The Best Part of Summer

A good book and time to read it—that’s my description of a perfect plan for a summer day. Some books need to be rediscovered. Others are new and shouldn’t be missed the first time around. I never seem to have enough time to share about the books I’ve read, but somehow I always find time to read. Hmm. Note to self: blog more. Here’s a book I’ll be returning to the library today so another lucky reader can check it out.  

CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein, Hyperion, 2012

This is a Scheherazade story.

For Julia, a British agent arrested by the Gestapo during World War II, as long as she can write her story, she can live. It’s supposed to be a confession. Is it? What is truth and what is an intricately woven web of deceit? Is her best friend, the pilot Maddie whose friendship is tested to the limit, dead or alive? What or who will Julia betray? Will it matter?

I don’t want to spoil this story by giving away a single thread of a dark and blood stained tapestry of events. The story is so filled with tension and edge of chair suspense, that it should be read on a summer night when no serious tasks or decision making await before noon the next day. Read it at a gallop and then go back and re-read to see if you got it right the first time.

Then thank your lucky stars that WWII is over.  

Code Name Verity will hold the attention of teens, young adults, and older readers. Be aware there are unspeakable cruelties lurking in the dark prison cells.      

The author is also a pilot.

Reissued and Ready for Readers Today

I asked my writers' group, the Leaky Pens, which books they'd want to receive for Christmas gifts. We had a great writerly discussion of books. Then Deanna Calvert, the one among us with the youngest reader, said her daughter Carolyn loves books by Edward Eager. Some were published in the mid-fifties and have been reissued. Two of the reissued ones are available within our large metropolitan library system. Your library may have them, too. Another source would be independent booksellers. Don't forget those wonderful used book store owners who seem to know every book ever printed AND where to lay hands on each one.

Here are two enjoyed by Deanna's daughter:

THE TIME GARDEN and HALF MAGIC by Edward Eager. They come in both hardcover and paperback. I haven't read them, but Carolyn is a voracious reader and an excellent judge of quality books for her age group, readers in the middle grades. Since reading levels vary, your own resident reader is the best test for interest and readability. A good audience for these books would be within the age range of 8-12.

Deanna spent hours researching books to keep her daughter's reading appetite satisfied. I'll share more of her finds later. Her research time benefits the rest of us and our young readers. What a gift! Thanks, Deanna.

How about you ? Discovered any great titles lately?