Reading is great, but it isn't the only way to keep yourself engaged during the long, hot months of summer. There are numerous websites that are fun while also helping you learn a thing or two. Some of our favorites include:

  Free Rice: Think you are good at vocabulary (or grammar, art, or a myriad of other subjects)? Test yourself on this site by answering multiple-choice questions. For each question you get right, the game gets harder and 10 grains of rice are donated to help end world hunger. Whether you are looking to improve your subject knowledge, prepare for the SATs, or just do some good, this site is a great way to spend time online while donating food to people who need it.

The Great Gatsby for Nintendo: Although it might seem like people who love both F. Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus and old-school Nintendo games are a rare breed, this video game proves otherwise. The game, which has an interesting creation story, is fun for video game enthusiasts and Fitzgerald fans alike. As Nick Carraway, you must collect coins, avoid flappers, find Gatsby, and perform a number of other feats. Incorporated into the game are quotes from the book. Go forth, enjoy, and please let us know what happens after you beat level 2 (the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg always defeat us, despite our best efforts).

Mental Floss: Mental Floss is an entertaining (and often educational) compendium of trivia, strange facts, interesting links, and quizzes. Whether you are looking for quizzes on television, popular culture, sports, or history, this site will ensure that you have fun while maybe learning a thing or two. One of our favorite quizzes is "Name All the Presidents in Under 8 Minutes."

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego: When I was in elementary school, I waited with bated breath for my turn at computers, where I could play a decidedly primitive version of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego." Now, with much better graphics, I can play it by simply logging into Facebook. With this game, you are a detective working to thwart thief Carmen and her crew of quirky (and humorously-named) henchmen and women. At the same time, the game lets you learn more about world history, culture, and geography.

The Sistine Chapel Online: Have you ever wanted to study the Sistine Chapel's incredible artwork up close without having to worry about scaffolding and travel to Rome? This site lets you zoom in to see details in the art and architecture.

Dante's World: This site combines art, text, and audio to bring us into Dante's Divine Comedy.

Of course, this is only a small sample of the different fun and educational sites and games available online. If you like any of these suggestions (or if you have suggestions of your own), please tell us on our Facebook page or blog.

Summer is coming, and now is the perfect time to start compiling your "Must Read" list for this summer. Whether you are planning to tackle a stack of new (or new to you) books or revisit some of your favorites, the summer offers the chance to read, reflect, and refresh yourself.

We asked some teens "What books or magazines do you plan to read (or reread) this summer and why?" Here are their responses:

Eric, a student at Brookline High School, is looking forward to reading about his favorite athletes in Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine.
If You Like Reading About Sports, you might be interested in the new book by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, Those Guys Have all the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN. For baseball fans, Roger Kahn's classic explores the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers leading up to their World Series win in 1955 in The Boys of Summer. If you have hockey on the brain because of the Stanley Cup Finals, The Game by Ken Dryden gives an insider's look at the world of professional hockey.

Emma is looking forward to reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. She also wants to finish the Harry Potter series, since she only started reading the books last year.
If You Liked Eat, Pray, Love, Gilbert released a follow-up in 2010 called Committed: A Love Story.

Lesley hopes to reread John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. "It's beautifully written, but not the frivolous and overly embellished writing that you find so often," said Lesley. "His writing is clean and concise and the plot is extremely well executed. Loose ends tie themselves together at the end like highbrow episodes of Seinfeld, in print."
If You Liked A Prayer for Owen Meany, you should check out John Irving's other works, such as The World According to Garp. Also, you might be interested in The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass, which Irving greatly admired (and supposedly paid homage to in Owen Meany).

All-Time Favorites

Several clients suggested F. Scott Fitzgerald's magnum opus, The Great Gatsby. Ollie in particular was impressed by "its language and the way it is written." Besides being a constant presence on many a "Best Book" list, this classic's lyrical prose and cultural presence make it a book perfect for reading and rereading. As an added bonus, most of the plot takes place during the hazy months of summer. Slip into your best tennis whites, grab a cool drink, and take a trip into the scandalous world of 1920s New York.
If You Like The Great Gatsby, you might want to explore Fitzgerald's other novels, such as Tender is the Night, and his underrated but compelling short stories. You can also read some Ernest Hemingway, another Lost Generation author and occasional friend of Fitzgerald.

Ollie also suggests The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which gives readers a glimpse into the tumultuous history of Afghanistan. As Ollie notes, it is an "awesome story, extremely well written, and very entertaining."
If You Like The Kite Runner, you might like Hosseini's second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, which focuses on the lives of two Afghan women.

Eric's favorite books include Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, which is a perennial favorite with teens (this book has been frequently recommend in past student surveys). Straddling the line between fiction and non-fiction, The Things They Carried offers compelling storytelling and writing, even as it leaves you scratching your head trying to separate truth from fiction.
If You Like The Things They Carried, O'Brien's critically acclaimed autobiography If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home addresses many of the same themes and focuses on the author's experiences in Vietnam.

Emma's favorites include the works of Jodi Picoult as well as Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, which focuses on the themes of racism, friendship, and family relationships.
If You Like The Secret Life of Bees, another coming-of-age book that includes many similar themes is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

If you are looking for something a bit more macabre, Lesley suggests the "weird and gruesome" short stories of Flannery O'Connor. O'Connor, whose work often employs the Southern Gothic style, is perhaps most famous for the story "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
If You Like Flannery O'Connor and the Southern Gothic style, you should definitely check out the works by William Faulkner, particularly his novel As I Lay Dying and his short story (and literature textbook mainstay) "A Rose for Emily."

One of Kelly's favorite books is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, which explores the relationships between immigrant mothers and their Chinese American daughters.
If You Like The Joy Luck Club, we recommend that you read Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, which is a multi-genre collection of nonfiction writings.

Of course, if you're stuck in a reading rut, there are many resources to help you find something new and exciting. There are the usual suspects, like our past book suggestions (from 2010 and 2009) and NPR's list of the top 100 beach reads, taken from their listener's suggestions. There are also sites like Bookseer.com and What Should I Read Next?, which let you put in books and authors and then give you suggestions based on them.