One of the most relaxing places I would love to find myself, would be the beach. But since this will be one of the few summers I won’t be able to make it to the beach, the local pools will have to suffice. Whether I managed to get a tan remains to be seen. Most of the time, I burn, lather up with Aloe and just go right back to the color I started out with. However, neither of those things will stop me from enjoying the summertime entertainments and of course, a few great books. So check it out: you’ve got your choice of a few hot reads and a chance to get some poolside action!
Pirates by Celia Rees
Nancy Kinton, an heiress fleeing an arranged marriage, and Minerva Sharpe, a runaway plantation slave, both fine unlikely salvation on the pirate ship Deliverance. Life as a pirate is difficult enough, but can the two young women escape the cruel Captain Bartholome, who has pledged to follow them over the seven seas? And will Nancy’s long-lost friend, a sailor in the Royal Navy, love the pirate she has become?
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Sean and Coop, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year’s? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time. As far as Matt is concerned, they’d have better luck finding the lost city of Atlantis. But seeing a girl in the buff starts to seem like child’s play compared to the other summertime goal Matt sets for himself: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) in order to impress Kelly West, the hot new girl. So what if he can’t manage a single lap, let alone four? He’s got the whole summer to perfect his technique. What could possibly go wrong?
The Lost Summer
by Kathryn Williams
Every year the camp and its familiar routines, landmarks, and people have welcomed her back like a long-lost family member. But this year she is returning not as a camper, but as a counselor, while her best friend, Katie Bell remains behind. All too quickly, Helena discovers that the innocent world of campfires, singalongs, and field days have been pushed aside for late night pranks on the boys’ camp, skinny dipping in the lake, and stolen kisses in the hayloft. As she struggles to define herself in this new world, Helena begins to lose sight of what made camp special and the friendships that have sustained her for so many years. And when Ransome, her longtime crush, becomes a romantic reality, life gets even more confusing.
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Sheryl Berk
They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing—not even the loss of her arm—could come between her and the waves? That fateful morning in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany responded to the shark’s stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: “Get to the beach….” And the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was “When can I surf again?”
Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun kissed hair. That endless summer, take me there.” – Unknown
-Colleen M, CLP-Woods Run
Filed under: Books and Reading, Teen Interest | Tagged: beach, books, pirates, pool, soul surfer, summer, swim the fly, swimming, the lost summer | Leave a Comment »
