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!

Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature Looking for Alaska, recommended by Madison Deen, recent 8th grade graduate, and The Accidental Empress.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles Halter decides that he needs to go on a journey to find his Great Perhaps. He leaves his home in Florida and enrolls in Culver Creek, a boarding school in Alabama. There he meets the Colonel, Takumi, Lana (who develops a crush on him) and Alaska Young. Alaska is mysterious, daring and exciting, and Miles is enthralled. The group become fast friends, and when tragedy strikes Colonel and Miles find themselves trying to answer unanswerable questions. 

John Green writes some fascinating adolescent characters, and Looking for Alaska's are some of his best. The story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, in part because the characters seem so real.

Thanks to Madison Deen for the recommendation!!

The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki

I'm a sucker for historical fiction. It's so broad, so sweeping, and so epic. This is especially true when the setting is the Austrian Empire during the Habsburg reign. Allison Pataki tells her story from the perspective of Empress Elisabeth, a Bavarian duchess known to her family as Sisi. Empress Sisi's story (as told by Pataki) is ever-hopeful but ultimately tragic. The young Sisi was brought to the Habsburg court by her mother at her aunt's request. Sisi's aunt Sophie had married into the Habsburg family and was the mother of Franz Joseph, the current emperor. Sophie is cold and distant, especially compared to the relative closeness and warmth Sisi experience growing up in her remote Bavarian royal home where rules and protocol were much more relaxed. Sisi spends much of her life fighting against Sophie and her ironclad rule of the palace and its court. Though Sisi is rarely triumphant (which makes this novel different from many of the other historical fiction books with a strong female protagonist) she eventually finds her way, her voice and her place in the Habsburg empire.

Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature Born to Rock, recommended by Mr. Katkich, 7th grade Learning Support teacher, and The Traitor's Wife.

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

Leo's life is pretty well planned-out. He is the president of the Young Republicans Club and is Harvard-bound. He knows who he is and where he is heading. Until, that is, he loses his Harvard scholarship and finds out that his dad is the illustrious Marion X. McMurphy, better known as King Maggot and the lead singer of hardcore Punk Rock band Purge. Leo turns his life upside down to become a roadie for Purge during their reunion tour. This funny read follows Leo (and his new-found father) as he learns about himself and how his family influences (or doesn't influence) his identity.

Thanks to Mr. Katkich for the recommendation!

The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki

Revolutionary America is a fascinating time. It was a time not only of political upheaval but also a time that people living in the colonies could choose a national identity. The Traitor's Wife focuses on the life of Peggy Shippen, a beautiful (but spoiled) young girl who loved new dresses and fancy parties - all things that the British army are much more able to provide than the American revolutionaries. Peggy dreams of marrying British Major John Andre, but when he leaves her for his next post, she instead marries then-General Benedict Arnold thinking that he can provide her with the lifestyle she dreams of. When her dreams of big houses and the latest fashions fail to come true. Peggy convinces her husband that her former flame can help them get the finances they need and revenge against Arnold's hero-turned-nemesis George Washington. 

Pataki tells the story from the perspective of Peggy's (fictional) maid Clara Bell, so readers see Peggy from the perspective of someone who is close enough to her to see the fine details of her life, but has enough distance to paint her as a somewhat shallow and machinating young woman

Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature Incantation, recommended by Dr. Varley, Curriculum Director for the Avonworth School District, and The Simarillion, recommended by Beth Benner, an Avonworth graduate (class of 2015).

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

Often when we think of anti-semitism we think of the Holocaust and the modern era, but discrimination against Jews has happened throughout history. Incantation is set in Spain in the 1500's, and focuses on the DeMadrigal family and their daughter Estrella. Estrella and her family are Marrano - Jews who refused conversion and practice their faith secretly. The secret is so well-guarded that even Estrella doesn't know the truth about her heritage and her family. The unraveling of this secret causes unimaginable consequences for Estrella and her family. She learns of the true nature of her family, her best friend Catalina, and the boy she loves in this beautifully written tale.

