Info for Families of Elementary-Aged Students
(Copied from the PDF Documents Above)
Suggested Apps & Online Resources
Apps through Classlink:
Lalilo (K-2), MyOn (K-4), and Sora (K-4) are available during the summer.
Online Resources:
Starfall - https://www.starfall.com/h/ has a free version to practice reading and spelling
StoryLine www.storylineonline.net -has wonderful stories read aloud
Unite for Literacy - www.uniteforliteracy.com online reading and audio books
Wonderopolis - Wonderopolis an intriguing question is posed each day and then explored in a variety of ways
The Kids Should See This - “Smart videos for curious minds of all ages”
Decodable Books
Printable Materials:
K-2 IMSE summer packet 2025
Suggested podcasts
Info for Families of Middle School-Aged Students
Background Info: About Middle School Summer Reading
Natick's middle school Language & Literacy teachers have selected required texts to provide rich literary experiences to keep students reading and growing during the summer months. It is critically important that students stay engaged during the summer months to help with the transition back to school next fall. These books will serve as a launch to learning for students in the fall and will offer teachers an opportunity to create learning experiences related to summer reading that will target key skills and get to know students as readers. It will be important to read carefully and critically, but also to find a book from the list that you are engaged in.
Students need to select one of the following texts to read, but if interested, students can certainly read more than one of the choices. In addition to reading at least one of the assigned books for your grade level, each student in incoming grades 5-8 should read at least one other text of your choice. This could be a book, graphic novel, or another type of text at your challenge level.
Links are provided on each page with information about how to sign up for library cards to access the books electronically for free. Summer Reading Titles are available for simultaneous use with Sora. Use Sora for audiobooks by signing in with your NatickPS email account. See instructions HERE. Directions on how to translate audiobooks into other languages HERE.
Visit our School Library home pages (KMS / WMS ) or the local library or bookseller for recommendations. We encourage families to shop local!
The PTO is pleased to partner with Ten Trees Books in downtown Natick - owned by a Wilson parent - for Summer Reading Books 2025. If you prefer to shop online, the website is now accessible. 20% of your order will go to support the two school PTOs if you can purchase before June 18th. After that, all books will still be available at Ten Trees Books throughout the summer.
Order online through the PTO: Ten Trees Books website
Books can be mailed to you at an additional cost. The donation at Ten Tree Books is based on summer reading titles only.
Additional Resources:
The following resources are accessible throughout the summer and offer additional opportunities for students to independently practice Language and Literacy skills at home.
Speaking and Listening:
ListenWise - Sign up for free and listen to current events and news updates from NPR. Comprehension questions are included.
Podcasts - CommonSense Media - Click here for a list of the best podcasts for kids.
Audiobooks - Students can access audiobooks through local libraries. The Libby app connects to your local library card and offers the opportunity to check out eBooks and audiobooks.
Language/Vocabulary Development:
Membean.com - Students have accounts available via Classlink all summer to our individualized vocabulary development program.
Quill.org and NoRedInk - free programs that offers writing lessons with a focus on grammar development and instruction (can be accessed through Classlink).
Khan Academy - Grammar lessons available for free all summer.
Informational Reading:
Newsela - Educational news website; students can read non-fiction texts and current events with comprehension questions provided.
CommonLit - A range of non-fiction and fiction texts are available on this website that is accessible via Classlink all summer.
Fiction Reading:
Students need to read a required summer reading book and at least one other text. In addition, they should read, read, read any fiction book they can get their hands on! All of the books listed in this document are excellent suggestions.
Wilson / Kennedy Library - Students can check out books from their school library for the summer.
Writing:
Write emails, letters, or postcards to family or friends about summer activities.
Send a “precept postcard” to your teacher - click here for instructions!
Create a writer’s notebook and respond to prompts from these resources:
A Note: Reading is a wonderful way to not only engage in great stories, but to develop empathy and understand others’ perspectives. As part of the process of understanding others’ stories, some of our titles explore heavy themes connected to loss and grief. We recommend your child explore the descriptions at their grade level to see what stories are most compelling to them and the best fit.
Book Covers Organized by Grade Level - Descriptions Follow
Incoming Grade 9
Book choices and assignment requirements will be available soon. In the meantime, you may consult the 2024 Grade 9 assignment options for a sense of what is offered at NHS.
Incoming Grade 8
Nowhere Boy
by Katherine Marsh
Fourteen-year-old Ahmed is stuck in a city that wants nothing to do with him. Newly arrived in Brussels, Belgium, Ahmed fled a life of uncertainty and suffering in Aleppo, Syria, only to lose his father on the perilous journey to the shores of Europe. Now Ahmed’s struggling to get by on his own, but with no one left to trust and nowhere to go, he’s starting to lose hope.
