Great Summer Reads for BE Creative @ Your Library

The weather in Michigan has been pretty cool for summer, but the books that I have been reading are quite hot.  Okay, so that seems a little cheesy to say but the truth is these books are very good, worth the time to find them to take with you on vacation or just read at home.  The mix I have here reflect a nice mix of  children's , young adult and adult titles.   My reading habits range from I want to be a kid again to maybe I should learn something new.  This list has it all.  Drop me a note at anytime to let me know  what you thought of the title and suggest one of your own.  Without further ado, here is the quick summer list for Summer 2009. 

1. Born to Rock -- Korman.  I love this book.  It is funny, nostalgic and a little bit outlandish but hey, who says we can't have a little fun.  Korman is a veteran Young Adult author who knows how to bring a little history into his story.  This particular story introduces us to a Young Republican Leo Carraway who is on a fast track to Harvard, only to find out that his way there has a few minor bumps in the road.  He loses his scholarship because he is suspected of cheating on a test.  Well,  how will he get to Harvard.  Easy.  Convince his suspected biological Father, King Maggot to help pay the tuition and in return he will become a roadie for the King's 80's punk band making a revival tour.  Is King Maggot his father?  Well, Leo finds this out and a whole lot more! 

2 Troll Bridge: A Rock-n-Roll - Yolen  An interesting tale of classical music,  pop boy band, a fox and trolls.   This is a quick,  light-hearted journey into the land of Trollholm.  Moira, a harpist prodigy, and the Griffsons, brothers in a boy band, find themselves lured into this mystical land where they are caught in a tug of war.  The trolls seem eager to get them and Foxs seems to be the only one who can save them from being doomed in this faraway place.    Noting in Trollholm is as it seems and in order to find their way home they realize that they must rely on each other's unique musical talent.

3. Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa -- Scotti  You don't need to be a art historian to enjoy this book.  It is packed with lots of information but it reads like a novel.  Scotti does a wonderful job to paint the picture of  the summer of 1911 in Paris when Mona Lisa was taken from the Louvre to the moment that she was found in the winter of 1913.    The theft of the century leaves it mark on history and the Mona Lisa becomes more mysterious.  This Book should be on everyone's need to read list. 

4. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! - Beaumont   If this book is not already on your bookshelf or on your child's bookshelf.  Don't panic!  Run to your nearest bookstore and get a copy.   It is a delightful rhyming story about a little girl who just can't control herself when it comes to making her body a living canvas.  You will never look at paint the same way again. 

5.  A Crocked Kind of Perfect - Urban  Zoe just wants to play the piano and someday make it to Carnegie Hall.  All she needs is a piano to practice. However, when  Zoe's agoraphobic father presents her with a D-60 organ, her musical ambitions takes an unexpected turn.  This charming tale will resonate with eleven year olds everywhere who find themselves chasing a wonderful dream in places that they never dreamed. 

There are lots more titles to come, but consider this an I.O.U for the next time when I list five more titles that are sure to get everyone reading!