River Dell Middle School – 2019 Summer Reading

Summer is the time to enjoy reading. Here is a list of recommended titles covering all reading genres. Find what you love and take a journey with a book.

Happy Summer Reading, RDMS!!!

(Title annotations adapted from review sources)

MEMOIR

A memoir is an author’s memory of a time, a place, a feeling, a relationship, an event.

The following memoirs written for young people give us the words of authors who share their very personal inside views of history, events big and small, and just plain old living.

It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime; Stories from a South African Childhood

Young Reader Edition by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is a funny guy. But the TV comedian had a solemn start in life as a biracial child born in Apartheid South Africa when interracial relationships there were against the law. In this funny and touching memoir, Noah walks readers through his childhood of poverty, discrimination, and uncertainty, a childhood when his white European father could not be seen with him in public. He presents his black South African mother as the guiding light that gave him a sound education and directed him in developing an idea of who he was that did not include hustler and street criminal. In the Young Reader Edition, Noah explains South Africa's colonial and apartheid histories and the rich diversity of South African culture. Readers will laugh out loud at Noah's comedic wit and timing during the good, the bad, and the ugly times of his upbringing and how a parent's love allowed him to grow into the international success he is today.

Proud: Living My American Dream

Young Reader Edition by Ibtihaj Muhammad

In this tale of a local girl who made good, we journey with New Jersey native Ibtihaj Muhammad as she begins her training as a saber fencer at Maplewood Middle School in Essex County. She ultimately wins a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics, making history as the first Muslim woman to medal at the Olympics and the first woman to compete for Team USA wearing the hijab, the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women. This inspirational story of how the author rose above the bias and judgment against a Black Muslim girl to become an Olympic medalist and one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People is a classic American tale of hard work, dedication, grit, determination, and incredible resilience. This Jersey girl has become a symbol of the strength of America’s diversity. Her story is one worth reading.

This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce, with Debbie Levy

In another classic American story, Jo Ann Allen Boyce shares her experience as one of the Clinton Twelve, the first black students to enter the previously all-white Clinton High School under court order in 1956 Tennessee. Like black teens in other states and towns who were placed on the front lines in the battle to integrate our nation’s public schools, Boyce and the other 11 teens faced angry white mobs outside the school, constant harassment from white classmates, and a hostile principal who viewed integration not as a civic and moral imperative, but simply a legal requirement he was forced to put in place. Her first-person account is told in free verse and formal poetry, along with newspaper headlines, snippets of legislation, and other primary sources about national and local history.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Another memoir told in free verse, this powerful book recounts what it was like to grow up African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of racist Jim Crow laws and the author’s growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both immediate and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.

The Closer Young Reader Edition

by Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He did not grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle. One day, that all changed. From a childhood playing pickup games in Panama to an epic career with the New York Yankees, Mariano's rise to greatness has been anything but ordinary. He's the guy on the mound who doesn't hear the crowd, just the sound of the ump calling Strike! The teammate you can rely on, even when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Whether you know him as Mo or as the Sandman, Mariano Rivera is The Closer, and this is his story. Full of tips for young athletes and tales from the Yankee clubhouse, The Closer: Young Readers Edition is an inspiring story of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication that have defined the life of a baseball legend.

Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee

The first book to portray contemporary North Korea to a young audience, this is the memoir of a North Korean boy forced at age 12 to live on the streets and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly re-creates his story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, his "brothers," to be hungry, and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. This riveting memoir allows young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist.

We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World & I am Malala : How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

Young Reader Edition by Malala Yousafzai

By now, you may be familiar with Malala Yousafzai’s dramatic real-life story. She was 10 years old when the Taliban took control and forbid the education of girls in her home country of Pakistan. Raised in a once-peaceful area of the country violently transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught by her parents to stand up for what she believes, and so she fought for her right to be educated. For her efforts, Malala Yousafzai was targeted by the Taliban and n October 9, 2012, she was shot point-blank in the face while riding the bus on her way home from school. In her 2019 book We Are Displaced, the refugee and Nobel Peace Prize winner turns our attention to the other girls displaced from the communities and homes they love, girls she has met in her work as an international ambassador for women’s and girls’ rights. Shining a light on the personal side of this international crisis, Yousafzai writes with gut-wrenching detail, showing readers the complex layers of

life as a refugee – the struggle of escape, the frustrations of bureaucracy in the face of mortal danger, and the painful goodbyes along the way. In all of her work, Yousafzai encourages all of us to take these stories personally and find ways to contribute to the solution.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

MARCH Trilogy graphic novels

by John Lewis

Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration in their struggle for racial equality in America from a 1958 comic book called Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. Now, Congressman Lewis’s own graphic novels bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations. MARCH is a vivid first-hand account of the veteran congressman’s lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis's personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Being Jazz : My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings

Making the journey from girl to woman is never easy – especially when you began your life in a boy's body. Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl with the support of her parents. A year later, her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first nationally televised interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable or accepting of the transgender community. This groundbreaking interview was followed over the years by other high-profile interviews, a documentary, the launch of her YouTube channel, a picture book, and her own reality TV series – I Am Jazz – making her one of the most recognizable activists for transgender teens, children, and adults. In her remarkable memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. But it hasn't all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, bullying, discrimination, and rejection, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. Through it all, her family has been beside her on this journey, standing together against those who don't understand the true meaning of tolerance and unconditional love. Now Jazz must learn to navigate the physical, social, and emotional upheavals of adolescence – particularly high school – complicated by the unique challenges of being a transgender teen.

