Spring 2023 Reading Recommendations
3/11/23
Looking for your writer’s next great read?
Take a peek at some of the novels recommended by our students and staff. Great for unexpected rainy days!
Gold Rush Girl by Avi - Recommended by Justin, 6th grade
Victoria desperately wants independence and adventure, and to accompany her father as he sails west in search of real gold. But it is 1848, and Tory isn't even allowed to go to school, much less travel all the way from Rhode Island to California. Determined, Tory stows away on the ship. Though San Francisco is frenzied and full of wild dangers, Tory finds freedom and friendship. Until one day, her younger brother is kidnapped. A vivid and absorbing historical adventure.
School of Good and Evil - Recommended by Alyssa, 5th grade
Best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, learning things like Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication. Leaving each girl wondering, what if there has been a mistake?
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - Recommended by Ms. Margaret
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns his mother with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. David is propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own — populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.
The Amaranth Stone by Julia Im - Recommended by Ellie, 6th grade
Nova Clarke has always felt like an outcast. Her peers ridicule her, but they don’t even know half of it. If they knew she could read minds, no one would talk to her. When she meets Roman, however, he seems to know everything about her. Soon, he whisks her away to the magical realm of Amaranth, where nothing makes sense - yet Nova can’t shake the feeling that this world is all too familiar.
Catwings by Ursula K Le Guin - Recommended by Ms. Margaret
Before there was the popular Warriors series detailing the inner lives and wild adventures of cats there was Catwings. Mrs. Jane Tabby can't explain why her four precious kittens were born with wings, but she's grateful that they are able to use their flying skills to soar away from the dangerous city slums where they were born. However, once the kittens escape the big city, they learn that country life can be just as difficult!
Mac B, Kid Spy by Mac Barnett - Recommended by Jackson, 3rd grade
Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid. And while he was a kid, he was a spy. Not just any spy. But a spy for the Queen of England. James Bond meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid in this fully-illustrated chapter-book series with fascinating historical facts and plenty of jokes sprinkled throughout.
The Serafina Series by Robert Beatty - Recommended by Willa, 3rd grade
Serafina has never had a reason to disobey and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There’s plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. She and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember. But when children at the estate start disappearing, Serafina must unlock the puzzle of her past.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Nighttime by Mark Haddon- Recommended by Ms. Margaret
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched and he detests the color yellow. This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for a captivating mystery novel.