Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations 2015
Fiction
The True Adventures of Charley Darwin. By Caroline Meyer
Young Charley Darwin hated school—he much preferred to be outside studying birds’
eggs, feathers, and insects. And so, at the age of twenty-one, he boarded a ship called
HMS Beagle and spent five thrilling but dangerous years sailing around the world,
studying plant and animal life that was beyond anything he could have imagined.
West of the Moon. By Margi Preus.
Folklore and history blend together seamlessly in this mystical story of strong-willed
Astri's escape from poverty in Norway to a new life in America.
Under the Egg. By Laura Marx Fitzgerald.
Theodora must figure out the puzzle of a painting bequeathed to her by her dying
grandfather and enlists her neighbors for help. A fun middle grade mystery.
A Snicker of Magic. By Natalie Lloyd.
Felicity Pickle, a word collector and poet, hopes Midnight Gulch, Tennessee proves to
be a permanent home for her wandering family. She uses her words to restore the
town's magic in an endearing story of community.
The Boundless. By Kenneth Oppel.
Suspense and adventure race alongside Will through the Canadian wilderness on the
Boundless, the largest and fastest train ever built. Middle-grade steampunk filled with
intrigue.
Hope Is a Ferris Wheel. By Robin Herrera.
Fifth grader Star tries to fit in but seems to be failing miserably. To connect with
classmates that only seem to care about her trailer-park home, she starts a poetry club.
An insightful look at the process of self-discovery.
A Time to Dance. By Padma Venkatraman.
An emotional novel-in-verse about a young Indian dancer disabled in a freak car
accident. With hard work, she adapts to dancing with a prosthesis.
The Night Gardener. By Jonathan Auxier.
Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations 2015
As two abandoned siblings try to find their way in Victorian England, they discover the
value of storytelling as well as the dark side of greed. A spine-tingling tale.
Tesla’s Attic. By Neal Shusterman
Tesla's Attic is the first book in a brilliantly imagined and hilariously written trilogy that
combines science, magic, intrigue, and just plain weirdness, about four kids who are
caught up in a dangerous plan concocted by the eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla.
The Testing. By Joelle Charbonneau
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs
to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group,
candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a
rewarding career.
Non-fiction
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. By Jen Bryant. Illus. by Melissa Sweet.
With lovely storytelling and intricate illustrations, this picture book biography introduces
readers to Peter Mark Roget, whose boyhood passion for list making and finding the
right word for every situation, led him to create his “treasure house” of a book, the
thesaurus. (2015 Sibert Medal Book & Caldecott Honor Book)
Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed
America. By Russell Freedman.
The fiftieth anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama is brought back to
life in a detailed and moving account of this pivotal event in Civil Rights history.
Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and
Science. By Aronson, Marc and Marina Tamar Budhos.
“Only 4 percent of the slaves taken from Africa were brought to North America, which
means that 96 percent went to the Caribbean, Brazil, and the rest of South America,
mostly to work with sugar.” This surprising fact points to the authors’ contention that the
enormous growth in the sugar trade in the 17th and 18th centuries was the major factor
in slavery. They argue, too, that sugar was instrumental in spreading the idea of
freedom, an idea that changed the world. Like other books by Aronson, this work
prompts readers to question previous assumptions and delve into the arguments
presented, and encourages them to think like historians.
Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Burns, Loree
Griffin.
This fascinating photo-essay presents the work of an oceanographer who studies ocean
currents by following the movement of debris like rubber ducks and hockey gloves
spilled by container ships into the Pacific.
Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations 2015
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream. Stone, Tanya Lee.
In the early 1960s, 13 women highly qualified to become astronauts were excluded by
NASA from the Mercury space program. This appealing Sibert Award winner, notable
for the author’s strong point of view, explores the reasons and biases behind the
decision. One of the book’s main themes is that society minimized women’s abilities and
restricted their opportunities.
Graphic Novels
El Deafo. By Cece Bell. Color by David Lasky.
In this insightful and humorous graphic novel memoir, Bell portrays growing up with a
giant hearing aid strapped to her chest. Themes of navigating a new school,
sleepovers, finding a true friend, and a first crush make this book universal in appeal.
(2015 Newbery Honor Book)
Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust. By Loïc Dauvillier. Illus. by Marc Lizano.
Color by Greg Salsedo. Tr. by Alexis Siegel.
In this evocative graphic novel, a grandmother recounts her childhood experiences
hiding from the Nazis in World War II France. (2015 Batchelder Honor Book)
Lowriders in Space. By Cathy Camper. Illus. by Raúl the Third. Chronicle.
Lupe, Flapjack, and Elirio enter a car-detailing contest to fulfill their dream of owning
their own garage. This graphic novel celebrates Mexican-American culture and takes
readers on a road trip through outer space.
Sisters. By Raina Telgemeier. Illus. by the author.
A family car trip highlights the tensions between two sisters, the cause of which is
explored through flashback sequences in this comedic graphic novel.
This One Summer. By Mariko Tamaki. Illus. by Jillian Tamaki.
Intricately detailed illustrations and text come together masterfully in this graphic novel.
Pacing and strong imagery evoke myriad emotions and ground this poignant, realistic
coming-of-age story. (2015 Caldecott Honor Book)
Links for further reading:
ALSC 2015 Notable Children's Books
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
25 Ridiculously Wonderful Books To Read With Kids In 2015
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mallorymcinnis/books-to-read-with-kids-in-2015#.jf5Pbm1B9
Middle School Summer Reading Recommendations 2015
2015 ALSC Book & Media Award Winners
http://www.ala.org/alsc/2015-alsc-book-media-award-winners
Middle School Book Lists
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/middle-school
Suggestions for Reluctant Boy Readers
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/32305.4th_7th_Grade_Reluctant_Boy_Readers
YALSA 2015 Nonfiction Award Nominations
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2015-nonfiction-award-nominations