County library's summer
reading recommendations
Here are the 2009 summer reading recommendations
from Nicole Clawson, youth department manager for
the St. Louis County Library:
Summer Reads for 2009
Masterpiece; by Elise Broach
(Holt and Co., 2008)
Marvin, a beetle, lives with a family
under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays' apartment.
Puddlejumpers;
by Mark Jean (Hyperion Books for Children,
2008)
Twelve-year-old Ernie is kidnapped
as a baby by Puddlejumpers, little people who live
in a world below puddles. Ernie must find courage
to save the Puddlejumpers by leading them into battle
against their mortal enemies, the Troggs.
Top
of the Order; by John Coy (Feiwel and
Friends, 2009)
Ten-year-old Jackson lives for baseball.
But, he becomes distracted by the approach of middle
school, his mother's latest boyfriend and the presence
of a girl-his good friend's sister-on his team.
Jeremy Cabbage; by David
Elliot. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)
Orphan Jeremy is searching for a loving
family. He becomes entangled in a conflict between
the city's arrogant and oppressive leader, Baron
Von Strompie, and a group of outlandish people called
the "Cloons."
Pandora
Gets Jealous; by Carolyn Hennesy (Bloomsbury
Children's Books, 2008)
Thirteen-year-old Pandy is hauled
before Zeus and given six months to gather all the
evils that were released. She brought the box to
school as her annual project but it was accidently
opened.
We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes;
by Patrick Jennings. (HarperCollins Children's
Books, 2009)
When Crusher the snake is captured,
her only thought is to escape. But, as time goes
by, she befriends the other inmates of the "zoo."
She then realizes that freedom also means leaving
companions behind.
Emmy and the Home for Troubled
Girls, by Lynne Jonell (Henry Holt&Co.,
2008)
Ten-year-old Emmy wants to be an ordinary
girl. But, the evil nanny Miss Barmy, now a rat,
has trapped five of her former charges. When she
uses them to steal jewels belonging to Emmy's parents,
it is up to Emmy, Joe and their rodent friends to
stop her.
The
Stonekeeper, Amulet Book 1; by Kazu Kibuishi
(Graphix, 2008)
Emily's and Narvin's mother is kidnapped
and dragged into a strange and magical world where
it seems the children's great-grandfather has been
before. It's up to the children to set things right
and save their mother's life.
Savvy; by Ingrid Law
(Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008)
This book recounts the adventures
of Mibs Beaumont, whose 13th birthday has revealed
her "savvy." This is a magical power unique to each
member of her family. The gift is revealed just
as her father is injured in a terrible accident.
The
Mousehunter; by Alex Milway (Little Brown
& Co, 2009)
Captain Mousebeard is a feared mousehunting
pirate. He seeks out the rarest and most precious
breeds of mice to collect and trade. Emeline, a
mousekeeper, wants the bounty her master puts on
Mousebeard's head. So she heads off on an adventure
to capture the pirate.
The Boys of Steel; by Marc
Tyler Nobleman (A.A. Knopf, 2008)
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are two
misfit teens in Cleveland. They were more like Clark
Kent than Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds
of science fiction and pulp magazine tales. In 1934,
they created the superhero but it was four years
before they convinced a publisher to take a chance
on their Man of Steel in a new format, the comic
book.
The
Talented Clementine; by Sara Pennypacker
(Hyperion Books for Children, 2007)
Weird and evil events at a London
boarding school provide messenger Barnaby Grimes
an opportunity. He wants to test his budding knowledge
of the ancient Chinese art of yinchido, in which
you focus on silences and empty spaces.
Tales from Outer Suburbia,
by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine books, 2008)
Fifteen illustrated short stories,
some humorous and some haunting. They are set in
the Australian suburbs.
Pete's
Disappearing Act; by Jenny Tripp (Harcourt
Children's Books, 2009)
Pete, the performing poodle, and
Rita, the chimp, are swept away from the circus
in a tornado. They encounter frightening adventures
and make new friends as they try to return home.
The
summer reading clubs at St. Louis County libraries will
run from June 1 through August 1. There are separate clubs
for elementary kids and for teens, as well as a club for
toddlers. 
The
programs are at the central library as well as all of
the neighborhood branches. This is a fine way for you
to keep your brains active during the whole summer.