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September 2013

Hi folks!

Summer is dying down, although September tends to be the hottest month of the year here by the beach in Los Angeles. I devoured so many books this past month, thanks largely in part to traveling over 30,000 miles across the United States this past month delivering speeches, including a keynote to my largest group ever – over 5,000 employees of Edinburg CISD at the Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. It was awesome! 

Can I give you a great little reading tip? One of my favorite publishers nowadays is Minibük (www.Minibük.com). They literally create zillions of little books you can fit in your pockets, and the books are delightful. I can go through close to a dozen on some flights. They read like super-interesting and helpful brochures. I’ve read a potpourri of their titles, from Deborah Gilboa’s Teach Responsibility: Empower Kids With a Great Work Ethic to a variety of hiking guides by John McKinney to Beth Terry’s Thinking About Thinking to a clever six-Minibük with business card series by speaker Tony Jeary that lays out for audiences an action guide for his message (ingenious!).  

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 September, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
No Better Time: The Brief, Remarkable Life of Danny Lewin, the Genius Who Transformed the Internet

No Better Time: The Brief, Remarkable Life of Danny Lewin, the Genius Who Transformed the Internet

By Molly Knight Raskin 264 pages Adult

Danny Says

Subtitled “The Brief, Remarkable Life of Danny Lewin, The Genius Who Transformed the Internet,” this book is a MUST READ. I could not put it down, and you won’t be able to either. Don’t believe me? Read the preface, one of the best prefaces I have ever read.
Buy on Amazon
Under the Jaguar Sun

Under the Jaguar Sun

By Italo Calvino 96 pages Adult

Danny Says

Yes, I dig short stories. What stands out about this collection is how each story deals specifically with one of the five senses, minus two (why Calvino left out sight and touch are a mystery to me – perhaps he passed away before getting to those). Still, this is a great quick read that will definitely intrigue your senses of sound, smell and taste.
Buy on Amazon
Falling Into the Fire: A Psychiatrist's Encounters with the Mind in Crisis

Falling Into the Fire: A Psychiatrist's Encounters with the Mind in Crisis

By Christine Montross 256 pages Adult

Danny Says

In a society obsessed with pills, this book riveted me with a psychiatrist’s journey as she determines ways to assist her patients that often focus much more heavily on empathy than medicine. Reading this book solidified my belief that we have a lot to still learn about mental health. A very engaging read.
Buy on Amazon
Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs

Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs

By Ron Koertge 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the simplest pieces of advice I can give all teachers and parents to helping children become better readers is to utilize poetry. This sequel to Koertge’s Shakespeare Bats Cleanup follows two teens who connect through their poetry. One of the best parts of this book is the number of different types of poetry students discover.
Buy on Amazon
The Vacation

The Vacation

By Polly Horvath 224 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

When you read a book by Polly Horvath, you can depend on her providing quirky characters in extraordinary situations. You also will find yourself wishing for more as you quickly devour her stories. Students really enjoy this story of a 12-year-old left in the care of his eccentric aunts on an unforgettable vacation. Terrific read aloud.
Buy on Amazon

Chu Ju's House

By Gloria Whelan 240 pages pages Young Adult

Danny Says

  • Remarkable story of a 14-year-old girl in China who leaves home so her parents will not sell her baby sister. See, under China’s rural population law, families are only allowed two babies, and every family wants at least one boy. Think this book will spark some interesting discussions in class?
Buy on Amazon
Border Crossing

Border Crossing

By Jessica Lee Anderson 174 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

Coming-of-age story told through first person about a mixed-race teenager in rural Texas as he gradually loses control and dips into schizophrenia.
Buy on Amazon
Laff-O-Tronic Monster Jokes! (Laff-O-Tronic Joke Books!)

Laff-O-Tronic Monster Jokes! (Laff-O-Tronic Joke Books!)

By Michael Dahl 96 pages Children

Danny Says

Stone Arch produces all sorts of great books for kids, and boys especially love Michael Dahl’s books. Try this one as a way of enticing your reluctant reader son to read more.
Buy on Amazon
Lies and Other Tall Tales

Lies and Other Tall Tales

By Zora Neale Hurston,Joyce Carol Thomas 40 pages Children

Danny Says

I don’t know how I never saw this book before. Beautifully illustrated by one of my favorites, Christopher Myers, this collection of long-lost, one-line folktales is sure to spawn a classroom filled with students creating their own. Terrific fun.
Buy on Amazon
Francis and Eddie: The True Story of America's Underdogs

Francis and Eddie: The True Story of America's Underdogs

By Brad Herzog 32 pages Children

Danny Says

I am an avid golf fan. One of the greatest sports stories in American history is largely unknown, and that is of teenager Francis Ouimet’s remarkable U.S. Open upset at Brookline 100 years ago this year. There are so many amazing parts to this story, one of which is that of the lifelong friendship of Francis with his then 10-year-old caddie Eddie Lowery. Herzog manages to cram a lot of great stuff in 32 pages, and Zachary Pullen’s illustrations are brilliant.
Buy on Amazon

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