books Im reading this summer
Dive into my summer reading list featuring compelling YA and juvenile fiction, including *Cubanita* by Gaby Triana, *How I Live Now*, and *A Mango-Shaped Space*, alongside powerful memoirs and stories of resilience.
Book
Cubanita
by Gaby Triana
All Isa wants is to be a regular American teenager, something her Cuban immigrant mother most definitely does not understand. After almost eighteen years of constant debate over everything from birthdays to boys, Isa has had enough. She's counting down the days until she leaves for college—and can get as far away from Miami (North Cuba) as possible. But the more Isa tries to detach herself from her roots, the more tangled she becomes. Will she ever find the normal American life she dreams of? Or is she destined to become a cubanita after all?
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How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
“Every war has turning points and every person too.” Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way. A riveting and astonishing story.
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The Monster in Me
by Mette Ivie Harrison
The Monster in Me, is the story of a troubled thirteen-year-old girl named Natalie Wills. Natalie's mother has just gone into a drug rehab program, so Natalie is placed in a foster home with the Parker family. Suffering from years of emotional neglect, the teenager has many problems to work through besides missing her mother. Compounding Natalie's problems are nightmares in which she thinks she is a monster. However, with the help of fellow runner Mr. Parker, her school friend Mary, and the track coach Mr. Landers, she begins to learn how to cope and appreciate the stable people in her life.
Book
No Right Turn
by Terry Trueman
After three years of wanting only to be invisible, sixteen-year-old Jordan begins to recover from his father's suicide and start living again when a neighbor's vintage Corvette Stingray opens up new possibilities for him.
Book
A Mango-Shaped Space
by Wendy Mass
An award-winning book from the author of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and The Candymakers for fans for of Wonder and Counting by Sevens. Thirteen-year-old Mia Winchell is far from ordinary: she suffers from a rare condition called synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. But because she has kept it a secret from everyone, she appears to be the most normal kid in her family. Her younger brother Zack keeps a chart of all the McDonald's hamburgers he's eaten in his lifetime. Her older sister Beth dyes her hair a different color every week and might be a witch. When trouble in the school finally convinces Mia to reveal her secret, she feels like a freak; and as she embarks on an intense journey of self-discovery, her family and friends have trouble relating to her. By the time she realizes she has isolated herself from all the people who care about her, it is almost too late. Mia has to lose something very special in order to understand and appreciate her special gift in this coming-of-age novel.
