Summer Reading List 2018

It is hard to believe that it is May!!!  Every year I compile a summer reading list for families.  By no means is this a perfect list.  I did notice that there are more books for older middle grade and middle school.  My wish is that I could have a lot of these so the kids could select a couple to take home for the summer.  However, finding funding for this is very difficult.  

If you want to suggest books as well I know families will love that.  Have a fantastic summer of reading.


The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea 

The Wild Robot Escapes byPeter Brown(Author / Illustrator)

The Losers Club by Andrew Clement

As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds

***Miles Morales Spiderman by Jason Reynolds 

 ***AnythingWritten by Jason Reynolds 

***Crossover and Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Creativity Project by Colby Sharp (this book everyone should read and try!!!

***Greetings From Witness Protection by Jake Burt

Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

by Liesl Shurtliff (the other ones are hilarious as well)

Refugee by Alan Gratz

Flying Lesson & Other Stories by Ellen Oh

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Caraya

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Nate Expectations by Tim Federle (this is the third of a trilogy. I’d start with Better Nate Than Ever.

***How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generationby Maureen Johnson

***Ghost Boysby Jewell Parker Phodes

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

***Well That was Awkward by Rachel Vail

***The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz ZafÓn (SCARY!!! his other YA books are wonderful too.)

The Julian Chapters and other short storiesby R.J. Palacio (These are only available on Amazon, but they are $1.99)The author has a group of books that tie into Wonder which are wonderful. 

***Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson

Stay Where You Are & Then Leave by John Boyne (His others are wonderful as well!)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  by L. Frank Baum

The Penderwicks (series) by Jeanne Birdsall

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The  Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

(Neil Gaiman was inspired by The Jungle Book when he wrote The Graveyard Book.  Read both and compare them!)

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

***Older reader!

New Book Club and a Symphony of Armpit Farts

The discussion of Dog Man by Dav Pilkey was fun.  The boys spent more time than usual pointing out the merits of the graphic novel.    They were polite to each other, and when they disagreed with someone they would say, “I disagree with you because..”  I thought, “wow what a new civilized group”.  Well when 12 boys get together after school with food and beverages the civility doesn’t last long.  All it takes is one, third grade, boy to change the tune of the meeting.  As the last boy finished the symphony of armpit farts began.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the boys tried to play a song with their armpits.  I knew if I didn’t intervene it was down hill, and no way to get back.  “Hey what did you guys read over break?” I asked.  Luckily for everyone involved they quickly moved on to answering the questions.

A little background about this Guys Read Book Club:  I currently teach at a Title 1 school with a magnificent view of downtown Denver.  We can walk to the a few museums and Denver Public Library’s main branch.  We are, also, a school in which 60% of our students have been either homeless, or in some type of foster care.  It is a tough school.  Our achievement on the state’s test shows that we lag behind students from middle class schools.  There are about 14 boys this year that come to the monthly meeting.  Of the 14, 11 come from homes where English is not the primary language, and at least one parent is a new immigrant.  Four of the boys read significantly below grade level.  All 14 boys are your typical goofy boys.

After 10 years of doing a book club it is exciting and rewarding to see a group of boys come together and participate in a book club.  It is just like any “fun” book club.  We eat, drink, laugh, talk a little bit about the book, talk, laugh, eat… I am very fortunate that I get a grant to buy the books.  Each month the boys get to keep their books.  For some families these are some of the only books that are in the house.

January 2018

I have worked in Title 1 urban schools and in most of them there is a belief that “these kids won’t do that” or “these kids can’t do that”.  I know that if we don’t provide opportunities for kids in Title 1 schools we will never break the cycle.  Is it challenging? YES.  Is it worth it? Look at the picture.  The saying goes “A picture tells a thousand words.”  In the case of these guys the picture tells a million words!

Miles Morales Spider Man by Jason Reynolds

Miles Morales is just another teenager trying to get through school, talk to girls and not make his parents angry.  Miles is on scholarship to a boarding school in Brooklyn.   He plays video games with his roommate Ganke. (More about him later!)  While trying to fit in and impress a girl named Alicia he makes a bad choice and the consequences get him suspended for a few days.  On top of all the normal teenage issues he is Spider Man and his super powers are acting weird. 

As Miles tries to get he live back together he keeps having nightmares that he can’t shake, even when he is awake.  His nightmares force him to come face to face with an evil plot being carried out by his racist history teacher. That is enough of a summary.  You have to read the book to find out more.

