Summer Reading Upper School 2024

Owen Godfrey is spending his summer in Paris studying science fiction writer Jules Verne, the brilliant mind behind Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days. When Owen and his new friends find what appears to be a dusty copy of Verne’s collected works in an old bookshop, they’re intrigued by the hidden codes written inside. As one clue leads to another, the trio gets swept up in an epic treasure hunt spanning the city—from the depths of the catacombs to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and by way of skateboard, boat, car, and even a hot air balloon! But they quickly realize they’re not the only ones searching for the hidden riches, and that there are others who will stop at nothing to get to them first.

"This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams." The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey's life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir--furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he'll be a free man...but will they all survive that long?"-- Provided by publisher.

When someone gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly push down the stairs during the Swift Family Reunion, Shenanigan Swift, who has a penchant for mischief, decides to become a detective and solve this mysterious case.

"Ida, Max and Jack go to the creek one winter's day. They play on an ice floe then find themselves floating away-all the way to the polar ice, with just a box, a branch and some sandwiches ... They find an old hut, meet penguins, see extraordinary things and, after testing their resources in this dramatic land of ice and snow, come home safe at the end of the day"--Provided by publisher.

"Sycamore seed siblings Merwin and Louise must use their wits and imaginations to navigate a mysterious and often dangerous world, filled with talking plants, monsters, meteors, and the fear of never finding the right conditions to set down roots and become big trees"--Provided by publisher.

A fictionalized account of a young conservationist, Chang, who overcomes the odds to save and return an elephant to its natural habitat.

"Roz must take an under-the-ocean journey to save her island from a mysterious poison tide"--Provided by publisher.

Twelve-year-old Adnan dreams of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis championship, but when tragedy strikes his family, Adnan loses his passion for table tennis and must learn to channel his grief and heal.

Binh and his family take a trip to a silent meditation retreat, where he learns a lot about himself and how to manage his feelings through Buddhist teachings.

An extraordinary story about family, friendship and hope. 10-year old Julia deals with her mother's depression.

"It's hard enough being a kid without being teased for a funny sounding name or wearing a hijab. It's even harder when you're constantly fighting your sibling--and Zara and Zeeshan really can't stand each other. During a family trip to Florida, when the bickering, shoving, and insults reach new heights of chaos, their parents sentence them to the worst possible fate--each other's company! But when the twins find an ailing turtle, it presents a rare opportunity for teamwork--if the two can put their differences aside at last"--Provided by publisher.

Set in the multicultural city of Montreal, Canada, wherre families of many faiths, cultures, and ways of being live close together and get along quite well, this tale is about finding love and pursuing your dreams, no matter the odds.

As Pelican Island's history-making drought wears on, the water level on Bex and Davey's beloved marsh reveals the hand of a statue that has been underneath the water for who knows how long, and the siblings are determined to find out more.

Quarantined with his family as a global plague ravages the world, Clay retreats to the woods where he meets a special little dog who leads him on surreal adventures where choosing the wrong path could cause them both to lose their way forever.

"As twelve-year-old Ellie Engle navigates seventh grade and her changing relationship with her best friend, a freak accident occurs and gives Ellie the ability to bring things back to life through touch"--OCLC.

"Free dog Johannes' job is to observe everything that happens in his urban park and report back to the park's three bison elders, but changes are afoot, including more humans, a new building, a boatload of goats, and a shocking revelation that changes his view of the world"--OCLC.

Fleeing from the orphanage where she lives, Grace makes a deal with the witch in the nearby woods--if Grace can learn all the witch's spells, she must make Grace her apprentice--an agreement that leads to an unexpected bond, and an unimaginable sacrifice.

ugh a mysterious hidden doorway and enters the realm of Greenwild, where she must uncover the truth about who she really is to save this land of magic and amazing natural wonders from being destroyed.

"First-generation Filipino siblings JJ and Althea struggle to belong at school. JJ wants to fit in with the crowd, while Althea wants to be accepted as she is. But that hope seems like a long shot, for both of them. To make matters worse, they have to help their parents run the family food truck by dressing up as a dancing pig and passing out samples. Ugh! And their mom is always pointing out lessons from Filipino folklore -- annoying tales they've heard again and again. But when witches, ogres, and other creatures from those same stories threaten their family, JJ and Althea realize that the folklore may be more real that they'd suspected. Can they embrace who they really are and save their family?--Jacket flap.

"Ruby's story picks up a few months after the events of 'The One and Only Bob.' Now living in a wildlife sanctuary, Ruby's caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa where she grew up is visiting. Seeing him again brings back a flood of memories both happy and sad of her life before the circus, and she recounts the time she spent in the African savannah to Ivan and Bob"--Publisher.

"The frame story of this absorbing book of nested tales involves a sea captain and his history of unfulfilled love. Within that story is a chronicle of his five puppets and the sisters who inherit them, and within that narrative is the puppet play itself, about a young man tragically cursed to a life of loneliness and despair. The melancholic mood is perfectly captured in digitally rendered pencil drawings that add specificity, dignity, drama, and sheer beauty" (The Horn Book).

"Squire is brainy, bookish, and terribly under-appreciated by the brawny, inept knight Sir Kelton, who somehow always gets all the glory. So when the two mismatched heroes find themselves in a cursed village plagued by a demonic dragon, Kelton rides off to slay it and Squire stays behind to catch up on some reading. But Squire starts to notice that something isn't quite right about this town--Can he uncover its strange secrets?"--Provided by publisher.

