Welcome to My Book Club

Welcome to My Book Club I cant remember the last time I read simply because I wanted to get lost in a book. With hours of academic reading assignments adding up, I could feel my passion for reading slipping through my fingers. But this semester, I made a change: I fell back in love with reading. Welcome to my book club, where I will recommend my favorite reads. My hope is that this growing list will allow you to get lost in a great book, too. Heat by Mike Lupica Photo from Goodreads.com Heat tells the story of Michael Arroyo, a 12-year-old boy in New York. Michael is the star pitcher for his Little League baseball team. While Michael dreams of playing in the Little League World Series, he has bigger demons to face first. After his father led his family out of communist Cuba, his father suddenly died of a heart attack, leaving Michael and his 17-year-old brother, Carlos, to fend for themselves. With social services on their back, Michael and Carlos must find a way to keep their cover from being blown in order to stay together. Luna by Julia Anne Peters Photo from Goodreads.com Liam is trapped in her own bodyâ€"a boys body. She can only be herself at night, when she turns from Liam to Luna. With help from her sisterâ€"Reaganâ€"Liam transforms into the woman he has always been with makeup, glamorous clothes, and an incredibly wise brain. While her heart has always known who she was meant to be, Luna is preparing to transition so that her outsides mirror her true self. She struggles to find love, acceptance, and true identity within herself and the ones around her. Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Photo from Goodreads.com Ruthie is a new American, as her family just arrived from Cuba. Her New York apartment is just starting to feel like home when her world is turned upside down. One night, she is in a car accident and is forced into a body cast for at least 6 months. Ruthie feels helpless and alone, a burden on her family, and non-human. But as she spends more time in bed, she develops a new sense of life, sharing stories and passions with friends and family as she heals. Rachel Class of 2020 I am studying Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Social Sciences and Literacy in the College of Education. Although I now reside in Champaign, I am originally from Vernon Hills, a Northwest suburb of Chicago.