Summer Reading
Why should students read during the summer?
The purpose of the PWCS Summer Reading Program is to encourage students to enjoy quality literature and to continue developing their independent reading skills. Summer is a great time for students to read for pleasure and dive deep into their favorite genre or experience something new. Providing students with a choice in what they read increases their reading motivation and engagement.
Benefits to support the summer reading leap:
- Build vocabulary
- Develop reading skills
- Enjoy new stories
- Learn new information
Reading Lists
The Prince William County Public Schools Suggested Summer Reading List aims for students to enjoy quality literature and continue developing their independent reading skills to support critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. Student participation in the challenge is voluntary. Students who choose to participate will read books they self-select. Students that read during the summer can grow and explore new experiences to support lifelong reading habits.
The following titles are suggestions to help foster a love of reading for pleasure. Other books selected by the student with guidance from a parent, guardian, or librarian are also acceptable.
This list is a "suggested list," and families can access Common Sense Media and School Library Journal to review resources to determine readability. Families may use their discretion when selecting reading materials.
You can find many titles at the Prince William Public Library (PWPL). The PWPL Digital library "provides free access to thousands of online and digital resources including e-books, audiobooks, newspapers, and premium websites." Options for the digital content include: Read, Listen, Watch, and Learn. If you do not have a PWPL card, you can contact the public library to register for a Digital Library card.
More Information
Where can students get the books?
Prince William Public LibraryStudents who choose the option of participating in the Prince William Public Library summer reading program should read the number of books for their grade level.
Kindergarten
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes, Derrick | The King of Kindergarten | 2019 | Instilled with confidence by his parents, a young boy has a great first day of kindergarten. |
| Barnes, Derrick | The Queen of Kindergarten | 2022 | Instilled with confidence by her parents, a young girl has a great first day of kindergarten. |
| Burach, Ross | The Very Impatient Caterpillar | 2019 | Ross Burach's hilarious, tongue-in-cheek exploration of metamorphosis will make you flutter with glee while also providing facts about how caterpillars transform into butterflies. (Publisher) |
| Cole, Lo | Ten on a Twig: An Interactive Counting and Bedtime Book for Toddlers | 2020 | Ten birds relax on a twig until the twig starts snapping apart, and the birds fall one by one. Follows the same rhythm as ten in the bed—similar format as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. |
| Diterlizzi, Angela | Just Add Glitter | 2018 | The little girl in the story adds glitter to everything until she realizes that there can be too much of a good thing. |
| Dunlap, Cirocco | Crunch The Shy Dinosaur | 2018 | This interactive picture book allows readers to help Crunch overcome his shyness. |
| Elya, Susan Middleton | The Three Billy Goats Buenos | 2020 | Spanish bilingual twist on The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Elya plays with rhyming with the combination of Spanish and English words. |
| Foster, Travis | Give Me Back My Book! | 2017 | Bloo and Redd argue over whose book it is while teaching kids about parts of a book. Ultimately, Bloo and Redd work together to solve a problem and create a book. |
| Gillingham, Sara | Animals in the Sky | 2020 | This stylish, informative board book helps younger children identify six of the most recognizable animal constellations, from the Great Bear to the Southern Fish. Each constellation is introduced as a cluster of stars with connected-line shapes; readers guess the animal through a series of read-aloud clues. |
| Hale, Christy | Water Land: Land and Water Forms Around the World | 2018 | Nonfiction picture book highlighting different water and landforms around the world. Cutouts and impressive page turn keep the reader engaged throughout. Includes an illustrated glossary and foldout map with more information. |
| Ho, Joanna and Ho, Dung | Eyes that Kiss in the Corners | 2021 | A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers. She realizes their eyes are like her mother’s, grandmother's, and little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners, glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. |
| Kaepernick, Colin | I Color Myself Different | 2022 | This is a wonderful story of self-discovery and identity that rejoices in our skin color differences. It also celebrates adoption. |
| Kostecki-Shaw, Jenny Sue | Same Same But Different | 2011 | Elliot lives in America, and Kailash lives in India. They are pen pals. They learn they love climbing trees, having pets, and attending school by exchanging letters and pictures. Their worlds might look different, but they are similar. Same, same. But different! |
| Meyers, Seth | I'm Not Scared, You're Scared | 2022 | When you're an easily scared bear, it's hard to have friends. Fortunately, Bear has one: a very brave Rabbit. One day, Rabbit urges Bear to face his fears and embark on an adventure together. However, things only partially go as planned, and the two friends learn the true meaning of bravery. |
| Parr, Todd | The Kindness Book | 2019 | This book is an excellent introduction to kindness and how being kind makes a difference to the people around you. |
| Penfold, Alexandra | All Are Welcome | 2018 | Readers will follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where students from all backgrounds learn from and celebrate each other's traditions. A school that shows the world as we will make it to be. |
| Raúl the Third | Vamos! Let's Go to the Market | 2019 | Little Lobo and his dog Barnabe deliver supplies to the merchants in el Mercado. This is a Spanish and English tale following Lobo through his day. The illustrations are full of Spanish vocabulary. |
| Sima, Jessie | Not Quite Narwhal | 2017 | Growing up in the ocean, Kelp has always assumed he was a narwhal like the rest of his family. Sure, he’s always been a little different—his tusk isn’t as long, he’s not as good of a swimmer, and he doesn’t enjoy the cuisine. Then one night, an extra strong current sweeps Kelp to the surface, where he spots a mysterious creature that looks just like him! Kelp discovers that he and the creature are unicorns. But perhaps, if Kelp is clever, he may find a way to have the best of both worlds. |
| Thomas, Jan | The Chicken Who Couldn't | 2020 | After falling out of Farmer’s truck, Chicken must find his way home in this goofy, laugh-out-loud story about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself. |
| Verde, Susan | I am Me | 2022 | This book reminds students just how wonderful they are, just the way they are. |
| Willems, Mo | The Pigeon Has to Go to School | 2019 | Pigeon is a little nervous about going to school. However, by the end of the story, he is super excited to get on the bus. |
| Willems, Mo | Nanette's Baguette | 2016 | This rhyming book is about Nanette (a female frog), who sets out on her first solo trip to the bakery to get the baguette she and her mom regularly get. Will Nanette get the baguette, or will mom be beset with regret? Kids will enjoy this hilarious read-aloud. |
| Willems, Mo | That is Not a Good Idea | 2013 | One day a very hungry fox meets a very plump goose. A dinner invitation is offered. Baby geese repeatedly warn them that it is not a good idea. Will dinner go as planned? Or do the dinner plans involve a secret ingredient...? Hilarious read aloud. |
| Woodard, Bellen | More than Peach | 2022 | This true story will empower and teach readers how to make a change even at a young age. |
| Zhang, Kat | Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao | 2019 | Amy loves to make bao with her family. But it takes skill to make the bao taste and look delicious. And her bao keeps coming out all wrong. Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance…Will Amy ever make the perfect bao? |
Grade 1
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell, Cece | Chick and Brain: Smell my Foot! | 2019 | Meet Chick and Brain, two friends who could not be more opposite and constantly misunderstand each other. |
| Blabey, Aaron | Pig the Rebel | 2022 | After years of misbehavior Pig is made to go to obedience school. Maybe he can change his ways. Readers can select this book or other “Pig” series titles. |
| Bryon, Nathan | Rocket Says Look Up! | 2020 | Join Rocket as she encourages her community to observe a meteor shower outside. Facts about space are entwined throughout the story. Rocket finally convinces her brother Jamal to look up from his phone and enjoy the view. |
| Butler, Dori H | King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats | 2017 | When the treats for a new puppy go missing, everyone suspects King. How can he prove he is innocent? King and Kayla are on the case in several books from this great series. Your reader may choose to read any books from the" King and Kayla" series. |
| Cummings, Troy | I Found a Kitty | 2020 | Arfy, the letter-writing pooch from “Can I be Your Dog?” returns for a new adventure. This time Arfy writes letters hoping to find a home for a stray kitty. Discover whether or not he is successful in finding a match for his new kitty friend. This sequel can be read and understood without reading the first Arfy book. |
| Diaz, Lucky | Paletero Man | 2021 | Follow along as a boy runs toward the cart of paletas on a hot day. As he searches for the cart, he is greeted by the many people in his community that he passes. Unfortunately, he drops his money along the way. Kind neighbors help out, and everyone gets paletas! |
| Elliot, Rebecca | Owl Diaries Series | 2015 | Eva is a fun-loving Owl. Join her as she gets a new pet, makes new friends, and goes on her first camping adventure. Students can choose from many books in this beginning chapter book series. |
| Felix, Rebecca | Llama Drama | 2021 | Through social media, this book teaches young readers about llamas' life cycle, habitat, and diet. Funny llama pictures are also included. Your reader may select other books in this series focusing on Internet Animal Stars. |
| Gehl, Laura | Donut: The Unicorn Who Wants to Fly | 2022 | This easy-to-read rhyming tale explores Donut the Unicorn's pursuit to fly. This plucky unicorn schemes to make this dream come despite multiple setbacks. Will the power of perseverance, experimentation, and cooperation all come together to help Donut attain this lofty goal? |
| Gormon, Amanda | Change Sings: A Children's Anthem | 2021 | A lyrical book that follows a young girl as she walks through her town on an acoustic guitar and works to help make changes to her neighborhood. She encourages others to join her in her band and the quest to help out around the community. |
