The Squeaky Clean Booklist, Summer Reading Part II

This is for anyone who is not a twi-mom or likes things that are not undead (darn, double negative). Here's a book list based on our library's that won't make you mom blush. I haven't read as many books on here because if it doesn't have something dead in it trying to eat your brains, suck your blood, or if someone isn't shouting "expecto patrunum", then it just doesn't scream "read me"!

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S Alexander
In a small east Texas town, Austin must set out helping her widowed mother get through her mourning, and navigate the town ruled by prejudices and bullies.

Berry, Julie The Amaranth Enchantment
Amazon: When a mysterious piece of jewelry and a strange visitor arrive in the jewelry shop where she works for her evil aunt, Lucinda's course takes a surprising turn. With the help of the Amaranth Witch, a young (and harmless) con-artist, and a prince, Lucinda uncovers secrets about her own royal past. 
Okay. A little bit of magic. Sounds good to me.

Heist Society by Carter, Alley
Teenagers use their combined skills to re-steal several priceless paintings and help a friend in need.

Beastly by Alex Flinn
First of all, Alex Flinn is a girl. When I first read this book, I thought, "Wow! This man has amazing insight into the brain of a teenage girl!" Turns out,  "he" is a "she".  Anyway, haven't seen the movie, but the book is a fun new twist on an old tale.  Involves a chat room and is told from the Beast's point of view.  I really enjoyed this read.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Daanen
I laughed out loud the first two chapters. Then I stopped reading it. Sorry! It's a great book (just ask my sis). She's read it twice. I was just waiting for the sparkly vampire (just kidding). It's a young love book detailing the differences between girls and boys and puppy love. It's on my to read list.  I did expect to have to turn this book upside down halfway through.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
One of the first Austen retellings that I can remember it's a great new twist on Sense and Sensibility and Emma while focusing on Pride and Prejudice. It's an Austen wrapped in an Austen. Ashleigh is a chronic enthusiast about anything that catches her fancy. Her enthusiasm burns bright and fast. Julie is caught  up in Ashleigh's newest love "Pride and Prejudice".  It involves boys, vintage frocks, and a dance. It's a really cute book. Definitely worth a read if you like Austen.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (and its sequal "love, Stargirl)
Well, really any of his books are worth a read. I LOVED this book. Stargirl is the oddgirl out at her new highschool, but she doesn't care. She wears a new costume to school everyday and serenades everyone on their birthday with her ukulele. And she loves Leo. Leo wants to fit in and be normal. What's he to do with the indomitable Stargirl declaring her love?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. The sequel is equally great.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
There's something about fairy tales. This is a retelling of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses".  Take it away Amazon: "Rose is one of twelve princesses forced to dance through the night in an underground palace. The key to breaking the spell lies in magic knitting needles, an invisibility cloak, and—of course—true love." Also check out "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow" by the same author.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow which is really Beauty and the Beast and Cupid and Psyche all set in the arctic north. Ever see "The Polar Bear King"?

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
I'm going to read this book beccause of the title. And the speil. Check it out:

It’s Jessie’s sophomore year of high school. A self-professed “mathelete,” she isn’t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . .
Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes?      
If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?

The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Sounds like Grease. Only it's the Summer Lovin' part.  For some reason the picture cover isn't working.

The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Classic children's literature. I listened to this one and loved hearing the accents and the tones with the characters. Stranded on an island after a ferocious storm and left blind, Phillip is let dependent on Timothy an old West Indian. But Phillip remembers his mother's words that black people are different and they live differently. Phillip's time on the island is memorable for any reader who opens the covers of this book.


The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1867. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.
Elizabeth George Speare’s Newbery Award–winning novel portrays a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

Okay so that was all amazon. It's tired and I'm late, but I really wanted to finish this list. This is a great book, fast read, but also a meaningful book.

Goosegirl by Shannon Hale
Not read it, but on my list.
It's a tale of intrigue and suspense and court politics.
Gr. 6-10. She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place?