Preschool
Mel Fell
by Corey R. Tabor
Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith.
Sometimes, you might fall
down, up . . .
down, up,
down, up,
before you learn to fly
Juna's Jar
by Jane Bahk, illustrations by Felicia Hoshino
Juna and her best friend, Hector, have many adventures together, and they love to collect things in empty kimchi jars. Then one day, Hector moves away without having a chance to say good-bye. Juna is heartbroken and left to wonder who will go on adventures with her. Determined to find Hector, Juna turns to her special kimchi jar for help each night. She plunges into the depths of the ocean, swings on vines through the jungle, and flies through the night sky in search of her friend. What Juna learns is that adventure — and new friends — can be found in the most unexpected places.
Primary (Kindergarten–Grade 2)
Penny and Pip
by Candace Fleming, illustrations by Eric Rohmann
Penny feels certain that something is following her down the hall as she walks with her class through the natural history museum. She looks — nothing. She looks again — still nothing. She looks one more time and spies a verrrrry long neck and a verrrrry long tail on something that looks suspiciously like a baby brontosaurus!
Penny might be only five, but she knows that dinosaurs are extinct. And yet, one seems to be following her. The little dino and Penny spend time together all over the museum, and when Penny doesn't see a giant adult dinosaur lumbering around, she realizes that Pip — as she has named him — must be on his own. The only thing to do is to feed him some snacks and take him home with her . . . if she can figure out how.
Birdie's Beauty Parlor
by Lee Merrill Byrd, illustrations by Francisco Delgado
Birdie and Grandma are having a girls' day! But Grandma is all worn out now. Birdie has a solution: a makeover! A makeover will give Grandma a chance to relax. Birdie insists that Grandma lie down because this beauty parlor has the works! Birdie knows best. She owns this beauty parlor!
Intermediate (Grades 3–5)
Like Lava in My Veins
by Derrick Barnes, illustrations by Shawn Martinbrough with Adriano Lucas
Bobby Beacon's got fire flowing through his veins. And now he's psyched to attend a new school that will help him get a better grip on his powers. But right off the bat, his new teacher is not too welcoming. That causes Bobby's hot temper to land him in the principal's office. It ain't easy to stay calm when people don't seem to understand you and are always pushing you to the edge. Good thing that Bobby gets moved to a class with an understanding teacher who clues him in on ways to calm himself and shows him that caring for others is its own kind of superpower. With Miss Brooklyn's help — and some cool new friends — he just might be on his way to becoming the best version of himself possible.
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer
by Jeffrey Boakye
Kofi is used to stuff going wrong — he's usually in detention or about to be. But when he finds out that his best friend Kelvin has a photographic memory, he comes up with a genius money-making scheme. The whole school is obsessed with music, and no one can ever make out the words, so the boys hit the jackpot selling a new fanzine full of song lyrics: PAPER JAM. It's not long before one of the teachers tells Kofi, "You could be a real leader at this school, you know that?" and . . . suddenly, it's turning out to be the best summer ever!
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
Swim Team
by Johnnie Christmas
Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school until she's stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule: the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she is forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.
With Etta's training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school's failing team around. But that's easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave Bree in their wake.
Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship?
Eb and Flow
by Kelly J. Baptist
Two kids. One fight. Neither thinks they are wrong.
Ebony and De'Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior — to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.
Award-winning author Kelly J. Baptist delivers a novel in verse that follows Eb and Flow as they navigate their parallel lives. Single-parent homes, tight funds, and sibling dynamics provide a balancing act for the growing tweens. And whether they realize it or not, these two have a lot more in common than they think.
High School (Grades 9–12)
Forgive Me Not
by Jennifer Baker
All it took was one night and one bad decision for fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels's life to go off the rails. After driving drunk and causing the accident that kills her little sister, Violetta is incarcerated. Under the juvenile justice system, her fate lies in the hands of those she has wronged — her family. With their forgiveness, she could go home. But without it? Well . . .
Denied their forgiveness, Violetta is now left with two options, neither good — remain in juvenile detention for an uncertain sentence or participate in the Trials. The Trials are no easy feat, but if she succeeds, she could regain both her freedom and what she wants most of all: her family's love. In her quest to prove her remorse, Violetta is forced to confront not only her family's grief but her own — and the question of whether their forgiveness is more important than her own forgiveness of herself.
Bitter
by Akwaeke Emezi
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille.
Bitter's instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren't willing to settle for a world that is so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn't sure where she belongs — in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?
Books in Spanish
La frisita que voló el Caribe
por Sandra Rivera Sánchez (edades sugeridas 2–8 años)
Desde las playas más bellas de Puerto Rico, una frisita de una niña se va a volar para visitar las islas hermanas del Caribe. Su visita inesperada provoca divertidas aventuras, tanto que hasta a la luna llegó. Un precioso cuento-poema donde los peques volarán con creative imaginación, divirtiéndose junto a la frisita.
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.