| Graegin, Stephanie | Little Fox in the Forest | 2017 | A young girl loses her stuffed fox on the playground. Watch as a sneaky real fox carries it away. Follow the characters through the forest in this wordless adventure. These wordless books help young readers tell their version of the story through pictures. |
| Hare, John | Field Trip to the Moon | 2019 | What happens on a field trip to the moon? What if you get left behind? Enjoy this on an out-of-this-world adventure! |
| Higgins, Ryan T. | Hotel Bruce | 2016 | Bruce the Bear is always a bit grumpy. When he returns to his home in the spring, he finds mice living in his house. The Bruce series includes several other titles as well as early readers. |
| John, Jory | The Smart Cookie | 2021 | Smart Cookie reflects on his younger days when he struggled with fitting in. He sometimes had better grades. Readers can select this book or other books from the "Food Group" series. |
| LaRochelle, David | See the Cat | 2021 | The dog is sick. Cat takes his place doing everything in the book. But will Cat soon be sick of being a dog? |
| Page, Robin | A Chicken Followed Me Home | 2015 | If a chicken followed you home, what would you need to learn about to care for it? This nonfiction picture book is presented in a question-and-answer format. Readers will learn tips like keeping chickens safe and caring for newly hatched chicks. |
| Quinn, Jordan and McPhillips, Robert | The Lost Stone | 2014 | This is the first book in the Kingdom of Wrenly series. Enjoy this fantasy series, which is also an early chapter book. Follow Lucas and Clara on their many adventures through the Kingdom. |
| Reed, Jennifer | The U.S. Marine Corps | 2018 | Learn about the tools, tasks, and vehicles of the soldiers in the Marine Corps. Explore the other branches in the other books in the series. |
| Reynolds, Aaron | Dude | 2018 | Platypus and a beaver go out for a fun day of surfing. However, they ignore the warnings of a dangerous encounter. The unexpected ensues. The story is told in pictures with the repetition of just one word. |
| Ruzzier, Sergio | Fox and Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories | 2021 | Fox and Chick are an unlikely set of friends. Chick often brings fox a silly problem he needs to help his little friend solve. Read along to join them on their newest set of silly adventures. This book is set up in a comic book format for beginning readers. Readers will also enjoy other Fox and Chick stories. |
| Schuetz, Kari | Hedgehogs | 2013 | Go on an animal safari! In this book, learners will explore the world of the hedgehog. Thirty other animal books in the series are also excellent. |
| Schuh, Mari | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2016 | Learn about the life of Cristiano Ronaldo. This world-famous soccer star is a fan favorite for many soccer fans. The book includes engaging photos and a timeline. |
| Thomas, Jan | My Toothbrush Is Missing | 2018 | Who took Dog's toothbrush? Follow the clues to find out. Readers will enjoy other books by this author, such as “The Doghouse” and “The Chicken Who Couldn't.” |
| Vo, Young | Gibberish | 2022 | Dat is new in his country. He feels completely different from the new people and the language around him. Discover how friendship with fellow students helps Dat feel welcome. |
| Walker, Tricia | Dream Street | 2021 | Dream Street is deemed "the best street in the world!". Readers are introduced to special members of this supportive community in which dreams are cared for and nourished. The residents of Dream Street share their wisdom, dreams, and hope for the future. |
| Wilson, Karma | Bear Can't Wait | 2021 | Bear and his forest friends plan a surprise birthday party for Hare. In all his excitement, Bear finds he doesn't want to wait any longer. Will his impatience ruin the party? Readers will also enjoy this author's other stories of Bear's adventures. |
| Woodson, Jacqueline | The Year We Learned to Fly | 2022 | A brother and sister stay inside on a cloudy day but find fun when they take the time to follow their grandmother’s advice. They close their eyes and daydream of spectacular places. When a day arrives when they are not getting along, they use that skill and can forget their disagreements. They learn that imagination can take you elsewhere. |
Grade 2
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold, Tedd | Noodleheads (Series) | 2022 | Mac and Mac want to take it easy and eat their favorite pie, but making pie isn’t as easy as eating it! Or is it? Along the way, their friends and mom give them tricks to make it as easy as…well, pie! But the boys’ shenanigans make things harder than they need to be. Will Mac and Mac get to have their pie and eat it too? |
| Beaty, Andrea | Aaron Slater, Illustrator or any Questioners series book by Andrea Beaty | 2021 | Aaron does not allow his disability of dyslexia to hinder him from telling stories. He soon discovers that he can communicate through his illustrations. |
| Bond, Rebecca | My Bed Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World | 2020 | A beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book. Travel around the world and discover the many ways children love falling asleep. |
| Bridges, Ruby | I am Ruby Bridges | 2022 | An autobiography retelling how Ruby Bridges helped integrate a school during the Civil Rights era. Can you imagine being the only student in the class? This picture book is based in 1960 and is told by the Civil Rights activist herself. |
| Elliott, Rebecca | Bo's Magical New Friend: A Branches Book (Unicorn Diaries #1) | 2019 | Bo Tinseltail loves going to Sparklegrove School with the other unicorns. Every unicorn has magical power. Bo is a Wish Unicorn with the power to grant wishes. Bo has lots of friends, but one thing Bo wants more than anything is a best friend. When a new unicorn named Sunny Huckleberry pops into the forest, will Bo's big wish finally come true? |
| Elliott, Zetta | Dragons in a Bag | 2018 | Jaxon doesn't want to spend a day with a mean old lady who turns out to be a witch. But he discovers there is magic in Brooklyn, and she needs his help to deliver baby dragons to safety. |
| Engle, Margarita & Palacios, Sara | A Song of Frutas | 2021 | A story about a little girl who loves to visit her grandfather in Cuba: this story captures the vibrant Cuban culture and a special relationship between granddaughter and grandfather. |
| Fang, Vicki | Layla and the Bots Happy Paws | 2020 | Using their collective problem-solving talents and creativity to build cool inventions, rock band members Layla and the Bots help transform a run-down amusement park into a theme park for dogs that features such attractions as the Rub-a-Dub Mud Slide and the Tummy Rubbing Machine. |
| Flintham, Thomas | The Super Side-Quest Test! (any titles in the Press Start! Series) | 2019 | This time, Super Rabbit Boy will need the power of the Super Wand to defeat the evil King Viking--but first, he must go on a seemingly endless series of quests before he can obtain the wand and save the day. |
| Green, Alison | Kind: A Book About Kindness | 2019 | The book shows animals being kind, and readers are asked to think of ways to be kind. Readers are encouraged to help build a better world through kindness. |
| Gorman, Amanda | Change Sings | 2021 | This book is about encountering people different from yourself and creating an understanding and appreciation for each other. It's about creating change in our communities. |
| Higgins, Ryan T. | We Don't Eat Our Classmates (or other books in the series, as well as Mother Bruce books) | 2018 | Penelope T. Rex is starting school for the first time. She wants to make friends, but it is challenging when they are so delicious! Will she be able to make friends and be happy? |
| Hubbard, Rita L. | The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker learned to read | 2020 | A picture book biography sharing the true story of the nation's oldest student, Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116. |
| John, Jory | The Couch Potato (or other books in the series, including The Smart Cookie, The Bad Seed, The Cool Bean, and The Good Egg) | 2020 | The Couch Potato enjoys sitting on the couch and watching TV all day. When the power goes out, he is forced to go outside. What will he find when he goes outdoors? |
| Jules, Jacqueline | Sofia Martinez, Hector's Hiccups, and other Sofia Martinez Titles in this series) | 2018 | Sofia's abuela is taking her and Sophia's cousin Hector to the movies. Still, their movie plans are put on hold when Hector develops hiccups until the hiccup problem is under control. |
| Keller, Laurie | Potato Pants! | 2018 | Potato is excited to buy a pair of pants at Lance Vance's Fancy Pants Store but is stopped suddenly when he encounters Eggplant, who pushed him the day before. A message of not judging others and treating others with respect is relayed. |
| Kim, Anna | Danbi Leads the School Parade | 2020 | Danbi is nervous about her first day of school in America. Everyone stares at her. She doesn't know the songs and dances and can't get anything right. But that changes when lunchtime rolls around. The other kids are fascinated by her lunch, and Danbi becomes inspired to lead her classmates in a parade. |
| Knutson, Barbara | Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains | 2004 | This is a folktale about two animals who can't get along. Guinea Pig is always tricking Fox into things like holding up a rock to keep the sky from falling and saying he will marry the farmer's daughter and eat roast chicken daily. Many Spanish words are included, and it's a great book to read aloud in different voices. |
| Martinez-Neal, Juana | Alma and How She Got Her Name | 2018 | Alma thinks her name is too long, so her dad tells her a lovely story about her many names. |
| May, Kyla and Scholastic | Diary of a Pug Pug's Snow Day. Branch series | 2020 | Branches Early Chapter Book. It's a snow day, and Bella is thrilled, but Bub, the pug, is unhappy. There is a new kid next door with a monster-sized pet. Bub has to learn to like the snow and the new friend. |
| McAnulty, Stacy | Sun! One in a Billion (also other books in the series Mars! Earth! Moon!) | 2017 | The Sun in first person explains why it is a star in more ways than one. It relays many facts through the illustrations and text. The Sun showcases its prominent role in the solar system and its importance to life on Earth. |
| Deen, Nessa | No Skin Slim | 2022 | This story is about an unlikely friendship between a boy and a skeleton. It promotes predicting, problem-solving, and perseverance. The author utilizes alliteration, rhyme bursts, and tiny tongue twisters to create this fun read-aloud. Teachers are granted permission to copy an activity page at the end of the book. |
| Pallotta, Jerry | Who Would Win, Battle Royale (and other Who Would Win Titles in this series) | 2018 | It contains five volumes of the "Who Would Win?" series that introduce facts about predatory animals, comparing such aspects as their sizes, brain structure, and abilities. |
