Summer Reading Upper School 2024

"Maggie Lou, full of “pee and vinegar” according to her grandfather, always gets into scrapes. The book comprises three episodic stories full of fast-paced action and humor, each focusing on her tenacity in learning new skills. Maggie Lou’s connection to her family, her awareness of her Native roots and the Northern Michif language, and her interests (including boxing, home construction, and hunting) give these tales a distinctive and refreshing flavor" (The Horn Book).

"This work of narrative nonfiction starts when the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre in 1911. It then jumps forward and backward in time, tracing Leonardo da Vinci’s career and the painting’s history. Readers also follow the painting’s path away from the museum in a case with more than its share of ridiculous moments, delivered with a dose of whimsy. The book combines age-appropriate true crime with art history and historiography. Cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations bring dramatic moments to life" (The Horn Book).

"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).

"It’s the summer of 1999, and Michael worries about the approach of Y2K. Then he meets Ridge, who has time-traveled there (without permission) from two hundred years in the future. A technical blip might trap the traveler at the end of the twentieth century, putting himself and possibly all of civilization at risk. A well-crafted adventure surrounding a big philosophical idea" (The Horn Book)

This introspective graphic memoir explores bicultural identity and the path toward self-acceptance. Kathy’s father is American, and her mother is Thai; Kathy appreciates Thai culture but feels that she’s not Thai enough. She’s acutely aware of how her family stands out during a summer in Maine and struggles to fit in at summer camp. Kathy learns to embrace the unique qualities that connect her to both sides of her family. Pastel-toned panels, black-and-white flashback scenes, and cleanly drawn and expressively detailed characters support Kathy’s internal growth" (The Horn Book)

"Cousins Riley and Maya both move in with their grandmother. At first, sharing a room is a difficult adjustment for only child Maya and for Riley, who is used to being surrounded by her Muscogee relatives. But when they realize the vice principal plans to cut afterschool programs for more detention space, the girls work together to expose his plans and to “be the stars” their grandmother wants them to be. The graphic novel format, with varied panel layouts in the digital illustrations, helps create a fast-paced adventure" (The Horn Book)

"At the motel where Jerry lives with her mom and her imaginary pocket-sized dragon, a radio station broadcasts strange messages in the middle of the night. And then her mom goes missing, which leads Jerry and friends on a hair-raising quest. Part thrilling adventure in a fight against “demons,” part mystery about the secrets hidden in the woods, the novel is populated by an endearing cast of characters. Casual inclusion of disability is another plus, with Jerry’s wheelchair proving an asset in multiple parts of the tale" (The Horn Book).

Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that's now a “reforming arts school”!

But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems—and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time.

Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.