THE PERFECT reads for the July/August holiday are exciting books with elements of literature students need to improve their reading and writing skills when they return to school in September. Adults will also enjoy the books listed below in order of reading level.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata – This HiLo (high interest, low reading level) novel about a Japanese family struggling to make ends meet in the US appeals to readers from ten to 17. The children in this novel, left alone by their working parents, face loneliness and cultural adjustment. The main character struggles with the theme in writing. Life lessons finally provide the understanding she needs to master theme.
Chirp by Kate Messner – Messner, a former teacher, writes action-packed mystery novels that help students understand the writing process. In Chirp, 12-year-old Mia and her family move in with Mia’s grandmother, an environmentalist raising crickets to eat. When someone sabotages the grandmother’s cricket farm, Mia and her friend investigate.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman – Gaiman’s short book about a father’s litany of excuses about why his mission to buy milk took so long is a humorous lesson in hyperbole and faulty logic. Lively illustrations appeal to readers from eight to 18.
All the Answers by Kate Messner – When Ava Anderson finds a magic pencil that answers questions, she must learn to frame the types of questions the pencil can answer or risk losing her pencil.
Miguel Street and A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul – In Miguel Street, Trinidadian Nobel laureate VS Naipaul presents invaluable lessons in characterisation, setting and tone while showing the value of humour as a writing tool. A Bend in the River, about an Indian merchant in Africa, shows the author’s skills as a word craftsman.
Passiontide by Monique Roffey – Roffey’s latest novel about violence against women in a fictitious Caribbean island (thinly disguised as Trinidad) would appeal to all teenage girls caught in the maelstrom of personal and cultural identity. Passiontide blends fast-paced entertaining reading with writing that explores point of view, a sense of purpose and dialogue as a tool to propel the plot forward.
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein – Through fictional characters in Hungry Ghosts, readers explore rural Trinidad during the 1940s, a place where indentureship and colonialism have left their mark. Wrapped in Hosein’s fast-paced mystery are lessons about how history shapes identity and contributes to a culture of violence.
Love the Dark Days by Ira Mathur – Mathur’s memoir explores the tangled, cultural web of identity unique to Trinidad, a lesson in finding one’s voice and self-identity.
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair – Sinclair’s memoir is a moving tribute to family and roots showing the tug of war between cultural identity and individuality.
Beryl McBurnie by Judy Raymond – Raymond’s biography of McBurnie offers lessons on clear, concise writing and exploring history in exciting ways. Raymond argues that recognising the arts is an important aspect of political independence.
Plunge into reading this holiday and discover gripping books with important lessons on becoming a better reader and writer.