I want to start with the fact that Jason Reynolds is a master storyteller.  Miles Morales Spider Man is an incredible book.  I had trouble putting it down, and I purchased multiple copies to give a Christmas presents. 

Over the past few years there has been a lot of discussion about the lack of characters of color in middle-grade books.  Many of the books that had been published were not that good.  Luckily, the last couple of years we are finally getting well written books that have main characters of color.  Jason Reynolds is one of the authors that writes books that kids enjoy, and make them think. 

I am always seeking books that will make great read alouds or a book for book club.  Unfortunately, this book won’t work for me.  HOWEVER, if I taught fifth grade or middle school it would be a FANTASTIC read aloud.  The same goes for book club.  As I said earlier it was hard to put down.  Mr. Reynolds sucks the reader into the pages.  At times I felt like I was on the subway with Miles.  It is definitely a book I would put in the hands of many kids and in classroom libraries.  Thank you Jason Reynolds.   

Time Traveling With A Hamster by Ross Welford BLOG TOUR!

ARC complements of Random House

Albert Einstein Hawking Chaudhury (what a great name!) twelfth birthday was not what he expected.  He receives two special birthday gifts.  The first one is a hamster he names Alan Shearer.  The second is a letter from his deceased father.  Al’s father died when he was eight, so it is a bit unexpected.  What is in the letter is even more peculiar.  It describes how he needs to get his dad’s time traveling machine and return to 1984, so he can prevent the go-kart accident that eventually causes his dad’s demise.

Time traveling is not as easy as expected, and messing with time has consequences.  Al meets his dad, and grandpa.  Has to steal, break into houses, and lies to hopefully safe his dad.  I’m not going to tell you more because a little more gives a lot away.

The other night at dinner I told my nephew I was reading a book called Time Traveling with a Hamster. I was telling him about the book and he replied, “Why do so many books have a back story where the parents die in a tragic car crash?”   I told him he was jumping the gun.  I never said there was a car crash, but that his dad had a go-kart accident 30 years ago and that caused the death.  He seemed more interested.  For the record this 10-year-old boy reads numerous books where the parents have tragic deaths, so his concerns lack merit! I’ll be interested to hear his reaction to the book.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Ross Welford is a master at capturing the reader and keeping us on the edge of our seat.  He pulls at our heartstrings with scenes involving a loving grandfather and grieving grandson.  He makes us laugh with scenes of Al “borrowing” his grandpa’s scooter to get to his old house so he can steal the time machine.  He makes it difficult to put down this enjoyable book.

Random House has this as a book for ages 8-12.  I would say closer to the older range.  There is nothing shocking or too upsetting, but I think higher readers and more mature readers will enjoy it more.  It would be a great Guys Read Book Club book if the group is mostly 10-12 year old boys.

I did use the book to model how to “think about my reading”.  I showed my third graders how I had questions while I was reading.  I even showed them a YouTube video about the Geordie dialect because I wasn’t sure what it was.

Like I wrote earlier, I am excited to see what Levi thinks of this book.  I will have to see if he will fit it to his reading.  He is currently rereading the Potter series. Maybe he will take it to school and read it there.  If that happens I will never see the copy again because he passes it around to the other fourth graders.

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

I understand the importance of standards; but when they overpower what we believe, and know is good teaching I get scared.  Very scared.  It is very unlikely that many of the students I have taught over the years will end up as a published poet, but that doesn’t mean that poetry writing should be eliminated from the classroom.  Kids love writing poetry; especially, boys because writing rules can be bent and even broken.  In just a few lines their emotions are down on paper.  They feel successful, and engaged.  Would the following book been written if Mr. Alexander’s teachers hadn’t let him write poetry in class?

One of the books nominated for the Cybils is written in free verse.  Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a beautifully written novel.  It is about twins that are star basketball players.  Their mother is the vice principal of the school, and their dad is a famous ex professional basketball player.  The book is told in first person by one of the twins. Josh Bell, nicknamed Filthy McNasty.  He hates the nickname.  He and his brother are inseparable until a girl comes into the picture.  She causes great friction between the two.

Every once in awhile a book comes around and I start a list of whom I want to share the book with.  This is one of those books.  I can see my friend Carol using this book with a small group of fifth grade to middle school boys at her school.  I can see Liam reading it and sharing it with his friends at middle school.  I can see my friend Jennifer reading aloud to her fifth class.