If you were counting on your summer being full of dramatically lounging on a 50's beach chair and wearing your swimsuit accessorized with very heavy jewelry and lipstick, you've probably been disappointed by now. Not only were the 50's beach chairs just like ours, but
not everyone's summer consists of 116 days at the beach. Unless you live on the cover of
Seventeen magazine, your summer is going to take you plenty of places besides the California coast. For a realistic teen reader, you're going to need
more than a cutesy book with a pink cover to get you through. Appearing with the right book can help you through whatever your summer has in store- even if it isn't a magazine cover shoot.
Summer Camp
Summer camps have admittedly never been my favorite moments of the summer, but while packing your mess kit, hiking boots and secret stash of candy, the right book is essential.
Reading about someone who is
hungrier, more
tired, and possibly worse-looking than you at the moment can always lift your spirits. Try
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the journal of a high school sophomore as an asteroid hits the moon, setting off a chain reaction of apocalypse-like events. This book has always stuck out in the typically cheesy genre of End of the World Fiction to me. It reads so realistically- reminding me of
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, and even at times, my own journal (although I, at the moment, am not starving). To
help you brush up on your more intense survival skills, bring along
The Hunger Games (do I really need to include who wrote this book? Does someone in the world not know?). My camp counselors have never been able to understand why I already know how to tie tourniquets and how long iodine should settle while purifying water. Suzanne Collins taught me.
Summer Internship
The summer internship circuit seems to be run by the Gwen Stacys of the world, whether you're interning at Oscorp or not.
(Yes, I just HAD to mention Spider-Man in this post.) It's pretty
easy to be intimidated by your co free-workers who've figured out how to pull off those frumpy intern t-shirts that don't match with anything in your closet, wear their eyeliner like Emma Stone, and also more often then not, are geniuses. Lunch break is a great time to
plow through your summer English reading assignment and
look cool while you do it, too- who says you have to mention you don't read
Lord of the Flies all the time for fun? Leave the question open, and be the sophisticated-ly intimidating one who always eats up classics-
while getting your homework done. If you're one of the lucky ones without summer reading, try a classic by choice-
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver and
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak are two of my favorite contemporary classics- code word for thick, classy
and fun.
Rainy Summer Days
Rainy days in the summer are some of my favorites (although the girls hanging out in jewelry and lipstick on the beach probably don't appreciate them). Virtually
any book is good- and dramatic- when you're sitting next to a rainy window in an old sweater, but to make your day complete, try pulling out your favorite old comfort book to read again. Something remembered from the good old days when we watched
Hannah Montanna and flare jeans were in style. Nothing too intense- I like to re-read something by
Shannon Hale (Goose Girl or Princess Academy) or Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre).
Under the Covers
No school in the morning means stashing your flashlight and reading under the covers (or, leaving the lights just plain on, for those of us who've given up on secrecy). This summer situation is where it's smart to
get all your geeky pleasures out of the way. Don't waist all your good AA batteries on something you could be reading on that beach. Just like in any genre, this one is not completely full of gems. But before this summer's up, you'd better have
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card under you belt- which despite the cover ever on the link I put up, is completely worth it. Afterwards, if you're lonely and ready for a rip-off or two of the book I just made you read (albiet some pretty fun ones) read
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. Not to mention, thrillers work just as well under the covers. Read
Unwind by Neal Shusterman- you'll be up all night wondering what kind of crazy author could write something so psychotic and clever . . . and what sort of disturbing hobbies he must enjoy in his free time.
Summer Beach Reads
I guess
these people in the world need a section of the blog, too. Summer Beach Reads is a staple category of fiction for a reason. However, contrary to some people's belief,
you can still have fun and romance with a Beach Read and not be reading . . . this. If you're not craving
a Sarah Dessen novel (I never am, all that much), try the lesser known (why, I have no sane idea)
Janette Rallison books- they're like watching your favorite RomCom, but better, because you look slightly smarter while you do it, and . . . they're just
better. Both authors write for the same audience, but Janette Rallison would beat Sarah Dessen in a death match. And she'd find some really witty dialogue to throw into the fight. I've never recommended these to anybody who hasn't come back grinning, bouncing up and down, and dying to get their hands on another one of these books. Truly. Try
Just One Wish or
My Fair Godmother to get you started.
Check in next week to learn how to survive summer reading assignments . . . soon as I finish my summer reading assignment.
