Everyone loves summer reading, but diving right in can be daunting when there's so much out there. In the name of prioritizing, I've decided to focus my summer reading efforts based off what my students are reading, what's getting great reviews, and what I'm really interested in. Here are five middle grade books that I'm excited to crack open this summer.
1. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Coyote and her dad have spent the last five years living on the road, ever since her mother and sisters died in a car crash. But when she finds out that her old neighborhood park, where she and her family buried a treasure box, is being demolished, she comes up with a plan to get her dad to drive her all the way back home--all 3,600 miles. On their journey, they pick up several misfit travelers, all searching for things of their own. A couple of my students already read this and loved it, and it tackles themes such as resilience, loss, and finding home.
2. Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating and Lissy Marlin
After an incident with her homemade death ray, Nikki Tesla is sent to Genius Academy, where she'll learn how to channel her genius powers without blowing up her bedroom. But Nikki doesn't want to be there, and refuses to make friends . . . until her death ray is stolen. Then she must team up with her classmates on a globetrotting adventure to retrieve the death ray, dodge the authorities, and get home safely. Nikki and her classmates are all based off of famous scientists, and her friends include Charlotte Darwin and Leo da Vinci. There's information at the back about the real-life Tesla, and according to reviews, the book does a fantastic job integrating art and geography. (coming July 9, 2019)
3. To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Bett and Avery are very different people, but they have one big thing in common: their single dads have fallen in love with each other, and the girls are being shipped off to sleepaway camp so that they can bond. Their initial plans to sabotage the whole thing are put on hold when they start to realize that they might be more alike than they thought . . . and they find themselves, along with their dads, on a whole new summer adventure. This one is full of great plot twists and surprises, and is said to deal with big topics in a lighthearted, sensitive way. And who doesn't want to read a book set during the summer right now?
4. Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Mia's family is struggling to succeed in the United States since they immigrated from China two years ago. They think they've gotten their lucky break when they get offered jobs--and a place to live--running a motel in California. But the motel owner is a nasty man who finds any excuse to dock their pay, and her parents are letting immigrants hide in empty rooms for free. If they get caught, they're worse than fired. Meanwhile, Mia decides she wants nothing more than to be a writer . . . but how can she be when English isn't even her first language?
Front Desk has won several awards, including the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature. Another cool fact? The author--who based the book on her own life--went to UC Berkeley at 13 and Harvard Law School at 17.
5. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
13-year-old Min is descended from a line of fox spirits, but she's learned to never use her magic, because the rest of her community doesn't trust fox-magic. She wants nothing more than to escape her planet, and when news comes that her brother has abandoned his post in the Space Forces to look for the mythical Dragon Pearl, Min is instantly suspicious. She knows Jun would never leave his team, and so she runs away from home to try to find him. She learns more about her world and her magic than ever before, and she will have to be braver than she's ever been. This story has sci fi, magic, roots in Korean mythology, and looks sure to take you on an epic adventure this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment