Creep around Graveyards, Search for Spies | Summer Reading for Grades 4-8

Summer is a time for exploration and discovery, for ruminating on history and losing oneself in adventures. This list of titles will travel well, whether it’s to a sunny spot in the backyard, to the beach, or to a destination miles away.
With selections from award winners such as Tonya Bolden and Merrie Haskell and new books from favorite authors Megan Frazer Blakemore and Matt Faulkner, there’s sure to be something on this list for the middle-grade readers you know. Summer is a time for exploration and discovery, for ruminating on history and losing oneself in adventures. These books will travel well, whether it’s to a sunny spot in the backyard, to the beach, or to a destination miles and miles away.  Jump aboard and journey on a train so long it takes a full day to walk from one end to the other. Creep around graveyards and search for spies. Find the perfect banana nut muffin, and heal a broken heart. Happy summer…and happy reading. Alexander, crossoverkwameKwame. The Crossover. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). Gr 6-9–In this smart and moving novel in verse, twin African American basketballers, Josh and Jordan, have a great coach (their dad) and a stalwart cheerleader (their mom). Both boys excel until feelings of jealousy and abandonment sour their relationship and threaten their family’s stability. Alexander’s powerful poems, both humorous and introspective, will touch readers. Auxier, Jonthan. The Night Gardener. (Amulet, 2014).nightgardener Gr 6-8-Irish heroine Molly, 14, travels with her younger brother Kip to a job at a mysterious mansion in the English countryside. The place exudes dread and menace, emanating from a disturbing tree in the front garden, the roots and branches of which have made their way  into every room of the house. Molly and Kip must discover the secrets of the mysterious Night Gardener, before the tree  takes their lives. spycatchersofmaplehillBlakemore, Megan Frazer. The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill. (Bloomsbury, 2014). Gr 4-6-This much-anticipated book from the author of The Water Castle,  introduces an indomitable heroine in the Nancy Drew-loving Hazel, a girl determined to out the communists Senator McCarthy swears have infiltrated her small town in Vermont. This nuanced mystery, set during the anxiety-ridden Cold War years explores issues of community and bullying while keeping the tension mounting. Blakemore has once again woven a complex tale with multiple narrative threads. searchingforsarahrectorBolden, Tanya. Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America. (Abrams, 2014). Gr 6-9-A thoughtful look at a mystery once relegated to obscurity, Sarah introduces readers a young African American child who had the distinction of being the wealthiest black girl in the United States. After oil was discovered on the land allotment she was granted in IT (Indian Territory), Sarah was given over to the guardianship of a white judge, and disappeared from public view. Through careful research, Bolden uncovers the story behind the story, highlighting a long-ignored chapter of American History. Brown, Skila. Caminar. (Candlewick. 2014).caminar Gr 6-9–A debut novel in verse, set in 1981, in the midst of the Guatemala’s civil war. Carlos is a boy caught in the crossfire between the government forces and the rebels in a conflict that he and his fellow villagers don’t understand. His experiences and observations are powerful and visceral, and the varied and repeated rhythms of the poems effectively convey the action. A glossary of Spanish words is included. gaijinFaulkner, Matt. Gaijin: American Prisoner of War. (Disney, 2014). Gr 6-8-Of all the atrocities committed by the United States of America in the last century, one of the least explored for middle-grade audience is the  imprisonment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. Brilliant colors share space with sepia tones in this stirring graphic novel, about a teen named Koji, who, because of his mixed heritage, also faces racism within the internment camp. The story is based on the experience of one of Faulkner's relatives during the period. Haskell, Merrie. The Castle Behind Thorns. (HarperCollins, 201castlebehindthorns4). Gr 4-6-In this loose adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, a young boy named Sand wakes up in a long-abandoned castle covered in thorns, with no idea how he arrived there. Sand begins to mend the broken castle, and discovers hidden talents and a new friend along the way. A fully realized world; well-drawn, three dimensional characters; and lyrical meditations on the power of forgiveness put this tale head and shoulders above others in the fantasy pack. Haskell is one of the best voices writing middle-grade fiction today. desperateadventuresKelley, Jane. The Desperate Adventures of Zeno & Alya. (Feiwel & Friends, 2013). Gr 4-6-Zeno is a beautiful, smart African Gray Parrot with a fierce love for banana nut muffins. Alya is ill and confined to her bed in Brooklyn. When his situation changes suddenly, Zeno embarks on an epic quest to find muffins and a safe place to stay. The bird’s nail-biting odyssey through New York