Summer Reading Game-Science Fiction Books

Wow, we've reached the last of the recommendations for Summer Reading Game categories!  Hopefully everyone is having a great summer and reading all of their game books :)  Our last category is sci-fi, a genre of books that deal with imaginary situations, but are still somewhat believable.  Think stories that include aliens, robots, futuristic societies, and the like.  Here's some suggestions for good sci-fi books:

Science Fiction Recommendations

Divergent by Veronica Roth (NEW YA FIC Roth)
In the future, Chicago has been split into five factions based on virtues such as intelligence, honesty, and bravery.  Sixteen-year-old Beatrice must make a choice of which division to join, and her decision surprises everyone.  Her new life leads her to some eye-opening discoveries and an unexpected romance, but a secret she has always kept closely guarded threatens to destroy everything...

Bumped by Megan McCafferty (NEW YA FIC McCafferty)
A virus in the future has made everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, thus creating a society in which teen pregnancy is a hot commondity and teenagers are paid to breed.  Identical twins Melody and Harmony have just met for the first time since being separated at birth, and the girls find that they are on very different paths, as Melody has just landed a contract to conceive and Harmony is part of a religious groups that thinks paid breeding is a sin.  A case of mistaken identity takes them on an unforgettable journey in which they discover they have more in common than they ever imagined.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (YA FIC Lore)
John is one of the nine Loric children, aliens who have sought refuge on Earth against the evil extraterristrials, the Mogadorians.  The Mogadorians have picked off three of the children so far, and John's number is up.  Will his superpowers develop in time to save himself and the planet?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (YA FIC Dashner)
When Thomas wakes up, he finds himself in an elevator and remembers nothing but his own name.  He soon learns he is in an enclosed world surrounded by a maze, a space he shares with 60 other boys.  Attempting escape seems futile until a comatose girl arrives with a note that changes everything, and the boys realize that solving the maze is a necessity if they want to survive...




Other Science Fiction books you might like:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (YA FIC Collins)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson (YA FIC Pearson)
Uglies by Scott Westerfield (YA FIC Westerfield)
I, Robot by Issac Asimov (YA FIC Asimov)

And that's it for Summer Reading Game suggestions.  Stay tuned for other book reviews...

Teen Summer Reading Game Recommendations-Poetry Books and Adventure Books

Summer Reading is about halfway over, so hopefully your reading is going well.  Here's some ideas for poetry and adventure books to help you complete your game board.  Poetry books can be volumes of individual poems, or novels written in verse (think the writing style of Crank by Ellen Hopkins).  Adventure is a broad category; basically any book in which a character goes on a quest or is swept into an action-filled scenario can be considered an adventure story.

Poetry Books

Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora (YA 811.54 M)

Ah, L'amour!  Crazy, confusing, deep, desperate, unrequited.  All types of love are explored through poetry written in the words of teens. 

The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur (YA 811.54 S)

The late and legendary rapper's poems  that he penned before he became famous are collected and compiled (in his handwriting) in this volume.  Passionate and angry at times, the poems shed light on the mind behind the brilliant lyrics.

How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block (YA 811.54 B)
This book is a compilation of poems that reflect a broad range of experiences a teenage girl might have on her journey to womanhood, including love, loss, self-hatred, eating disorders, first sexual encounters, and self-acceptance.




More poetry books you might like:
Poetry Speaks: Who I Am by Elise Paschen (YA 811 P)
I Don't Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz (YA 811.6 S)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (J 811 S)-You're never too old for Shel Silverstein ;)

Adventure Books

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson (YA FIC Patterson)
The first book in the thrilling series, Maximum Ride and her band of genetically engineered misfits must escape from a lab that made them part-human, part-bird.  Along the way they must rescue one of their own, a girl named Angel, from a pack of mutant wolf people.

Tunnels by Gordon Roderick (YA FIC Roderick)
The first in a series, Tunnels is about two teens who dig deep into the London subterranean in an attempt to find out the truth behind a father's disappearance, but find themselves in the cross hairs of the murderous superpower, The Styx.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher (YA FIC Christopher)
A teen girl is drugged and kidnapped at a Bangkok airport, and her captor flees with her to the Australian Outback.  There he confesses his love for her, and his lifelong obsession with making her his own.  Over time she begins to warm to the picturesque outback setting and even her kidnapper, but are these feelings real?

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by  Lynne Rae Perkins
A sixteen-year-old is en route to camp when he finds out it has been cancelled, leaving him stranded and on a path of hilarious misfortune.  This leads him on a crazy road trip full of weird characters in his quest to get back home.




More Adventure books you might like:
The Warlock {The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel} by Michael Scott (NEW YA FIC Scott)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (YA FIC Paulsen)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (YA FIC Bacigalupi)
Going Bovine by Libba Bray (YA FIC Bray)

Summer Reading Game Book Recommendations-Nonfiction and books about another state

The Summer Reading game board requires readers to complete a nonfiction title, as well as one that takes place in a different state.  Nonfiction is centered around real events or people, as opposed to a made up story.  Books about a different state can take place anywhere in the U.S. besides Michigan.  Here's my recommendations:

Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba (NEW YA 930.1 R)
Enter the fascinating worlds of archaeology and paleontology and learn about the debates and questions surrounding four hominins who lived long before recorded history.




To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story by Casey Scieszka (YA 910.409 S)
This book chronicles the real adventures of a young couple who met in Morocco, then decided to travel to exotic areas in remote parts of the world together.  Funny and truthful, their account will encourage readers to "go out and find your own adventure".





No Choirboy: Murder, Violence and Teenagers on Death Row (YA 364.660 K)
A gritty look at prison life, juvenile crime, retribution, and redemption, this book contains interviews with young people on death row, as well as a victim's family.  








More nonfiction books you might enjoy:
Ask Elizabeth: real answers to everything you secretly wanted to know about love, friends, your body--and life in general by Elizabeth Berkley (YA 646 B)

Bloody Times: The Funeral for Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis by James L. Swanson (YA 973.77 S)
The Basketball Book by Rob Fleder (YA 796.323 S)
Louder Than Words: The First Collection.  Three True Stories of Ordinary Girls with Extraordinary Lives by Chelsey Shannon (NEW YA 920.72 R)

Books About Another State

 Jersey Tomatoes are the Best by Maria Padian (NEW YA FIC Padian)
Two best friends from New Jersey are offered special summer opportunitites to pursue their athletic dreams, one in ballet and the other in tennis.  But the crushing pressure and distance from each other takes its toll, even leading down the self-destructive path of anorexia for one of the girls.  Will there deep friendship be enough to get them through such difficult times?





Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan (YA FIC Green)
A bizarre chance encounter in Chicago brings together two very different guys who share the same name, but they soon find their lives tangled and changed forever in this funny and endearing novel.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan (YA FIC Cohn)
Spending Christmas alone in Manhattan, Lily seeks amusement by leaving a notebook of clues in a book store.  A smart bookworm named Dash finds the clues, and it takes them on a journey of discoveries until they finally meet under bad circumstances.  The authors also brought you Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist.

Bluford High: The Bully by Paul Langan (YA FIC Bluford)
After moving to California from Philadelphia, Darrell finds the change unbearable when he is terrorized by a bully at  his new school.  Eventually he must make the decision whether to live in fear or face up to his tormentor.








More books about other states you might like:
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt (YA FIC Holt)
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan

More recommendations coming soon!