| Paul, Miranda | Speak Up | 2020 | When something really matters, one voice can make a difference. This spirited, vibrant picture book celebrates diversity and encourages kids to speak up, unite with others, and take action when they see something that needs to be fixed. |
| Reynolds, Aaron | The Creepy Crayon (or other books in the series, including Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear | 2022 | Jasper Rabbit finds a crayon that does his schoolwork for him. It sounds wonderful to him until the crayon starts to take over. Jasper wants to get rid of the crayon, but how? What will Jasper do? |
| Selasi, Taiye | Anansi and the Golden Pot | 2022 | A West African retelling of a trickster spider named Anansi. Kweku, nicknamed Anansi, meets the trickster spider he got his name from. The spider gives him a golden pot with specific directions for Kweku to share with the people he loves. Will Kweku follow Anansi's advice? |
| Shaskan, Stephen | Pizza and Taco - Who's the Best? Book 1 of series | 2020 | Graphic Novel - Humor - Pizza and Taco are best friends. They love slides, have a bestie dance, and like the same toppings. But only one of them can be the best, right? Cast your vote as you read. |
| Spires, Ashely | The Most Magnificent Thing | 2013 | A little girl has a wonderful idea; all she has to do is make it. However, making her magnificent thing is more challenging than she thought—a great story about persistence and dealing with feelings. |
| Wittenstein, Barry | The Boo-Boos That Changed the World | 2018 | This story is about how Band-Aids were invented first (and accidentally). It encourages tenacity and problem-solving |
Grade 3
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Kwame | The Undefeated | 2019 | This book is about African American life's different aspects through its history, famous individuals, and ideals. |
| Barnett, Mac | Mac B., Kid Spy series | 2020 | Mac B. is an author but was formerly a kid spy who now spends his time writing his "memoirs.” Enlisted by the Queen of England, he is sent on top-secret missions around the globe to solve mysteries of stolen objects. |
| Barton, Patrice | The Invisible Boy | 2013 | A young boy named Brian feels invisible at school until he meets Justin. Justin is a new student who also needs help to fit in. Together they unlock Brian's amazing talent in a`rt and help his confidence grow. |
| Blabley, Aaron | Bad Guys | 2015 | Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They will break two hundred dogs from the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? |
| Cavallo, Francesca | Fastest Woman on Earth: The Story of Tatyana McFadden | 2021 | Born with spina bifida, Tatyana McFadden was raised in an orphanage in Russia until two American women adopted her. Despite her disability, her mothers encouraged her to try many sports. At 15, Tatyana began training for the Paralympic Games and won her first of 17 medals. A true story of resilience, sportsmanship, and overcoming adversity told in a sensitive and inspiring way. |
| Charman, Katrina | Last Firehawk, The Ember Stone | 2017 | A young owl named Tag may be the only one who can save Perodia! Tag and his best friend -- a squirrel named Skyla -- meet the last firehawk. Together, the three friends learn about a magical stone. Could this stone be powerful enough to defeat Thorn? |
| Citro, Asia | Zoey and Sassafras: Bips and Roses | 2020 | This is the 8th book in the series. Zoey, Bip, a magical creature, and Sassafras, Zoey's cat, have to use their scientific skills to help the roses in the forest keep growing. The roses are very important because they are the food for the griffin creatures about to be born. |
| Daciute, Evelina | The Fox on the Swing | 2018 | This book is about a boy named Paul who meets a fox on a swing while walking home from the bakery. He becomes friends with the fox, and they explore many different things like feelings, experiences, and friendship. |
| De la Pena, Matt | Milo Imagines the World | 2021 | While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be. |
| Elliott, Zetta | Dragons in a Bag Book 1 |
2019 | Jaxon has to stay with an old lady while his mother goes to court - and he discovers she's a witch. He tries to help her deliver baby dragons back to the world they belong in. |
| Gibbs, Stuart | Spaced Out | 2016 | This book is about a young boy named Dashiell who lives on a moon base with his family. When the moon base commander goes missing, everybody searches for her and the reasons for her disappearance. By the way, Dashiell is also mentally communicating with an alien, learning about humanity. |
| Gonzalez, Karina N. | The Coquies Still Sing, (Los Coquies Aun Cantan -- Spanish edition) | 2022 | This story is set in Puerto Rico during and after Hurricane Maria. Helena tells of how her family prepares for Maria and how the community comes together to rebuild while waiting for the return of the coquies. |
| Hood, Susan | The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics | 2021 | This book is a collection of poems explaining the many issues with plastic pollution affecting our world. The book also gives information about people, including many kids, worldwide doing something to stop plastic pollution. |
| Lopez-Alt, J. Kenji | Every Night is Pizza Night | 2020 | Pipo wants to eat pizza every night until her father finally convinces her to try other foods. She travels around her neighborhood trying foods from different cultures and collecting data to make scientific decisions— great illustrations and a fun story that may inspire kids to collect data independently. |
| Osborn, Mary Pope | The Magic Treehouse: Day of the Dragon King #14 (also available in Spanish) | 1998 | Brother and sister Jack and Annie explore other time periods as they travel in their magic tree house. They travel back to ancient China, where the Dragon King has ordered all books be burned—lots of suspense and adventure. |
| Rissman, Rebecca | Audrey and Apollo 11 | 2020 | Science-obsessed Audrey, a fifth grader in Houston, Texas, dreams of working at NASA like her dad does one day. Dad, however, is nothing but discouraging. Audrey doesn't give up, though. She's created her model rocket. When it doesn't fly, she figures out a way to fix it that ends up helping the Apollo 11 astronauts after they land on the Moon. Will Audrey's dad come around? And will Audrey have a future in science? |
| Shetterly, Margot Lee | Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race | 2018 | A group of four female mathematicians is known as “human computers.” Using slide rulers, pencils, and adding machines, they could calculate numbers to launch astronauts and rockets to space. They paved the way during the Space Race through hard work and perseverance. |
| Singh, Simran Jeet | Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon | 2020 | Fauja was born with legs that would not allow him to run and play cricket with the other kids. Determined, he learned to live a healthy life and became the first person over 100 to run a marathon. |
| Winick, Judd | Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth | 2015 | Hilo only knows a little. He needs to find out where he came from. He doesn't know what he's doing on Earth. He only remembers that an evil monster robot crash-landed as well. |
| Woodson, Jacqueline | Each Kindness | 2012 | A new student is bullied because of her clothing and appearance. It is a beautiful story about kindness, treating others with respect, and not judging someone before you get to know them. |
| Zunon, Elizabeth | Grandpa Cacao, A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family | 2019 | A father tells his daughter the story of her grandfather, a cacao farmer from West Africa. The report details cacao farming and ends with a birthday surprise for the little girl. |
Grade 4
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alston, B. B. | Amari and the Night Brothers | 2021 | Thirteen-year-old Amari struggles with bullying at her private school and her distress over her older brother's disappearance. Things take an unexpected turn when she learns that her brother is part of the secret Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and that she, too, is a magician. Amari must learn about her powers and herself while unraveling the mystery of her brother's disappearance. This book mixes fantasy and adventure with realistic issues such as bullying, prejudice, and self-esteem. |
| Applegate, Katherine | Willowdeen | 2021 | Willodeen is an eleven-year-old girl that adores screechers, wild animals that members of her community consider pests. Her town is whirling with the problem of the declining number of the beloved hummingbears that bring tourists to her small town. With some magic and a new friend, Willodeen stands up for her beliefs and helps solve this rattling mystery. |
| Applegate, Katherine | Wishtree | 2017 | Red is a neighborhood oak tree that has been around for generations. Although the actions of people who live around her are, many times, confusing, she watches over the neighborhood and small woodland animals that make her their home. Once a year, Red serves as the "wish tree," where people write their wishes on scraps of cloth and paper and tie them to Red's branches. Their wishes rarely come true, yet, people have found friendship and inspiration through the wisdom and experiences of the old oak. Wishtree is a heartwarming tale that touches on environmental issues and religious bias. |
| Arnold, Elana | A Boy Called Bat | 2017 | When his veterinarian mom brings home a stray baby skunk that needs rehabilitation before it can be placed in a wild animal shelter, Bat, who has autism, resolves to prove that he is up to the challenge of caring for the skunk permanently. |
| Barnhill, Kelly | The Girl Who Drank the Moon | 2019 | Each year the people of the Protectorate offer up a baby as a sacrifice to the witch that lives in their woods. They believe that this will keep her from terrorizing their village. However, she is kind, rescues the babies, and carries them to new families on the other side of the wood. She feeds the babies starlight. One baby, however, feeds moonlight instead of starlight. This baby she keeps and raises as her own. As the baby's 13th birthday arrives, her magic begins to appear. The consequences are dangerous. Read to find out what happens! |
| Braillier, Max | The Last Kids On Earth | 2015 | After a monster apocalypse hits town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan builds a team of friends to help slay the eerily intelligent monster, Blarg. |
| Brown, Peter | The Wild Robot | 2016 | When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or her purpose- but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. |
| Cartataya, Pablo | The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora | 2017 | Arturo is a 13-year-old Cuban immigrant who lives in Miami and works in his family-owned restaurant. Arturo is living his best summer until a land developer with visions of gentrification threatens the restaurant’s existence and the livelihood of Arturo's family. Arturo's family fights with friends and neighbors to save the restaurant. Arturo's story is about family relationships, societal relationships, and the struggles with culture and assimilation in American society. |
