Booklist for Summer Reading
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Looking for a Good Book to Read? Try One of These! Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Homefront during World War I. By Ann Bausum. Gr. 8–11. This informative and provocative book looks closely at the American home front during WWI, when government propaganda led to the persecution of German Americans and the erosion of civil liberties. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot. By Sy Montgomery. Gr. 4–7. Another stunning entry in the Scientists in the Field series from the multi-award-winning collaborators, this title follows New Zealand researchers working to save the magnificent, honey-scented kakapo parrot from extinction. After Ever After. By Jordan Sonnenblick. Gr. 5–8. Having survived cancer, Jeffrey and his friend Tad battle the aftereffects of chemotherapy as well as the more universal perils of eighth-grade life in this hilarious and heartrending follow-up to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (2005). Countdown. By Deborah Wiles. Gr. 5–7. Wiles takes her historical novel about 11-year-old Franny Chapman’s experiences during the Cuban missile crisis to an impressive new level by adding snippets of songs, speeches, and contemporaneous black-and-white photos to the mix. The Dreamer. By Pam Muñoz Ryan. Gr. 4–8. Elegantly illustrated, accessible, and deeply rewarding, this stirring, fictionalized portrait of poet Pablo Neruda’s Chilean childhood has the feel of a classic. The Last Best Days of Summer. By Valerie Hobbs. Gr. 4–8. Twelve-year-old Lucy faces difficulties when her beloved grandmother becomes more forgetful and her neighbor Eddie, who has Down syndrome, threatens Lucy’s plans to be popular. Hobbs’ bittersweet novel features real-life scenarios and memorable characters. Meanwhile. By Jason Shiga. Gr. 4–9. First readers choose between chocolate or vanilla ice cream, and then they leap back and forth through pages tangled with tubes and panels in this mad-genius, choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel, with the fate of humankind in their hands. One Crazy Summer. By Rita Williams-Garcia. Gr. 4–7. Set during the summer of 1968, Williams-Garcia’s vibrant, humorous novel follows 11-year-old Delphine and her two sisters to Oakland, California, where they try to reconnect with their estranged mother, a poet with ties to the Black Panthers. Take Me with You. By Carolyn Marsden. Gr. 4–7. Set in an Italian orphanage after WWII, this unique and intricately crafted novel tells the story of two very different girls who both want to be adopted. Turtle in Paradise. By Jennifer L. Holm. Gr. 4–6. Holm draws on her own family’s stories for 11-year-old Turtle’s tale about moving in with relatives in the Florida Keys. Part romp, part steely-eyed look at the Depression era. The Unsinkable Walker Bean. By Aaron Renier. Gr. 5–8. With panels bursting at the borders with clever takes on seafaring adventure elements, this graphic novel sends a plucky boy hero into a maelstrom of lovable pirates, creepy crustacean sea-witches, and an ancient, cursed skull. Zora and Me. By Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon. Gr. 5–8. Told in the voice of 10-year-old Carrie, Zora Neale Hurston’s best childhood friend, this first novel evokes the famous African American writer’s early years in turn-of-the-last-century Eatonville, Florida. Lafayette and the American Revolution. By Russell Freedman. Gr. 6–9. Excellent research, writing, and illustrations create a vivid portrait of Lafayette as he matures from an impetuous young man and an inexperienced soldier to a leader capable of wisdom as well as valor. Basketball Belles:How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women’s Hoops on the Map . By Sue Macy.Gr. 3–5. The story of the first women to play in an all-female intercollegiate basketball game is made even more sprightly and immediate in Collins’ paintings. Score!The Action and Artistry of Hockey’s Magnificent Moment . By Mark Stewart. This chatty, photo-packed tour of ice- rink heroics is a gold mine for hockey fans as well as young skaters looking to perfect their own slap-shot techniques. Looking for a Good Book to Read? Try One of These! The Hole in the Wall. By Lisa Rowe Gr. 5–8. Set in a community devastated by strip mining, Fraustino’s novel about 11- year-old Sebby and his twin combines fantastical elements with urgent environmental warnings. Winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot. By Sy Montgomery. Gr. 4–7. Winner of the 2011 Sibert Medal, Montgomery and Bishop’s latest Scientists in the Field title offers an exciting account of efforts to save the nearly extinct kakapo parrot on a remote New Zealand island. The Cruisers. By Walter Dean