• The Book: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

• Why?  "If you liked Of Mice and Men, try this other classic from Steinbeck -- especially if you ever dreamed of going on an epic road trip in a souped up trailer with your dog."

• From Scholastic: "To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.

• With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and the unexpected kindness of strangers."

• Mr. McNanna is a writing coach at Edison Intermediate School

• The Book: the Alan Gratz Book Series 

• Why?  "These books use dramatic historical and current events as the backdrop for some captivating stories for modern readers.  They are excellent." 

• From Scholastic: "Featuring emotionally charged, complex subject matter told in a way (young people) can understand, Gratz expertly treads a fine line of incorporating informative, real-world scenarios and events with relatable characters and narratives. 

Gratz brings powerful tales of survival and endurance of will from society’s most vulnerable, presenting the background of wars, disasters, and economic crises. Each devastating problem forces his main characters to flee or try to survive horrors in the hopes of a better life on the other side in a way that is easy to grasp for young readers."

Mr. Cusumano is the Media Specialist at Edison Intermediate School

• The Book: Once (Once Series, 1)
  by Morris Gleitzman

• Why?  "I had a student in 7th and then in 8th grade who HATED reading.  I told his mom my goal is to find ONE book he enjoyed... and we did (in 8th grade).. AND he read the whole series."

• From goodreads.com: "Once by Morris Gleitzman is the story of a young Jewish boy who is determined to escape the orphanage he lives in to save his Jewish parents from the Nazis in the occupied Poland of the Second World War.
  Everybody deserves to have something good in their life.    At least once."

Ms. Ciampa is an ELA teacher at Edison Intermediate School