Middle School Summer Reading
Books to keep you turning pages all summer long!
Everyone is a reader...some just haven't found their favorite book yet.
The Lost Hero: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Rick Riordan, Nathan Powell
Available in Sora.
The Heroes of Olympus series, by popular author Rick Riordan, has been formatted as a graphic novel, adapted by Robert Venditti and illustrated by Nate Powell -.Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for "bad kids," find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself. --Publisher
The Crossover: Graphic Novel by Kwame Alexander
"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," raps twelve-year-old Josh Bell. Thanks to their dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood--he's got mad beats, too, which help him find his rhythm when it's all on the line.
See the Bell family in a whole new light through Dawud Anyabwile's dynamic illustrations as the brothers' winning season unfolds, and the world as they know it begins to change. --Publisher
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
Snap's town has a witch.And when Snap's dog goes missing, the first place she looks is the witch's house. She finds her dog there, recovering from being hit by a car, in the care of a woman named Jacks. She is a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy older woman whos collects roadkill, put their spirits to rest, and cleans and sells their articulated skeletons online. They make a deal: If Jacks teaches Snap how to take care of a crate of orphaned baby opossums that Snap rescued, Snap will assist Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to gain an appreciation for what Jacks does and their friendship deepens . . . she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic and that she also may have a connection with Snap's family's past. --Publisher
My Hero Academia Volume 1 by Kohei Horikoshi
What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called "Quirks" at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? --Publisher
Boruto : Naruto Next Generations Volume 1 by
The ninja adventures continue with Naruto's son, Boruto! - Naruto was a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He achieved his dream to become the greatest ninja in his village, and now his face sits atop the Hokage monument. But this is not his story...A new generation of ninja is ready to take the stage, led by Naruto's own son, Boruto! Naruto and his allies have the upper hand on Momoshiki until he transforms into a more powerful form. Noruto and Sasuke will have to team up to stand any chance of topping this ferocious foe, but is Boruto holding the key to victory?! --Publisher
Tokyo Ghoul Volume 1 by Sui Ishida
Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way--except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human, half-Ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers. --Publisher
AUDIOBOOKS
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the creatures mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safety.
Alone and far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can communicate with both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no escaping the terrible battles to come? --Publisher
Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake
Inspired loosely by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, teenaged Violet is shipped off to Maine after her brother's hospitalization, where she searches for the lost shipwreck that her great-great grandmother survived and for answers about her family's long struggle with mental illness, all while falling in love. --Publisher
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realizes there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything she's worked for. Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited is a transcendent coming-of-age. --Publisher
Pumpkinheads: A Graphic Novel by Rainbow Rowell
Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they've worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they're reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different--Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
What if their last shift was an adventure? --Publisher
Squeeze by Rachel Dunstan Muller
Byron is psyched when his older brother Jesse invites him on a weekend caving trip--even if it means spending time with Cole, Jesse's obnoxious college roommate. With Jesse's girlfriend Michelle rounding out the group, Byron is sure the excursion will be a success. Things get tense when they near the cave, only to find that the way in is blocked. Byron stumbles on the entrance to a new cave, but the thrill of his discovery is overshadowed by Cole's increasingly strange behavior. Exploring a wild cave is always dangerous, but it becomes deadly as tempers fray and the water level inside the cave starts to rise. . --Publisher
The Atlas of Cursed Places: Skeleton Tower by Vanessa Acton
Jason's parents have been hired to work at a historic lighthouse along the California coast. The lighthouse is built along steep cliffs, surrounded by fog, and far from the nearest town. The last caretakers left in a hurry, and it doesn't take long to see why. Several accidents and the discovery of a hidden diary convince Jason the lighthouse is cursed. Will The Atlas of Cursed Places provide some answers before someone gets hurt...or worse? --Publisher
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Twelve-year-old Artemis is a millionaire, a genius-and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of the bedtime stories-they're dangerous! --Publisher
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Extraterrestrials-they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who fled from their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorians. They scattered on Earth & went into hiding until the day they would be ready to strike back. They look just like ordinary teenagers, but they have extraordinary abilities known amongst their people as Legacies. The Mogadorians still hunt the Loric survivors here on Earth. They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. Number Three in Kenya. And they killed them all. They tried to capture Number Four, John Smith--but failed. Now the teenagers are beginning to find each other. And they must all reunite before it is too late. --Publisher
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
Available in Sora.
A Warrior in Disguise: All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralysed in his own duel. Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan's father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man. A War for a Dynasty: Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling - the royal duke's son, who is also the handsomest man she's ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan's life and shake up everything she knows. --Publisher
How You Ruined My Life by Jeff Strand
Rod's life doesn't suck. If you ask him, it's pretty awesome. He may not be popular, but he and his best friends play in a band that has a standing gig. Yeah, it's Monday night and they don't get paid, but they can turn the volume up as loud as they want. And Rod's girlfriend is hot, smart, and believes in their band--believes in Rod. Aside from a winning lottery ticket, what more could he ask for?
Answer: A different cousin. When Rod's scheming, two-faced cousin Blake moves in for the semester, Rod tries to keep calm. Blake seems to have everyone else fooled with good manners and suave smile, except Rod knows better. Blake is taking over his room, taking over his band, taking over his life! But Rod's not about to give up withouta fight. Game on. May the best prankster win...--Publisher
Rickety Stitch and the gelatinous Goo. 1,The road to Epoli by Ben Costa
Meet Rickety Stitch ... a walking, talking, singing skeleton minstrel. He's the one skeleton in the dungeon who seems to have retained his soul, and he has no idea why. His only clue to his former identity is a song he hears snippets of in his dreams, an epic bard's tale about the Road to Epoli and the land of Eem. His sidekick and sole friend is the gelatinous Goo, who Rickety alone can understand. Together they set out in search of Rickety's past, with abundant humor and danger galore. --Publisher
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
The rom-com that everyone's talking about! Eleanor & Park meets Bollywood in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage.
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she's more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma's inexplicable obsession with her finding the "Ideal Indian Husband." Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn't have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers...right?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. --Publisher
A Living Nightmare Cirque Du Freak Book 1 by Darren Shan
Series available as ebooks and audiobooks.
These stories will chill and thrill as they are filled with grotesque creatures, murderous vampires, and unexpected endings.--Publisher
Alcatraz: a Chilling Interactive Adventure by Matt Chandler
Experience haunted places as you've never seen them before--up close and personal! You Choose the path you will take through some of the most famous prisons, castles, and ships. Follow the path of a modern-day visitor in these thrilling narrative nonfiction titles. --Publisher
Wicked Cruel by Rich Wallace
Three novellas. Wicked cruel -- Horses of Brickyard Pond -- Rites of passage. Three separate short stories, all set in the same New Hampshire town, in which boys explore the truth behind local urban legends. For example, sixth-grader Jordan begins seeing a boy from his school who died of injuries after being bullied. --Publisher
Need more resources for finding books to read?
Sora's Series STARTers Collection
- Book in one to start many great series!
- Fill out an online form based on what you like and don't like to read. Librarians will send you back a list of books to read!
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