Tackle some of these 'must reads'
The holidays are over; the winter doldrums are in. Now it's time to tackle those "must read" titles everyone is talking about or are national award winners. There's something for everyone.
"The Invention of Hugo Cabret"
By Brian Selznick
(Scholastic Press, 2007)
Not quite a novel, not quite a picture book: "Hugo Cabret" is the perfect title for advanced fourth-grade readers or even junior high kids who love pictures. There are nearly 300 pages of illustrations that move the story forward. Twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, relying on his wits and anonymity to survive. As his story unfolds, readers are swept up in this amazing book that combines Selznick's prose with incredible pencil drawings. "Hugo" was a 2007 National Book Award finalist and a 2008 Naperville READS title.
Young readers, fiction, grades fourth through seventh.
"A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future"
By Daniel Pink
(Riverhead Books, 2005)
Out with linear thought, in with right brainers with connections and creativity! Business and university lecturer Daniel Pink makes a convincing case for the six abilities individuals must possess to not only survive today's fast-paced world, but to thrive in it. Some of the analysis in this book has been on CNBC, "ABC World News Tonight," National Public Radio, The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review and numerous others. Get the complete story in this fast-paced, easy-to-read non-fiction title.
Adult and high school readers, non-fiction
"Uglies"
By Scott Westerfeld
(Simon Pulse, 2005)
In this futuristic society everyone is ugly until their 16th birthday when they get the operation that turns them pretty. Fifteen-year-old Tally is just three months away from her big day when she meets Shay, another ugly who doesn't believe in their society's rules and wants both of them to escape to a tribe of rebels living in the wild in a place called the "Smoke." This is a great parent-child read that could lead to conversations about the importance of physical beauty.
Young Adults, grades eighth through 12th, fiction