NON-FICTION REAL STORIES

With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote by Ann Bausum

In 2019 and 2020, America celebrates the 100th anniversaries of the two historical development that gave American women the right to vote. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America became the law of the land in August 1920. Women who had fought long and hard, sometimes under dangerous and threatening circumstances, had won the right for all women to be considered full citizens under the law. Ann Bausum’s lively look at this momentous development in our nation’s history remains one of the best books on the subject. She peels back the layers of the story of the women's suffrage movement, exposing grit, fiery determination, and radical tactics. She examines the events of 1906 to 1920, when two groups followed very different paths to gain a woman’s right to vote. On one side, the cautious National American Woman Suffrage Association worked to have individual states pass laws allowing women to vote. On the other side was a group of women willing to truly suffer for suffrage. This smaller but more radical organization called the National Woman's Party demanded a change to the nation’s Constitution guaranteeing all American women the right to vote. Photographs, some never before published, depict key figures in the movement speaking, protesting, parading, picketing, and going to jail.

Vincent and Theo: the Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

Vincent van Gogh is one of the best-known artists today, but it’s very likely we wouldn’t know about him at all if not for his devoted and beloved brother Theo. Theo van Gogh was an art dealer who supported his troubled brother and championed his paintings until his own untimely death, just months after Vincent’s. The author uses the brothers’ letters to one another and to others to take us inside their relationship. In painterly language, the author describes Vincent’s artwork and life. This is not a light read at 400 pages, but if you are an art lover, an artist, or just like to journey inside the life of someone fascinating, it is a beautiful read.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the racially segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. These were black servicemen who were charged with handling dangerous explosives that no white enlisted soldier or officer had to touch. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. Fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution. This is a fascinating story of the prejudice that faced black men and women in America's armed forces during World War II, and a look at those who gave their lives in service of a country where they lacked the most basic rights.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

The compelling story of the teenage boys who resisted the Nazis when the adults would not. Overwhelmed by Nazi aggression at the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, 15-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis into their own hands. 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.

Samurai Rising : the Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner

Minamoto Yoshitsune should never even have been a samurai. That is why his story is legend. This exciting epic warrior tale reads like an adventure novel, even though it 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 surviving half-brother banished. Yoshitsune was sent away to live in a monastery. Skinny, small, and unskilled in the warrior arts, he nevertheless escaped and learned the ways of the samurai. When the time came for the Minamoto clan to rise up against their enemies, Yoshitsune answered the call. His daring feats and impossible bravery earned him immortality.

FICTION

Scythe, Thunderhead, Toll Arc of a Scythe trilogy

by Neal Shusterman

SCIENCE FICTION – dystopia Hurry up!!! Seriously, young people. Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on the first two installments in the Arc of a Scythe series before the third book, The Toll, is released in November and before the movie hits the big screen at an as-yet-unannounced date. Also, read anything by Neal Shusterman. Scythe was described as “unputdownable” by a snooty literature review journal where they know good and

well that it’s not a word, but decided it was the only way to describe this astonishing fast-paced scifi thrill ride. Citra and Rowan live in a future when all disease has been eliminated. The only way to die is to be “gleaned” by professional reapers called Scythes. Chosen to die. Both teens have been selected to train as Scythes. Neither one wants it, but somebody has to do it. With no natural death, death must be managed and carefully arranged and carried out. Without the Scythes and their life of service, the planet would be overrun with human life it could not support. Join Citra and Rowan as they are forced to compete for the title, with life-and-death consequences.

The Hate U Give & On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

REALISTIC FICTION – race relations Along with fellow teen author Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas has become a critical voice in the conversation on race in America. Set in the same neighborhood as her electrifying 2017 debut, The Hate U Give, Thomas’s new novel – On The Come Up – makes sharp observations about the cycle of poverty and the effects of systemic racism in America. In this story, aspiring rapper Bri records a song titled "On the Come Up" to protest the racial profiling and assault she endured at the hands of white security guards at her high school. The song goes viral, and Bri seizes the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her late father and lift her family out of poverty. But her loved ones worry, especially when some listeners paint her as an angry black girl inciting violence. Tension mounts as Bri's mother loses her job, Bri's relationship with her beloved aunt and musical mentor splinters, and a new manager dangles the prospect of fame and wealth-at a price. Another important teen book – American book – by this dynamic young author.

