Summer Reading
June has flown by in a lovely, slightly humid procession of thunderstorms, trips to the Farmer’s Market, and some wonderful books. And just in time for the long weekend, or for kids who need a break from their assigned summer reading, the Ledger has published my summer reading roundup.
These books were so much fun to read and review! Early in the spring, I got a whole big lovely box of kids, middle reader, and YA books to review for the Ledger. The roundup I pulled together was in the paper last week. I’m extremely pleased with it. Having to distill books into just one or two sentences, like I do for the Bernardsville Bookworm, remains a fascinating challenge.
Reading kids’ and YA books offers a fresh, very centering perspective on adult life. The best YA books have clear, vivid writing, and characters who face fundamental challenges: questions of identity, choices, consequences. Well written YA books are a very nice counterpoint to a busy day cluttered with adult minutiae. It’s reassuring to read about teenage and young adult struggles from the other side of high school, that’s for sure.
I also got a nice thank-you note for my review from Donna Gephardt, author of “As If Being 12 3/4 Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President” (Delacorte, 240 pp., $15.99) Thank you as well, Donna. Your book was especially fun to read in an election year.
