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July 2017

How’s your summer so far? Catching some rays and grabbing some great books?

So, what are you reading? Anything you’d like me to check out? I’m headed to Mexico for a week of beach reading, and I cannot wait. Got to read a ton this past month, as I was on a lot of cross-country flights. Among the best books I checked out were The Letter by Kathryn Hughes, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan, Beach Lawyer by Avery Duff and Dragon Teeth by the deceased, brilliant Michael Crichton.

I am a proud member of the International Literacy Association (ILA), which holds its annual conference this month in Orlando. Over the next few months I am going to include several children’s and young adult book recommendations, as selected by students and teachers for ILA. The ones I will be including will feature those books that are under 250 pages that I have read (and the descriptions are courtesy of ILA). Click here for the complete 2017 ILA Reading Choices lists.

Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections below. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to the address listed for authors and publishers.

I hope you are reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me about them by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a wonderful July, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
Sula

Sula

By Toni Morrison 192 pages Adult

Danny Says

Incredible entry by the Nobel Prize-winning author, Sula tells the tale of two little girls growing up in a poor, black neighborhood nestled in the barrio known as “The Bottom.” As they grow older and separately, the two friends become something worse than enemies in this brilliantly written novel.
Buy on Amazon
The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

By Mohsin Hamid 191 pages Adult

Danny Says

Can’t believe I just discovered this gem about a Pakistanti Princeton grad trying to navigate subtle and blatant bigotry in a post-911 world. Provocative and heart-wrenching.
Buy on Amazon
Why Simple Wins

Why Simple Wins

By Lisa Bodell 240 pages Adult

Danny Says

Bodell shows how to eliminate redundancies, communicate with clarity and make simplification a habit in this quick, engaging and informative read (strike that – for the point of simplification, let’s just call it an “essential” read).
Buy on Amazon
Falling Over Sideways

Falling Over Sideways

By Jordan Sonnenblick 272 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Claire’s eighth-grade year is not going as she hoped. Mean girls, boys, changing friendships; she doesn’t think it can get any worse...until it does. Her father suffers a stroke, and everything changes instantly. Now Claire must find the strength to handle both the pressures of middle school and an uncertain future.
Buy on Amazon
Goldfish: A Novel

Goldfish: A Novel

By Nat Luurtsema 240 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Filled with slapstick antics, this lighthearted story of 15-year-old Louise Brown, a down-on-her-luck swimmer, makes a splash with readers. Gangly and unpopular, Louise loses her chance at Olympic stardom. Now she must start a new school year without her best friend Hannah (who did qualify for Olympic training) and deal with her former coach, who treats her like a pariah.
Buy on Amazon
23 Minutes

23 Minutes

By Vivian Vande Velde 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Blue-haired Zoe is a social outcast. She encounters a deadly bank robbery that leaves two people dead, including a friendly young man who shields Zoe from a bullet. But 15-year-old Zoe has a special ability to turn back the clock 23 minutes just by saying “playback,” allowing her to change the outcome of events. She has only 10 tries to get it right.
Buy on Amazon
Snow White: A Graphic Novel

Snow White: A Graphic Novel

By Matt Phelan 216 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

In this Depression-era version, Snow White’s father loses his fortune in the stock market crash and is murdered by her evil stepmother. Phelan adds period-appropriate touches to the traditional story. The seven dwarves are street urchins, the prince is a police detective, and the magic mirror is a stock ticker. The sepia tone and grey scale graphics add to the historical feeling of the novel.
Buy on Amazon
Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White

Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White

By Melissa Sweet 176 pages Children

Danny Says

This lavishly illustrated biography details the life of beloved children’s author E.B. White. Readers will delight to learn that White’s most famous books arose from moments in his own childhood. A timeline and interview with White’s granddaughter accompany the text.
Buy on Amazon
Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph

Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph

By Roxane Orgill 66 pages Children

Danny Says

The poems in this book were inspired by Art Kane’s photograph Harlem 1958. The author tells about some of the players and the circumstances surrounding that famous photo shoot. Endnotes provide facts about the musicians and suggestions for further exploration.
Buy on Amazon
Daniel Finds a Poem

Daniel Finds a Poem

By Micha Archer 32 pages Children

Danny Says

When young Daniel sees an advertisement for “Poetry in the Park,” he elicits help from various animals to help him understand what poetry is. Cleverly, he combines all the animals’ insights into an original poem.
Buy on Amazon

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