Summer Reading Upper School 2024

"After an embarrassing mishap on social media, almost-fourteen-year-old Aria unplugs for the summer and goes to San Francisco to visit Nainai, her Taiwanese grandmother. Aria learns that her grandmother has been staving off an underground monster — and decides to help free Nainai from this burden. Chanani's (Pashmina, rev. 1/18; Jukebox) inventive graphic novel explores themes of healing, friendship, personal responsibility, and intergenerational communication. The illustrations feature plenty of warmth and cartoonish cuteness" (The Horn Book).

"Twelve-year-old Mari is self-conscious about her Cuban family sticking out in her small town. When they burn effigies on New Year's Eve to ward off bad luck, she refuses to participate — and becomes the victim of strange events. Luckily, she has a newfound power to summon the ghosts of her ancestors. They explain that she has incurred the curse of El Cocodrilo, which she breaks by embracing her family's "Peak Cubanity." A humorous investigation of identity, family history, and friendship with some mildly creepy elements" (The Horn Book).

"Chimpanzees were "America’s first astronauts," but how did their voyages help NASA send humans into space? Through Cusick's well-researched look at the primates' training and flights, readers learn that the chimps were highly skilled astronauts performing difficult mental challenges to give scientists useful information. Back matter that includes extensive endnotes, a glossary, an index, and additional resources rounds out this propulsively readable account of a little-known aspect of astronautic history" (The Horn Book).

"If he doesn’t take summer school PE, eighth grader and star athlete Arnie Yashenko won't graduate to high school in the fall. But taking the class means missing the workouts necessary for pitching for his high school's JV baseball team. By the end of the term, he learns the value of friendship and teamwork in this big-hearted novel with chapters that alternate between Yash's and other reluctant summer school attendees' perspectives" (The Horn Book).

"When at-odds sisters Claire and Michelle attend a Taiwanese American summer camp, Michelle strives to forge her dual cultural identity. This engaging graphic novel explores the experiences of not quite fitting in, being stereotyped, and embracing one's heritage and individuality. The panels are packed with details, and moments of humor are captured through playful manga-like facial expressions and gestures, propelling the plot forward" (The Horn Book).

"Calvin Conroy lives in the shadow of his best friend, Kennedy, who will be attending performing arts school in New York City next year. Calvin enlists his neighbor Blake — the only person able to soothe Calvin’s growing anxiety — to help him create a film spectacular enough to convince Kennedy to stay, all while worrying about what his Catholic parents will think about his crushing on another boy. These conflicts are balanced with lightheartedness and references that will delight any theater kid" (The Horn Book).

"It’s the summer of 1985 and twelve-year-old Stevie is on a (chaperoned) cross-country tour with Synchronicity, a performing troupe whose shows are part lip synch, part dance, and some ASL. Stevie's attempts at first romance and her concern about her brother, who has epilepsy and keeps brushing her off, take center stage in a road-trip novel that's chaotic but deeply joyful. Patrick captures the thrills and anxieties of performing — and all the complicated relationships that go on behind the scenes" (The Horn Book).

Elizabeth Rusch’s The Twenty-One is a gripping legal and environmental thriller that tells the story of twenty-one young people and their ongoing case against the U.S. government for denying their constitutional right to life and liberty. A rich, informative, and multifaceted read, The Twenty-One stars the young plaintiffs and their attorneys; illuminates the workings of the United States’s judicial system and the relationship between government, citizens’ rights, and the environment; and asks readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.

Features extensive backmatter, including a timeline, glossary, call to action, additional resources, and photographs.

"After attending the annual MONA (Muslims of North America) conference, twelve-year-old Feek meets fellow conference attendees Hanna, Nora, and Sami at the (fictional) Zora Neale Hurston Airport. The kids come together to search for Feek's younger sister, who wandered off, and Hanna's missing cat. This is more than a cute caper with humorous airport antics: it's a thought-provoking adventure about growing up and the need for individuality, independence, and autonomy" (The Horn Book).

"Phoenny, a thirteen-year-old Chinese American girl, is ecstatic to return to SCCWEE (Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience) with her best friends. When new (and initially unfriendly) campers arrive and internet trolls threaten the camp, Phoenny feels unsettled and afraid. Nightly camper meetings lead to honest and transformative conversations about what it means to be Chinese in this rich portrait of the ups and downs of middle school friendships complete with a few crushes and hilarious camp hijinks" (The Horn Book).