Summer recommendations

Young Saint Louis Picks for Summer Reading

We're already well into the summer. If you are getting a little bit bored, maybe you would like some suggestions for summer reading. As you probably know, four books are reviewed in each issue of YSL. If you click on Past Stories, you can read reviews of books from years past.

Most books reviewed are inexpensive paperbacks that can be found at Borders or Waldenbooks or from Amazon on line. (Exceptions were the Harry Potter books and those in the Eragon series, which were reviewed when they first came out in hardback.) Sometimes used paperbacks are available to purchase for just pennies on line. The hardback versions are normally available to borrow for free at your local library. You don't have to be rich to be an avid reader!

For kids who like historical adventure stories, consider Gary Paulsen's Mr. Tucket series about a boy crossing the continent in a wagon train, captured by Indians, and rescued by a mountain man. ("Mr. Tucket" reviewed May 2009).

For those who like to be scared by reading ghost stories, look at titles authored by Mary Downing Hahn. {"Deep and Dark and Dangerous" reviewed June 2009)

For those budding scholars who like non-fiction, titles in the DK Biography series are recommended. ("Abraham Lincoln" reviewed February 2009, "John F. Kennedy" March 2009, "Laura Ingalls Wilder" July 2009)

Actually, there are books available to appeal to readers of all tastes, including sports stories, stories based on movie scripts including animated films and action movies with live actors, and plenty of animal stories and humorous books. Just look at the reviews archived on Past Stories and you are sure to find titles that you can't resist. (A search feature is built in for book reviews. Try titles, authors, or key words.) Remember, reading is a good way to have fun and get smarter at the same time. Don't do all your reading from a computer screen!