Get hooked on Reading
by Kathleen Gordon-Ross, senior editor

Adult Literature

The Good Journey: A Novel by Micaela Gilchrist Historical fiction. About a Louisiana socialite who marries a frontier general. The story takes place in St. Louis and deals with the interpersonal relationship between the couple and the relationship of the US soldiers with the Territory Indians. Inspired by actual letters, The Good Journey breathes life into history with a richly imagined chronicle of twenty tumultuous years in the marriage of two American pioneers.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love--a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende
This is one of her lesser known novels, but it is fantastic. Her use of magical surrealism is just as good as "House of Spirits."

"Allende skillfully evokes both the terrors of daily life under military rule and the subtler forms of resistance in the hidden corners . . . She can just as deftly depict loving tenderness as convey the high fire of eroticism. And when you've successfully mingled sex and politics with a noble cause, how can you go wrong?"--New York Time Book Review

Chronicle of Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The No. 1 Ladies Detiective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith
The beloved first novel in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, now available for the first time in hardcover, tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, Mma Ramotswe is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart–and lands her in danger–is that of a missing eleven-year-old boy who may have been snatched by witch doctors.

Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley by Virginia H. Pearce (Editor) I could read this one over and over again and still find something new. You walk away from the book feeling like Sister Hinckley is your best girlfriend!

Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man and Life's Greatest Lessons by Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press journalist and best-selling author Mitch Albom recounts his weekly visits with dying teache, Morrie Schwartz, who years before had set him straight.

I Don't Know How She Does It : The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother by Allison Pearson
A hilarious look at a Working Mother in England. A fun, light and fluffy read guaranteed to make you smile.

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
This book may have you rethinking that trip to McDonalds on the way home from swim class.

Classics

Daisy Miller by Henry James
Summer is a great time to catch up on the classics. This is a novella about the nuveau riche American trying to play the European social scene.

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
This is a short easy read, perfect for reading while you watch the kids splash in the pool. This is a story that delves deep into the moral dilemmas many of us face in today's cut throat world.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Everyone should read this book at least once, it is a quick easy read.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Elizabeth Bennet is the perfect Austen heroine: intelligent, generous, sensible, incapable of jealousy or any other major sin. That makes her sound like an insufferable goody-goody, but the truth is she's a completely hip character, who if provoked is not above skewering her antagonist with a piece of her exceptionally sharp -- but always polite -- 18th century wit. The point is, you spend the whole book absolutely fixated on the critical question: will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy hook up?

Sense and Sensiblitiy by Jane Austen

Sense & Sensiblity revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Whereas the former is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic--a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion.

Little Britches by Ralph Moody

Young Adult Literature

Matilda by Roald Dahl Matilda is a sweet five-year-old with extraordinary mental powers—powers she uses to teach her school’s evil head mistress a lesson she’ll never forget! (Ages 9-12)

Island of the Blue Dophin by Scott O'Dell
Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life. (Ages 9-12)

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. (Grade 6-9)

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander
When Jason finds out that his cat Gareth can travel through time, he begs to go along. Soon cat and boy find themselves in ancient Egypt on the first of nine unforgettable adventures. (Grade 3-7)

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Tuck family discovers a spring which grants eternal life, decides to protect it for the sake of humanity, and finally meets challenges to their goals in the form of a ten-year-old's inquisitive mind and a greedy stranger who suspects their secret. (Ages 9-12)

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the governmen. (Ages 9 and up)

Castle in The Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
A magical replica of a castle transports William to adventures in another land in these companion novels. (Grades 4-6)

Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Goff
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily's friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently. (Grades 5-8)

Zoe Flynn has a secret. She used to live in California, in a big old house -- the best house in the world really -- at 18 Hawk Road. It rambled and creaked and was full of good hiding places. She used to have a best friend named Kellen who lived right down the road, and a dog named Merlin who loved to play with her. But now she lives in a little town in Oregon, and everything has changed. Now, Zoe has to be careful. Careful that she doesn't tell anyone, not her friends or her teacher or especially that cop who's been watching her, that she doesn't live at 18 Hawk Road anymore. That now her family lives in an old green van that's cramped and dirty

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft. (Grades 5-8)

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Escaping from an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl gets lost on the Alaskan tundra and is befriended by a wolf pack. (Ages 9-12)

The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood
Thirteen-year-old Delrita, whose unhappy life has caused her to hide from the world, loves her uncle Punky but sometimes feels ashamed of his behavior because he has Down's syndrome. (Grades 5-7)

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
When Joey and his sister Mary Alice travel from their home in Chicago to their Grandmother's small town, they don't expect the crazy adventures they encounter there. (Grades 4-8)

