Summer Reading 2023

Choosing a Book.

Finding the book that's the best fit for you can be daunting for some. The nice thing about having a free choice is that you don't have to feel obligated to stick with a book you aren't enjoying, and can switch books as long as you finish a book in the summer. 

If you are having trouble finding a book that catches you, here are a few tips.

1. Ask. 

• Ask your friends what they are reading. You have peers who know about books.
• Ask a librarian at CCHS or your public library for a recommendation. Readers' Advisory is a skillset of librarians everywhere.
• Ask a trusted adult in your family, or community. 

2. Use a Search Tool.  There many tools that can help you find books. 

• The Library subscribes to a book recommendation called NoveList that is great for finding out about fiction (but doesn't do non fiction), that allows you to search for aspects of a book (like character type, tone, period, etc.) and also gives "Read-alike"  recommendations. It may contain reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, as well as much more about the book.  Passwords for CCHS students and faculty are located on this Google Document.  See a  built in search-box below.
• GoodReads is a social community for readers
• #BookTok is a subcommunity on TikTok of people who read and have opinions on books (other social media sites are also full of people who still read books and have opinions and make recommendations, too)
• The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has a search engine for finding all of the books that have one major awards.

3. Look at Lists. 

In the tabs below are links to several booklists, including

• award winners from the American Library Association and YALSA,
• Winners and nominees for the Oregon Readers Choice Awards, 
• titles included on the Oregon Battle of the Books competitions.
• As well as many other lists from a variety of sources.  

You can also look back through previous CCHS Summer Reading lists for titles.

4. Accept a Challenge.

If your problem is one of too many choices, try narrowing your search by using a prompt from a "Reading Challenge."  Reading Challenges give readers a set of criteria to guide them to find and try new and different books than they might normally read.

NoveList is a book recommendation database. Not all books in NoveList are in our catalog, but if you see something you think should be, use the Library Materials Request links to let us know!

Reminder:  NoveList is an EBSCO Database; to use it from home you need a password.