Fantasy isn't always my thing, but I really enjoyed this.
Fablehaven (Brandon Mull) - Like I said, I'm not one for fantasy, so I was incredibly surprised at how much I loved this book. I actually wasn't even going to bring it with me to SF, but Hailey (one of the 6th grade teachers) loves it and I promised her I'd read it. It's part of a series that I own (but left in my classroom) and I will definitely finish it. I couldn't believe how quickly I finished it. It's a New York Times Best-Seller and I now know why. I'd definitely recommend this, even if you're not a huge fantasy person.
I hope you'll read at least one of these. I'm so excited to get back to school (in 2 weeks...what?!?) and share these with my students. I've felt pretty edified in my young adult literature this summer. ;) I'm currently at 17 books and determined to make it to at least 20. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
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