District 65 Summer Reading List 2022: Read Beyond Borders
Title: I Dream of Popo
By: Blackburne, Livia
Published: 2021
Suggested ages and book descriptions are from the publisher's website or library catalog record.
Picture Book
Taiwan
Ages 4 to 8
When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong. Includes author's and illustrator's notes detailing their personal experiences, and glossary of Chinese words connected to the story.
Title: Milo Imagines the World
By: de la Peña, Matt
Published: 2021
Picture Book
North America
Ages 4 to 8
While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.
Title: My First Day
By: Phung, Nguyen Quang
Published: 2021
Picture Book
Vietnam
Ages 4 to 8
This is no ordinary first journey. The rainy season has come to the Mekong Delta, and An, a young Vietnamese boy, sets out alone in a wooden boat wearing a little backpack and armed only with a single oar. On the way, he is confronted by giant crested waves, heavy rainfall and eerie forests where fear takes hold of him. Although daunted by the dark unknown, An realizes that he is not alone and continues to paddle. He knows it will all be worth it when he reaches his destination.
Title: Room for Everyone
By: Khan, Naaz
Published: 2021
Picture Book
East Africa
Ages 4 to 8
Musa and his sister travel to a Zanzibar beach in a shared minibus which, despite Musa's protests, gets loaded with everything from a man and his bicycle to ten swimmers.
Title: Run, Little Chaski!
By: Llanos, Mariana
Published: 2021
Picture Book
South America
Ages 4 to 8
In this tale set in the ancient Inca empire, Little Chaski has a big job: he is the Inka King's newest royal messenger. But on his first day things quickly start to go awry. Will Little Chaski be able to deliver the royal message on time?
Title: Yaffa and Fatima
By: Gilani-Williams, Fawzia
Published: 2017
Picture Book
Israel/Palestine
Ages 4 to 9
Yaffa and Fatima live on neighboring date farms. When very little rain leads to a poor harvest, both women go to extra measures to make sure that their neighbor doesn't go hungry.
Title: Zonia's Rain Forest
By: Neal, Juana Martinez
Published: 2021
Picture Book
Peru
Ages 4 to 8
Enjoying days spent with animal friends near her home in the Amazon, young Zonia wonders what to do on a day when the rainforest calls out to her for help, in a lushly illustrated story that is complemented by back matter about the Asháninka community.
Title: The Adventures of a South Pole Pig
By: Kurtz, Chris
Published: 2013
Fiction
South Pole
Ages 10 to 12
Flora the pig ditches the sedentary life on the farm for an adventure in Antarctica, where she escapes the knife and lives her dream of pulling a sled with a team of dogs.
Title: The Boy at the Back of the Class
By: Rauf, Onjali
Published: 2019
Fiction
Syria/England
Ages 8 to 12
When quiet, nine-year-old Ahmet arrives in their classroom, a boy and his friends fail to draw him out but try a new plan after learning he is a Syrian refugee.
Title: Boy, Everywhere
By: Dassau, A.M.
Published: 2021
Fiction
Syria
Ages 9 to 14
Sami loves his life in Damascus, Syria, but when war breaks out his parents decide they must flee their home for the safety of the UK.
Title: The Bridge Home
By: Venkatraman, Padma
Published: 2019
Fiction
India
Ages 10 to 12
Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts.
Title: Frankie & Bug
By: Forman, Gayle
Published: 2021
Fiction
North America
Ages 8 to 12
In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, ten-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your true self, and how to navigate in a world that is not always just or fair.
Title: Hockey Night in Kenya
By: Mutinda, Danson
Published: 2020
Fiction (Chapter Book)
Kenya
Ages 6 to 8
In this illustrated short chapter book, two Kenyan orphans get to experience the joy of playing ice hockey.
Title: Lotería
By: Valenti, Karla
Published: 2021
Fiction
Mexico
Ages 8 to 12
In Oaxaca City, Mexico, ancient friends Life and Death discuss free will while engaged in a game of chance, with eleven-year-old Clara as the protagonist of their theories and a pawn in their game, moving inevitably towards her ultimate fate.
Title: Stowaway
By: Hesse, Karen
Published: 2002
Fiction
Captain Cook's Voyage
Ages 10 and up
A fictionalized journal relates the experiences of a young stowaway from 1768 to 1771 aboard the Endeavor which sailed around the world under Captain James Cook.
Title: Too Small Tola
By: Atinuke
Published: 2020
Fiction (Chapter book)
Nigeria
Ages 7 to 9
Presents three tales of an endearing and enduring character, Tola, who lives in an apartment in the busy city of Lagos, Nigeria, with her sister, brother, and grandmommy.
Title: The Wild Huntsboys
By: Stewart. Martin
Published: 2021
Fiction
Futuristic England
Ages 8 to 12
In a city overrun by war, Luka doesn't have time for games. So when his little sister asks him to care for her faeries as she's sent away to escape the air raids, he dismisses her childishness. But it's already more than he can bear to see her go, so he promises to do as she asks. A promise that Luka quickly breaks.
