Check out some of these new books at your local public library or
bookstore this summer! I created this list with a variety of
readers in mind, thinking about our school community,
and including some of my favorites from the year. Happy reading!
-Natalie, Lower School Librarian
1. Picture Books for Everyone
Lower School
Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
Check out some of these new books at your local public library or
bookstore this summer! I created this list with a variety of
readers in mind, thinking about our school community,
and including some of my favorites from the year. Happy reading!
-Natalie, Lower School Librarian
TheWhisper by Pamela
Zagarenski. 2015. A little girl
discovers the magic of stories in a
book borrowed from her teacher's
special shelf - stories that seem to
disappear!
Mango,Abuela,andMe
written by Meg Medina,
illustrated by Angela
Dominguez. 2015. A little
girl and her grandmother
cross language barriers with
the help of a parrot.
ADogWearing
Shoes by Sangmi Ko. 2015.
This friendly pup with yellow
shoes is lost and finds a new
home with Mini and her
family. Except...
MotherBruce by Ryan T.
Higgins. 2015. In this
laugh-out-loud story,
grumpy Bruce becomes
parent to goslings he
nearly cooked for supper.
DoubleHappiness by Nancy
Tupper Wing. 2015. Told in poems,
Gracie and Jake deal with the big
life changes of moving away from
the only home they've ever known
and loved. A happiness box helps.
NerdyBirdy written by Aaron
Reynolds, illustrated by Matt
Davies. 2015. This is a story of
friendship, fitting in, and being
true to yourself - as nerdy as that
may be!
Float by Daniel Miyares.
2015. Puddles are curiously
explored on a rainy day in this
wordless picture book.
ByMouse& Frog
by Deborah Freedman.
2015. Two friends set out
to write a story together,
each with their own ideas -
some wackier than others!
2. Early Readers
Lower School Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
Beginning Chapter
TheThankYou
Book by Mo Willems.
2016. This is it - the LAST
Elephant & Piggie book!
Grab the tissue box and be
prepared to read it more
than once!
APig,AFox,anda
Box by Jonathan Fenske.
2015. And so begins a new
series with a pair of
unlikely friends and their
hilarious antics.
MoJacksonseries
written by David A. Adler,
illustrated by Sam Ricks.
2015, 2016. Winner of the
2016 Geisel Award, this
new series follows Mo's
love of sports, even though
he's too small to play.
PiginaWigseriesby
Emma J. Virjan. 2015,
2016. These silly,
rhyming stories are
perfect for fans of Dr.
Seuss.
PrincessinBlackseries written by Shannon and
Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014,
2015. Magnolia is a princess by day and superhero
by night!
BeastsofOlympusseries written by Lucy Coats,
illustrations by Brett Bean. 2015. This is an action-packed
new series filled with Greek mythology for young readers.
BunjitsuBunnyseries by
John Himmelman. 2014,
2015. Although Isabel is
trained in the bunjitsu arts,
she tries to solve her
problems peacefully.
PiperGreenandtheFairy
Treeseries written by
Ellen Potter, illustrated by
Qin Leng. 2015. Taking a
lobster boat to school is
only less fun when there's
a fairy tree to explore!
DragonMasters
series written by
Tracey West,
illustrated by Graham
Howells. 2015. Filled
with adventure, this
series follows Drake
and friends as they
are trained to be...
Dragon Masters!
3. Chapter Books
Lower School Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
NutstoYouby Lynne Rae
Perkins. 2014. What happens when a
squirrel is swooped up by a hawk? His
friends set out to save him, of course!
And so begins this tale of adventure
and friendship. Fans of Kate DiCamillo
should check this out!
Dragonbreath:TheFrozenMenace
by Ursula Vernon. 2016. In this
eleventh installment of the series,
Danny Dragonbreath has a big
problem - he's not able to breathe fire
anymore! His friends join him in a quest
to find the magic spark.
TheMatchboxMysteriesby Sally
Gardner. 2014. In the fourth book of the
Wings & Co. series, the fairy detective
agency is called to investigate some
strange dealings - cars are shrinking, a
giant purple bunny is on the loose, and
there is chaos everywhere.
