Take a trip with suggested summer reading titles

Yearning to travel far away, to see the world, to taste, smell and do new things? So are we. With summer reading, you'll voyage to Asia, Africa, Europe, outer space, past times and other distant places. You'll meet lots of new kids, animals and a few constellations, too.

After all, just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to let your brain rot. Here are a few books to get you started:

"A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World," from DK Publishing in association with United Nations Children's Fund. What's it like to live in Laos? What games do kids play in Botswana? How do children get by when they don't have enough to eat or their drinking water is dangerously dirty? Learn what is being done to help kids who need it.

"When My Name Was Keoko," by Linda Sue Park. A sister and brother living in Korea during World War II must change their names -- and much of their life -- to please the Japanese invaders who have taken over their country.

"Stikky Night Skies: Learn 6 Constellations, 4 Stars, a Planet, a Galaxy and How to Navigate at Night -- In About 1 Hour, Guaranteed," from www.stikky.com. It may take a bit more than an hour, but you'll enjoy every minute.

"The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare. A Jewish teen-ager in Palestine fights the Roman soldiers controlling his country. But then he meets a teacher named Jesus of Nazareth. This historical novel won the Newbery prize.

"The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours," by Jane Goodall. A visit to Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

"Esperanza Rising," by Pam Muqoz Ryan. Esperanza's nice, easy life in 1930s Mexico is destroyed, and she must struggle to rise again.

"The Shakespeare Stealer," by Gary L. Blackwood. An orphan gets caught in a dangerous world in 17th-century England. But then he discovers acting.