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August 2022 Reading List
Swim Team, by Johnnie Christmas (Grades 4-7) (Sports/Graphic Novel)
When she has to take Swim 101, middle schooler Bree must face one of her greatest fears, but with a little help from an elderly neighbor and former swim team captain, she becomes her school’s best hope to beat their rival.
The Lucky Ones, by Linda Williams Jackson (Grades 4-7) (Historical)
In 1967, when his teacher loans him a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 11-year-old Ellis Earl Brown is amazed to encounter a family worse off than his own and wonders if happy endings only come in books.
It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit, by Justin A. Reynolds (Grades 4-7) (Humor)
When the electricity goes out, twelve-year-old Eddie and his friends set out to investigate what is going on when they make the startling discovery that they are the only ones left in their neighborhood–and perhaps the only people left anywhere.
The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat (Grades 4-7) (Fantasy)
Joining an expedition to chart the southern seas, 12-year-old mapmaker’s assistant Sai, posing as a well-bred young lady with a glittering future, realizes she’s not the only one on board harboring secrets when she discovers the ship’s true destination.
Unfadeable, by Maurice Broaddus (Grades 4-7) (Realistic)
Secretly living on her own, graffiti artist Bella “Unfadeable” Fades must learn how to bring her community together to fight back when corrupt people try to defund her Indianapolis neighborhood.
Ellen Outside the Lines, by A.J. Sass (Grades 4-7) (Realistic)
Ellen, an autistic thirteen-year-old, navigates a new city, shifting friendships, a growing crush, and her queer and Jewish identities while on a class trip to Barcelona, Spain.
The Edge of In Between, by Lorelei Savaryn (Grades 4-8) (Magical Realism)
Living in a city where life exists in brilliant technicolor and nearly everyone has magic, Lottie loses the color in her life after the death of her parents until she finds an unexpected place to call home that gives her hope.
Caprice, by Coe Booth (Grades 5-8) (Realistic)
12-year-old Caprice has been offered a place at the school of her dreams, but this great opportunity coincides with a lot of internal doubt and the disturbing news that her estranged grandmother has fallen ill. As Caprice tries to figure out her future, she is pulled back toward her past, and the abuse she endured from her uncle when she was little — an abuse she’s never told anyone about.
Little Monarchs, by Jonathan Case (Grades 5-8) (Graphic Novel)
In the 22nd century, a sun shift has made it impossible for mammals to survive in the daylight, and 10-year-oldElvie and her caretaker, Flora, are studying the migration route of monarch butterflies, hoping that something in the butterflies wing scales can be used to protect people from the sun and save humanity from extinction.
Yonder, by Ali Standish (Grades 5-8) (Historical/Mystery)
Set during World War II, Danny Timmons has looked up to Jack Bailey ever since Jack saved two small children from drowning, so when Jack goes missing without a trace, Danny is determined to find him, wondering if it has anything to do with Yonder – a hidden magical town Jack once spoke of.
Inheritance: A Visual Poem, by Elizabeth Acevedo (Grades 7-9) (Poetry)
Interweaving a powerful message of self-love, an award-winning author and poet celebrates the beauty and meaning of natural Black hair through her most famous spoken-word poem.
Quiet Fire: Emily Dickinson’s Life and Poetry, by Carol Dommermuth-Costa (Grades 7-12) (Biography)
Emily Dickinson is revered as one of America’s greatest and most original poets. Quiet Fire presents the life and art of Dickinson through the poet’s own letters and poems.
The Summer We Forgot, by Caroline George (Grades 7-12) (Mystery)
Told in alternating voices, Darby, her ex-boyfriend Morgan, and their friends become embroiled in a murder investigation when their science teacher’s body is discovered at the summer camp they all attended.
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester, by Maya MacGregor (Grades 7-12) (Mystery)
Sam, an autistic nonbinary 18-year-old, moves to a new town and school with the support of their loving father and finds friends in an LGBTQ-plus club, but they all must come together to solve the decades-old murder of a teenage boy and confront the demons lurking in Sam’s past.
The Well, by Jake Wyatt (Grades 8-12) (Fantasy/Graphic Novel)
Stealing coins from a sacred well to cover a debt, Li-Zhen must uncover hidden memories, bestow great wealth and face the magical secrets that threaten everything she has ever known when the well requires payment in the form of wishes.
An Unreliable Magic, by Rin Chupeco (Grades 9-12) (Fantasy)
In the sequel to Wicked as You Wish, after Alex reclaims his throne and establishes his government, Tala and the others enjoy a well-earned rest, but they must regroup quickly when the Snow Queen returns with an unlikely ally.
The Obsidian Butterfly, by Lani Forbes (Grades 9-12) (Fantasy)
As the eclipse–a time of terror for the Chicome people–nears and many maneuver for power in this deadly game of worlds ending, Mayana and Ahkin call upon their allies to help stave off the coming danger before the Chicome empire is doomed to destruction in the third book in the Age of the Seventh Sun series.
Breathe and Count Back from Ten, by Natalia Sylvester (Grades 9-12) (Realistic)
Verónica, a Peruvian‑American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.
Summer of Bitter and Sweet, by Jen Ferguson (Grades 9-12) (Realistic)
In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.
High Spirits, by Camille Gomera-Tavarez (Grades 10-12) (Short Stories)
This collection of 11 interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora explore machismo, mental health and identity by following one extended family across multiple generations.
All Rise, by Richard Conyngham (Grades 10-12) (Graphic Nonfiction)
A graphic anthology celebrating pivotal human rights court cases—the stories of which have never been told before—in South Africa’s pre-apartheid years, and the unsung heroes who sacrificed everything to ensure a better future for all.
See You Yesterday, by Rachel Lynn Solomon (Grades 10-12) (Romance)
Stuck in a time loop with her nemesis, college student Barrett Bloom agrees to work with Miles to find a way out, and when they start falling for each other, they wonder what will happen to their relationship if they make it to tomorrow.