The Most Popular Books in My Neighborhood This Summer...

Several of the teens in my neighborhood have been taking advantage of the fact that BOXES of books are arriving on my doorstep almost daily. While they have been borrowing many (and are currently on vacation so I haven't had an update in several days), here are the books that they are recommending to each other (and their parents). Can I tell you how much I'm loving that they are recommending, trading, and holding favorite books hostage among themselves? So fun!

Possession by Elana Johnson: I met this author at a Simon & Schuster event this summer and I loved talking with her (probably because we have so much in common). I was lucky enough to get and autographed copy of this debut title, as well as a second copy in the mail from the publisher (which is the one that is currently making the rounds). One girl borrowed it at the beginning of July and I haven't seen it since. She finished it quickly but "cannot return it because I have other people who want to read it." By the way, one of those people is her mother because the girl raved about it so much!

The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher: This is the book that is being "held hostage" and passed around the neighborhood quite a bit. There is always some sort of negotiation going on to be the next one to read my advance copy of this book. ("I'll give you such-and-such book, if you give me this one next). Luckily I did get a chance to read it before it was hijacked from my pile and I can attest to just how amazing it is!
(This image of the cover is the only one that I could find on Goodreads and it is either really bad or just poor quality. The copy I have is a galley and has no cover art, so I'm not sure what the final cover is supposed to look like).

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins: One of the girls in my neighborhood grabbed this book along with a GIANT stack of other titles. This is the book that she read first, which is interesting in it's own right because I would not have pegged her for picking a book with such a "girly" cover. But she LOVED it. In fact, she couldn't stop talking about it. Then I realized that she hadn't even read "Anna and the French Kiss." Of course, I remedied that immediately and broke into the school library to loan her the copy of Ms. Perkins' first book. And now that I have "Lola..." back, I can finally read it!



Not surprisingly, the boys in the neighborhood are not the best at reporting in on a regular basis. I promise more updates will follow! What books have you been enjoying this summer?