2017 Summer Reading List Elementary G6-G8

Child exile. Teenage runaway. Military genius. Immortal hero. Yoshitsune had little going for him. Exiled to a monastery, he had no money, no allies, and no martial training. He wasn't big or strong or good-looking. His only assets were brains, ambition, and a dream. But childhood dreams can change history. At the age of fifteen, Yoshitsune escaped. Blow by painful blow, he learned the art of the sword. Fall after bruising fall, he mastered mounted archery. He joined his half brother Yoritomo in an uprising against the most powerful samurai in Japan. This is the story of insane courage and daring feats, bitter rivalry and fatal love. Based on one of the great works of Japanese history and literature, Samurai Rising takes a clear-eyed, very modern look at the way of the samurai and at the man who became the most famous samurai of all. - Author website. Minamoto Yoshitsune should not have been a samurai. But his story is legend in this real-life saga. This epic tale of warriors and bravery, rebellion and revenge, reads like a novel, but is the true story of the greatest samurai in Japanese history. When Yoshitsune was just a baby, his father went to war with a rival samurai family and lost. His father was killed, his mother captured, and his brothers sent away. Yoshitsune was raised in his enemy's household until he was sent to live in a monastery. He grew up skinny and small. Not the warrior type. But he did inherit his family pride and when the time came for the Minamoto to rise up against their enemy once again, Yoshitsune was there. His daring feats -- such as storming a fortress by riding on horseback down the side of a cliff -- and his glorious victory at sea, secured Yoshitsune's place in history and his story is still being told centuries later. - Publisher.

"A narrative history of the Motown music label covering the historical context, personalities, and ongoing legacy of the 'sound of young America'"--

The award-winning author of The Family Romanov presents an introduction to the life of the American West hero that separates fact from myth to illuminate his actual contributions to the Pony Express, the Battle of Little Big Horn and Native American rights, in a portrait complemented by archival images.

From the New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes an emotional, special new collection of poetry inspired by the Harlem Renaissance -- paired with full-color, original art from today's most exciting African-American illustrators.

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War is a 2015 non-fiction book, aimed for young adolescent readers, written by Steve Sheinkin and published through Roaring Brook Press. The multi-award-winning book tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg's role in the Vietnam War and the Pentagon Papers.

Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present. Includes historical note and glossary.

As middle schooler Trent Zimmerman struggles to move past a traumatic event that took place several months earlier, he befriends class outcast Fallon Little, a girl with a scar across her face, who helps him understand that he can move on.

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds himself in possession of an ancient amulet filled with magic once reserved for the Gods, and becomes the center of a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and destroy Rome. Nic, a slave in the mines of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cave filled with Julius Caesar's treasures. What he finds will change his destiny and the history of the Empire. Book #1

Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places. Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents.

Join William, an oblate on a mission from his monastery; Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village; and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions. They are accompanied by Jeanne's loyal greyhound, Gwenforte . . . recently brou

At first, twelve-year-old Carol is not happy to be spending the summer helping her parents move her grandfather to an assisted living home, but as the summer wears on, she finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by his amazing stories.

An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her.

"Fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship and unconventional smarts.” —Kirkus Reviews

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there's a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don't always think alike.

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. This paperback edition includes The Sketchbook of Impossible Things and discussion questions.

A New York Times Bestseller! 

* “Unforgettable and uplifting.”—School Library Connection, starred review

* "Offering hope to those who struggle academically and demonstrating that a disability does not equal stupidity, this is as unique as its heroine.”—Booklist, starred review

* “Mullaly Hunt again paints a nuanced portrayal of a sensitive, smart girl struggling with circumstances beyond her control." —School Library Journal, starred review 

Amber's Japanese father left when she was little, and her sister Bella was just a baby, so now she fills in the frustrating gap in her life with imagined conversations, and writes letters to Bella that seem to come from their father.

Chronicles the story of the early 1900s typhoid fever epidemic in New York, providing details as to how its infamous carrier was ultimately tracked down and stopped. Gripping text and photographs tell the 1907 true story of the woman who unwittingly spread deadly bacteria, the epidemiologist who discovered her trail of infection, and the health department that decided her fate.

Meet the fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods! The Hodag, like a spinybacked bull-horned rhinoceros packing 3,000 pounds of carnivorous fury. The Snoligoster, the reptilian beast that feeds on the shadows of its victims. And deadlier than a rattler, copperhead, or cottonmouth combined, the Hoop Snake, which can chase prey at speeds up to 60 miles per hour and then, with one sting of its venomous tail, cause the victim to turn purple, swell up, and die. For every kid who loves a good scare, here are 20 spooky, macabre, and yet whimsical tales about the most fantastical beasts in American folklore. Originally published in 1910 by William T. Cox and now inspiringly retold by Hal Johnson. Straight out of the era of Paul Bunyan, it speaks to an earlier time in American history, when the woods were indeed dark and deep and filled with mystery.

"The true story of a group of boy resistance fighters in Denmark after the Nazi invasion"-- "At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phil Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes"-- Ashamed by adult inaction in Denmark during the 1940 Nazi occupation, Knud Pedersen, his brother, and six other schoolmates began a resistance group that inspired the nation.

In this electrifying follow-up to Kwame Alexander's Newbery winner The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Longlist nominee. Twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match. "A novel about a soccer-obsessed tween boy written entirely in verse? In a word, yes. Kwame Alexander has the magic to pull off this unlikely feat, both as a poet and as a storyteller. " —The Chicago Tribune Can’t nobody stop you Can’t nobody cop you… ILA-CBC Children's Choice List· ALA Notable Children’s Book · Book Links’ Lasting Connections · Kirkus Best Book · San Francisco Chronicle Best Book· Washington Post Best Book· BookPage Best Book