Preschool
I Am a Tornado
by Drew Beckmeyer
Tornado is on a rampage. It tosses cars and knocks over barns. Tornado is also angry, only it doesn't know that or want to admit it. Then Tornado picks up Cow. Oh, no! Cow would like to be put down. Fortunately, Cow is a good listener. And sometimes Tornado just needs to be heard.
A Letter from Your Teacher on the First Day of School
by Shannon Olsen, illustrations by Sandie Sonke
Through a letter written from the teacher's point of view, students get the message that their new teacher is someone they will be able to form a special bond with on the first day of school. Their teacher is there to help them academically, to cheer them on, and to provide a caring, safe environment for them to learn and grow.
Primary (Kindergarten–Grade 2)
When You Can Swim
by Jack Wong
In this exploration of what it truly means to swim, expansive vignettes introduce sandpipers, tannin-soaked lakes, and the feeling of a small waterfall on sun-drenched shoulders. But what about those who are afraid of the water's mysterious ways and resist learning to swim? Painting a compelling picture of the many joys and surprises that the water holds, artist and author Jack Wong has delivered an empowering, poetic journey that invites children to discover their confidence within to receive the warmth and wonder of the natural world.
Kiyoshi's Walk
by Mark Karlins, illustrations by Nicole Wong
After Kiyoshi watches his grandfather, Eto, compose his delicate haiku, he wonders out loud: "Where do poems come from?" His grandfather answers by taking him on a walk through their city, where they see a cat perched on a hill of oranges, hear the fluttering of wings, imagine what's behind a tall wall, and discuss their walk, with each incident inspiring a wonderful new haiku from Eto. As Kiyoshi discovers that poems come from the way that the world outside us meets the world within us, he also finds the courage to write a haiku of his own.
Intermediate (Grades 3–5)
Trying
by Kobi Yamada, illustrations by Elise Hurst
How will you know what is possible if you don't try?
Here is a story for anyone who has ever felt like a beginner, or had doubts, or worried that they weren't good enough. It's a story for those who have experienced the pain of trying something new and not having it turn out as they had hoped.
This captivating book celebrates the way that failure is just the beginning of the journey. With alluring black-and-white illustrations and a powerful message, Trying is about how failure has so much to offer — lessons that help us learn, grow, and discover all the amazing things that we can do.
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women
by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
One hundred new bedtime stories, featuring the adventures of extraordinary women — from Nefertiti to Beyoncé. This unique narrative style transforms each biography into a fairy tale, filling the readers with wonder and curiosity. This book has a brand-new graphic design, a glossary, and one hundred incredible new portraits created by the best female artists of our time.
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
Remember Us
by Jacqueline Woodson
It seems like Sage's whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade. As house after house burns down, her Bushwick neighborhood gets referred to as "The Matchbox" in the local newspaper. And while Sage prefers to spend her time shooting hoops with the guys, she's also still trying to figure out her place inside the circle of girls she has known since childhood. A group that each day feels further and further away from her.
But it's also the summer of Freddy, a new kid who truly gets Sage. Together, they reckon with the pain of missing the things that get left behind as time moves on, savor what's good in the present, and buoy each other up in the face of destruction. And when the future comes, it is Sage's memories of the past that show her the way forward. Remember Us speaks to the power both of letting go . . . and holding on.
Call Me Adnan
by Reem Faruqi
Adnan Zakir loves table tennis. He is also color-blind and left-handed and has a fondness for the aviation alphabet. He is super close with his sister, Aaliyah, who is a great dancer and memorizer of the Quran, and he loves his little toddler brother, Rizwan, who only wants to grow up and play table tennis like his big brother.
All Adnan dreams of is making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis Championship in Florida, and if he qualifies for the tournament, he knows that he will get to spend the Eid holiday with his cousins. But when the family travels there, unthinkable tragedy strikes, and Adnan swears he'll never play table tennis ever again. Slowly, he and his family must learn to make peace and move forward as a family.
High School (Grades 9–12)
BASH! Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel)
by Rudy Gobert, illustrations by Vince Serrano
Throughout the universe, there is one sport that everyone's a fan of: BASH! an intergalactic, brutal, high-octane version of basketball played by superstar athletes from across the cosmos. Its players are rock stars, legends, gods.
For young Rudy, a poor kid from Nevilia, his only dream is to be one of them.
Rudy's got talent, but talent is nothing without practice, so he sets out to become the best BASH player in the galaxy, always training, always reaching for just one more dunk. And while Rudy is starting to get noticed by the teams and the talent scouts, other, more sinister forces have started to creep out from the shadows, jealous of this rising young star.
Invisible Son
by Kim Johnson
Life can change in an instant.
When you're wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.
Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn't feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. Andre's suspicions about his arrest for a crime that he didn't commit even taint his friendships. It's as though his whole life has been erased.
The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids — especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra's brother Eric is missing, and the facts don't add up as the Whitakers' adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.
Books in Spanish
Curandera Mecánica: El parlamento de lechuzas (volumen 1)
de David Bowles y Raúl the Third (por grados 6–12)
En la República de Santander, la magia no cristiana está mal vista, si no totalmente vedada. Pero cuando Cristina, aprendiz de chamán, es asesinada por lechuzas malévolas, su hermano Enrique no puede aceptar su muerte. Con alquimia e ingeniería prohibidas, Enrique la devuelve a la vida: parte humana, parte máquina. Aunque su propia existencia as una abominación para los cuidadanos de Santander, Cristina promete usar sus nuevas habilidades para proteger a su país.
To access the books on our monthly MPS Reads book lists, visit your school library or local library, or go online to Sora* (formerly OverDrive) and log in with your MPS student ID number.
*Some titles are not available through Sora.