is matched emotionally by Alya’s struggle to fight her illness. Give this friendship story with plenty of heart to animal lovers and fans of Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. halfachanceLord, Cynthia. Half a Chance. (Scholastic, 2014). Gr. 5-8-Lucy is determined to enter the photography contest her famous father is judging, but she knows she’ll have to do it anonymously. When a summer neighbor at her parent’s new lakeside home offers to help her find shots for the contest, she decides to enter under his name. Filled with honest ruminations about new towns, friendships, and family, this realistic fiction choice is elevated by the addition of a sensitive portrayal of (a neighbor's) early-stage Alzheimer’s. thefalconerMay, Elizabeth. The Falconer. (Chronicle, 2014). Gr 6-8-By day, Lady Aileana Kameron is a well-bred daughter of nobility in Edinburgh in 1844. By night, she’s a cold-blooded killer, ruthlessly hunting the fairy who murdered her mother. Aileana juggles her time between training and hunting with a mysterious, attractive Fae (whose reasons for turning on his own kind remain unclear) and participating in the mating rituals of upper-class society. Ball gowns, blood, and an evil fairy determined to bring about the end of the world–this comedy of manners has it all. Oppel, Kenneth. The Boundless. (S & S, 2014)boundless  Gr 5-8-The longest train in existence–more than seven miles from end to end–is about to make its first journey across Canada. The year is 1888 and hostile territory, inhabited by rogue Yetis, is ahead. Even if the train completes the trip, Will, the teenaged son of the train’s conductor, will have to thwart marsh witches, nefarious criminals, and a class system ingrained in the train’s design, to make it safely. An action-packed adventure filled with memorable characters. All aboard! thelostboyRuth, Greg. The Lost Boy. (Graphix, 2013). Gr 6-8-Upon arriving at his new home, Nate is shocked to find a note addressed to him and a tape recorder under the floorboards. Both items document the fantastical forces which led to the disappearance of the last resident of his bedroom. Moody, pen-and-ink drawings lend this exciting graphic novel serious gothic flair. While some of the illustrations may not be for the faint of heart (there is a doll which walks and talks), fans of enjoy creepy stories will enjoy this series starter. Schreiber, Joe. Gamegameoverpetewatson Over, Pete Watson. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). Illus. by Andy Rash. Gr 4-6-Following in the humor-laden footsteps of its hand-drawn, illustrated-novel predecessors, Game Over introduces Pete Watson, a video game enthusiast (8th most favorite game: Unicorn Zombies), who nearly causes the end of the world. When his father, secretly a super-spy, is kidnapped and placed in a video game, it’s up to Pete to save the day, though it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll succeed in his mission. If he doesn't the world will be trapped in a never-ending, 8-bit prison. Thimmesh, Cathescalyspottedrine. Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How Do We Know What Dinosaurs Really Looked Like? (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). Gr 4-8-Dinosaurs walked the planet long before human beings, yet paleoartists have managed to provide us with incredibly detailed images of what they looked like. Technological advances since the 1960s and fossilized skeletal remains have improved scientists' understanding of prehistoric creatures' skin and feathers and, possibly color. In this look at the into the science behind the art, Thimmesh walks readers through the process of “putting together a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle–with plenty of pieces missing.” thelastwildTorday, Piers. The Last Wild. (Viking, 2014). Gr 4-6-It seems that all the edible animals on the planet have died from the dread “red-eye” fever, until Kester Jaynes discovers he can communicate with the vermin left behind. These unlikely allies break him out of the institution where he’s imprisoned and lead him to the Last Wild, where he is tasked with saving the natural world from certain doom. This dystopian story, appropriate for young readers, is a fresh take on the end of the world as we know it.   revolutionWiles, Deborah. Revolution. The Sixties Trilogy: Bk. 2. (Scholastic. 2014). Gr 5-8–Two Greenwood, Mississippi residents–a black boy and a white girl–share their perspectives on the dramatic and frightening happenings in their small town in the summer of 1964. This, the second of Wiles’s documentary novels, relies on words and images–song lyrics, Bible verse, news clips, essays, and more–to bring the past to life and help to place readers at the heart of the action as the steamy Freedom Summer unfolds.   Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla is the Assistant Head of Children’s Services and Collection Development Coordinator at Darien Library in Darien, CT. An avid sci-fi and fantasy fan, you can usually find her with her nose buried in a book. For summer reading suggestions for grades K-3 and 9-12, take a look at those articles in this edition of Curriculum Connections.
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