“The reading list –unfortunately- isn’t going anywhere either.  I stare at it and wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.  One of the books is about a kid and his dog over summer vacation and all the exciting things they do together and the lessons the boy learns.  I have a dog and –trust me- that stuff only happens in books.”

Derek Fallon does not like to read.  He has a fantastic summer planned out with activities that interest him.  When his parents decide to send Derek to “Learning Camp”, he can tell there’ll be no fun this summer. Over the summer Derek makes new friends, learns about his past, and actually finishes one of the books on his summer reading list, without it killing him! Derek’s teacher insists he draw vocabulary cartoons which litter the margins of the book as drawn by the author’s son.  Derek’s plight as a reluctant reader should draw other reluctant readers to his tale as he discovers reading can be pleasurable, thanks to an understanding teacher who shows Derek how to see the book in his mind.

240 pages

ISBN: 978-0312672898

Recommended by: Alice L. Cyphers, Librarian and Reading Specialist, Pennsylvania, USA