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Summer Reading List

June 3, 2014 1 Comment

Summer Reading List at handsoccupied.com Yesterday, I waxed poetic about Reading Rainbow and what summer reading means in today’s world. I also shared how to make a reading log so you can DIY your own summer reading program. So! Phase 2 of DIYing your summering reading is filling your brand new log up with reading & other personal goals for the summer. If you’re not sure where to start a summer reading list, I’ve got a few recommendations for you. :) Here are my 8 favorite books for any age, and if you haven’t read them, you should add them to your summer reading bucket list!

For the kiddos

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

One look at that cover will tell you that Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea is totally fun, beautifully illustrated, and is a great book to read to kids who might be fighting the green-eyed monster. Best features: the cover is be-glittered, the plot involves plungers and pizza and rainbows and unicorns

Bluebird by Bob Staake - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

Bluebird by Bob Staake has everything and literally nothing to say. The story is completely told without words and uses incredible character design, color and layout to tell a tale that will bring you to tears. Best features: layout, character design, plot, tells a story that deals with bullying and outcasts 

Preteen Fiction

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

The narrator of Counting by 7s is a middle school-aged girl who is likely has an Autism spectrum disorder. She looses her adoptive parents suddenly and unexpectedly and her world begins to implode, leaving the reader holding her breath hoping the gifted main character doesn’t fall through the cracks of the system. Best features: an asian protagonist, adoption, loss of parents, intelligent female heroine, relentless insistence on being who you are, fascinating facts about gardening, portrayal of foster system

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

I’ve been carrying such a touch for this National Book Award nominee. For whatever reason, it really captured my heart, and it’s a book caught between elementary and teen audiences. There’s no sexy stuff and low-to-no swearing, but the climax of the book is scary on the level of the latter Harry Potter titles. Far Far Away by Tom McNeal is narrated by the ghost of one of the brothers Grimm and features a main character who is the only boy who can hear what Grimm has to say. There’s a little bit of a love interest, a funny little game show, a family on the brink of eviction and a very evil man. This dark story is evocative of the narrator’s fairy tales, and has so much heart. Best features: steeped in fairy tales, incorporation of foreign languages, emphasis on the importance of school, whimsical characters, portrayal of families struggling with mental health and financial issues

Teen Fiction

a.k.a. my most-read genre – it’s awesome & I’m a Teen Librarian. It’s a wonder I read anything else. 

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is my favorite teen fiction pick of the year. I’ve also read Rowell’s Fangirl, which is charming and lovely, but Eleanor & Park is so good. The book is set in Omaha, and as a North Dakota girl, I appreciate books set in traditionally-underrepresented towns, portraying traditionally-underrepresented people. Best features: Omaha, interracial teen relationships, domestic issues, low income issues, the role of music in teens’ lives, the 1980s

Legend series by Marie Lu - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

I’m obsessed with the Legend series by Marie Lu. For dystopian fans (you know, books like The Hunger Games & Divergent),  this series is a must-read. Set in a west-coast future where America is fractured into many mini countries on the brink of war brought on bioterrorism, economic instability and a tremendous divide between economic classes, you’ll be turning the pages of all 3 books as fast as you can. Best features: dystopian setting, rotating male and female narrators, love triangle, great action scenes

For Adults

Hawkeye: Little Hits by Matt Fraction - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

Hawkeye, vol. 2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction (writer) is so effing good! I admit that my comic and graphic novel reading is not remotely well-rounded, but my husband was so right when he said, “No, Heidi. You need to read this before you return it to the library for me!”* This is a volume of a few different Hawkeye stories, including a moving story about Hurricane Sandy and a story told from the perspective of Hawkeye’s dog. There is some brilliant storytelling through writing and art.

*The life of a librarian with a spouse who reads. I can only assume most librarians’ partners read, though… right?

