Green Acres School

Highlighting Some Great Books From Our Shelves!

We each have authors that we love and find that GAS students always enjoy their books. We shared a few that you might want to consider next time you need a good book.

Ruth, Bevin, Quinby, and Pam

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

At the Green Acres Library, we are big fans of John Green. He is always funny, creates quirky (yet endearing characters), and understands the bewildering and confusing plight of the teenager. In this book, a washed up 18-year-old prodigy is dumped for the 19th time. All 19 girlfriends over the years have been named Katherine and Colin is convinced there is a mathematical theorem that represents each of these relationships. Colin is yet another great John Green creation along with his best friend of 10 years, and new friend Lindsay (who is no girlfriend material since she is not named Katherine). The road trip, the nods to Catcher in the Rye, and Green’s off beat humor all come together for a delightful read. Green is a Printz award winner, so you are guaranteed a good read whenever you start one of his books.

Will Grayson Will Grayson by by John Green, David Levithan

What happens when two boys named Will Grayson meet each other by chance in Chicago? There lives overlap as one starts dating the best friend of the other. Each author assumes the perspective of one of the main characters and they alternate chapters. This book deals with all the usual things teenagers obsess about - relationships. The confusion, the feeling of being left out, and the desire to be liked is so well done by these two authors. One Will Grayson is straight and is best friends with a gay boy named Tiny Cooper. The other Will Grayson is gay and becomes involved with Tiny Cooper. The contrasts and similarities between the two Will Graysons is fantastic allowing for depth and emotion within the story. I genuinely enjoyed this story.

Zen And the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

Adults writing for children, especially middle schoolers, often have a hard time sounding authentic, but not Sonneblick and this is our favorite book of his! When eighth-grader San Lee moves he figures out his new identity. This time, he hasn�t decided when fate intervenes. His inadvertent status Zen Master is conferred after answering a few too many questions on the topic during history (thanks to his ancient religions class at a previous school) he realizes he has found his identity. What ensues is some great laugh out loud moments. This book is perfect for all middle schooler feeling on the fringe. (What teenager doesn’t feel that way sometime?)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Lantham

We recently discovered this book and love it! A fantastic, engrossing tale of a brilliant mathematician and seaman, Nathaniel Bowditch was a real-life Johnny Tremain. Born and raised in Salem, MA, Nathaniel Bowditch was brilliant but instead of preparing to attend Harvard, he was indentured at the age of 12. Through his own fortitude and determination, and endowed with eye-watering intelligence, Bowditch taught himself Latin, French, Spanish, German and worked his way through Newton’s Principia. The story lays out the hardships of life in the 18th and 19th centuries with the intersections of death, poverty, and the sea. It is an inspiring Horatio Alger story, but the importance of Bowditch should not be underrated. Even today all students at the Naval Academy are given a copy of Bowditch’s book. His contributions were tremendous and paved the way toward an integrated, global economy.

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: a True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

An admitted fanatic on the subject of Benedict Arnold, Sheinkin spent years researching his life. Arnold really comes alive as a contradiction - an amazingly fearless fighter and brilliant military leader but hopeless at politics. He was constantly his own worst enemy when dealing with his superiors. His uncontrollable temper antagonized everyone and probably prevented him from the recognition he deserved. From his youngest days he yearned for fortune and glory - initially to redeem the family name which his father had disgraced. At the end his bitter resentment at passed promotions and other slights led him to the ultimate betrayal of his country. Sheinkin’s description of Washington’s gradual realization of the depth of Arnold’s treachery reads like an episode in a television thriller. The book is impossible to put down. An excellent look at one of early America’s most fascinating characters.