During this time of year, students seek shelter in the school’s air-conditioned havens. Many of these students head to the Library Media Center, a cool place to browse for books and study for exams. Students are startled by paper palm trees and an ominous CPR dummy in the Library Media Center, staring at them as they peruse the shelves looking for summer reads. It seems like students and staff at Jamesville-Dewitt High School are looking forward to summer, when they can take in some great books and movies without final exams to worry about.

Senior Kaitlyn Smith says there are way too many interesting books and movies coming out this summer. When asked to name just a few, Smith struggles to come up with an answer. For summer reading, Smith wants to pick up “Childhood Betrayals,” a new novel. She says that she’s also excited about the new Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,” which technically doesn’t come out until November – a long wait.

Sophomores Iosu Bascaran and Lydia Nevin have a long list of movies and books that they’re interested in. They’re both psyched about seeing “The Last Airbender,” “Toy Story 3,” “Prince of Persia,” “The Karate Kid,” “The A-Team” and “Despicable Me.” Bascaran and Nevin are looking forward to read “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and Teri Pratchett books, along with two parodies one of which is: “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”

Holly Deng, a freshman, has a concise list right now. She says that she’s interested in getting a book that came out recently, “Spirit Bound,” which is the latest in the “Vampire Academy” series.

Going off the theme of vampires, the next movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse, will be coming to theaters shortly, on June 30. Smith is one of many who is looking forward to the release later this month. Gisselle Haynes and Mariah Mosher, both sophomores, also think that the movie “Eclipse” will be a box office hit this summer.

While some students may still be in a craze over the Twilight series there are some who have moved on to series that now poke fun at the popular series. Bascaran and Nevin will be looking forward to reading “Nightlight,” a popular imitation of the “Twilight” series over the summer.

Staff members are also excited about summer reading. Bill Cotterill, a library aide, suggests an entire list of good reads for students. He’s also excited about a few books that he plans to read. Mr. Cotterill’s reading list includes “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” “The World Is Flat,” “Three Cups of Tea,” “Fast Food Nation,” “The Mermaid Chair,” and “The Secret Life of Bees.”

Mac Lab teacher assistant Barbara Sher is looking forward to reading some mystery books this summer. Her favorite authors are Danielle Silva, Linwood Barclay, and Harlan Coben.

It looks like staff and students alike will be keeping busy this summer, with plenty of good reads and lots of popcorn.