Books about Decreasing World Suck in the Community
Each person has
his or her own way of decreasing world suck in the community. For some, it
might mean volunteering or getting involved in social activism. For others, it
might be performing random acts of kindness for strangers or encouraging
friends to try new things. Whatever we choose to do, it inevitably leaves an
impression on the larger community – and ourselves.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Just reading Will
Grayson, Will Grayson releases endorphins of awesome into the world. In
every way possible -- in communities, in the characters, and by example -- awesome
is increased. Told in alternating chapters from the point of view of two teens
(Will Grayson and will grayson) who share the same name, but very different
lives, Will Grayson, Will Grayson
shows what happens when their lives intersect and change in unexpected ways.
But that’s not all! No summary of WG,WG
would be complete without mentioning Will Grayson's best friend, Tiny Cooper, a musical theater aficionado and relentless matchmaker, who is determined to push Will
Grayson outside his comfort level and into a musical world of real love. (Make sure to check out the fan-made video below inspired by Tiny Cooper.)
First Line: When I was little, my dad used to tell me, “Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.”
First Line: When I was little, my dad used to tell me, “Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.”
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy was living an average, monotonous, peaceful life before he thwarted the wannabe bank robber’s plans. He spent his time driving a cab, playing cards with his friends, and hanging out with the Doorman, his ancient dog, and his life seemed pretty complete - until he stopped the robbery and the playing cards started arriving in the mail. Chosen to take on complicated and even dangerous assignments, Ed transforms the people in the community around him – and himself in the process.
First Line: The gunman is useless.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
No one in
LaVaughn’s building or family ever went to college, and LaVaughn is determined
to be the first. To achieve this dream, she responds to a notice on the
school bulletin board to earn money as a babysitter for a seventeen-year-old mother named Jolly,
who has two young children, Jeremy and Jilly. But something happens to LaVaughn as she grows to love and care
for Jeremy and Jilly. She becomes more than their babysitter; she becomes the
champion for improving their lives.
First Line: I am telling you this the way it went
with all the details I remember as they were,
and including the parts I’m not sure about.
This book is the first book in the “Make Lemonade” Trilogy.
Book #2: True Believer
Book #3: This Full House
First Line: I am telling you this the way it went
with all the details I remember as they were,
and including the parts I’m not sure about.
This book is the first book in the “Make Lemonade” Trilogy.
Book #2: True Believer
Book #3: This Full House
Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde
If a teacher
gave you an extra credit assignment to come up with a way to make society
better, what would you do? Twelve-year-old Trevor McKinney, whose lives with
his mother in a sleepy California town, comes up
with the idea of “Pay it Forward.” He does a huge
favor for three people, and Instead of asking them to pay him back, he asks them to pay it forward for three other people, making their good deeds ripple exponentially. Trevor starts this project by helping Jerry, a homeless junkie, get back on his
feet, but without knowing it, he starts a wave of kindness that touches the
lives of countless people.
First Line: Maybe someday I’ll have kids of my own.
After Catherine Ryan Hyde published this book, she actually created the Pay It Forward Foundation, which documents real-life Pay it Forward stories.
A major motion picture of Pay it Forward was made in 2000 with Haley Joel Osment as Trevor.
First Line: Maybe someday I’ll have kids of my own.
After Catherine Ryan Hyde published this book, she actually created the Pay It Forward Foundation, which documents real-life Pay it Forward stories.
A major motion picture of Pay it Forward was made in 2000 with Haley Joel Osment as Trevor.
Notes from a Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Who knew
decapitating a garden gnome while intoxicated could have such severe
consequences? Alex
Gregory is having a hard time
dealing with his parents’ separation when he decides to get drunk and head over
to his dad’s girlfriend’s house to give them a piece of his mind.
He doesn’t get very far when he mangles
the gnome and as a result, is sentenced to 100 hours of community service with
Solomon Lewis, the grumpiest and most eccentric resident of his local nursing
home. His relationship with Sol starts out as a punishment, but as he gets to
know Sol better, he realizes that Sol has a lot to teach him about music,
family, and life.
First Line: Boop. Boop. Boop. I’m sitting next to the old man’s bed, watching the bright green line spike and jiggle across the screen of his heart monitor.
First Line: Boop. Boop. Boop. I’m sitting next to the old man’s bed, watching the bright green line spike and jiggle across the screen of his heart monitor.
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
With her
stepmother and father getting a divorce, and her stepsister, Tess, growing more
distant from her, Harper feels like she no longer has a home. She escapes by volunteering to rebuild a house in Bailey, TN, which had been
destroyed by a tornado. By working with the team, including
Teddy, one of the residents of the house, and the object of her affections,
Harper finds out what it means to rebuild not only a house, but a home.
First Line: The world is drowning.
First Line: The world is drowning.
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
Henry David
Thoreau said, “I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders” (“From Seeds to Seedfolks”). In
each chapter of Seedfolks, different
people from various walks of life, nationalities, and ages in one small urban community plant seeds in an
abandoned lot and what grows are more than some lima beans and lettuce. As the
community garden is cultivated, seeds of friendship, understanding, and
togetherness are planted.
First Line: I stood before our family altar.
First Line: I stood before our family altar.
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Roy Eberhardt is
the new kid in Coconut Cove, Florida, which means he is subjected to daily
torture from the resident bully, Dana Matherson. As
his head is squished against the window of the school bus, he notices a boy running
by without any shoes on. Roy’s
curiosity about the boy leads him to discover that all is not right at the site
of the new Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House. Miniature owls live in
the underground burrows on the site, and the running boy will stop at nothing
to protect them. Roy is drawn into the running boy’s world and must decide
for himself
himself what is right.
First Line: Roy would not have noticed the strange boy if it weren’t for Dana Matherson, because Roy ordinarily didn’t look out the window of the school bus.
Hoot was made into a movie in 2006.
First Line: Roy would not have noticed the strange boy if it weren’t for Dana Matherson, because Roy ordinarily didn’t look out the window of the school bus.
Hoot was made into a movie in 2006.