Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature Unbroken, recommended by Mrs. Maisner, World Geography teacher at Avonworth High School, and The Lovely Bones, recommended by soon-to-be sophomore Maura Corder.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 

Louie Zamperini had a childhood laced with mischeif and trouble. When he became a teenager, he funneled that trouble-making energy into running and, by the age of 19, had qualified for the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. This alone makes him a remarkable young man. Although he didn't medal, he went on to have an electrifying college career and was poised to return to the 1940 Olympics and win the medals he'd missed out on in Berlin - until World War II began and cancelled those games.

While for many people this would be where the story ended, for Zamperini it was just the beginning of what makes him so remarkable. Zamperini left college to enlist and ended up in the air corps. While flying for America, his plane was shot down. He spent nearly seven weeks sharing a small life raft (meant for only two people but carrying three) only to be captured by the Japanese Army. He was a POW for nearly three years, and his status as a former Olympian made him a tool for Japanese propaganda during World War II. Zamperini credits his survival to the fact that America chose to bomb rather than invade Japan, as his captors had threatened to kill all of the POWs rather than surrender them in defeat.

Unbroken is an intensely patriotic and inspirational book, and receives accolades from many of its reviewers on websites such as Goodreads and Amazon. Any one of the things that Zamperini accomplished and survived in his life make him remarkable; the way Laura Hillenbrand tells his story is powerful and makes what could be unbelievable ring with truth and admiration.

Thanks to Mrs. Maisner for recommending this book!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones has its moments of gruesomeness, but ultimately Alice Sebold uses these moments to tell an important story from an unusual perspective. The story is narrated by Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl who has been murdered by a serial killer. She is telling the story from beyond the grave, which makes it at times harrowing and always insightful. The story moves back and forth in time from the time of Susie's murder to other various points in time as she watches her loved ones try to understand and cope with her death. While many serial killer stories focus on the killer and his or her capture, this story focuses on the victims of the crime: Susie and the people who care about her most. It's a dark read (and readers should also note that there is some violence in this book) but one that is worthwhile nonetheless.

Thanks to Maura for recommending this book!

Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature the Heroes of Olympus series, recommended by Darius Simmons, soon-to-be sophomore at Avonworth High School, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, recommended by Mr. Guess, band and instrument teacher at Avonworth Elementary, Middle and High Schools.

Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

So Heroes of Olympus is actually a series not a single book, but when I asked students for summer reading recommendations Darius answered immediately with Heroes of Olympus. Although the books are long, the stories are fast paced and exciting so getting through them feels easy and exciting rather than slow and slogging. The entire series is a sequel to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The stories continue on with the story of Percy Jackson, the son of Greek god Poseiden, and many of his Greek-god-and-goddess-descended friends while adding new characters who are descended from Roman gods and goddesses. Riordan's interplay of the two sometimes-similar mythologies is interesting, especially if you liked learning about ancient cultures and their belief systems. A modern conceptualization of ancient myths, Heroes of Olympus is an interesting combination of the tales and stories you've heard before and the world as we know it today.

Thanks to Darius for the recommendation!

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Though written for a younger audience in mind, Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is a glimpse into childhood that anyone can revisit. Ramona, the book (and series') protagonist, is a precocious little girl who lives with her parents and her older sister (Beatrice, known as Beezus). You might have read this book or another in the series when you were younger and identified with Ramona. It is interesting to return to a book with a more mature perspective and identify with other characters. While Ramona's world and time certainly seems like a simpler one, revisiting it can be pleasant and surprising.

Thanks to Mr. Guess for the recommendation!