| Creech, Sharon | Moo | 2017 | Reena and her brother Luke move with their mom and dad to Maine. There they meet Mrs. Falala, and they are recruited to help her at her house. She has them help her with her farm animals. Reena learns a lot about herself and about showing animals at the fair. It's not easy, but it is very rewarding! |
| Fleming, Candace | Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera | 2020 | This informational picture book tells the life story of a honeybee, referred to as Apis for her scientific name. The book details honeybees’ many jobs and roles through a narrative described in free-verse poetry, accompanied by beautiful, full-color illustrations. Back matter in the book includes a detailed diagram explaining the parts of a honeybee, information about how people can help honeybees, and a list of websites and sources for more details. |
| Glaser, Karina Yan | The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found | 2020 | When autumn arrives on 141st Street, the Vanderbeekers are busy helping Mr. Beiderman prepare for the New York City Marathon and ensuring the mysterious person sleeping in the community garden gets enough to eat. |
| Grabenstein, Chris | Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library | 2013 | Kyle is invited to an overnight event at the new library and is involved in the ultimate game from game creator Mr. Lemoncello. The kids must solve puzzles to escape the library and win the grand prize. Kyle discovers he must work together with others to solve the mystery and escape the library. |
| Hood, Susan | Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay | 2016 | Not all violins are made of wood. In Cateura, Paraguay, children in the Recycled Orchestra create beautiful music with instruments made from recycled trash. This is how the Recycled Orchestra was formed and came to tour worldwide. |
| Hoyt, Megan | Bartali's Bicycle | 2021 | Italian cyclist, Gino Bartali, won the 1938 Tour de France and became an international hero. After German troops marched into Italy to arrest Jewish citizens, Gino joined the Italian Resistance, saving more than 800 Italian Jews from certain death. Gino peddled over 250 miles daily, delivering photos and fake identity papers to people hiding across Italy. |
| Jamieson, Victoria | When Stars are Scattered | 2020 | Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to medical care, Omar knows his nonverbal brother’s needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future....but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. |
| Kelly, Erin Entrada | Hello, Universe | 2017 | A prank leaves Virgil Salinas and his pet guinea pig trapped inside a well. Three neighbors, Valencia, Kaori, and her sister Gen, must embark on a quest to find the missing boy. As daylight fades, the children must face tests of bravery, confront a bully, and just might become friends. |
| Kelly, Lynne | Song for a Whale | 2019 | "Twelve-year-old Iris has never let her deafness slow her down. A whiz at fixing electronics, she’s always felt at home in the world of wires and vacuum tubes...During science class, Iris learns about Blue 55—the loneliest whale in the world. Saddened by the animal’s inability to speak to other whales, Iris uses her tech skills to devise a plan to communicate with Blue 55. One small problem: the whale is swimming off the coast of Alaska, nearly 3,000 miles from her Texas home. But nothing stops Iris, and with her Deaf grandmother by her side, she sets out on a road trip to meet the whale and make sure he’s finally heard." |
| Kibuishi, Kazu | The Stonekeeper (Amulet Book 1) | 2008 | "After a family tragedy, Emily, Navin, and their mother move to an ancestral home to start a new life. On the family's first night in the mysterious house, Em and Navin's mom is kidnapped by a tentacled creature. Now it's up to Em and Navin to figure out how to set things right and save their mother's life!" |
| Messner, Kate | The History Smashers: American Revolution | 2021 | (Or any History Smashers Books) This nonfiction book series gives a true story about specific historical events. In this book, readers will learn the truth about what happened with Paul Revere's Ride and other events during the Revolutionary War—written with sidebars, illustrations, and graphic panels. Every reader will love learning about history! |
| Mian, Zanib | Accidental Trouble Magnet | 2020 | In this first book in the Planet Omar series, Omar, a 9-year-old Pakistani boy living in London, adjusts to moving to a new house, starting a new school, and making friends. Omar's humorous narration of his life includes illustrations that will remind readers of books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The book focuses on Omar's adventures at home and school and touches on issues such as bullying, anti-Muslim sentiment, and Islamic teachings and traditions. |
| Montgomery, Sy | Inky's Amazing Escape | 2018 | Inky was happy in his aquarium home, but he was very curious and loved exploring. And because Octopuses lack bones, Inky could easily squeeze through tiny openings. So one April night, Inky left his tank and returned to his Pacific Ocean home. And this is Inky's story based on actual incidents. |
| Osborne, Mary Pope | Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1) | 2012 | Jack and his younger sister Annie discover a magic tree house. After entering the tree house, they discover they had traveled back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth! Together, they must figure out a way to get back home. |
| Palotta, Jerry | Who Would Win: Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Velociraptor | 2010 | Contains facts about the tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor, comparing such aspects as their sizes, body types, and abilities. |
| Paquette, Ammi-Joan | Two Truths and a Lie-It’s Alive | 2017 | "Presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true--and asks readers to separate facts from the fakes!" |
| Savage, Melissa | Lemons | 2017 | Lemonade Liberty Witt’s mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can’t possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California—the Bigfoot Capital of the World—where she’s forced to live with a grandfather she’s never met after her mother passes away. |
| Smith, Steven K. | Shadows at Jamestown (and others from Virginia Mysteries) | 2017 | "Sam, Derek, and Caitlin can't believe their luck when Professor Evanshade invites them to help with the archaeological digs for a week at Jamestown's Field School. Maybe they'll uncover something spectacular, tracing back to Captain John Smith and Pocahontas! But when one of the priceless artifacts dug from the Jamestown fort is labeled a fraud, it threatens to upend the entire archaeological project. Can the kids expose the secret conspiracy, or have they finally gotten in over their heads?"--Back cover. |
Grade 5
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Kwame | Crossover (Graphic Novel) | 2014 | Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. |
| Applegate, Katherine | Odder | 2022 | Written in verse, this is the story of a playful, orphaned otter pup. |
| Bowling, Dusti | Insignificant Events in the life of a Cactus | 2019 | Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match or a wildfire in Tanzania, but she was born without them. When her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country, knowing that she’ll have to answer the question repeatedly. Her life changes when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who feels isolated because of his disability. They discover a room at Stagecoach Pass with bigger secrets than Aven could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all... even without arms. |
| Christmas, Johnnie | Swim Team (GN) | 2022 | Bree is excited about middle school until she finds out she is left with the only elective she does not want...the swim team. Bree knows nothing about how to swim. Etta, Bree's older neighbor and former swim team captain offers to help Bree learn to swim. After much hard work, Bree leads her school's swim team to the state championship. |
| Fajardo, Kat | Miss Quinces | 2022 | Sue is disappointed to be visiting her family in Honduras for the summer instead of spending time with her friends. She is even more upset when she discovers her mother has planned a surprise quinceañera. Eventually, Sue grows increasingly close to her abuelita and learns to embrace her culture. |
| Faruqi, Reem | Unsettled | 2021 | Nurah grew up in Pakistan surrounded by her parents, older brother Owais, and extended family. But when her Baba gets a job in America, Nurah’s entire life changes. She is forced to move to Georgia, where she is one of the few Muslim students at her school, and a new and different culture surrounds her. Nurah struggles to find her voice at school but seeks solace in the pool alongside her brother. Eventually, Nurah meets a friend at a swim team practice and gradually feels happier in her new home. |
| Giles, Lamar | The Last Last-Day-Of-Summer | 2019 | Using their detective skills, Otto and Sheed try to unravel the mysteries of their Virginia town. They must work on their friendship and work together to save their town! |
| Keller, Tae | When You Trap A Tiger | 2020 | Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Newbery Winner, 2021. |
| Kelly, Lynne | Song For a Whale | 2019 | A deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species and her journey to help him. |
| Korman, Gordon | Restart | 2018 | Chase Ambrose loses his memory after deciding to dive off his home’s roof. He remembers nothing about his life. As he returns to school with amnesia, Chase learns he has different relationships with the students. For some, Chase is a hero; for others, he is a bully. While learning about the person he was, Chase must now deal with navigating old friendships and making amends with those he bullied. |
| Peirce, Lincoln | Max and the Midknights | 2019 | Max and a group of friends, dubbed the Midknights, go on a quest to rescue the Kingdom of Byjovia from the mean King Gastley. |
| Ponti, James | Framed | 2016 | In Washington D.C., 12-year-old Florian Bates, a consulting detective for the FBI, and his best friend Margaret help thwart the biggest art heist in US history. |
| Rimington, Celeste | The Elephant Girl | 2021 | The story of a girl and her mysterious connection to the elephant who saved her life. |
| Soontornvat, Christina | A Wish in the Dark | 2022 | Pong was born in prison in Chattana and is destined to live there until he turns thirteen. He seizes the opportunity when given a chance to escape in a basket of fruit and durian peels. Pong winds up living with a village monk after Father Cham takes him in. Pong (who has an uncanny knack for noticing things) begins to suspect there is more to the old monk than meets the eye. When Pong is forced to return to Chattana, he reunites with his old friend from prison and is swept up in an underground movement to protest the Governor’s treatment of the people. On Pong’s heels is Nok - the prison warden’s daughter, who has her reasons for trying to bring Pong to justice. |