Lucy Was There by Jean Van Leeuwen With the help of new friends and a very special dog, Morgan begins to come to terms with the loss of her mother and five-year-old brother, who boarded a plane and never came back. (Grades 4-6)

Kid's Books

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon In order to ensure her popularity, Camilla Cream always does what is expected, until the day arrives when she no longer recognizes herself. Amazing illustrations. (Ages 4-8)

Cook-a-Doodle-Doo by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel
With the questionable help of his friends, Big Brown Rooster manages to bake a strawberry shortcake which would have pleased his great-grandmother, Little Red Hen. (Ages 4-8)

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
t's not easy for duck parents to find a safe place to bring up their ducklings, but during a rest stop in Boston's Public Garden, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they just might have found the perfect spot--no foxes or turtles in sight, plenty of peanuts from pleasant passers-by, and the benevolent instincts of a kindly police officer to boot. Awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1941, Make Way for Ducklings has been described as "one of the merriest picture books ever." (Ages 4-8)

The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline K. Ogburn
Cora Lee Merriweather baked the best pies and cakes for milesfluffy meringue pies, flaky strudels, layer cakes, sheet cakes, and cakes with frosting finer than Irish lace. But now Cora Lee haunts the shop she used to own. When new bakers arrive to take over her empty bake shop, Cora Lee scares them away, each and every one. Then Annie Washington comes to town . . . Jacqueline K. Ogburn and Marjorie Priceman combine their talents to give us an enchanting baker's battle in this story about how to unlock the secrets of the perfect recipe and a lonely heart. (Ages 4-8)

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty McDonald Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house ans smells like cookies. She was even married to a pirate once. Most of all, she knows everything about children. She can cure them of any ailment. Patsy hates baths. Hubert never puts anything away. Allen eats v-e-r-y slowly. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has a treatment for all of them. (Ages 4-8)

Two Good Friends by Judy Delton
Duck has an immaculate house but doesn't like to cook. Bear likes to cook but has a messy house. So the two friends share their talents. (Preschoolers)

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on! See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him! (Ages 3-6)

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
"When springtime comes, in his warm winter den a bear wakes up very hungry and thin!..."

Bear finds some roots to eat, but that's not enough. He wants more! With his friends' help, he finds some berries, clover, and fish to eat, but that's not enough. Bear wants more! How Bear's friends help him to finally satisfy his HUGE hunger in a most surprising way will enchant young readers. Karma Wilson's rhythmic text and Jane Chapman's vibrant illustrations make Bear Wants More a perfect springtime read-aloud. (Ages 3-6)

A generous quilt maker and a greedy king provide the grist for a delightful moral tale. An old woman crafts exquisite quilts that she gives only to the poor. The king loves possessions and demands gifts. When he learns the quilt maker has not given him a gift, he demands a quilt. She refuses. Soldiers can't convince her, nor does being chained inside a bear's cave or being abandoned on a tiny island. She'll agree only if he gives away all his things. For each gift he gives, she will sew a piece in his quilt. At first, he can part only with a marble. But the more he gives, the more joy he discovers. The

lush, colorful illustrations, which include 250 patterns hidden in the pictures, feature dazzling displays of the king's gifts and the quilts that will keep children happily entertained. (Ages 4-8)

After working together for many years, Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, are told that their services are no longer needed. Not one to give up easily, Mike proposes that he and Mary Anne will excavate the basement for the new town hall in only one day. The whole town gathers around the work site to see how this indomitable pair will fare in their race against time. The brightly colored, charming crayon drawings add to the cheerfulness of

PAWS to READ
2006 Summer
Reading Program

Summer Reading PAWEDCASTs

This is COOL! PAWEDCASTS are audio recordings of children's books that can be played on a personal computer using any audio player that can play an mp3 (aka Windows Media Player, Real Player or Quicktime) or downoloaded to an iPod or other portable player.

Local and State Library Branch's tell about their summer reading programs

Want to find out more information about the Summer Reading Programs for kids and adults in your area? We've found some sate and county websites, but if yours isn't listed, call, stop by or do an internet search for your local library and find out what they have going on this summer!

California

California - St. Helena

Colorado

Conneticut

Idaho

Indiana - Indianapolis

Kentucky - Paducah

Louisianna

Massachusetts

Michicgan

Minnisota - St. Paul

Montana

Nebraska

New York State

North Carolina - Asheville

Oklahoma

Rhode Island

Texas - Houston

Texas - El Paso

Utah State

Virginia - Fairfax County

Washington - Seattle

Wisconsin - Oshkosh