Thanks to Dr. Varley for recommending this book!

The Simarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

After writing The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien's publisher requested a sequel. Now, before you say "well, yes this is how we ended up with The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson and a global appreciation for the staggering beauty of New Zealand, " you should consider that LOTR (as devotees call it) is the OTHER sequel - the one Tolkien wrote because his first attempt was rejected without being read. The Simarillion is the original first attempt.

The Simarillion was ambitious. Tolkien wanted to "set the stage" for The Hobbit, so he wrote the mythology of the world where Bilbo and the rest lived. The book has five parts: a creation myth of Ea, a description of the supernatural powers of Ea, the prehistory and early history of Ea, the Downfall of Numenor and "Of Rings and Power in the Third Age", which directly sets the stage for the events in The Lord of the Rings. 

If you are a Tolkien fan, or enjoyed the movie versions of his novels, The Simarillion could be for you. Be warned, however; critics panned this when it was first published for lacking "a single, unifying quest" and for being "too Celtic" (since Tolkien wrote this intending it to be an mythology that provided the basis for English culture).

Thanks to Beth Benner 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 Still Alice, recommended by Dr. Varley, Curriculum Director for the Avonworth School District, and The Orphan Train, recommended by Mrs. Cahill, secretary for Avonworth High School.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice Howell has a wonderful life. She's worked hard to build a great life - she's a psychology professor at Harvard, has a great husband and has successfully raised three kids. This is supposed to be the "easy" part of her life - until she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Her diagnosis and subsequent struggle with the loss of her memories leaves her in a difficult place. If we are shaped by our experiences, who are we when we lose the memories of those experiences? The book is heartbreaking and speaks not only to those who have suffered from a disease, but also to the experiences of the family and friends who are affected as well.
Genova is a neuroscientist herself, so her insights and understandings of Alzheimer's lend credibility and weight to the fictional story of Alice.

Thanks to Dr. Varley for recommending this book!

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Molly Ayer is in a tough spot. At 17 years old, she is just about to age out of the foster system where she's lived most of her life. Her foster mother isn't the warmest woman, and she's in trouble with the law for theft. She is given the option to perform community service, and she's helping an elderly woman named Vivian clear out her attic in order to fulfill her debt to society. As she cleans up decades worth of material, she comes across information about Vivian's experiences on an orphan train - a government program that moved orphaned or abandoned children from the population dense East Coast to the Midwest in order to give them new opportunities. As Molly learns about Vivian's experiences, she and Vivian connect and come to understand each other. If Molly can help Vivian answer questions about her past, it may help Molly come to understand herself better.

Thanks to Mrs. Cahill for recommending this book!

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” - Henry James

As we finish our school year here at Avonworth Resource Center, I wanted to let you know what to expect from the blog over the summer. I have planned a few "Summer Reads" posts over the summer - these will feature books that teachers, administrators and students recommended to me for fun, interesting summer reading options...just the things to fill your summer afternoons (or evenings, or mornings for that matter).

These materials may not be available through the Avonworth Resource Center, but you still have a few options for finding something to read from my lists or from any of the other summer reading lists you may stumble across in your internet travels. 

Libraries are a great place to start when tracking down a book you're excited about - it's free, easy to sign up, and you have lots of helpful librarians ready to help you find what you need or to give you suggestions about other things to try. Locally you can go to Avalon Library, Bellevue's Andrew Bayne Memorial Library, Sewickley Public Library, or you can catch the bookmobile in Ben Avon. You can also access the Carnegie Library/Allegheny County Library Association's digital collection (through OverDrive) on your device.

If you are looking to purchase a book, think about visiting Around the Bend Books in Bellevue (they also house a cafe!), Half Price books on McKnight for a great selection of used books, or the book section at Target. Any of these vendors should have what you are looking for!

For those of you looking for new Makeshop Monday and Digital Resources posts, these will be occasional but infrequent and irregular - I will just create them as I find new things to share. They will be back regularly when we get back to school in the fall!

Thanks again for reading, and have a great summer!