Then he meets Max, a thirteen-year-old American boy from Washington, D.C. Lonely and homesick, Max is struggling at his new school and just can’t seem to do anything right. But with one startling discovery, Max and Ahmed’s lives collide and a friendship begins to grow. Together, Max and Ahmed will defy the odds, learning from each other what it means to be brave and how hope can change your destiny.
Set against the backdrop of the Syrian refugee crisis, award-winning author of Jepp, Who Defied the Stars Katherine Marsh delivers a gripping, heartwarming story of resilience, friendship and everyday heroes.
Think about the following questions in preparation for class discussion:
How do the problems faced by the main character(s) impact their development throughout the story?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How does the main character(s)’ motivation impact the choices they make? What are the consequences of those choices?
What differences exist in the backgrounds of characters in the story and how do they impact the plot?
Learn about Katherine Marsh and her other books on her website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Nowhere Boy on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 8
First State of Being
by Erin Entrada Kelly
It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware, is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his sixteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere, Michael discovers there is more to life than stockpiling supplies and pining over Gibby.
It turns out that Ridge is carefree, confident, and bold, things Michael wishes he could be. Unlike Michael, however, Ridge isn’t where he belongs. When Ridge reveals that he’s the world’s first time traveler, Michael and Gibby are stunned but curious. As Ridge immerses himself in 1999—fascinated by microwaves, basketballs, and malls—Michael discovers that his new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years, and his curiosity morphs into something else: focused determination. Michael wants—no, needs—to get his hands on that book. How else can he prepare for the future? But how far is he willing to go to get it?
From bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly, also the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this novel explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness.
Think about the following questions in preparation for class discussion:
How do the problems faced by the main character(s) impact their development throughout the story?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How does the main character(s)’ motivation impact the choices they make? What are the consequences of those choices?
What differences exist in the backgrounds of characters in the story and how do they impact the plot?
Learn about Erin Entrada Kelly and her other books. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The First State of Being on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 8
The Bletchley Riddle
by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
A stunning collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, this middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s disappearance.
Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…
Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.
The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues which unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?
Think about the following questions in preparation for class discussion:
How do the problems faced by the main character(s) impact their development throughout the story?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How does the main character(s)’ motivation impact the choices they make? What are the consequences of those choices?
What differences exist in the backgrounds of characters in the story and how do they impact the plot?
Learn about Ruta Sepetys and her other books on her website. Click here!
Learn about Steve Sheinkin and his other books on his website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The Bletchley Riddle on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 8
I Am Still Alive
by Kate Alice Marshall
After: Jess is alone. Her cabin has burned to the ground. She knows if she doesn’t act fast, the cold will kill her before she has time to worry about food. But she is still alive—for now.
Before: Jess hadn’t seen her survivalist, off-the-grid dad in over a decade. But after a car crash killed her mother and left her injured, she was forced to move to his cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness. Just as Jess was beginning to get to know him, a secret from his past paid them a visit, leaving her father dead and Jess stranded.
After: With only her father’s dog for company, Jess must forage and hunt for food, build shelter, and keep herself warm. Some days it feels like the wild is out to destroy her, but she’s stronger than she ever imagined.
Jess will survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father…and she wants revenge.
Think about the following questions in preparation for class discussion:
How do the problems faced by the main character(s) impact their development throughout the story?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How does the main character(s)’ motivation impact the choices they make? What are the consequences of those choices?
What differences exist in the backgrounds of characters in the story and how do they impact the plot?
Learn about Kate Alice Marshall and her other books on her website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for I Am Still Alive on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 7
The Labors of Hercules Beal
by Gary D. Schmidt
Herc Beal knows who he's named after—a mythical hero—but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules's amazing feats in real life, he's skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod—and not a single Hydra in sight.
Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn't working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.
As you read, think about these questions:
How do the characters stand up for who they are and embrace what makes them unique?
How do the experiences the characters endure help them learn and grow?
Explain how the characters find and develop unexpected or unique friendships.
Explain how characters use close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
Learn more about the Mythical 12 Labors of Hercules by clicking here.
About the Author - Learn about Gary D. Schmidt and his other books. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The Labors of Hercules Beal on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 7
Posted
by John David Anderson
Don't miss this humorous, poignant, and original contemporary story about bullying, broken friendships, social media, and the failures of communication between kids. From John David Anderson, author of the acclaimed Ms. Bixby’s Last Day.