Myers. Gr. 5–8. In Myers’ fast, clever novel, a Civil War project in a Harlem school divides a class into Confederate and Union sympathizers—and a group of student slackers are tasked with mediating peace. Finding Family. By Tonya Bolden. Gr. 4–7. Bolden uses real-life period photos to frame this richly imagined novel set in 1905 West Virginia about a girl who goes on a quest to find the truth about her African American family. One Crazy Summer. By Rita Williams-Garcia. Gr. 4–7. Set during the summer of 1968, Williams-Garcia’s vibrant, humorous novel follows 11-year-old Delphine and her two sisters to Oakland, California, where they try to reconnect with their estranged mother, a poet with ties to the Black Panthers. Zora and Me. By Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon. Gr. 5–8. Told in the immediate voice of 10-year-old Carrie, Zora Neale Hurston’s best childhood friend, this first novel evokes the famous African American writer’s early years. Elijah of Buxton. By Christopher Paul Curtis. Gr. 6–8. A community of freed slaves living in Ontario in 1849 forms a richly imagined backdrop for 11-year-old Elijah’s first-person narrative. Curtis’ rare combination of humor, suspense, and emotional depth approaches the subject of slavery obliquely at first but gradually leads Elijah to the human tragedy at its core. (Top of the List winner—Youth Fiction.) The Land of the Silver Apples. By Nancy Farmer. Atheneum, Gr. 6–9. In a pell-mell adventure laced with the folklore elements and thoughtful themes that distinguished The Sea of Trolls (2004), apprentice bard Jack embarks upon a second quest that takes him deep within the fairies’ realm. Red Moon at Sharpsburg. By Rosemary Wells. Gr. 6–9. As the Civil War grinds on, its harsh realities threaten the educational ambitions of India Moody, a Southern teen. This lyrical coming-of-age portrait explores the conflict between intellectual curiosity and the traditional role of women on the home front. The Wednesday Wars. By Gary D. Schmidt. Gr. 6–9. Holling, a Long Island seventh-grader, hates his weekly Wednesday tutoring sessions, until his teacher gives him Shakespeare and helps him discover his strengths. Holling’s distinctive voice narrates this gentle, moving story, set during the Vietnam War. The Black Book of Secrets. By F. E. Higgins. Gr. 5–7. In this smart, richly atmospheric thriller, Ludlow Fitch finds himself apprenticed to a “secret pawnbroker,” who relieves the townsfolk of their darkest secrets—which young Ludlow records in a mysterious black book. Candyfloss. By Jacqueline Wilson. Gr. 4–7. Flossie makes the difficult decision to stay with her father and his failing café after her mother and stepfather move to Australia. A poignant, gently humorous, and totally satisfying family story. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. By Lynne Jonell. Gr. 3–6. Emily’s parents don’t seem interested in her anymore, and a cruel nanny is running the show. Then a rat starts speaking to her. What’s going on? Jonell takes readers on a merry, sometimes scary romp with wonderfully distinctive characters. Looking for a Good Book to Read? Try One of These! Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! By Laura Amy Schlitz. Gr. 5–8. Vivid, interconnected monologues and dialogues provide glimpses of young people living in a medieval English manor. Though the characters are distinctly of their time, today’s readers will still relate to their well-drawn personalities, emotions, and concerns. Jack Plank Tells Tales. By Natalie Babbitt. Gr. 3–6. Former pirate Jack Plank lives in a seaside boardinghouse, where he regales his housemates with tales that explain why he can’t take up the careers they suggest. Strong, sure storytelling and wry wit make this a standout. The Mysterious Benedict Society. By Trenton Lee Stewart. Gr. 4–7. “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” This curious newspaper ad attracts four children, chosen by the mysterious Mr. Benedict for an important mission. Serious issues permeate a rich story with immediate kid appeal. Pocket Babies and Other Amazing Marsupials. By Sneed Collard. Gr. 4–7. Clarity is the hallmark here, from the color photos to the lively text, as Collard introduces a variety of marsupials, beginning with the baby opossum he raised during his teens. Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Robert E. Peary’s Daring Daughter. By Katherine Kirkpatrick.Gr. 5–8. Kirkpatrick frames the story of Marie Peary against a larger backdrop: the repeated struggles of her father to reach the North Pole. The attractive design helps show how appealing biography can be. Way Down Deep. By Ruth White. Gr. 4–7. Set in Appalachia in the 1950s, this story about orphaned Ruby is as tender as a breeze and as sharp as a tack.