If there is young person old in your life who is looking for some fun summer reading, any of these books would make a perfect companion on a lazy afternoon.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

by Chris Grabstein

A great book for 9-12 year-olds, "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library,  has been a best-seller lists for children for a number of weeks now. It takes place in a very modern, up-to-date library (complete with holograms) built by Mr. Lemoncello who owns a company which produces board games, something like Rhode Island's own Hasbro. In order to impress upon youngsters the value of a library and the fun it can be to investigate the treasures it holds, he has  designed a competition with very desirable prizes. Only twelve contestants will be chosen after first submitting essays which Mr. Lemoncello will judge to determine the finalists. Once they are allowed inside the library, the doors are locked and the twelve will be challenged to find a way out within 24 hours. The exit is not the same as the entrance, and so begins their quest among various rooms: Arts and Artifacts room, a pyramid exhibit, a carnival booth, a giant Lego Sphinx, a Wonder Dome, etc. One of the rooms is designed like a board game with ten doors ringed around a balcony with a spinner and plastic pointer in the center. Others have games like the old TV show "Let's Make a Deal" and "Concentration." In another room the kids must master the Dewey Decimal System in order to find clues. Their search becomes more difficult as they continue. For example, in the Room of Authors they encounter the names of Thomas Wolfe who wrote "Look Homeward Angel," Lewis Carroll who wrote "Through the Looking Glass," George Orwell who wrote "Animal Farm" and  the futuristic "1984," Ronald Dahl, Maya Angelou, the poet Shel Silverstein, Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Mario Puzo, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, to name just a few. Their job is to find the common elements in order to unearth the next clue. In this room, for example, they conclude that the last five authors all focused their stories on crime. Every so often they come across a sign "Get to Know Your Local Library" which is exactly Mr. Lemoncello's intent. If one is looking to acquaint pre-teens with good books by famous authors, as well as increase their vocabularies, this book will accomplish that: the words "paraphernalia" and "accoutrements" are among the many sophisticated words that appear. I happened to come across this book as one on the recommended "Summer Reading List" for Princeton Day School, which my grandchildren attend in Princeton, New Jersey. For their summer reading assignment, they are to choose three from the list and keep a journal recording their responses to each book, the same assignment I required of my students at Barrington High School. I am definitely sending them this one, which I know they will enjoy.

Navigating Early

by Clare Vanderpool

A very moving story set at boys' academy in Maine just after World War II, "Navigating Early" is about two teenagers, Early Auden and John Baker, who become friends. They are both suffering losses: John's mother has recently died and Early has not only lost both parents, but also his adored brother Fisher who was a legendary student and athlete at the academy, as well as a decorated soldier who supposedly died in the European Theater. Despite the fact that Early has a letter from the U.S. government declaring Fisher killed in action as well as his brother's military dog tags, he refuses to believe that Fisher is gone. At first John shuns Early whom he calls "the strangest boy I've ever known." Early lives alone in the janitor's workshop beneath one of the school buildings; he likes to listen to Mozart, but only on Sundays. He listens to Louis Armstrong on Mondays, Frank Sinatra on Wednesdays, and Glen Miller on Fridays, unless it's raining. In that case it's Billie Holliday. In addition to these peculiar preferences, he speaks in a loud, flat manner as would an autistic child. Since John is also an outsider, new to the school, he befriends the strange Early. Early is the one who prepares him for a regatta race, rebuilds the boat John will sail, and coaches him daily through the trial runs. John hopes to impress his military father who will come to visit for the weekend. At the last minute, Mr. Baker sends a telegram announcing he cannot attend. A laconic man, awkward and uncomfortable with expressing his feelings, his message comes across to his son as insincere. In his acute disappointment and anger, John leaves Early behind and attempts the race himself with dire consequences. He realizes he needs Early not only for assistance with maneuvering the boat, but also in finding his way through his grief—a grief that Early knows only too well himself. This is a story about bonding, coping, forgiving, finding one's way, and maturing. A dangerous hike together through the Appalachian Trail helps them accomplish this process. There is a surreal atmosphere surrounding this trek since Early is convinced that he will find his long-lost brother. It will also impress upon John how much his father really loves him. I would recommend this very well-written novel for ages 11-15 since it deals with problems typical of that age group, particularly the need to be accepted by classmates and to be understood by parents who are not always adept at communicating their feelings.

Flora & Ulysses

by Kate DiCamillo

"Flora and Ulysses" is a witty, amusing tale with whacky and quirky characters. First, we have 11 year-old Flora Belle Buckman and her magical friend Ulysses, a squirrel who, in the first chapter, is accidentally sucked up into Flora's mother's vacuum cleaner. This necessitates Flora giving him CPR, much to Mrs. Buckman's dismay; she thinks he is a disgusting and rabid creature. Some of the events. such as this one, are illustrated in very cute cartoons which tickle the funny bone, one illustrates Ulysses tangled in the highly teased, upswept hairdo of their neighbor Rita. Flora's mother is intent on "getting rid" of Flora's pet in the most permanent manner, but Flora's dad and a new sort of weird friend, a young boy named William Shiver, come to her assistance. Another reason  Mrs. Buckman finds Ulysses irritating is that the squirrel uses her typewriter to compose poems; the typewriter is off limits to everyone since she is an author of romance novels which Flora, a declared "cynic," finds ridiculous, especially because her mother is divorced from her husband. In addition to following Flora and Ulysses' delightful adventures, youngsters will benefit from the vocabulary DiCamillo employs in telling her story. I have provided a list below which it might be wise for the reader to understand in advance so that these unfamiliar words don't interfere with a smooth reading of the story. Or better yet, the youngster might gain more benefit from using context clues to determine their meaning while actually reading. Do not be intimidated by what's below; they are employed to tell a "fun" story.

The words are as follows: coherence, fraught, manifestations, prevail, navigate, retract, obfuscate, notorious, vanquish, loathe, illusion, perpetual, reside, fray, arch-nemesis, illuminated, euphemism, eons, coherence, jaded, posit, conjured up, inanimate, appellation, speculative, documented, inconsequential, inordinately, advent, inept, capacious, depleted, insomnia, banished, relentless, treacle, provoke.

Donna DeLeo Bruno is a native Bristolian nd a retired teacher of writing and literature. She now splits her time between Bristol and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where she gives book reviews at the local library as well as at book clubs and women's clubs. One of her pieces will be published in the fall edition of "The Gooseriver Anthology" 2015 (Maine).