Title: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
By: Various
Published: 2021
Short Stories/Poetry
North America
Ages 8 to 12
A collection of intersecting stories set at a powwow that bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. In a high school gym full of color and song, Native families from Nations within the borders of the US and Canada dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. They are the heroes of their own stories.
Title: Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country
By: Atinuke
Published: 2019
Non-Fiction
Africa
Ages 7 to 12
A Nigerian storyteller explores the continent of Africa country by country: its geography, peoples, animals, history, resources, and cultural diversity. The book is divided into five distinct sections--South, East, West, Central, and North--and each country is showcased on its own bright, energetic page brimming with friendly facts on science, industry, food, sports, music, wildlife, landscape features, even snippets of local languages.
Title: Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
By: Cox, Lynne
Published: 2014
Non-Fiction
New Zealand
Ages 4 to 8
Here is the incredible story of Elizabeth, a real-life elephant seal who made her home in the Avon River in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. When Elizabeth decides to stretch out across a two-lane road, the citizens worry she might get hurt or cause traffic accidents, so a group of volunteers tows her out to sea.
Title: A Walk in London
By: Rubbino, Salvatore
Published: 2011
Non-Fiction
England
Ages 5 to 8
A child's-eye view of London top attractions blends lively artwork with fascinating facts, and features a sweeping gatefold of the city skyline.
Title: Where Is the Great Barrier Reef?
By: Medina, Nico
Published: 2016
Non-Fiction
Australia
Ages 8 to 12
Explore the Great Barrier Reef—big enough to be seen from space but made up of billions of tiny living organisms. The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. Stretching more than 1,400 miles, it provides a home to a wide diversity of creatures. Designated a World Heritage Site, the reef is suffering from the effects of climate change.
Title: Akissi: Tales of Mischief
By: Abouet, Marguerite
Published: 2018
Graphic Novel
Ivory Coast
Ages 8 to 12
What do flying sheep, super-missiles, and grandmother-attacking coconuts have in common? One feisty little girl! Join Akissi and friends as they get up to all sorts of antics around their town in the Ivory Coast.
Title: Katie the Catsitter
By: Venable, Colleen A.F.
Published: 2021
Graphic Novel
North America
Ages 8 to 12
Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp -- something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life gets interesting. First, Madeline has 217 cats and they're not exactly normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out exactly when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes? Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain?
Title: Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear
By: Nguyen, Trang
Published: 2021
Graphic Novel
Vietnam
Ages 8 to 12
A young conservationist overcomes the odds to return a sun bear to its natural habitat.
Title: Building Zaha
By: Tentler-Krylov, Victoria
Published: 2020
Biography
Iraq
Ages 4 to 8
The city of Baghdad was full of thinkers, artists, and scientists, the littlest among them Zaha Hadid. Zaha knew from a young age that she wanted to be an architect. She set goals for herself and followed them against all odds. This did not stop her from setting goals and achieving them one by one, finding innovative ways to build projects that became famous the world over.
Title: The Floating Field
By: Riley, Scott
Published: 2021
Biography
Thailand
Ages 7 to 11
On a tiny Thai island without room for a soccer field, a group of resourceful teen boys gathers scraps and works together to build a floating field so they can play the game they love.
Title: The Librarian of Basra
By: Winter, Jeanette
Published: 2005
Biography
Iraq
Ages 4 to 7
Tells the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker, the librarian in Basra, Iraq, and what she did to save the library and its precious collection of books during the war of 2003.
Title: Messi: A Boy Who Became a Star
By: Herman, Steve
Published: 2017
Biography
Brazil
Ages 8 to 12
This is the inspiring children story of soccer star Lionel Messi. Born in a poor family, the small boy faced many obstacles in life, including a medical condition that prevented him from growing. But he decided to follow his dream, worked hard and overcame all obstacles to become one of the best soccer players in history.
Title: Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People
By: Brown, Monica
Published: 2011
Biography
Chile
Ages 6 to 9
A biography of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda who wrote poems about the things he loved, the people of Chile, and their stories of struggle.
Title: The People's Painter
By: Levinson, Cynthia
Published: 2021
Biography
Lithuania
Ages 4 to 8
As an observant young child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees-and, after seeing his father banished by the Czar for demanding workers' rights, he develops a keen sense of justice, too. So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings with him both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what's right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art.
Title: Pura's Cuentos
By: Pimentel, Annette Bay
Published: 2021
Biography
Puerto Rico
Ages 4 to 8
This book captures the exuberant spirit and passion of Pura Belpré: celebrated storyteller, author, folklorist, and the first Latina librarian in New York City. A pioneer of bilingual storytimes, she welcomed countless new families to the library, formed cultural bridges in her community, and broke the rules by telling stories that weren't printed in books--not yet.
Title: When Stars Are Scattered
By: Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed
Published: 2020
Biography
Kenya
Ages 9 to 12
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.
Title: While I Was Away
By: Brown, Waka T.
Published: 2021
Biography
Japan
Ages 8 to 12
When twelve-year-old Waka's parents suspect she can't understand the basic Japanese that they speak to her, they make the drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been her summer vacation, Waka is plucked from her straight-A-student life in rural Kansas and flown across the globe, where she faces the culture shock of a lifetime.