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Rest, Relaxation And Reading

Dont let your summer break turn into a brain drain.

Before you decide to give your brain a complete rest this summer, consider that theres no better way to spend a summer day than immersed in a good book, and no better way to keep your brain in shape than reading.

Your school will likely provide you with a summer reading list. Most libraries, literary groups and publishing organizations also issue lists of recommendations and award winning books.

Maybe youd like to try to read all the books in a favorite series or by a best-selling author. Maybe youd like to spend the summer reading the biographies of famous people you admire.

Here is a list of this years top recommendations and award winning books in young adult literature. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia (Amistad/Harper Collins)

At the height of the civil rights movement in 1968, three young African-American sisters from Brooklyn are sent by their father to live in Oakland, California, with the mother who abandoned them years earlier. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Moon Over Manifest by ClareVanderpool (Delacorte Press)

A young girl who rides the trains for shelter and is used to living on her own and take- In care of herself comes to live with her grandparents in the fictional town of Manifest, Kansas. Winner of the Newbery Medal. A Time of Miracles by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated by Y. Maudet (Delatorre Press)

A young war refugee searches for his identity as he flees the war-torn Caucasus region of northern Europe for the safe haven of France. The book traces the young heros journey over five treacherous years and was originally published in French. Winner of the Batch Elder Award. 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis ( Roaring Brook)

The true story of the authors personal experience as one of 14,000 children

moved from Cuba to a refugee camp in Miami, Florida, in 1961. Winner of a Belpre Author Honor. Black Elks Vision: A Lakota Story by S. D. Nelson (Abrams)

Learn about the proud, fascinating and tragic history of the Lakota nation, the Native Americans who once made their home across Americas Great Plains. The large format book contains archival photographs, first-person accounts and original acrylic paintings to tell the painful story. The Dreamer by Pam Mu±oz Ryan, illustrated by Peter S (Scholastic)

This biography of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda tells the story of the poets young life, and how he discovered his talent, his beliefs and his voice as a writer. Winner of a Belpre Author Award. The Firefly Letters: A Suffragettes Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle (Holt)

In this inspiring tale, the daughter of a plantation owner seeks the help of a famous help free feminist an African to born of a Belpre slave. Author Winner Honor. Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus (Abrams/ Amulet)

The true story of Manjiro, a young fisherman who is believed to have been the first Japanese person to ever visit America. Manjiro overcame enormous odds to become a Samurai warrior. Winner of a Newbery Honor. Nothing by Jane Teller, translated by Martin Aitken (Athenaeum)

A contest among middle school classmates to prove that life has meaning turns dark and disastrous. Winner of a BatchelderHonor and YALSA Printz Honor. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke (Lee and Low)

A graphic novel told from the point of view of a young boy trying to survive in his tough and dangerous Chicago neighborhood. The story is based on true events. Winner of a Coretta Scott King Honor.

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