| Sutherland, Tui | Wings of Fire (graphic novel) | 2018 | The Seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to end the fighting with the help of a prophecy, a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice. Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave, and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war. But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when the select five escape their underground captors to look for their original homes, what has been unleashed on the dragon world may be far more than the revolutionary planners intended. |
| Woodson, Jacqueline | Before the Ever After | 2020 | ZJ's friends Ollie, Darry, and Daniel help him cope when his father, a beloved professional football player, suffers severe headaches and memory loss that spell the end of his career. |
Grade 6
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alston, B.B. | Amari and the Brothers | 2021 | Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she's certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton--if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real. |
| Bowling, Dusti | The Canyon's Edge | 2020 | Realistic fiction, novel in verse, family, grief, climbing: A year after her mother’s death in a restaurant shooting, Nora struggles to stay alive when a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong. |
| Day, Christine | I Can Make this Promise | 2019 | Edie knows she is half Native American. She's always known and gotten comments about it but never felt connected to that part of her heritage. Her mother never talked about it. One summer, however, Edie stumbles across a box of letters and pictures--full of family secrets which may finally help Edie answer the question: Who am I? This realistic fiction book provides age-appropriate insight into the history of Native treatment in the United States as well as a roadmap to handling changing friendships and family relationships during middle school. |
| Draper, Sharon | Out of My Mind | 2010 | Melody is a very intelligent 11-year-old, but nobody knows how smart she is. She can't speak or write, but eventually, technology gives Melody her voice. Some of her new classmates may be unwilling to listen. |
| Fipps, Lisa | Starfish | 2021 | Ellie, called "Splash,” knows she's fat--she even has a list of fat girl rules. Rules that help her stay invisible, to be as small as possible so no one will notice her. Unfortunately, those rules don't stop the bullying. Ever since preschool, Ellie has been bullied for her size; her worst bully is her mother. Throughout this realistic fiction book, Ellie must learn to stand up for herself without becoming a bully herself. |
| Gemeinhart, Dan | The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise | 2019 | Since the tragic death of her sisters and mom, Coyote and her dad have lived on a converted school bus for five years. When Coyote's grandmother tells her that the park where she used to play with her sisters at was being torn down, Coyote has to trick her dad into going back home so she can get a box that she and her sisters buried under a tree. Along the way, Coyote adopts a cat, and she and her dad pick up some interesting characters...this book will make you feel all the feels! |
| Gino, Alex | Melissa | 2022 | When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. Then her teacher announces that their class play will be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte, but the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy. |
| Goldberg-Sloan, Holly | To: Night Owl From: Dogfish | 2019 | When Avery searches through her dad's email, she finds out that her dad has a new boyfriend, and they want to send their daughters to the same summer camp. Avery immediately finds the other girl's (Bett) email address to warn her about their dads' intent. The girls quickly start plotting against this plan and decide that they aren't going to become friends. |
| Gratz, Alan | Two Degrees | 2022 | Akira, Owen, and Natalie are all swept up in the global effects of climate change, each struggling to survive their disasters. But, as they will discover, the three kids are more deeply connected than they could ever imagine--in ways that will change them and, hopefully, can change the world. |
| Gratz, Alan | Ground Zero | 2021 | September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. September 11, 2019, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war but dreams of peace and progress. Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz when a battle erupts in her village. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger? |
| Jamieson, Victoria, and Mohamed, Omar | When Stars are Scattered | 2020 | A graphic novel about Omar and his brother Hassan who have spent most of their lives in a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there; he never has enough food and access to the medical care he knows his nonverbal brother needs. Omar gets a chance to go to school, and he knows this will change his future, but it would also mean leaving his brother every day. |
| Kelly, Erin Entrada | Hello, Universe | 2017 | Virgil is an 11-year-old Filipino American whose grandmother, Lola, helps him to come out of his shell and face the world. When Virgil and his pet guinea pig, Gulliver, end up trapped in a well in the woods at the hands of a bully, Chet, it is up to the stars to align before it's too late. |
| Korman, Gordan | War Stories | 2020 | This book follows the main character's journey as the teenager tries to retrace his grandfather's journey and his memory of WWII. They travel to a French village that his grandfather's unit liberated. They soon find that a small organization does not want the grandfather to visit their village. The teen soon finds out that real war is not a video game. |
| LaRocca, Rajani | Red, White, and Whole | 2021 | A heartbreakingly hopeful novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. |
| Malone, Lee Gjertsen | Camp Shady Crook | 2019 | Archie loved going to Camp Shady Brook every year, not because of its state-of-the-art equipment, fantastic counselors, and relaxing venue, but because he could swindle fellow campers out of their money. He could turn it into Camp Shady Crook and make a fortune until this summer when Vivian tries to get in on his schemes. This realistic fiction/humor book details one hilarious scam after another until it culminates in the ultimate caper that changed Camp Shady Brook forever. In addition to being laugh-out-loud funny, this adventure provides a roadmap for handling problems and navigating friendships. |
| McIntosh, Will | Watchdog | 2019 | This is a post-Apostalyptic story about two siblings who create a loyal robotic watchdog: when the crime boss tries to steal their dog, they go to great lengths to keep her safe. And along the way, they develop friendships and a new family as they struggle to survive. |
| Miller, Kayla & Canino Jeffrey | Besties Work It Out | 2021 | Beth desperately wants to buy her mother a birthday gift, and Chanda wants to prove to her parents that she is responsible enough to own a cat. Their ideas to earn money only work once Beth's older sister helps them get a job dogsitting for a wealthy neighbor. Everything goes well until an expensive lamp gets broken, and they have to use all their entrepreneurial skills to earn enough money to make things right. This realistic fiction graphic novel showcases healthy friendship dynamics and problem-solving skills with a satisfying ending. |
| Ogle, Rex | Free Lunch | 2019 | This book follows the author's experience as a middle school student in the free lunch program and his struggle at home and school. |
| Panteleakos, Nicole | Planet Earth is Blue | 2020 | Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger--it's the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live TV in their classrooms. Nova and her big sister, Bridget, share a love of astronomy and the space program. They planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget has disappeared. Will Nova find her sister in time for the launch? |
| Paquette, Ammi-Joan and Thompson, Laurie Ann | Two Truths And A Lie: It's Alive! | 2017 | This great book includes crazy but real stories about the living world. The reader has to determine if the story they are reading is real or fake...due to how out-of-this-world some of these stories sound, students will have a great time determining the truth from the lie. |
| Reynolds, Jason | Stuntboy In the Meantime | 2021 | Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower to keep everybody safe. Still, when his superhero parents fight, he feels responsible for saving them. |
| Rhodes, Jewell Parker | Ghost Boys | 2018 | Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost, he observes the effects of his death without being heard or seen by most people. Jerome meets another ghost that helps him understand what is happening. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who struggles with her father’s actions. Eventually, with help from the other ghost boys, Jerome and Sarah learn the impacts of historical racism. |
| Stevenson, Noelle | Nimona | 2015 | Nimona is a shapeshifter who teams up with the kingdom's villain Ballister Blackheart to bring down the Institution--the kingdom's self-proclaimed "good guys." Nimona is an excellent help to Ballister with her powerful shapeshifting abilities, but her identity remains a mystery. This quirky, poignant fantasy graphic novel reveals that people are more complex than their labels of "good" or "bad" and that appearances and reputation do not determine how "good" a person is. |
| Terry, Ellie | Forget Me Not | 2018 | Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises she doesn't mean to make. She tries to hide her TS when she and her mother move again. But it is only a short time before the kids at her new school realize she's different. Only Calliope's neighbor, the popular student body president, sees her as an interesting person and a good friend. |
| Venkatraman, Padma | The Bridge Home | 2019 | Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India. Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. The group forms a family with two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul. |
| Yang, Kelly | Front Desk | 2018 | Mia and her parents are recent immigrants from China. They need help finding enough work when they agree to manage a rundown motel in Southern California. The owner, Mr. Yao, is greedy and takes advantage of them. Mia helps by running the front desk while her parents work in all the rooms. She is one of only two Chinese students in her class and needs help fitting in with the other students. |
Grade 7
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Kwame | The Crossover | 2015 | Novel in Verse. Twins Josh & Jordan are powerhouses on the basketball court, but that doesn't stop them from having issues off-court—a wonderful, fast-paced book about brotherhood, family, and middle school. |
| Alifirenka, Caitlin | I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives | 2015 | In this dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends and better people through their long-distance exchange as pen pals. |
