Reading role models: A summer reading list to inspire your kids

You want your kids to be active during the summer and not vegging out in front of the TV or video games. But there are some days when the weather won't cooperate. And those are perfect days to encourage your children to go on an adventure in the pages of a pook.

We asked Sharon Anderson, youth services coordinator at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, to give us recommendations for your kids' summer reading list. We wanted books with postive role modes for boys and girls; characters who can inspire children after the story ends.

Here are Anderson's suggestions:

Teen girls (13+)

> "Matched," by Ally Conde (sequels "Crossed," "Reached"): A world where nothing is left to chance relieves the "burden" of choice and alleviates the messiness of emotions. Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choice for her ... until it comes to following her heart.

> "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks," by E. Lockhart: During the summer between her freshman and sophomore year, Frankie transforms from a scrawny awkward child with frizzy hair to a curvy beauty, "all while sitting quietly in a suburban hammock, reading the short stories of Dorothy Parker and drinking lemonade." When she returns to school, Frankie learns to navigate her confusing new popularity and discovers how to fall in love without losing herself.

> "The Fault in Our Stars," by John Green: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few more years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at the Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Tween girls (10-13)

> "Trickster's Choice," by Tamora Pierce (book No. 1, "Daughter of the Lioness" series): Follows the adventures of Alaine, the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall (The Song of the Lioness series). Anything by Tamora Pierce will feature strong female characters.

> "The Wee Free Men," by Terry Pratchett (No. 1 in the "Tiffany Aching" series. Sequels "A Hat Full of Sky," "Wintersmith" and "I Shall Wear Midnight"): Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching needs magic -- fast! Her sticky little brother Wentworth has been spirited away by the evil queen of faerie, and it's up to her to get him back safely.

> "Hurt Go Happy," by Ginny Rorby: Deaf since the age of 6, 13-year-old Joey is used to being left out of conversations. Her mother, afraid of the stigmatism attached, refuses to allow her daughter to learn sign language. Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly learns to sign.

Younger Girls (8-11)

> "The Evolution of Calpernia Tate," by Jacqueline Kelly: Boys don't make pies and girls don't work in the fields in Texas in 1899. But 12-year-old Calpernia is more interested in science than cooking and sewing. When she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are bigger than the green ones, her grandfather, an avid naturalist, gives her a copy of Darwin's "The Origin of the Species" and encourages her curiosity.

> "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making," by Catherynn Valente: Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. Fans of "Alice in Wonderland" should like this one.

Teen boys (13+)

> Any book by Chris Crutcher ("Whale Talk," "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes," "Stotan," "Angry Management," "Deadline"): Crutcher uses sports as a way for his characters to work through personal and social issues, but his books are never just about the sports.

> "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie: Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, is determined to take his future into his own hands. He leaves his troubled school on the reservation to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny and beautifully written.

> "Ball Don't Lie," by Matt de la Pena: Sticky is 17, is from the streets and has had a tough life so far. He hopes his basketball skills will be his ticket to a better life. This book is inspiring and raises questions about race and the difficulties in getting ahead in life when you've had a bad start.

> "Little Brother," by Cory Doctorow (sequel "Homeland"): Caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco and in the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n," and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they're mercilessly interrogated for days.

Tween boys (10-13)

> "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie," by Jordan Sonnenblick (sequel "After Ever After"): Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school and is constantly annoyed by his 5-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down.

> "Divergent," by Veronica Roth (sequel "Insurgent"): In a futuristic society divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue, 16-year-olds must choose the path their lives will follow -- one choice has the power to transform or destroy. Strongly recommended for fans of the Hunger Games series.

> "The Maze Runner," by James Dasher: Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up in the middle of a maze, with no memory, and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. But once he escapes, he discovers the outside world is a new and dangerous place.

> "Schooled," by Gordon Korman: Capricorn Cap Anderson has been homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. When Rain is injured in a fall, Cap is forced to attend the local middle school. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared him for the politics of public school.

Younger boys (8-11)

> "Gregor the Overlander," ("Underland Chronicles" series) by Suzanne Collins: In the first novel of the bestselling series by Suzanne Collins (author of "The Hunger Games"), young Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building and hurtles into the dark Underland. This strange world is on the brink of war and Gregor's arrival is no accident. The citizens look to Gregor as the answer to a long-awaited prophecy, but Gregor has no interest in saving the world. He just wants to save his sister and find his father.

> "The Brian Books," by Gary Paulsen ("Hatchet," "Brian's Winter," "The River" and "Brian's Return"): The story of 13-year-old Brian Robeson's survival following a plane crash has become a modern classic. Stranded in the desolate wilderness, Brian uses his instincts and his hatchet to stay alive for 54 harrowing days.