CRAZY-COLOR SUMMER READING LIST

Without further ado  ..  ..  ..


Crazy Color Summer List

What the World Eats by Peter Menzel wtwe_med

A photographic study of families from around the world, revealing what people eat during the course of one week. Each family’s profile includes a detailed description of their weekly food purchases; photographs of the family at home, at market, and in their community; and a portrait of the entire family surrounded by a week’s worth of groceries


Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

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Pulitzer Prize winner Hijuelos takes us on an unforgettable journey about identity, mistaken identity, and all that we take with us when we run away.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Non-Fiction)

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In this memoir in comic format, Marjane tells of her youth in Iran during the revolution.

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott

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Genna makes a wish and is transported back to civil war era Brooklyn.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles41xldjgeawl_ss500_

Perfect Chemistry By Simone Elkeles In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

polly-bookcoverAmerican Shaolin by Matthew Polly

Growing up a 98-pound weakling tormented by bullies in the schoolyards of Kansas, young Matthew Polly dreamed of one day journeying to the Shaolin Temple in China to become the toughest fighter in the world, like Caine in his favorite 1970’s TV series Kung Fu. While in college, Matthew decided the time had come to pursue this quixotic dream before it was too late. Much to the dismay of his parents, he dropped out of Princeton to train with the legendary sect of monks who invented kung fu and Zen Buddhism.

What follows is the true story of the two years Matthew spent in China living, training, and performing with the Shaolin monks.

Door of No Return by Sarah Mussi

51lqgnswycl_ss500_1Zac Baxter’s grandfather has always told him that he’s the descendant of African kings, whose treasure was stolen when his ancestors were sold into slavery. Of course, Zac brushes this off as a tall tale — until his grandfather is murdered and their apartment is completely ransacked. Clearly somebody is after something. Heeding his grandfather’s dying words, Zac is off to Ghana to track down his family’s history.


Marcelo in the Real World by Francisico X Stork

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Marcelo has a mild from of Austism. His father wants to work at his law firm for the summer.

9780399242762hThe Fold An Na

Printz Award–winning author An Na has created a surprisingly funny and thought-provoking look at notions of beauty, who sets the standards and how they affect us all. Joyce never used to care that much about how she looked, but that was before she met JFK—John Ford Kang, the most gorgeous guy in school. When her aunt offers her money to fix a part of her she never thought needed fixing, the fold of her eyelid, what will she do?


Guardian by Julius Lester

9780061558900In a time and place without moral conscience, fourteen-year-old Ansel knows what is right and what is true. But it is dangerous to choose honesty, and so he chooses silence. Now an innocent man is dead, and Ansel feels the burden of his decision. He must also bear the pain of losing a friend, his family, and the love of a lifetime.


What the World Eats by Peter Menzel

Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Non-Fiction)

Perfect Chemistry By Simone Elkeles

Door of No Return by Sarah Mussi

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisico X

Guardian by Julius Lester

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott

The Fold by An Na

American Shaolin by Matthew Polly

So, This is it! While you may think I worked to ethnically balance this list, I wanted balance it terms of adding biography, nonfiction, sports, funny…  See, I live in the world of multicultural literature and ethnicities were not a problem! Sherri Smith, Mitali Perkins, Paula Chase, Varian Johnson should be here. Would be here, if guys read books with female characters. Others, like G. Neri, are more middle school.  Lotta books out there about girls!

So, my reader friends! Here’s the challenge. Make all or some of these your summer challenge! Read them, post a review on your blog, then link to your post on the Crazy Quilt Wiki. (more on the wiki to follow soon!) Let’s see how many reviews we can get on each book by Labor Day.

So, what do you think?

18 thoughts on “CRAZY-COLOR SUMMER READING LIST”

  1. What an honor–thanks for including me on the list, Edi! I’m nearly done with The Door of No Return, and look forward to reading some other reviews before I try to write my own. I’ve seen some of these titles, others are brand new, and I can’t wait to start reading!

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  3. I love how the summary and book cover are right on the page Zetta what do you think of The Door of No Return so far? Maybe I’ll push myself and read Persepolis. How many points do I get if I watch the movie?

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  5. I gotta say, Doret–I found it really slow going and quite stiff at first; like Chains, I question the (white) author’s narrative choices–we see nothing of the protagonist’s school or home life; he supposedly feels close to his foster parents, but we see no scenes between them to show how that intimacy develops. I thought it was such an intriguing idea, but the book itself is easy to put down; I’ve got maybe 60 pages to go, and don’t feel compelled to pick it up and find out how the story concludes…what did you think? I wonder if it might appeal to male readers with its brusque tone and pace…

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    1. I loved the pace of a Door of No Return and I never once questioned the main character Zac, he felt real to me. It was the little things I liked the Zac connection to his grandfather. I thought Zac’s relationship with his foster parents worked because they didn’t push him. I think Zac would’ve been too wary of foster parents who wanted to be too close and helpful right off, if the government was involved in what happened, like Zac started to believe. They could’ve easily got a couple to adopt Zac. His foster parents where there for Zac when he needed them. I felt that in the conversations Zac had with his foster father. Zac’s school life never crossed by mind because the author didn’t make that a focal point of the book. Zac’s home life was in limbo, mysteries follow a different rules sometimes, its more about the action and the movement. Zac did talk about his best friend and his grandfather’s secret meetings. Now someone else must read The Door of No Return, and weigh in. Thanks for the use of your blog Edi. If it gets too long kick us out.

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  7. Edi, I won’t judge the list. Any one making an effort to make a list as diverse as possible (race, genre, subject matter) is aces with me. I think we all beat a drum based on something. Mine is the “be more inclusive when you’re talking pop lit books” b/c that’s what I write, so it’s a no brainer. But even when I’m beating that drum I realize how many other brown books are out there that need the drum beating for them. So kudos for trying to basically play an entire set of congos on this one. 🙂

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  9. Great list! As I’m trying to add more titles to my summer reading list I noticed most of these are still only in hardback, which means most of these titles will probably be better suggestions for next year.

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  11. As one begins to get more active in the literary blogosphere and begins to ‘meet’ authors, it can be so cool and so exciting! But, then you also have to realize the responsibility you have to the people you admire and who you want to share with the world. This is just one list, I really can’t say enough good about what the authors do who I’ve connected with.

    Keri, you might try libraries on online books swaps. I discovered the books swaps not too long ago and they are way cool!

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  14. Zetta,
    I’ve been out of town all weekend, went back home to Toledo to see my nephew in a high school play. I’ll give you a decent response tomorrow, but yes, do link to the Guardian review!

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