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - Teen Fiction Summer Reading Picks at handsoccupied.com

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt is a novel that straddles the crossover line between teen and adult fiction. (I’ve even seen it cataloged sometimes as teen and sometimes as an adult book within a single library consortium, fwiw.) The narrator is a 14-year-old girl whose best friend is her uncle who is starting to loose his battle with AIDS in the year 1987. She has an older sisteer who, in typical teen fashion, wants little to do with her as she struggles with her own volatile demons. This book is a couple years old, but it’s really stuck with me emotionally, has one of my favorite cover designs ever, and humanizes an era in history that’s been sometimes-shrouded in pop culture. If you can’t get the first decade of the AIDS crisis out of your head after reading this, I recommend checking out And the Band Played On & HBO’s new The Normal Heart. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bluebird, book list, counting by 7s, eleanor and park, far far away, hawkeye, legend, legend series, marie lu, summer reading, tell the wolves i'm home, unicorn thinks he's pretty great

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Rebecca

    June 8, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    I need to get that unicorn book, it looks fantastic! I love Bob Shea and who doesn’t love unicorns?

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer helping makers untangle various techniques with a blog & YouTube channel
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas sweater vest turned out! Now my dog and I can go on walks in matching seasonal fits 😂
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1. I knit this bottom up with scraps and ran out of black yarn. If the vest consistently drifts down her chest upon wear, I might extend the collar or redo the chest panel at a smaller size. If you’ve read this far, what do you think? As a designer, I so rarely get to improvise a knitting project, and I’m having fun working with fewer rules than usual. 🧶
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2. June has a grooming appointment this weekend. She’s currently the mayor of scruff town, I know. 🫡
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Pattern: Chart is from the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern by yours truly in the official Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book 
Yarn: @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted
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#spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal #handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook #dogknit #knitsfordogs #handmade #brooklyntweed
I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral H I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest & it’s so cute! 🥰
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Do you think June appreciates the fact that she now has a sweater made with @brooklyntweed yarn? 😂 
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#handsoccupied #dogsweater #dogjumper #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal #handmade #brooklyntweedimbue #brooklyntweed
Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater t Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater this Saturday morning 😋
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Pattern: Fruit Stripe Pullover with some intarsia mods on the front panel 
Designed by Rachel Brockman for @universal_yarn 
Yarn: Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Dragon’s Breath & Antarctica 🧶
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#handsoccupied #knitting #weekendknitting #sweaterknitting #universalyarn #fibranaturacobblestone
As a yarn craft designer and former librarian, rev As a yarn craft designer and former librarian, review copies of craft books get sent my way from time to time. It's awesome, but I'm always looking for new, quick ways to share them with you. Today's experiment: a mini review of the new crochet book Hooked on Shakespeare: Crochet Projects Inspired by the Bard. A review copy was provided by the publisher. 
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Book: Hooked on Shakespeare by Gurinder Kaur Hatchard  @yay_for_crochet 
Publisher: @herbert.press / @bloomsburybooksus 
Number of projects: 15
Hardcover, 128 pages
Retail price $22/£14.99
Uses UK crochet terms, not US. My copy came with a conversion table (pictured).
Good for: literary enthusiasts, amigurumi crocheters
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Overall, this is a really cute book that would make a wonderful gift. Each of the 15 Shakespearean works covered features patterns for a few characters from the story. The styled photography is fantastic, with whimsical backgrounds highlighting each pattern. Includes some step-by-step instructions with photos and how to crochet tutorials at the back. I'm highly on board with the name of the last pattern in the book, "Wooliam Shakespeare". 👏🏻 
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If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I'm always trying to figure out the best way to share these new titles, and this is a first try at a new format. So if you have any feedback (if I should include more/less detail, more photos, video, etc.), please let me know. 
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#handsoccupied #bookreview #craftbook #craftbooks #crochet #crochetbook #crochetersofinstagram #crochetinspiration
New post & video tutorial are live! How to weave i New post & video tutorial are live! How to weave in intarsia ends, including avoiding holes at joins, how many ends to weave in one spot, when to use duplicate stitch, and more. Everything is on the bl0g, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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P.S. I feel like this video took forever to edit, so thanks for your patience as I worried too much over small details. 😜
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #howtoknitintarsia #intarsiaknitting #pictureknitting #weavinginends #knitter #spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal
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