D65 Middle School Summer Reading
The following District 65 Middle School Librarians compiled this list of exciting titles for your summer reading pleasure: Ms. Hubbard, Ms. Jaquess, Ms. Odwarka, Ms. Philippe, and Ms. Richardson. Dive in!
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In addition to print, many of the below titles are available in a variety of formats: eBook, eAudiobook, book on CD, and Playaway.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone / by Laini Taylor
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. 2011.
Karou, a beautiful blue haired artist attends art school in Prague by day and is summoned to run errands for Brimstone, the chimera who raised her from infancy, by night. Sent all over the world to collect teeth, Karou does as she’s told, but is never told why. After an errand goes horribly wrong, a gravely injured Karou discovers the ancient battle between the angels and chimera. An attraction to an angel, the destruction of her chimera family, and her mysterious origins come to light forcing her to choose between love and revenge.
Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem / by Rosalyn Schanzer
Witches!: The Absolutely True tale of Disaster in Salem, by Rosalyn Schanzer. 2011.
Maybe you think you already know everything about the Salem Witch Trials, but this book will prove you wrong. The stage is set with illustrations of the major accusers, accused, and witch hunters as the story follows the disaster from the winter preceding the accusations to years after the final deaths. The tone is playful but this a serious look at a tragic event in history.
The False Prince /by Jennifer Nielsen
The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen. 2012.
No one knows that the king, queen, and heir to the
throne of Carthya are dead. Sage, along with two other orphans, is chosen to
fight for the role of Prince Jaron, the remaining heir to the throne, presumed
dead, but whose body has never been found. The boys have two weeks to learn
everything about being a prince and the price of failure is death. On the day
of the announcement, a truth is revealed that changes everything.
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous / by Georgia Bragg
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous, by Georgia Bragg. 2011.
Henry the Eighth died from being too fat, President Garfield would have survived his gunshot if the doctors hadn’t treated him and no one’s really sure why exactly Edgar Allen Poe died. Be prepared to be grossed out and fascinated by how the famous have died
Let Me Play: The Story of the Title IX Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America / by Karen Blumenthal
Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX the Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America, by Karen Blumenthal. 2005.
It wasn’t so long ago that girls couldn’t play soccer or baseball or swim competitively after high school. There were no athletic scholarships for girls or any opportunities to play professional sports. All that changed with in 1972 with a law called Title IX. This is an inspiring book that will make you appreciate all the choices that girls have today.
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