2020 PTMS Summer Reading
No need to wear a mask while traveling through these books!
Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day: Exercises to Feel Calm, Stay Focused & Be Your Best Self
Battistin, Jennie Marie. Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day. Rockridge Press, 2019.
Homework, relationships, social media, life planning…you’ve got a lot going on, but you don’t have to feel overwhelmed by it. In fact, you could actually enjoy life more while getting more done. Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day shows you how to take control of stress and become the boss of your feelings―and boost your focus while you’re at it. Start feeling better with mindfulness, the practice of being fully present and cultivating calm, one moment at a time. This book features simple and effective exercises that fit perfectly into your daily routine, making it easy to keep yourself in the here and now, tackle challenges one at a time, and make the most of every minute.
AR Info: No Test Available
Next Great Paulie Fink
Benjamin, Ali. The Next Great Paulie Fink. Little, Brown and Company, 2019.
When Caitlyn Breen begins her disorienting new life at the rural Mitchell School it seems like nobody can stop talking about some kid named Paulie Fink. Depending on whom you ask, Paulie was either a hilarious class clown, a relentless troublemaker, a hapless klutz, or an evil genius. One thing's for sure, though: The kid was totally legendary. Now he's disappeared, and Caitlyn finds herself leading a reality-show-style competition to find the school's next great Paulie Fink. With each challenge, Caitlyn struggles to understand a person she never met...but it's what she discovers about herself that most surprises her.
AR Info: B.L. 4.9; Points 9
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Collins, Suzanne. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Scholastic Press, 2020.
AR Info: No Test YET
Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!
Kapit, Sarah. Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! Penguin Group, 2020.
Vivy Cohen wants to play baseball. Ever since her hero, Major League star pitcher VJ Capello, taught her how to throw a knuckleball at a family fun day for kids with autism, she's been perfecting her pitch. And now she knows she's ready to play on a real team. When her social skills teacher makes her write a letter to someone she knows, she writes to VJ and tells him everything about how much she wants to pitch, and how her mom says she can't because she's a girl and because she has autism. And then two amazing things happen- Vivy meets a Little League coach who invites her to join his team, the Flying Squirrels. And VJ starts writing back.
AR Info: No Test YET
For Black Girls Like Me
Lockington, Mariama. For Black Girls like Me. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019.
I am a girl, but most days I feel like a question mark. Makeda June Kirkland is eleven-years-old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena--the only other adopted black girl she knows--for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda's sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can't seem to find one true friend. Through it all, Makeda can't help wondering: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?
AR Info: B.L. 3.5; Points 7
What Lane?
Maldonado, Torrey. What Lane? Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020.
"STAY IN YOUR LANE." Stephen doesn't want to hear that--he wants to have no lane. Anything his friends can do, Stephen should be able to do too, right? So when they dare each other to sneak into an abandoned building, he doesn't think it's his lane, but he goes. Here's the thing, though: Can he do everything his friends can? Lately, he's not so sure. As a mixed kid, he feels like he's living in two worlds with different rules--and he's been noticing that strangers treat him differently than his white friends . . . So what'll he do? Hold on tight as Stephen swerves in and out of lanes to find out which are his--and who should be with him.
AR Info: No Test YET
A Good Kind of Trouble
Ramée, Lisa Moore. A Good Kind of Trouble. HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019.
Twelve-year-old Shayla is allergic to trouble. All she wants to do is to follow the rules. (Oh, and she'd also like to make it through seventh grade with her best friendships intact, learn to run track, and have a cute boy see past her giant forehead.) But in junior high, it's like all the rules have changed. Now she's suddenly questioning who her best friends are. After experiencing a powerful protest, Shay decides some rules are worth breaking. She starts wearing an armband to school in support of the Black Lives movement. Soon everyone is taking sides. And she is given an ultimatum.Shay is scared to do the wrong thing (and even more scared to do the right thing), but if she doesn't face her fear, she'll be forever tripping over the next hurdle. Now that's trouble, for real.
AR Info: B.L. 4.5; Points 9
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
Reynolds, Jason. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks. Illustrated by Alexander Nabaum, Atheneum, 2019.
This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—
- Talking about boogers.
- Stealing pocket change.
- Skateboarding.
- Wiping out.
- Braving up.
- Executing complicated handshakes.
- Planning an escape.
- Making jokes.
- Lotioning up.
- Finding comfort.
- But mostly, too busy walking home.
AR Info: B.L. 4.8; Points 5
Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution
Rich, KaeLyn. Girls Resist!: A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution. Quirk Books, 2018.
Girls Resist! will show you how to go from “mad as heck about the way the world is going” to “effective leader who gets stuff done.” The author shares tons of expertise that’ll inspire you as much as it teaches you the ropes. Plus, quotes and tips from fellow teen girl activists show how they stood up for change in their communities. Grab this handbook to crush inequality, start a revolution, and resist!
AR Info: No Test Available
Summer at Meadow Wood
Tan, Amy Rebecca. Summer at Meadow Wood. Harper, 2020.
Vic Brown did not want to go to camp this summer. Even though it's nice being back with her friends at Meadow Wood, Vic still can't forget about the secret reason her mom wanted her and her brother out of the house--or how much her family is going to change. When her home life is blowing up, it can be hard to focus on campfires and canoeing. But there is something about summer and surprises that go together like blueberry pancakes and maple syrup. And soon, Vic starts to feel like--just maybe--a summer at Meadow Wood was exactly what she needed.
AR Info: No Test YET
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