In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever.
When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well.
In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same.
As you read, think about these questions:
How do the characters stand up for who they are and embrace what makes them unique?
How do the experiences the characters endure help them learn and grow?
Explain how the characters find and develop unexpected or unique friendships.
Explain how characters use close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
About the Author -
Learn more about John David Anderson on his website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Posted on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 7
Not Nothing
By Gayle Forman
Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he’s bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn’t seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don’t want him, and Shady Glen’s geriatric residents seem like zombies to him.
Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp—all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey’s door…and Josey begins to tell Alex his story.
As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he’s ever done?
As you read, think about these questions:
How do the characters stand up for who they are and embrace what makes them unique?
How do the experiences the characters endure help them learn and grow?
Explain how the characters find and develop unexpected or unique friendships.
Explain how characters use close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
Learn more about Gayle Forman on her website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Not Nothing on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 7
Starfish
by Lisa Fipps
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet.
Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life--by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.
As you read, think about these questions:
How do the characters stand up for who they are and embrace what makes them unique ?
How do the characters learn and grow with the people around them?
In which groups or communities do the main character(s) feel excluded, like outsiders? In which groups or communities do the main character(s) feel safe?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
About the Author -
Learn more about Lisa Fipps on her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Starfish on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
The First Rule of Punk
by Celia C. Pérez
There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself!
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn more about Celia C. Pérez check out her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The First Rule of Punk on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
Hummingbird
by Natalie Llyod
Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as “fragile” just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she’s thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can’t wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she’s always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.
Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.
When it becomes clear that she can’t solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn more about Natalie Lloyd check out her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Hummingbird on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
The Sherlock Society
by James Ponti
Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring), lawn mowing (sweaty), or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty). Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe’s retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases.
The group’s first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami. Their investigation into the local doings of famed gangster Al Capone leads them to a remote island in the middle of the Everglades where they find alarming evidence hinting at corporate corruption.
Together with Grandpa’s know-how and the kids’ intelligence—plus some really slick gadgets—can the Sherlock Society root out the conspiracy?
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn more about James Ponti check out her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The Sherlock Society on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
Way of the Warrior Kid
by Jocko Willink
Fifth grade was the worst year of Marc’s life. He stunk at gym class, math was too hard for him, the school lunch was horrible, and his class field trip was ruined because he couldn’t swim. And the most awful thing about fifth grade? Kenny Williamson, the class bully, who calls himself the King of the Jungle Gym.
When Marc’s mother tells him that his uncle Jake is coming to stay for the whole summer, Marc can’t wait. Uncle Jake is a for-real, super-cool Navy SEAL. And Uncle Jake has a plan.
He’s going to turn Marc into a warrior.
Becoming a warrior isn’t easy. It involves a lot of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, squats, swimming, eating right, and studying harder than ever before! Can Marc transform himself into a warrior before school starts in the fall–and finally stand up to the King of the Jungle Gym?
Find out in Jocko Willink's Way of the Warrior Kid.
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn more about Jocko Willink check out her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Way of the Warrior Kid audiobook on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall
by Jasmine Warga
A painting has been stolen…!
When Rami sees a floating girl in the museum, he knows he has seen her somewhere before. Then he realizes: She looks just like the girl in the painting that has gone missing. But how does her appearance connect to the theft?
Agatha the turtle knows—she has been watching from the garden. But she can’t exactly tell anyone…can she?
Will Rami, with the help of his classmate, Veda, be able to solve the mystery? The clues are all around them, but they’ll have to be brave enough to really look.
This is a whimsical, moving story about the universal desire to be seen and understood and how art can help us find connection, even when we are at our loneliest.
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn more about Jasmine Warga check out her website. Click here.
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 6
Fast Pitch
by Nic Stone
Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the plate. Nothing can stop her from leading her team to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship. But life has thrown some curveballs her way.
Strike one: As the sole team of all-brown faces, Shenice and the Firebirds have to work twice as hard to prove that Black girls belong at bat.
Strike two: Shenice’s focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending—and family-name-ruining—crime may have been a setup.
Strike three: Broken focus means mistakes on the field. And Shenice’s teammates are beginning to wonder if she’s captain-qualified.
It's up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family’s past—and fast—before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever.
As you read, think about these questions:
Explain the problem that the main character faces at the beginning of the story.
What motivates the main character?
Describe how the main character(s) build their relationships. How do the main character(s) learn and grow with the people around them?
Explain how characters use the close relationships with others to overcome obstacles and challenges.
How is the setting important to the character?
