2012 Summer Reads

So now that summer is officially here, it's time to make a list of books to stow away in our suitcases this year.Ace will be reading a few from the Sunshine State Readers List, along with a few other titles that sound like fun. He seems to favor books with long titles. Last year, his favorite summer book was STINK AND THE INTERGALACTIC JAWBREAKER.This year, JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW by Nathan Bransford is at the top of his pile. Retaliation against substitute teachers and trading corn dogs for spaceships, makes this book a victory for most eight-year-old boys before they even turn the first page.Lucky has been toting around VICTRICIA MALICIA: THE BOOK-LOVING BUCCANEER since its release on June 1. It's written by Carrie Clickard, a very talented critique partner of mine. If you're not normally a fan of all things slimy and pirate-y (like me), not to worry. This book is about a fun-loving girl who gives up on life at sea and moves ashore to open a library and teach her pirate relations to read! Boys and {girly} girls alike will love this rhyming adventure.I've been reading JOSIAH AND JULIA GO TO CHURCH to Sprout. He's also a big fan of the PAT THE BUNNY books. We recently found a limited-edition version that is larger than the standard 5 x 5 version, which is great for at home reading because all the interactive components are larger and easier for chubby little fingers to manipulate. The smaller version is great to tuck in my diaper bag and tote around, so this is another book we own more than one copy of.image: Joseph Robertson, Reads by the SeaAs always, my list includes lots of middle-grade (MG) and young adult (YA) books.Lindsey Leavitt's third book in the Princess for Hire series, FAREWELL TO CHARMS, comes out June 26 and I'm really looking forward to that. The first two books were great. The main character, Dessi Bascomb, is a princess sub. Any time a princess needs a break from her royal duties, Dessi rubs on a bit of her magic rouge and is transformed. I love that the books deal with real-life issues like weight and sibling rivalry. Lindsey does a fantastic job of showing girls that the real life of a princess isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Her next book, GOING VINTAGE, is now available for pre-order.I'm also really, really looking forward to reading the YA book BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY by New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys. The book is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Lina who is preparing for art school and looking forward to summertime, when a knock at the door in the middle of the night changes everything. Her family is suddenly separated and thrown into Siberian prison camps. Lina begins drawing pictures and embedding clues in them, hoping they will circulate the prisons and let her family know she is alive.Also, if you're a member of this blogs Orthodox Book Club, you just finished reading THE PURPLE MANTLE by Aliki Kafetzopoulou. Another one of her historical novels, DIAMONDS ON THE BOSPHORUS, has just been translated and released. The story follows Nicephorus and his twin sister, Julianna, who have lived in the shadows of Constantinople, on the shores of the Bosphorus. As children of the pious Theodotus, they have been raised in the Christian virtues, devoting themselves to serving those around them. Their greatest joy is to listen to the words of the righteous bishop, St. John Chrysostom. On the verge of becoming adults, the two of them have their lives flipped upside down and find themselves in the imperial courts and persecutions of St. John.I just ordered my copy and am impatiently anxiously awaiting its arrival! :)Stay tuned for a list of Free Summer Reading Programs to sign your kids up for!