Graham Summer Reads 2021
Book recommendations from Graham staff and students
A book is like a garden, carried in your pocket
Whatever your summer holds for you, remember that you are never alone when lost in the magic of a book. Nourish your mind and your soul with one of these recommended titles. Have a restful, relaxing and reading-filled summer!
- The Graham Library
Scroll down to the end of the reading recommendations to learn about local summer reading programs!
Fantasy
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Ms. McIntyre)
Cogheart by Peter Bunzl (Ms. Gaderlund)
Endling series by Katherine Applegate (Ms. Weber)
Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddox (Ms. Gaderlund)
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Ms. Pomaro)
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley (Ms. Wildfeuer)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Mrs. Funsten)
The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (Ms. Zelder, Mountain View Public Library)
Redwall (novel series) by Brian Jacques (Mrs. Funsten)
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Mr. Mulkey)
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman (Ms. Gaderlund)
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Mrs. Tuffy)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Ms. Papson)
Nonfiction
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat (Mrs. Ross)
Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama (Ms. Dorocak)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Dhruvi M.)
Burro Genius by Victor Villasenor (Ms. Jian)
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (Ms. Maldonado)
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems by Randall Munroe (Ms. Berry)
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida (Ms. Korello)
Ugly by Robert Hoge (Ms. Maldonado)
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky (Ms. Berry)
Realistic Fiction
Al Capone Does My Shirts (series) by Gennifer Choldenko (Ms. Korello)
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds (Mrs.Tuffy)
Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee (Ms. Chiao)
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (Ms. Weber) *Also "Humor"
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (Ms. Maldonado)
Posted by John David Anderson (Mrs. Gaderlund)
So B. It by Sarah Weeks (Ms. Maldonado)
The Ship We Built by Lexie Bean (Ms. Lee) *Also "Young Adult"
Tornado Brain by Cat Patick (Ms. Corral)
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed (Ms. Corral) *Also "Graphic Novel"
Science Fiction
The Andromeda Strain by Micheal Crichton (Ms. Papson)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (Ms. McIntyre) *Also "Young Adult"
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (Ms. Maldonado)
Scythe by Neil Shusterman (Ms. Wildfeuer) *Also "Young Adult"
Young Adult
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Ms. Solorzano)
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (Ms. Pomaro)
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram (Ms. Lee)
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Ms. Jian)
Let My Hear A Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson (Ms. Chiao)
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (Ms. McIntyre)
Watch Us Rise by Ellen Hagan & Renee Watson (Ms. Honold)
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Ms. Solorzano)
Classics
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (Ms. Chiao)
The Odyssey, the Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds (Mrs. Ross)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Colm R.)
Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (Ms. Maldonado)
Historical Fiction
The Murmur of Bees by Sophia Segovia (Ms. Dorocak) *Also "Young Adult"
Refugee by Alan Gratz (Ms. Honold)
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Frau Ditty)
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Frau Ditty)
Horror, Humor, Mystery and Adventure, Oh my!
HORROR:
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (Dhruvi M.)
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Mrs. Ross)
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (Graham Book Club favorite!)
HUMOR:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney (Ms. Chiao)
Sidekicked by John David Anderson (Mr. Mulkey)
The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Graberstein (Mrs. Ross)
MYSTERY/ADVENTURE:
City Spies by James Ponti (Ms. McIntyre)
The Copernicus Legacy by Tony Abbott (Lauren M)
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) by David Levithan (Mrs. Ross)