Summer Reading Suggestions from the Middle and High School Librarians of
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Summer Reading Suggestions
from the Middle and High School Librarians of
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother,
both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed
with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a
whale unable to communicate with other
whales. Iris understands how he must feel.
Then she has an idea: she should invent a
way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles
away. How will she play her song for him? Full of heart and
poignancy, this affecting story by sign language interpreter Lynne Kelly
shows how a little determination can make big waves.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
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.”
Winner of the NAACP Image Award - Winner of the Coretta Scott King author
award.
The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated
from London to the English countryside during
World War II, where they find life to be much
sweeter away from their abusive mother.
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Isabelle is one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters,
who cut off her toes in an attempt to fit into the glass
slipper; but there is more to her story than a maimed foot, for
the Marquis de la Chance is about to offer her a choice and the
opportunity to change her fate- there will be blood and danger, but also the
possibility of redemption and triumph, and most of all the chance to find her true self.
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs
The CIA forces twelve-year-old Charlotte "Charlie" Thorne, a rebellious genius, to
use her code-breaking skills on an epic global chase to locate Einstein's last
equation before dangerous agents discover it and unlock the solution to
harnessing energy.
Truly Tyler (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson
Ever since Tyler started getting into art and
hanging out with Emmie, his friends and
teammates have been giving him a hard
time. He wonders why can't he nerd out on
drawing and play ball?
Emmie is psyched that she gets to work
on a comics project with her crush, Tyler. But she gets
the feeling that his friends don't think she's cool
enough. Maybe it's time for a total reinvention. . . .
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari
fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but
they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of
magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thompson
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two
worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives 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. Khalil was unarmed. What
everyone wants to know is: what really went down that
night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit
Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from
around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading
scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there's
more at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his
family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his
future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and augmented
reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him, and
why?
Readers can get in on the excitement with puzzles and codes embedded throughout.
The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.
She’s a second-class citizen with a
mysterious past, reviled by her
stepmother and blamed for her
stepsister’s illness. But when her life
becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince
Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an
intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between
duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to
protect her world’s future.
They Went Left by Monica Hesse
Germany, 1945. The Gross-Rosen
concentration camp have been liberated,
but nothing feels over to Zofia Lederman.
Three years ago she and her younger
brother, Abek, were the only members of
their family to be sent to the right, away from
the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone
else-- parents, grandmother, Aunt Maja-- went left. Zofia's last words to
her brother were a promise to find him. That vow takes her through Poland and
Germany, and into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece
together a future from a painful past. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing? --
adapted from jacket
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
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. A novel in verse told in two
voices.
The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius
A quirky murder mystery featuring a gorilla
named Sally Jones who not only narrates the
story but can also read and write. She just
doesn't talk. Sally works as a ship engineer
when her captain in accused of a murder
he did not commit. She finds refuge in the
home of an unknown opera singer and her accordion-
repairing friend. It is a head-spinning story of mystery,
intrigue, love, adventure and redemption.This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe
Gabourey's autobiography will grab you from the first page and will have you
laughing, crying, hurting, screaming and rejoicing as she takes the reader on her
life's journey of pain, depression, poverty, self-discovery, purpose, fame and
fortune. In the words of President Obama, "Gabby! You're The Bomb Girl!"
The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
Bindy Mackenzie is the smartest girl at Ashbury
High. She memorizes class outlines to help her
teachers. She holds lunchtime therapy
sessions for her fellow students. She is
always kind, polite, and helpful. And she wears crazy
nail
polish to show she's a free spirit. But something is
missing: Nobody likes her AND someone is trying to
kill her! Can she make friends in time to stay alive?
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
It is the summer of 1950 - and a series of inexplicable events has struck
Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home. A dead
bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours
later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes
his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in
earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw
All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor
Cassie Logan, first met in Song of the Trees and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is
a young woman now, searching for her place in the world, a journey that takes
her from Toledo to California, to law school in Boston, and, ultimately, in the 60s,
home to Mississippi to participate in voter registration. She is witness to the
now-historic events of the century: the Great Migration north, the rise of the civil
rights movement, preceded and precipitated by the racist society of America,
and the often violent confrontations that brought about change.The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History by David Walker
Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black
Panther Party for Self-Defense was a radical
political organization that stood in defiant contrast
to the mainstream civil rights movement. This
gripping illustrated history explores the impact
and significance of the Panthers, from their
social, educational, and healthcare programs that were
designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against
police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes
with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset. Using
dramatic comic book-style retellings and illustrated profiles of key figures,
The Black Panther Party captures the major events, people, and actions of the Party, as
well as their cultural and political influence and enduring legacy.
Sources for book descriptions: publishers, Goodreads.com, Follett.comYou can also read