While preparing for her bat mitzvah--and trying to make sense of her own life--Zippy discovers she has magical abilities when she conjures up a beautiful girl with no memory and wings like an angel to whom she is connected.

"July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren't real. So she pretends they don't exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it's Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He's a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth--for William to live, July must die"--Provided by publisher.

"In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both?"--Provided by publisher.

After their two-week family tour of Los Angeles, ten-year-old Feng Li Lin and her older brother and sister learn they will remain in California while their parents return to Taiwan, forcing them to navigate a new school, a new language, bullies, racism, and the pressures of running a household.

Eleven-year-old Juniper sets out on a wild adventure to find her mother and protect a public park just days before Christmas.

"What are people for? That's the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom. Fame! says Leeva's mom, the mayor of Nutsmore. Money! says her dad, the town treasurer. With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer--setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever"--Provided by publisher.

After an accident in the woods involving a young girl, eleven-year-old Hex meets a mysterious woman who offers him a deal to change his world, which sets off a ripple effect that Hex's best friend Tommo must rectify.

"A witty, illustrated collection of humorous (and sometimes even heartwarming) poems and nonsense inspired by the absurdities of everyday life"--Provided by publisher.

A grieving son follows a treasure map his late father left him through the woods they used to explore together.

"Covering a wide variety of STEAM topics, including geology, paleontology, physics, astronomy, creative writing and drawing, this collection of poems is presented in the format of an allegorical house that sparks wonder and shows readers how to kindle it in themselves"--Provided by publisher.

"A collection of stories and recipes about antiracism from 21 North American children's authors"--Provided by publisher.

"Around the world, our ancient ancestors' mysterious art is left behind on cave walls, in rain forests, and with ink made from charcoal and crushed clay. These people told their stories in magnificent drawings that still speak to us today, echoing across generations. In her own . . . artwork that features the deserts of North America to the caves of Papua New Guinea, Hannah Salyer showcases ancient rock paintings, drawings, and etchings and invites us to add to the ongoing story--our ancestory"--Provided by publisher.

"A picture book biography about pioneering composer, John Cage"--Provided by publisher.

"Tells the story of Edith Clarke, the innovator who solved an electrical mystery and built the first graphing calculator--from paper, an accomplishment that helped her become of the first woman electrical engineer in America"--Provided by publisher.

"During World War II, families all across Europe huddled together in basements, attics, and closets as Nazi soldiers rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced Jewish people to carry papers stamped with that star, so that it was clear who to capture. But many brave souls dared to help them. Jewish teenager Jacqueline Gauthier, a member of the French Resistance who had to conceal her identity, was one who risked her life in secret workshops, forging papers with new names and without stars in order to help others escape. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? An ordinary wooden toy duck held the answer, a hidden compartment"--Provided by publisher.

"Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal winner and illustrator of over one hundred books, tells the story of his childhood and how he developed his artistic talent"--Provided by publisher.

WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ AUTHOR AWARD AND ILLUSTRATOR AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

"[This book] tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire and recruit a new generation of diverse astronauts and many others in the space and STEM fields"--Provided by publisher.

"An exploration of seaweed's role in marine ecosystems and climate change solutions"--Provided by publisher.

"The nonfiction book introduces middle grade readers to the effects of light pollution. Illustrated with photos throughout, it examines why darkness is important for plants, animals and people, and the practical things we can do to protect the night sky for all ecosystems on the planet"--Provided by publisher.

"A picture book in verse that threads together past and present to explore the legacy of slavery during a classroom lesson"--Provided by publisher.

"The Indestructible Tom Crean reveals the incredible true stories of Crean's adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. When the Endurance becomes trapped in the frozen sea and sinks, it is up to Crean and several others to go for help"--Provided by publisher.

"From fish to mammals and plants to insects, every organism on Earth must reproduce, and the survival of each species--and of life itself--depends on this and on the diversity it creates. In this . . . book, Katherine Roy distills the science of reproduction into its simplest components: organisms must meet, merge their DNA, and grow new individuals; . . . highlights the . . . variety of this process with examples from across the natural world, from plants to insects to fish, birds, mammals, and more"--Provided by publisher.

"A stone is not just a stone. A stone is a story. Journey across history to see how one stone changes and transforms, from magma, oozing under Earth's crust, to sand ground down by a rushing river, to the heart of a mountain. Watch what happens when rain, ice, and wind mold this rock into something new, something you might even hold in your hand and imagine all that is left for the stone to become. Leslie Barnard Booth weaves captivating prose to answer one of kids' most curious questions, "where do rocks come from?", brought to colorful life by Marc Martin's stunning illustrations"--

Introduces the reader to the brain and all of the things it can do.

"This picture book biography in verse follows the life of . . . Rajasthani drag performer Queen Harish, known as the Whirling Desert Queen of Rajasthan. Lit by an inner fire and propelled by a family tragedy, Harish defied the gender conventions of middle class Indian life, battled discrimination and intimidation, and eventually grew up to dance with Bollywood movie stars and on stages across the world. Jyoti Gopal's rhythmic phrases evoke the particular sounds and beats of the music Harish danced to, and capture the passions and conflicts of his life"--Provided by publisher.

"A wordless picture book portrayal of war seen through the eyes of a young girl who finds hope in the symbolism of yellow butterflies against the background of a pure blue sky. Using the colors of his national flag, Oleksandr Shatokhin has created a[n] . . . emotional response to the conflict in Ukraine and provided a narrative full of . . . visual metaphors for readers to consider as they travel from the devastating effects of war to a place of hope for peace and the future. Back matter includes notes on sharing a wordless picture book and how to talk to children about war"--Provided by publisher.