Keeping kids interested in books is getting easier with J.K. Rowling's Harry
Potter books inspiring the highest childhood literacy rates in years, but while Harry's
great for getting kids interested, to keep ahead of aggressive class curriculums and get a
leg up on the coming year's studies, there are a few great books out there to help relieve
some work load without having to hit the text books until September.
The Fabric Of The Cosmos: Greene, Brian; Imagine a book that explains
everything you need to know about the basics of physical sciences without having to try
to understand Stephen Hawking. Explained in easy to read fashion with a lot of
examples (Bart Simpson on a skateboard to help explain Einstein's Special Relativity),
Greene manages to make the most complicated issues seem straight forward. He is a
professor of Physics at Columbia University and theoretical physicist.
Finding Darwin's God: Miller, Kenneth; For those who are interested in social
studies and biology, Miller's effort bridges the gap between religion and science arguing
that they don't have to be exclusive to them selves. He reviews the arguments that have
been put forward over the years, explaining their merits and weak points. He puts his
religious views out in the open from the outset, and explains how his faith in God isn't
challenged by the idea of evolution, but enhanced by it. Miller is a professor of Biology
at Brown University, in the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and
Biochemistry.
A History of the World in Six Glasses: Standage, Tom; How beer, wine,
spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola have shaped the empires of the world. Starting with
ancient Egypt and Greece until the present day rise of the United States, Standage shows
how those countries and periods in history were shaped by these drinks.
The Art of War: Sun Tzu; A classic guide to strategy praised by military leaders
and executives alike, The Art of War is less about war as it is about strategies with
which to approach your every day life, and realigning your perceptions with the nature of
the environment in which you find yourself, including handling opposition, and the
perfect strategy of winning without fighting.
The Art of Happiness: His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Howard C. Cutler,
M.D.; Lessons which should be learned very early in life, it provides methods of stress
relief and is a good counter balance to Sun Tzu's work. "…Happiness is our birthright
as human beings. There is no doubt that life can be difficult—living in today's world is
not always easy. But despite life's inevitable problems and challenges, genuine happiness
is still possible".
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Foster, Thomas C.; Teaches
English students how to find those key points in a novel which teachers will be testing on
to see how well a student understands the material. It provides a break down of how to
interpret the most common symbols and meanings that teachers and professors will be
looking for.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a
Time: Mortenson, Greg and Colin Oliver Relin; A man's story about bringing
education to underdeveloped areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in racially charged times
it can be important to introduce a new perspective to the world and create an
understanding of what people in other parts of the world must endure. Winner of the
2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction
While these aren't the only books that should be read through the summer they are a few
that help give a good start to the new year of school.