2021 Highlands Summer Reading

Choosing Books for Children by Betsy Hearne
Best of the Best for Children by Denise Perry Donavin, ed.
The New Read‐Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
For Reading Out Loud by Margaret May Kimmel
Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read by Bernice E. Cullinan
Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children by Eden Ross Lipson
Reading Magic by Mem Fox

White Plains Public Schools whiteplainspublicschools.org
Westchester Libraries Online westchesterlibraries.org
White Plains Public Library whiteplainslibrary.org
White Plains Youth Bureau
Barnes & Noble Booksellers whiteplainsyouthbureau.org
barnesandnoble.com
Common Sense Media
commonsensemedia.org

WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Joseph L. Ricca, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
EDUCATION HOUSE

FIVE HOMESIDE LANE

WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10605
914-422-2000

www.wpcsd.k12.ny.us

June 202

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Many parents ask: “What can I do to help my child be a better student?” The key to a good
education is reading with understanding. If you encourage your child to read, if you read to
your child, if you discuss with your child what is being read, your child will develop a love for
reading and learning.

Reading is both fun and useful. Folktales, sports news, fashion news, business news, celebrity
gossip, and comics –it all has value.

Our Project Summer Read program is designed to make it easier to select books, for a full
summer of reading.

The schools send home a “summer packet” with resources in it to assist you. Please note the
books listed are suggestions for summer reading. Students are encouraged to read other books
by the authors listed, additional books in a series, and books recommended by the librarians.

The “summer packet” also includes resources for accessing books and information on the
internet. Raz-Kids, Tumblebooks, BookFlix and TrueFlix are examples of sites that have
electronic books.

I hope that your family will make reading a shared pleasure this summer. I promise you it will
help your child’s reading fluency, comprehension and confidence.

Have a fun and safe summer!

Respectfully,

Dr. Joseph L. Ricca

WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Joseph L. Ricca, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
EDUCATION HOUSE

FIVE HOMESIDE LANE

WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10605
914-422-2000

www.wpcsd.k12.ny.us

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Respetuosamente,

Dr. Joseph L. Ricca

Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-
old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern
California Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding
customers.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite
middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to
reach his full potential.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
In Pakistan, Amal holds onto her dream of being a teacher even after
becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt to the wealthy
and corrupt Khan family.

New Kid by Jerry Craft (Graphic novel – 2020 Newbery Winner)
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about
his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents
enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where
Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
A story of heartache and triumph about a girl with a brilliant mind that no one
knows about, because she has cerebral palsy and cannot speak or write.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days
it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a
glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts
stories to the same online site as he does. Jason can be himself when he
writes, and he thinks that PhoenixBird-her name is Rebecca-could be his first
real friend. This is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy's struggles-and
a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron
A twelve-year-old girl discovers her father is the keeper of the gateway
between our world and The Dark, and when he goes missing, she'll need to
unlock her own powers and fight a horde of spooky creatures set on starting a
war.

UFOs and Aliens by Arnold Ringstad
A captivating look into UFOs and questions whether aliens exist, complete
with vivid photographs and exciting diagrams.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-
bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today
and how they are shaping him.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (written in verse)
Jude never thought she'd be leaving her beloved older brother and father
behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her
hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in
Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too
loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven't quite prepared
her for starting school in the US --and her new label of 'Middle Eastern,' an
identity she's never known before.

Hidden Figures: Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a
group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers"
used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that
would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

Hey Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka (Graphic Novel)
In graphic novel format author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka discusses
growing up in a family grappling with addiction. National Book Award Finalist
and ALA 2020 Odyssey Award for audiobooks.

Class Act by Jerry Craft
Eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that he isn't afforded the same
opportunities, no matter how hard he works, that his privileged classmates at
the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted, and to make matters
worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those
privileged kids and is finding it hard not to withdraw, even as their mutual
friend Jordan tries to keep their group of friends together.

Summer is finally here, and it is time to relax and let reading take you anywhere!
Enjoy the summer and pick up a good book either in print or as an e-book or audiobook. The books
below are only suggestions. Try other books by these authors also.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
Narrated by Steven Alper, a thirteen-year-old whose life is turned upside down
when his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, is diagnosed with leukemia. Before his
brother's diagnosis, Steven is a wisecracking 8th-grader attempting to navigate
the trials of early adolescence.

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Harper doesn't trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the
rumors are that the Raine family's new house is haunted. Harper isn't sure she
believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely.
The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can't remember
why. She knows that the memories she's blocking will help make sense of her
brother's behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in this
house, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
For fourteen-year-old budding artist Minoru Ito, her two brothers, her friends, and
the other members of the Japanese-American community in southern California,
the three months since Pearl Harbor was attacked have become a waking
nightmare: attacked, spat on, and abused with no way to retaliate--and now things
are about to get worse, their lives forever changed by the mass incarcerations in
the relocation camps.

Major Impossible by Nathan Hale
The ninth book in the bestselling series tells the story of John Wesley Powell, the
one-armed geologist who explored the Grand Canyon John Wesley Powell (1834-
1902) always had the spirit of adventure in him. As a young man, he traveled all
over the United States exploring. When the Civil War began, Powell went to fight
for the Union, and even after he lost most of his right arm, he continued to fight
until the war was over. In 1869 he embarked with the Colorado River Exploring
Expedition, ten men in four boats, to float through Grand Canyon. Over the
course of three months, the explorers lost their boats and supplies, nearly
drowned, and were in peril on multiple occasions. Ten explorers went in, only six
came out. Powell would come to be known as one of the most epic explorers in
history!

Summer Sweet Reads by Sora is a great way to explore new titles.
All the books in Sweet Reads are available for multiple readers until August 20.
Check out all the Sweet Reads titles on your Highlands’ Sora account.
Sweet Reads Suggestions

The district offers great online resources for free!
To access these resources, use the same password you used during the school year.

Start at the district's home page https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org, select
"Student & Family Links", then click on "eResources Portal", then select your
school.
From the portal, check out these links for videos, games, cool information, and book
recommendations!

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