Summer Reads!

Hi Teachers! Summer is almost here so it is time for our annual book recommendations. This year we thought we would ask our Teacher’s Academy family (including a few of our kids, nieces and nephews) to make some recommendations for you.  This activity got us all talking about our favorite books. Hopefully it will inspire book talks in your families as well! Enjoy!

From our family to yours:

Jim recommends:

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. This book intertwines a good story with history.

Brittney recommends:

Holes by Louis Sachar. A super fun mysterious adventure with a surprise ending.

Rebekah recommends:

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. An adorable and simple picture book about adding color to your life and community, which makes everyone feel included.

AND

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. A young adult book which describes the life and hardship of an African American girl and her sister after her mother puts the girls in foster care. The girls are forced to depend on themselves to survive in a world that take many things for granted.

Ainsley recommends:

We Were Liars by E Lockhart. Summer bliss turned into psychological confusion. Rereading this gives a new perspective to the reader.

AND

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. A powerful story of revisiting past situations and dealing with the present tragic loss of a high school friend. “It had me crying by page 41.”

Madelynn recommends:

Junie B Jones Is a Party Animal by Barbara Park. Unexpected and makes me laugh!

AND

American Royals by Katharine McGee. What if America had a royal family? This trilogy follows four main characters and the possibilities of what their Royal American lives would be with their family dynamic, drama, and media perceptions.

Julie recommends:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A guilty pleasure! I listen to the audio book because I love the British accents.

AND

The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg. A brilliant story about making your dreams come true!

Trey recommends:
Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell. A book about the Heroes who fought in the war in Afghanistan.

JT recommends:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. A true story about a gorilla and his life as a circus act. I like that the animals take on human roles and you grow to love them and their friendship.

Grant recommends:

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. This book shows real world topics and how the protagonist’s tragedy is expressed through his love of Legos.

AND

The Zodiac Legacy by Stan Lee. This trilogy gives a “cool fantasy touch to the Zodiac signs”. It shows Stan Lee’s work outside of the Marvel world while including similar themes of good versus evil.

Weston recommends:

Checked by Cynthia Kadohata. When a raging fire destroys their home, a boy turns to his love of hockey into a reality, even though there are financial troubles.

AND

The Dog Man Books by Dav Pilkey. A funny graphic novel where one story builds on the next. You meet new characters along the way. Some of the characters are goofy and silly. “I never got bored reading it!”

AND

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey. An adventure of bad guys (who are actually good) and try to help animals. There are a lot of cool characters you meet along the way and I like how every book has a different mission.

Junie recommends:

The Summer I Turned Pretty Series By Jenny Han. I probably like it because it’s a coming of age teen drama book.

Jeff recommends:

Riding with Evil by Ken Croke. The story of how an undercover AFT agent infiltrated one of the most notorious biker gangs in the world, The Pagans.

Whitley recommends:

Owl Diaries: The Wildwood Bakery by Rebecca Elliott. An entire series, but this is my favorite because you learn a lesson in each book. It’s fun to read and I like the main character, Eva.

AND

Unicorn Diaries: Bo’s Magical New Friend by Rebecca Elliott. I love all of these books, but this is my favorite! Each book makes you see something new, not in real life. I like that each of the unicorns have their own power. My favorite power is the invisibility unicorn.

Maggie recommends:

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It is a psychological approach to how we think. Explores the value and curse of intuition (thinking fast) as well as planning and processing (thinking slow)- but how these processes affect our will being and reality.

AND

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. A psychological thriller with creepy twists and turns. Couldn’t put it down! Plus it hit some big terms for my AP psych class!! Can’t tell you any more about it or I’ll give something away!!

Eric H. recommends:

Civilized to Death by Dr. Chris Ryan. Evidenced based research that challenges our common narrative of our species. Explains why we live the way we do now.

Ethan recommends:

The Warriors series by Erin Hunter. There are lots of different adventures and possibilities. Lots of detail. Very good character development.

Jake recommends:
League of Denial. A great book about how the NFL tried to cover up the seriousness of concussions sustained by players.

Gillian recommends:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. An epic love story between two terminally ill teenagers. You’ll need tissues!

Eric M recommends:
Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey. It is a literary masterpiece!

Kati recommends:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A young girl tells the story of her father who defends a black man unjustly accused of a crime in the racist South.

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