Zeely

Written by:Virginia Hamilton

First line: The was an awful racket and swoosh as the books John Perry carried slipped out of his arms and scattered over the floor.

Why you should read this book: Shipped off to spend the summer on Uncle Ross's farm, proper young Elizabeth decides to reinvent herself for a few months; she will now be Geeder who can probably charm horses with her voice, and her annoying little brother John will be more tolerable in the guise of Toeboy. Life on the farm is lovely, with delicious well water and the chance to sleep out under the stars, and also to admire the tall and lovely Miss Zeely, whose father rents Uncle Ross's field for his hogs, and whose regal bearing marks her so obviously as an African princess. Geeder spins a complex fantasy life for the woman she admires but doesn't know, but she'll have to learn the difference between imagination and reality, and how it affects the people around her.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You live entirely in a fantasy world.