Summer Reading List Surprise

I was surprised when I read my daughter’s suggested summer reading list. She is entering ninth grade – High School (!) - and I was expecting a lot of “old” material (i.e., Shakespeare).

There was actually a lot of “new” stuff on there.

Like the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld. I have read the books, and liked them (they are a permanent part of my book collection.) They are books that I go back to reread when I want something fun, but that gives me something more. Not a moral, per se, but something to think about when I am done.

Which is probably why it is on my daughter’s summer reading list.

She isn’t sure she wants the read them yet, and I am not going to push. She is busy reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (I am impatiently waiting for her to finish so I can get a chance to read it.) I am just happy that she is reading. We have a deal – one book from the list, one book she wants to read.

But I think it is good to see progression in what is included on summer reading lists. Of course, stories like A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, are also on there. I read that one in college and enjoyed it. That definitely has something to say to the reader.

Which is one of the things - one of those near-intangible things - that makes a good book a classic that will be read over and over and included on a summer reading list. It needs to have something to say, without preaching or hitting the reader over the head with a copy of the OED.

So, are there any “new” books that you think should be included on a summer reading list?