| Alston, B.B. | Amari and the Night Brothers | 2021 | From the Publisher: "Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother Quinton is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good. So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she's certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton -- if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real." |
| Barnes, Jennifer Lee | The Inheritance Games | 2020 | When a Connecticut teenager inherits vast wealth and an eccentric estate from the wealthiest man in Texas, she must also live with his surviving family and solve a series of puzzles to discover how she earned her inheritance. |
| Bowling, Dusti | The Canyon's Edge | 2021 | A year after her mother’s tragic death, Nora and her father are trying to adjust to their new normal. In an attempt to regain normalcy, they go on a routine hike which takes an unexpected turn. Told in verse, follow Nora's journey as she deals with her inner pain and finds the strength to carry on. |
| Connor, Leslie | A Home For Goddesses and Dogs | 2020 | After her mother’s death, Lydia moves in with her aunts in a small New England town and learns to find a new family of inspiring women and loving dogs as she works through her grief while creating secret works of art depicting goddesses of all sorts. (diverse families, resilience, and recovery after a loss). |
| Dee, Barbara | Maybe He Just Likes You | 2020 | When the boys at school ask Mila for a hug, it initially seems harmless. But they won't stop touching her, and she is feeling uncomfortable. Her friends think she is overreacting and doesn't know what to do. Mila joins a karate class to learn confidence and to stand up for herself. |
| Firestone, Carrie | Dress Coded | 2021 | Molly Frost is FED UP... Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top when she had to keep her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist. Because Liza got dress-coded and Molly didn't, even though they wore the same outfit. Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F. Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips. Because girls' bodies are not a distraction. Because middle school is hard enough. And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and soon her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right and not backing down. (activism, feminism, and female empowerment working for justice) |
| Gratz, Alan | Refugee | 2017 | Three stories of refugees in the past 100 years - during WWII, escaping from Cuba in the 1990s, and escaping from Syria in the 2010s. They are written in a way that is both moving and exciting. |
| Hinton, Anthony Ray | The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice | 2022 | When Anthony Hinton (known as Ray to his friends) is accused and convicted of murder and is sent to death row, he almost gives up on life and his belief in God and himself. However, with the help of a lawyer and his team, Ray spends 30 years fighting the justice system. Ray provides friendship and guidance to the other death row inmates. |
| Hood, Susan | Lifeboat 12 | 2019 | In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggled to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada was torpedoed. |
| Hopkinson, Deborah | D-Day: The WWII Invasion That Changed History | 2018 | The WWII invasion of Allied troops into German-occupied Europe, known as D-Day, was the most significant military endeavor in history. The goal of D-Day was no less than the total defeat of Hitler's regime and the defense of free democracies everywhere. The major players of D-Day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and countless others, have gone down in history. Hopkinson details their accomplishments and the courageous contributions of commanders, service members, African-Americans, women, journalists, and others to this critical battle. |
| Levy, Dana | It Wasn't Me | 2018 | When Theo's photography project is vandalized, the five students nearby all claim it was not them, so Theo's favorite teacher suggests they spend vacation week together and get to the truth. |
| Lewis, Aydin | March: Book One | 2013 | Congressman John Lewis is an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington. |
| Mather, Adriana | Killing November | 2019 | November is trapped. At the mysterious Academy Absconditi, a school completely off the grid, there's no electricity, no internet, and a brutal eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from knife-throwing and poisons to the art of deception. And the other students? All children of the world's most elite strategists are in training to become assassins, spies, and master manipulators. November Adley doesn't know why she's been sent to this place or the secrets that make up its legacy, but she'll quickly discover that allies are few in a school where competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits in before she is found guilty of the crime...or becomes the killer's next victim. |
| Palacio, R.J. | Pony | 2021 | "Silas Bird, 12, his father, a Scottish immigrant bootmaker and experimental photographer, and Mittenwool, a ghost only Silas can see, live near the fictional Ohio town of Boneville in 1860. One night, three armed strangers on horseback insist that Pa come to do some business with them. Pa promises he’ll return in a week, but the next morning, when a pony one of the men was leading returns to the farm, Silas decides to ride after him, though it means braving the ancient and terrifying Woods, more ghosts, and his fears." from Kirkus Reviews: Aug. 1, 2021 |
| Preston, Natasha | The Twin | 2020 | After sixteen-year-old Ivy's twin sister, Iris, moves in with her and their father, Ivy learns that Iris is trying to push her out of her own life--and may be responsible for their mother's death. |
| Ruby, Lois | Eddie Whatever | 2021 | "Eddie is overscheduled. Between middle school, Hebrew school, baseball, robotics, and bar mitzvah classes, he’s got a full plate—and now he has to complete a mitzvah project as part of his bar mitzvah. So, when his mom signs him up to volunteer at a small, local assisted living facility, Eddie feels just as cantankerous as the residents he meets at Silver Brook Pavilion. Thrown into the community with no structure and minimal guidance, he’s bored—until small valuables belonging to the residents begin to go missing. Some residents think it’s a ghost, while management believes Eddie is the prime suspect. Along with a friend from his b’nai mitzvah prep class and the help of his robotics club, Eddie determinedly solves the mystery, getting to know better and even befriending the residents along the way." from Kirkus Reviews: October 1, 2021 |
| Thummler, Brenna | Sheets | 2018 | From Publisher: "Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck committed to destroying everything she's worked for." With the help of a new, ghostly friend, will Marjorie be able to save her business and her family? |
| Townsend, Jessica | Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow | 2017 | Morrigan Crow is cursed. Born on an unlucky day, she is blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on Eventide. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. |
Grade 8
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown, Don | Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 or another Don Brown title | 2019 | This explores the darkest episode in American history: the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918. This nonfiction graphic novel explores the causes, effects, and lessons learned from a major epidemic in our past. |
| Colbert, Brandy | Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre | 2021 | A searing work of nonfiction about the history and legacy of one of the most deadly and destructive acts of racial violence in American history: the Tulsa Race Massacre. |
| DasGupta, Sayantani | Debating Darcy | 2022 | High school forensics competitions form a compelling backdrop for romance in the latest reimagining of Pride and Prejudice. Beginning with a dramatic, disastrous first encounter in a high school cafeteria, Firoze Darcy, a senior at Netherfield Academy, an elite private school, tries to court Leela Bose, a junior at Longbourn, a public high school. |
| Fajardo, Kat | Miss Quinces: A Graphic Novel | 2022 | Suyapa wants to spend the summer with her friends at camp, not in Honduras with her family, and she especially doesn't want a quinceañera. |
| Ford, Mike | The Lonely Ghost or another book by Mike Ford for young readers | 2022 | The Lonely Ghost is the chilling story of twin sisters haunted by a mysterious ghost. |
| Han, Jenny | The Summer I Turned Pretty or another book by Jenny Han | 2009 | Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the following summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. |
| Jarrow, Gail | Blood and Germs: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease or another book by Gail Jarrow | 2020 | The science and grisly history of U.S. Civil War medicine, using actual medical cases and first-person accounts by soldiers, doctors, and nurses, is explored in this fascinating nonfiction book for young readers. |
| Landis, Matthew | It's the End of the World as I Know It | 2019 | Derrick knows the world’s end is coming, and he's ready. Shelter? Check. Food? Check. Water? Check. A weird neighbor who throws axes and trains pigeons? Not exactly. And when the end doesn't arrive as expected, he's left with more than a few things to figure out. |
| Lasky, Kathryn | Night Witches or another book by Kathryn Lasky | 2017 | Set against the backdrop of the Nazi bombardment of Stalingrad during WWII, 16-year-old Valya sets out to join her sister in the Night Witches, the Soviet Union's all-female bombing regiment. |
| Little Badger, Darcie | Elatsoe | 2020 | Elatsoe lives in this slightly strange America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals; a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family. |
| Morrow, Bethany | A Song Below Water | 2020 | Tavia is a siren in a world both fascinated by and scared of her power. Her foster sister, Effie, is searching for clues about her family and discovering her power. The girls must rely on each other as they find out what it means to be different in an unaccepting society. |
| Murphy, Adam | Corpse Talk: Groundbreaking Women or another title from the Corpse Talk series | 2020 | Welcome to Corpse Talk, the chat show with a difference - all the guests are dead! Meet your host, comic book artist Adam Murphy, as he interviews eighteen ground-breaking women throughout history. Have you ever heard of Khutulun, the wrestling princess from Mongolia, and wondered about Jane Austen's love life? Or asked how Harriet Tubman managed to escape from slavery and help so many others do the same. This graphic novel answers all of your questions about the lives of these significant historical figures, from their amazing achievements to their personal lives. |
| Schusterman, Neal | Dry or any other book by Neal Shusterman | 2019 | When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life-and-death decisions for her family in this story of survival! The drought, or Tap-Out, as everyone calls it, has been going on for a while. |