Rick Riordan Presents Various titles

MYTHOLOGY – stories from various cultures

Let’s let Rick Riordan – creator of the wildly popular Percy Jackson and Olympians series and others about Western mythologies – tell us why he created this exciting new series imprint at Disney/Hyperion that allows authors from other cultures to introduce us to the foundational stories that shaped those cultures and civilizations: “Our goal is to publish great middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage. Over the years, I’ve gotten many questions from my fans about whether I might write about various world mythologies, but in most cases I knew I wasn’t the best person to write those books. Much better, I thought, to use my experience and my platform at Disney to put the spotlight on other great writers who are actually from those cultures and know the mythologies better than I do. Let them tell their own stories, and I would do whatever I could to help those books find a wide audience!”

WhatsHisFace by Gordon Korman

HUMOROUS FICTION – MIDDLE SCHOOL– GHOST STORY Gordon Korman strikes again – thank goodness! Only this author could combine a middle school laugh-out-loud with serious issues like bullying and throw in an Elizabethan-era ghost living in a kid’s cell phone. Army brat Cooper Vega is used to starting over in new schools and being practically invisible. As he starts 7th Grade at yet another school, his parents have given him a smart phone that is state-of-the-art but also haunted. By a ghost. It’s the ghost of a 16th Century English printer's apprentice who says he, not Shakespeare, is the real author of Romeo and Juliet, the play being performed at Cooper’s new school. And he – the ghost – wants credit before that school play has its opening night. Funny scenarios abound, especially when Cooper starts taking the ghost's advice on how to impress the girl he likes.

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

FANTASY – illustrated Can you read pictures? Author M.T. Anderson at his witty, offbeat best pairs up with illustrator Eugene Yelchin to create this romp through history replete with elves, goblins, spies, and high-stakes cloak-and-dagger stuff. You will experience this fantastical journey reading both text and multiple pages of amazing illustrations in a way similar to Brian Selznick’s outstanding books The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck. Brangwain Spurge has been sent from Elfland to the neighboring goblin kingdom to return a precious artifact. It looks like a hand of friendship to a rival nation, but there’s more. Brangwain Spurge is a super spy for the elves. Unbeknownst to his goblin counterpart and even to Spurge the spy, their nations are already preparing for war. Yelchin’s digitally assembled pen-and-ink drawings of Spurge’s spy reports carry the story forward without words. They look and feel like medieval lithographs and include touches of humor, silliness, and fear. Master storyteller teams up with awesome illustrator and we have one infectious fantasy.

Guys Read: Heroes & Villains by Jon Scieszka

NOT JUST FOR GUYS Caution: there is some non-fiction in here! The 7th volume in Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library of Great Reading, is chock-full of adventure featuring an array of characters — with and without capes. Featuring 10 original stories that run the gamut from fantasy to comics to contemporary adventure to nonfiction, and featuring eleven of the most acclaimed, exciting writers for kids working today, this collection is the perfect book for you, whether you use your powers for good — or evil. Also, check out the other GUYS READ titles because, well, they rock!

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

GREEK MYTHOLOGY ala Percy Jackson “A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously? Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again. But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.” So begins Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic – and sarcastic asides – to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who's who of ancients from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. "If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that."

The Crossover and Booked by Kwame Alexander

SPORTS FICTION / NOVELS IN VERSE THE CROSSOVER: "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family. BOOKED: Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can't nobody stop you/can't nobody cop you… In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER, soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as 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 by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

HISTORICAL FICTION: World War II World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival. This masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff – the greatest maritime disaster in history.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

REALISTIC FICTION: People with disabilities Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom – the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it...somehow. In this breakthrough story, readers will come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever how they look at anyone with a disability.

The Mortal Instruments

series by Cassandra Clare

FANTASY This blockbuster urban fantasy series has been made into a movie and remains at the top of teens’ must-read lists 10 years after it was published. In the six-book series, human-angel hybrids walk among us, unseen but ever-present, our invisible protectors. They call themselves Shadowhunters. Suddenly able to see demons and the Darkhunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, 15-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

REALISTIC FICTION – Race Relations Rashad Butler is a quiet, artistic teen who hates ROTC but dutifully attends because father insists "there's no better opportunity for a black boy in this country than to join the army." Rashad heads to Jerry's corner store on a Friday night to buy chips and ends up the victim of unwarranted arrest and police brutality: an event his white schoolmate Quinn Collins witnesses in terrified disbelief. Quinn is even more shocked because the cop is Paul Galluzzo, older brother of his best friend and Quinn's mentor since his father died in Afghanistan. Reynolds and Kiely's collaborative effort deftly explores the aftermath of police brutality, addressing the fear, confusion, and anger that affects entire communities. Diverse perspectives are presented in a manner that feels organic to the narrative, further emphasizing the tension created when privilege and racism cannot be ignored. Timely and powerful, this novel promises to have an impact long after the pages stop turning.