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Title AuthorSummary
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Please peruse this list of facult and staff recommendations for summer reading. Suggested reading levels are to guide you in your selections. (E = Everybody, F = Foundations, HS = High School, UHS = Upper High School Jr./Sr. and Older)
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Accountable: The true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changedDashka SlaterThis thought-provoking nonfiction narrative recounts the discovery of a racist social media account in the small town of Albany, California, that forever changes the lives of a group of high school students and leaves everyone wondering about accountability for harmful online speech.E, HS
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Alebrijes: CuentistaDonna Barba HigueraWhen thirteen-year-old Leandro takes the fall for his sister and is exiled into an ancient drone, he embarks on a perilous journey beyond the city's walls where he encounters mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, and fellow outcasts as he tries to save hissister and fellow Cascabeles from the oppressive regime.E, F
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All Systems RedMartha Wells"As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure," confesses the AI narrator of this fast-paced SF adventure. After hacking its own governor module and overriding its programming, security droid "Murderbot" ends up saving lives instead of ending them -- but only because letting all the humans die would interfere with its favorite activity: binge-watching some 35,000 hours' worth of entertainment media. All Systems Red's snarky protagonist and suspenseful, action-packed plot should have readers eagerly anticipating future installments of the Murderbot Diaries. -- Description by Gillian Speace.H
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Born on Third BaseChuck CollinsThis is a book for students interested in social justice, fighting inequality, and building bridges across polarization. UHS
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Everything Sad is UntrueDaniel NayeriThis is the best book I read in 2023. summary: "In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees—starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane-to-anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S. Implementing a distinct literary style and challenging western narrative structures, Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore."E
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Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday LifeMihaly CsikszentmihalyStudents signed up for AP Psych or interested in the study of anxiety and happiness should read this short book breaking down how we can experience "flow state" - that feeling of being "in the zone" when doing a task that is challenging yet enjoyable.H, UHS
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Mountains Beyond MountainsTracey KidderStudents interested in becoming a doctor should read this biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard professor and infectious disease specialist who devoted his life to global healthcare justice. HS, UHS
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Star Wars: AftermathChuck WendigThe first book in a trilogy that takes the reader through the dismantling of the Galactic Empire, starting right after the Battle of Endor and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. E
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Starter VillainJohn ScalziCharlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie, who now has to defend his uncle's supervillain business against a league of soulless corporate billionaires. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. (Contains adult language and mild violence, but is a generally fun adventure comedy.)E
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Taste: My Life through FoodStanley TucciStanley Tucci, Oscar-nominated actor, writes his memoir through the important role that food played in his life, from family feasts hosted by his Italian-immigrant family to French countryside dining with his good friend, Meryl Streep. While the audiobook is a joy to hear read in Tucci's own voice, if you enjoy cooking, then you should pick up a physical copy or ebook because the book includes a dozen of his family recipes. H, UHS
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The ClubJoshua Robinson and Jonathan CleggStudents who are fans of the Premier League should read this book, combining sports and business journalism, about how the English Premier League took over the world as the "Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports"HS, UHS
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The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in ScienceKate ZernikeWalk in the footsteps of these incredible scientists as their discoveries change the modern world and challenge the status quo when it comes to who gets a seat at the table in research and academia.UHS
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The Gurkha and the Lord of TuesdaySaad HossainRecommended for students who are interested in sci-fi or World Religions. This short, dystopian sci-fi imagines what the Hindu doctrine of karma would look like if karma became an AI controlling social currency in a city where everyone has all the food, medical care, shelter, and entertainment they could desire - and then what happens when an ancient Hindu demon wakes up and wants to start a fight with the AI! UHS
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksRebecca SklootDocuments the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling discoveries in such areas as cancer research, in vitro fertilization and gene mapping.H
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The Making of Another Major Motion Picture MasterpieceTom HanksThis fictional novel takes the reader into the nitty gritty of the magic of making a superhero movie. I strongly recommend the audiobook version, which is read by Tom Hanks and a full cast of actorsE
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The Midnight LibraryMatt HaigtSomewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. Nora Seed finds herself faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.H, UHS
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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and MurderDavid GrannIn this tale of shipwreck, survival and savagery, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon recounts the events on His Majesty's Ship The Wager, a British vessel that left England in 1740 on a secret mission, resulting in a court martial that revealed a shocking truth.E
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UprisingJennifer A. NielsenDrawing on the extraordinary real-life story of a young Polish girl, this brand-new thriller follows 12-year-old Lidia as she secretly helps the Jewish people held captive in the Warsaw Ghetto and after the uprising, joins the Resistance, fighting to defeat the German soldiers and defend their freedom.F
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We Were the Lucky OnesGeorgia HunterA novel based on the true story of a Jewish-Polish family recounts how the Kurcs are scattered throughout the world by the horrors of World War II and fight respective hardships to survive, reach safety and find each other.H
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