| Svetcov, Danielle | Parked | 2020 | Jeanne Ann is smart, stubborn, living in an orange van, and determined to find a permanent address before the start of seventh grade. Cal is tall, sensitive, living in a humongous house across the street, and decides to save her. Jeanne Ann is roughly as enthusiastic about his help as she is about living in a van. As the two forms a tentative friendship that grows deeper over alternating chapters, they're buoyed by a cast of complex, oddball characters, who let them down, lift them, and leave you cheering. |
| Taylor, Jordyn | The Paper Girl of Paris | 2020 | While cleaning out her grandmother's secret Paris apartment, Alice discovers the personal history of the Great-Aunt Adalyn she never knew. Adalyn's journals come alive in alternating chapters where she talks about her experiences during the German occupation of Paris. |
| Yang, Kelly | New From Here or any title by Kelly Yang | 2022 | "When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans's mom decides to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move--and to leave his dad, who has to stay for work. |
| Yogis, Jaimal | City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm (Book One) | 2021 | Grace's life changes forever when she moves to Hong Kong and receives a mysterious egg that hatches into a dragon. |
| Zoboi, Ibi | Star Child | 2022 | From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler. Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death. |
Grade 9
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah | Ace of Spades | 2021 | At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only students chosen to be Senior Prefects who are also black, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank quickly turned into a very dangerous game, and they were at more than one disadvantage as it looked like things could turn deadly. |
| Barnes, Jennifer | The Inheritance Games | 2021 | When a Connecticut teenager inherits vast wealth and an eccentric estate from the richest man in Texas, she must also live with his surviving family and solve a series of puzzles to discover how she earned her inheritance. |
| Dow, Alechia | The Kindred | 2022 | Joy Abara is a commoner from the lowly planet Hali, living a simple life -- apart from the notoriety that being kindred to the nobility's most infamous playboy brings. Duke Felix Hamdi plans to exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face. When the royal family is assassinated, Felix is next in line for the throne... and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he's dead, which means they'll target Joy, too. They steal a spacecraft and flee, crash landing on a strange backward planet called Earth. |
| Older, Daniel José, | Ballad and Dagger | 2022 | When sixteen-year-old Mateo and Chela discover each other and their powers during a political battle between neighborhood factions, they set aside their differences to unravel the mystery behind their sunken homeland and stop a dangerous political operative trying to harness their gifts to unleash terror on the world. |
| Fukuda, Andrew | This Light Between Us: a Novel of World War II | 2020 | In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki of Bainbridge Island, Washington, is horrified to discover that his new pen pal, Charlie Levy of Paris, France, is a girl. Still, despite his initial reluctance, their letters continue over the years. They fight for their friendship even as Charlie endures the Nazi occupation and Alex leaves his family in an internment camp and joins the Army. |
| Johnson, Leah | You Should See Me in a Crown | 2020 | Liz Lighty has always done her best to avoid the spotlight in her small, wealthy, and prom-obsessed midwestern high school; after all, her family is black and relatively poor, especially since her mother died; instead, she has concentrated on her grades and her musical ability in the hopes that it will win her a scholarship to elite Pennington College and their famous orchestra where she plans to study medicine--but when that scholarship falls through she is forced to turn to her school's scholarship for prom king and queen, which plunges her into the gauntlet of social media which she hates and leads her to discoveries about her own identity and the value of true friendships--Provided by publisher. |
| Khorram, Adib | Darius The Great Is Not Okay | 2018 | Darius Kellner, an Iranian–American teenager with clinical depression, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, changes his life. A powerful book about finding your place, learning the meaning of true friendship, and having confidence in yourself. |
| Krosoczka, Jarrett J. | Hey Kiddo | 2018 | This is a sensitive and urgent graphic novel memoir about the author's experience growing up. His mother is an addict, and his father's identity and whereabouts are unknown, so he lives with his very opinionated grandparents. Krosoczka draws a picture of a childhood that is both chaotic and warm. Through his experience, Krosoczka learns how to find his way and express himself through art. |
| Lim, Elizabeth | Six Crimson Cranes | 2021 | Shiori, princess of Kiata, has a secret: Forbidden magic runs through her veins. On the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she loses control, and it forestalls the wedding she never wanted-- but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother. Using her own dark magic, Raikama banishes the princess, turns her brothers into cranes, and warns Shiori that one of her brothers will die with every word that escapes her lips. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers-- and uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne. Now she must embrace the magic she's been taught to contain. |
| McManus, Karen | One of us is Lying | 2017 | When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of four high-profile students, all four become suspects. It's up to them to solve the case. |
| Reynolds, Jason | Long Way Down | 2020 | As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know. |
| Sepetys, Ruta | I Must Betray You | 2022 | In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. Still, he decides to use his position to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. |
| Sheinkin, Steve | Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football team | 2017 | Native American Jim Thorpe became a superathlete and Olympic gold medalist. Indomitable coach Pop Warner was a football mastermind. In 1907 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football," they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools in breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work. Sheinkin provides a true underdog sports story-- and an unflinching look at the U.S. government's violent persecution of Native Americans and the school designed to erase Indian cultures. |
| Shusterman, Neal | Scythe | 2016 | A world without hunger, disease, war, or misery: humanity has conquered all those things and even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life and are commanded to do so to keep the population’s size under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe, a role neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. |
| Soontornvat, Christina | All Thirteen | 2020 | On June 23, 2018, twelve young Wild Boars soccer team players and their coach entered a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon's adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. This is the story of their survival and the rescue operation. (Non-fiction) |
| Tamaki, Mariko | This One Summer | 2014 | Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy in the making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. |
| Thomas, Angie | The Hate U Give | 2017 | Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline, and her life becomes more complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her to learn what happened the night Kahlil died. But what Starr does--or does not-- could upend her community and endanger her life. |
| Yang, Gene Luen | Dragon Hoops | 2020 | Gene Luen Yang lost interest in basketball long ago, but it's all anyone can talk about at the high school where he now teaches. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championship. Once Gene meets these young all-stars, he realizes their story is as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. What he has yet to learn is that this season will change not only the Dragons' lives but his own life as well. - from Follett |
| Zink, Michelle | Lies I Told | 2015 | Since the Fontaines adopted Grace, she has been carefully taught the art of the scam. They travel all over looking for the next mark, the next job. Their latest job has her questioning everything she has been taught and the family she has grown to love. |
Grade 10
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acevedo, Elizabeth | With the Fire on High | 2019 | Senior Emoni Santiago cares for her daughter with the help of her abuelo. It is in the kitchen where her talent breaks free, and opportunities rise like steam. |
| Elston, Ashley | 10 Blind Dates | 2019 | Sophie can't wait for her parents to spend Christmas with her very pregnant older sister so that she can have a fun time with her long-term boyfriend. Unfortunately, she discovers he has his plans, which don't include her. She decides to spend Christmas with her large extended family and ends up having the best Christmas of her life and reconnecting with her amazing cousins in a way that will have you laughing all the way through the book. |
| Giles, Lamar | Fake ID | 2014 | Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn’t really Nick Pearson. He shouldn’t tell you his real name, hometown, or why his family moved to Stepton, Virginia. And he definitely shouldn’t tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy Eli was uncovering when he died. |
| Hesse, Monica | They Went Left | 2020 | A gorgeous, heartbreaking tale about the life of a young woman after the liberation of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, “They Went Left,” asks how we move forward after the unimaginable. |
| Jarrow, Gail | The Poison Eaters | 2019 | Back in 1900, the Food and Drug Administration did not exist. Unethical companies added chemicals to trick customers into buying spoiled food or harmful medicines. Chemist Harvey Washington Wiley spent thirty years investigating these practices to campaign for safer consumer products. |
| Madson, Justin | Tin Man | 2022 | Tin Man has spent his entire life in the Tin Forest cutting down trees with his dad. he decides there is more to his existence and sets out to discover what life is all about. He soon meets up with Solar and her brother Fenn, and together they find each other and, ultimately, themselves. |
| Mafi, Tahereh | A Very Large Expanse of Sea | 2018 | It is 2002, and Shirin, a Muslim-American teenager, faces prejudice from the students and teachers at her school. When popular basketball player Ocen James falls for Shirin, she has difficulty trusting that his affection is genuine—and fears their relationship will not withstand their community’s reactions. |
