Summer reading book to transport students on sci-fi adventure
The Summer Reading Committee chose Binti as this year’s book.
June 6, 2022
As many returning students here at Riordan know, the student body is required to read a summer reading book every year.
To spice things up, the Summer Reading Committee has carefully picked a sci-fi book, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, for the summer of 2022.
According to Science teacher Colleen O’Rourke, the committee aimed to select an engaging book, addressing relevant topics to student life, while allowing students to indulge in a series they may not be familiar with. As a Hugo- and Nebula Award- winning book, Binti has been extremely popular and influential since its release in 2015.
The book not only entices the reader through its well- exemplified plot, but also shows the struggle of a teen girl as she faces life and growth in a world of the future. Considering the book only has 96 pages, students can expect a short novella, packed with sci-fi action.
“The audio-book version–which is beautifully narrated–is only three hours long,” O’Rourke added for those who would opt for the audio.
She also claimed the sci-fi book to be “focused on exploring what it means to be human and how our humanity might be tested when we’re put into fantastic scenarios, allowing students to not only learn, but connect with the book.”
As a sneak peek into the book, O’Rourke recommends a meaningful quote: “My father said that my curiosity was the last obstacle I had to overcome to be a true master harmonizer. If there was one thing my father and I disagreed on, it was that; I believed I could only be great if I were curious enough to seek greatness.”