Learn about Nic Stone and her other books on her website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Fast Pitch on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 5
Hidden Truths
by Elly Swartz
How far would you go to keep a promise? Told from alternating points of view, Hidden Truths is a story of changing friendships, the lies we tell, the secrets we keep, and the healing power of forgiveness.
Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape.
Until one summer when everything changes.
Did Eric cause the accident that leaves Dani unable to do the one thing in the world she most cares about? The question plagues him, and he will do anything to get answers about the explosion that injured her. But Dani is hurting too much to want Eric to pursue the truth—she just wants to shut him out and move on. Besides, Eric has a history of dropping things he starts. Eric knows that and is determined that this will be the one time he follows through.
But what if his pursuit brings him into direct conflict with another friend? Where does Eric’s loyalty really lie?
As you read, think about these questions:
Think about the characters in your book. Who do you identify with and why?
What would you tell your friends about this book?
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end?
How do friends affect our identity positively or negatively? What is a true friend?
Learn about Elly Swartz and their other books check out the website. Click here!
Please note this book is available in Portuguese - Observe que este livro está disponível em português
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Hidden Truths on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 5
Team Park
by Angela Ahn
Evan Park has always faced obstacles in getting his father's approval, but an actual obstacle race has some surprising results. A new middle-grade novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Peter Lee's Notes from the Field.
Unlike his dad, Evan Park does not like team sports — no matter how hard he tries. And when an accident causes Evan to break his wrist, he is determined that once he heals, he'll work on finding his thing. Alone.
Inspired by his athletic physiotherapist, Evan decides to compete in an upcoming Dominator Ninja: Junior Edition competition. It will be part rehab, part fun. If he trains hard enough, he'll finally have something to put on his empty shelf in the family trophy cabinet. Maybe that would make his dad proud of him for once.
But klutzy Evan strikes again, reinjuring his wrist. There's no way he can compete in Dominator Ninja now — he can't even hold chopsticks. When his sister encourages him to look beyond a solo competition, they discover a local family race that is more about the experience than the results. Can Evan shift his perspective to rally the whole family to do this event . . . together?
As you read, think about these questions:
Think about the characters in your book. Who do you identify with and why?
What would you tell your friends about this book?
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end?
How do friends affect our identity positively or negatively? What is a true friend?
Learn about Angela Ahn and their other books check out the website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 5
Take Back the Block
by Chrystal D. Giles
Brand-new kicks, ripped denim shorts, Supreme tee--
Wes Henderson has the best style in sixth grade. That—and hanging out with the crew (his best friends since little-kid days) and playing video games—is what Wes wants to be thinking about at the start of the school year, not the protests his parents are always dragging him to.
But when a powerful real estate developer makes an offer to buy Kensington Oaks, the neighborhood Wes has lived in his whole life, everything changes. The grown-ups are supposed to have all the answers, but all they’re doing is arguing. Even Wes’s best friends are fighting. And some of them may be moving. Wes isn’t about to give up the only home he’s ever known without a fight. He’s always been good at puzzles, and he knows there must be a missing piece that will solve this puzzle and save the Oaks. But can he find it before it’s too late?
Chrystal D. Giles’s timely debut explores community, social justice, family, and friendship, and asks what it means to belong—to a place and a movement—and to fight for a cause that you believe in.
As you read, think about these questions:
Think about the characters in your book. Who do you identify with and why?
What would you tell your friends about this book?
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end?
How do friends affect our identity positively or negatively? What is a true friend?
Learn about Chrystal D. Giles and their other books check out the website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Take Back the Block on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 5
The Firefly Summer
by Morgan Matson
For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.
Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives…so many relatives! Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!
Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.
As you read, think about these questions:
Think about the characters in your book. Who do you identify with and why?
What would you tell your friends about this book?
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end?
How do friends affect our identity positively or negatively? What is a true friend?
Learn about Morgan Matson and their other books check out the website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for The Firefly Summer on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.
Incoming Grade 5
Ferris
by Kate DiCamillo
It’s the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris’s mother’s chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris’s grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans—wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons? As Charisse likes to say, “Every good story is a love story,” and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages: emotionally resonant and healing, showing the two-time Newbery Medalist at her most playful, universal, and profound.
As you read, think about these questions:
Think about the characters in your book. Who do you identify with and why?
What would you tell your friends about this book?
How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end?
How do friends affect our identity positively or negatively? What is a true friend?
Learn about Kate DiCamillo and their other books check out the website. Click here!
Also available at the Morse Institute Library. Sign up for an eCard here. Click here for Ferris, on Overdrive.
This book is available through the Boston Public Library. Sign up for an eCard for free here.