Perestroika in Paris is by Jane Smiley. A charming fantasy novel! Perestroika is a race horse. One day after winning her race she is left alone for a moment and discovers her stall is open. She wanders out into Paris to see what she can discover; meets a dog, a raven, two ducks, two rats, and a young boy and has the adventure of a lifetime.
Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10.
Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia is by Roff Smith. A fascinating and fast paced autobiographical memoir. Smith is an American who has spent years working as a journalist in Australia. He decides to quit his job, buy a bicycle, and cycle around the whole continent - a journey that lasts months and covers over 9,000 miles.
Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity).
Lost in the Never Woods is by Aiden Thomas. A creepy fantasy retelling of "Peter Pan." Five years ago, Wendy Darling and her two brothers: John and Michael, went missing in the woods near their home. Only Wendy was found and she can't remember anything that happened. She keeps drawing a mysterious tree and the face of a boy she used to tell her brothers stories about: Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up and lives in Neverland. Then one night she discovers a boy lying the middle of a dark road and he tells her he is Peter Pan; he is real; and she must help him save the lost children, including her brothers. This fairy tale retelling is intense and creepy - so readers beware - this is no Disney version of "Peter Pan."
Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content).
On the Shortness of Life is by Seneca. The classic treatise by the great Roman Stoic philosopher. Here he contemplates the brevity of life and how we waste the time we are given. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended read for everyone!
Ratings: 10 out of 10.
The Searcher is by Tana French. An interesting realistic fiction crime/mystery novel. Cal Hooper used to be a Chicago cop. After he retires from the force and his wife divorces him, he buys a fixer-upper in a small Irish village and decides to settle down in the quiet life. Only things don't go as planned. A young boy begins showing up at his house and finally tells Cal his brother has disappeared and he wants Cal to find out what happened to him. Cal decides to do what he can for the boy and kicks over the local ant hill. Secrets and mysteries abound, even in the Irish countryside. Fans of Tana French and crime/mystery lovers in general will enjoy this story.
Ratings: 12th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
Something New is by P.G. Wodehouse. The first book in the classic historical fiction Blandings' Castle series. Two Americans pose as servants to infiltrate a house party at an English country house to recover a stolen scarab. A charming novel, especially for lovers of Wodehouse.
Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is by Winifred Watson. A totally delightful historical fiction classic rom com. Miss Pettigrew is a middle age, out of work governess. She reports to her agency and is sent to apply for a position with Miss LaFosse. When she arrives, a string of strange events is set in motion that will change her life forever. This is a charming story and a must read classic for fans of romantic comedy.
Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10.
Dial A for Aunties is by Jesse Q. Sutanto. A hilarious realistic fiction multi-cultural novel. Meddelin Chan works for the family wedding business with her Indonesian mother and three aunties. Her mother sets her up on a blind date the day before the biggest wedding the family has ever worked, one that could make or break the family business. When Meddy accidentally kills her date, the aunties decide to help her get rid of the body. The "Weekend at Bernies" type scenario that follows is wildly unrealistic, but still charming. A fun read and enjoyable rom-com.
Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
Transcendent Kingdom is by Yaa Gyasi. A masterful work of multi cultural realistic fiction about an immigrant family struggling with life in America. Gifty's family immigrated from Ghana before she was born. Her father left the family and returned to Ghana. Gifty, her mother, and her brother Nana are struggling to make ends meet in Alabama. Her mother makes the family attend a Pentecostal church, and Gifty and Nana struggle with what they hear from the pulpit and what they experience outside church. When Nana dies of a heroin overdose and Gifty's mother begins to struggle with depression, Gifty, now a PhD candidate at Stanford, tries to reconcile the two halves of her life.
Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
