Month: June 2017

Summer Reading Books For Teens

As your break gets into full swing, make sure you have your “summer reading books” picked out. Why read during summer? First, you probably have some required reading assigned to you at school so it may not be optional. Also reading improves your life, including helping you fill some boring hours – and we all have them, even during perfect summers. Best of all, reading is fun, especially when you get to pick the books!

 

 

Here are some books recommended by our teachers which may interest high-schoolers and advanced middle-schoolers too. These are a little out of the ordinary and may be good choices as summer reading books and “pick your own book” reading programs.

Please click on the name to check the description of the book, and if necessary, discuss with your school and parents, to ensure it is an appropriate choice for you.

Fresh and Uncommon Reads

Non-Fiction

          Shane Burcaw, Laughing at My Nightmare

James Hirsch, Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Reuben Carter

Martin Pistoris, Ghost Boy

Steve Sheinkin, Lincoln’s Grave Robbers

Deborah Heligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

Maya Van Wagenen, Popular

Agnieszka Biskup & Tammy Enz, Batman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Batman’s Gear

 

Graphic Novels

          Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (13+)

Alexander Lagos, Sons of Liberty (10+)

Doug, TenNapel, Ghostopolis (10+)

Raina Telgemeir, Smile (14+)

Gene Luen Yi, Level Up (14+)

Emily Carroll, Through the Woods(14+)

Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (16+)

 

Middle Level Reading

Kelly Fiore, Just Like the Movies

Megan Shull, The Swap

Lauren Morrill, Being Sloane Jacobs

Firoozeh Dumas, It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel

Jason Reynolds, As Brave as You

Kwame Alexander, The Crossover

 

Up All Night Reads

Frances Hardinge, The Lie Tree

Alex London, Proxy

T.L. Costa, Playing Tyler

Michael Grant, Gone

E.L. Lockhart, We Were Liars

         Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races

 

Oh, What a World

M.T. Anderson, Feed

Joelle Charbonneau, The Testing

Sally Gardner, Maggot Moon

Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go

Mark Frost, The Paladin Prophecy

Ernest Cline, Ready Player One

 

Exploring the Unusual

Laura Ruby, Bone Gap

          Robin Sloane, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Mistress of Spices

Cath Crowley, Graffiti Moon

Kate Hattemer, The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy

Leslye Walton, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Max Barry, Lexicon

This summer we hope you’ll join us in savoring the new worlds, people and ideas in books and relishing the joy of reading.

There are many more new and interesting books out there. If you have favorites you’d like to recommend, leave us a reply – Happy Summer Reading!

5 Activities To Include In Your Summer Break Plans

School is out for the summer! While laying by the pool and trips to the beach are probably top of mind right now, it’s a good idea to include some academic learning and other activities in your summer plans as well. As always, making a plan is a good way to take control of your activities and your time. Tip:  include these five areas in your summer break plans to to get the most out of it!

 

Sharpen Academic Skills

Do you need to catch up on any specific subjects in school? Or do you need to just brush up on a subject you haven’t taken in a while or prepare for college entrance tests? Consider taking a summer class! Many schools offer in-person or online classes that you can take over the summer.

There are also many resources online that you can use to study at your own pace. A little bit of academics will keep your brain from the dreaded learning loss from summer slide! Meemli can help with programs you can do wherever you are (even if traveling) and whenever convenient, just let us know what you’re looking for here!)

Gain Work Experience

Want to add some experience to your resume, or just make some extra cash? Look for a summer job that you can do and would enjoy doing. A great place to start is thinking about your interests and if you can incorporate that into your job. For example, if you like playing sports and/or being around kids, consider applying to be a summer camp counselor.

Some students seek out opportunities in the field they hope to study in college, for example, interning at a clinic if they’re considering health sciences – summer jobs look great on college applications!

Give Back To The Community

Volunteering is an easy way to give back to your local community and it makes you feel great as you’re making a difference. Added bonus, it also looks great on college applications.

You can even volunteer when you’re out of town! For example, if you are going to the beach, take an hour or two walking around and picking up trash. If you find yourself stuck inside on a rainy day, visit a local nursing home or recreation center and ask if you can help out for the day. You may make new friends and have a great time.

Have Fun With Family And Friends

The school year can be hectic and busy. If you are too busy during the school year to be social, summer break is a great time to get together with friends/family.

For any activity that you like to do, whether it is watching movies, or playing basketball or cooking up a storm, you can find family members and friends to join you. Best of all, going for a hike to gathering for a group game night is inexpensive and easy to do and could reward you with memories for a lifetime!

Prepare For College

Are you going to be a high school senior next year? If so, this is a great time to start preparing for college and the application process! Once school starts you know life is going to be hectic so taking a little time now will make a huge difference. This article helps outline a few key areas to focus on and provides some insight into what you can be doing this summer to prepare yourself.

Have your summer break plans done? We’d love to hear about them.