| Reynolds, Jason | Long Way Down (graphic novel) | 2020 | Will's brother has been murdered. He grabs his brother's gun and boards the elevator with revenge in his heart. On the way down, eight ghosts visit him. |
| Salisbury, Melinda | Hold Back the Tide | 2021 | Since there wasn’t enough proof to convict Alva’s father for the murder of her mother, she’s been forced to live in his house in Ormscaula, Scotland, being raised by the man she holds responsible for her motherlessness. His family has been called guardians of the loch for generations, and now it falls to her to monitor the water levels, despite not knowing what she’s watching for—or what may be watching her back. |
| Thomas, Angie | On the Come Up | 2019 | Sixteen-year-old Bri hopes to become a great rapper, and after her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she must decide whether to sell out or face eviction with her widowed mother.--Provided by publisher. |
Grade 11
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acevedo, Elizabeth | With the Fire on High | 2021 | Teen mother Emoni Santiago struggles with the challenges of finishing high school and her dream of working as a chef.--OCLC. |
| Deonn, Tracy | Legendborn | 2020 | Struggling with the recent loss of her mother, Bree moves forward with life until she remembers the night her mother died, and it isn't what it appeared to be. As an early college student at UNC, Bree finds herself immersed in the world of The Order (King Arthur's Court). She has to face a new world, who she is, and where she comes from. (Content Advisory: some kissing and making out, some discussion of sexual experience, fighting w/supernatural creatures, injury, and death, occasional strong language, underage drinking) |
| Gorman, Amanda | Call Us What We Carry | 2021 | Presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, this beautifully designed volume features poems in many inventive styles and structures and shines a light on a moment of reckoning.— Provided by publisher. |
| Kennedy, Katie | Learning to Swear in America | 2017 | Brought over from Russia to help NASA prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth, seventeen-year-old physics genius Yuri feels awkward and alone until he meets free-spirited Dovie.--From Follett. (Content Advisory: some kissing and brief talk of sex, animal cruelty, mentions of suicide, frequent strong language, adult drinking, and mentions of alcohol ) |
| Latham, Jennifer | Dreamland Burning | 2018 | When Rowan finds a skeleton on her family's property, investigating the brutal, century-old murder leads to painful discoveries about the past. Alternating chapters tell the story of William, another teen grappling with the racial firestorm leading up to the 1921 Tulsa race riot, providing some clues to the mystery" - Provided by publisher. (Content Advisory: strong language, racial slurs, violence, drinking, murder) |
| Lee, Stacey | The Downstairs Girl | 2019 | Jo Kuan, at seventeen, doesn't fit in with 1890s Atlanta society. She faces the triple problems of being Chinese, not knowing who her parents are, and worrying about her "father," Old Gin. Because of her Chinese heritage, Jo loses her job as a milliner’s assistant. This event, which initially seems disastrous, leads Jo to make bold decisions that transform her life from retiring and shadowy to open and full of joy. (Content Advisory: attempted sexual assault, the aftermath of violence, one use of strong language, derogatory racial language, adult drinking) |
| Longo, Jennifer | What I Carry | 2020 | In her final year in foster care, seventeen-year-old Muir tries to survive her senior year before aging out of the system --From the Publisher. |
| Mendez, Yamile Saied | Furia | 2020 | In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a caring daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. She is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent on the field. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila can see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university. But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go further. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambitions of a girl like her. Filled with authentic details and the textures of day-to-day life in Argentina, heart-soaring romance, and breathless action on the pitch, Furia is the story of a girl’s journey to make her life her own. (Content Advisory: some kissing and making out, mentions teen pregnancy, violence against women [including murder], minor animal abuse, some strong language, some adult smoking, and drinking) |
| Price, Tirzah | Pride and Premeditation | 2021 | Seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Benet seeks to solve a murder before her rival Mr. Darcy beats her to it. –Publisher (Content Advisory: violence, including murder) |
| Sepetys, Ruta | I Must Betray You | 2022 | In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. Still, he decides to use his position to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country--OCLC. (Content Advisory: state-sponsored torture and murder, some strong language, some kissing, some adult and underage drinking and smoking) |
Grade 12
| Author | Title | Publication Date | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acevedo, Elzabeth | Clap When you Land | 2020 | Sixteen-year-olds Camino Rios, of the Dominican Republic, and Yahaira Rios, of New York City, are devastated to learn of their father's death in a plane crash and stunned to learn of each other's existence. --From Follett, a novel in verse told in two voices. |
| Boulley, Angeline | Firekeeper's Daughter | 2021 | Daunis is trying to balance her two communities: The Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the teen is constantly adapting, whether with her Anishinaabe father’s side of the family, the Firekeepers, or the Fontaines, her White mother’s wealthy relatives. She has grand plans for her future, as she wants to become a doctor, but has decided to defer her plans to go away for college because her maternal grandmother is recovering from a stroke. Daunis spends her free time playing hockey with her Firekeeper half-brother, Levi, but tragedy strikes, and she discovers someone is selling a dangerous new form of meth—and the bodies are piling up. While trying to figure out who is behind this, Daunis pulls away from her family, covering up where she has been and what she has been doing. While dealing with tough topics like rape, drugs, racism, and death, this book balances the darkness with Ojibwe cultural texture and well-crafted characters. Daunis is a three-dimensional, realistically imperfect girl trying her best to handle everything happening around her. The first-person narration reveals her internal monologue, allowing readers to learn what’s happening in her head as she encounters anti-Indian bias and grief—a suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status. |
| Bowling, Dusti | Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus | 2017 | Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match or a wildfire in Tanzania, but she was born without them. When her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country, knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. |
| Lee, Stacey | The Downstairs Girl | 2019 | Jo Kuan, at seventeen, doesn't fit in with 1890s Atlanta society. She faces the triple problems of being Chinese, not knowing who her parents are, and worrying about her "father," Old Gin. Because of her Chinese heritage, Jo loses her job as a milliner’s assistant. This event, which initially seems disastrous, leads Jo to make daring decisions that transform her life from retiring and shadowy, to open and full of joy. (Content Advisory: attempted sexual assault, the aftermath of violence, one use of strong language, derogatory racial language, adult drinking) https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-downstairs-girl |
| Liggett, Kim | The Grace Year | 2020 | Tierney James, sixteen, struggles to endure the year she and other young women are banished to the wild until purified; the survivors are allowed to return home and marry. (TD) |
| Noah, Trevor | Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood | 2019 | South African comedian Noah brings a fresh and tonic perspective to the role of host for The Daily Show, frequently joking about life as a mixed-race child under the tyranny of apartheid. He now reveals the full brunt of the terror and diabolical absurdity he endured in this substantial collection of staggering personal essays deftly shaped by his stand-up gifts for timing and precision. Incisive, funny, and vivid, these true tales are anchored to his portrait of his courageous, rebellious, and religious mother, who defied racially restrictive laws to secure an education and a career for herself—and to have a child with a white Swiss German even though sex between whites and blacks was illegal; neither parent could be seen in public with their son. So dangerous was life for mischievous polyglot Noah that he spent much of his time alone indoors and later endured hunger, homelessness, jail, and violence. But his episodic and electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories of epic teen awkwardness, astounding accounts of his nervy entrepreneurial success as a music bootlegger and DJ, and vibrant and insightful descriptions of daily life in Johannesburg and Soweto. Noah’s coming-of-age paralleled South Africa’s emergence from apartheid, and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class. Hopefully, Noah will continue to tell his bracing and redefining story. -from Booklist |
| Sepetys, Ruta | The Fountains of Silence | 2019 | Sepetys's riveting and exemplary historical epic examines the enduring effects of the Spanish Civil War through the perspectives of four young people living under the shadow of Franco's fascist dictatorship in 1957 Madrid. Via lively characters and short, swiftly paced chapters, Sepetys thoroughly and sensitively explores the social, economic, and political issues plaguing postwar Spain, including selling stolen infants. - Horn Book Guide |
| Soontornvat, Christina | All Thirteen: The Incredible | 2020 | On June 23, 2018, twelve young Wild Boars soccer team players and their coach entered a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon's adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. This is the story of their survival and the rescue operation. (Non-fiction) |
| Stone, Nic | Jackpot | 2020 | Meet Rico: a high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas 'n' Go, who, after school and work, races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she--with assistance from her famous and wildly rich classmate Zan--can find the ticket holder who has yet to claim the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite...or divide? |
| Tolkien, J. R. R. | The Hobbit | 1937 | Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of 13 dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again.' They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. |