The Baked Apple, Round Two

Here we go again.  The temperatures are flying high once more.  There are many ways to beat the heat. Make friends with an air conditioner.  Nurse a bottle of water (a good idea in any case).  Park yourself under a shady tree (or, better yet, visit a botanical garden).  Go for a dip.  Spend time in a cool place (like a public library;  you can hang out there as long as you want and don’t have to buy anything!).

Or you can do what I do: wrap yourself up in a cool book.  It’s one pastime that can be enjoyed while partaking of any of the above pleasures.  (Although I don’t recommend reading while swimming.  Books and water don’t mix.)

Like a few suggestions to while away these summery days? Check these out.

Kiyo’s father came to California from Japan in the hopes of building a better life for himself.  He and his wife, together with their nine children, have worked to make their farm a success.  However, with the United States’ entry into World War II and the resultant anti-Japanese sentiment and government policy, the family’s endeavors may have been in vain.  A powerful memoir.

When two Cleveland teenagers envisioned a new comic-book superhero, little did they realize that their creation would become an icon and dramatically change the face of the genre.  Not only did Superman join the fight to protect the weak, he began to use his talents to stand up for what is right and to protest society’s (and the world’s) wrongs.

 

Hal is a wealthy boy who has everything he could ever desire–or at least his parents believe he does.  However, what he really wants is a dog.  But an animal would damage the furniture and carpets, so Hal’s father rents a canine companion on his son’s birthday.  When the boy discovers the dog is missing, and learns what his parents have done, he takes matters into his own hands.  A gem from a master storyteller, published after her passing.  Ages 9-12

One day in 1815, a young man notices that a girl does not joyfully–and noisily–run home from school like other children, and stops to discover the reason: she is deaf.  When he scratches two words in the ground with a stick and the nine-year-old grasps their meaning, a marvelous relationship develops between Thomas Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell.  Not only that, but a new career opens up for the young man: he opens the first school for the deaf in the United States and develops (with the help of a special friend) American Sign Language.  An inspiring story for middle-grade kids.

As always, check out http://bookandagarden.com for great reading ideas for the kids in your world.

About these ads