FireflyHollow written by Alison
McGee, illustrated by Christopher
Denise. 2015. Four unlikely
friends in the Hollow all have
great, big dreams and need a little
help and encouragement to
achieve them. A new classic.
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate.
2015. From the Newbery award-winning
author of The One and Only Ivan comes
a story of a boy and his family down on
their luck and the power of a larger-than-
life imaginary friend to help cope with
and maybe even improve a hard
situation. This book has heart.
BayouMagic by Jewell Parker
Rhodes. 2015. It's Maddy's turn to
spend the summer with her
grandmother in Bon Temps, where
her city life is replaced by the deep
culture of the bayou. She is in for a
magical adventure!
TheWayHomeLooksNow
by Wendy Wan-Long Shang.
2015. Peter Lee and his family
bond over baseball. When tragedy
strikes their family, they all grieve
their separate ways and have to
somehow find a way back to each
other.
TheKeytoExtraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd. 2016. Emma
needs to find her special place in a
family filled with extra special
people. Her magical dream leads
her on a graveyard treasure hunt to
solve a centuries-old mystery!
TheAstoundingBroccoliBoy
by Frank Cottrell Boyce. 2015.
What would you do if your entire
body turned green? Would you
embrace your new Hulk-iness and
superpowers? Well, Rory isn't sure
what to do, but he's sure to make
you laugh while doing it!
FishinaTreeby Lynda Mullaly
Hunt. 2015. Ally is not stupid, but
not knowing how to read in sixth
grade sure can make a girl feel that
way. When her new teacher notices
that Ally sees things differently, he
helps Ally learn the one thing she
never thought she could.
4. Lower School Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
Graphic Novels
TheGreatPetEscapeby
Victoria Jamieson. 2016.
This new Pets on the
Loose series is a cross
between ToyStoryand the
Humphrey series. Laugh-
out-loud fun!
LostinNYCwritten by
Nadja Spiegelman,
illustrated by Sergio Garcia
Sanchez. 2015. Moving to a
new city can be scary and
exciting, especially if you get
lost navigating the subway
on your first field trip!
SecretCoderswritten by
Gene Luen Yang, illustrated
by Mike Holmes. 2015.
The students at Stately
Academy have a mystery to
solve! Their founder left them
clues and puzzles that they'll
have to use logic to decode.
HiLoseriesby Judd
Winick. 2015, 2016. When
HiLo falls from the sky, D.J.
and Gina know they've
found an extraordinary
new friend. Filled with fun
and laughs, this new
series is out of this world!
FableComicsedited by Chris Duffy.
2015.This is a collection of 28 different
fables, from the well-known "Tortoise and
the Hare" to tales from around the world,
illustrated by 26 artists. A great way to
introduce kids to fables!
Rutabagaseriesby Eric
Colossal. 2015, 2016.
Rutabaga loves adventure
and cooking, a winning
combination in this new
series that follows this chef
into fantastic forests
looking for exotic
ingredients to cook up in
his magic cauldron.
Coming soon!
Fromlefttoright,toptobottom:Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke
(6/7); Sophie's Squash Go to School by Pat Zietlow Miller (6/28); What Do
You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada (7/1); The Land of Stories: An
Author's Odyssey by Chris Colfer (7/12); Jedi Academy: A New Class by
Jarrett J. Krosozcka (7/26); Return by Aaron Becker (8/2);The Candymakers
and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass (8/2);Squish: Pod vs Pod
by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (8/23); Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea
Beaty (9/6);Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (9/13); Dory Dory Black Sheep by
Abby Hanlon (9/20); The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat (9/20)
5. The Environment
Lower School Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
The Arts
Social Justice
GreenCity:How
OneCommunity
SurvivedaTornado
andRebuiltfora
Sustainable
Futureby Allan
Drummond. 2016.
OnePlasticBag:Isatou
Ceesayandthe
RecyclingWomenofthe
Gambiawritten by
Miranda Paul, illustrated
by Elizabeth Zunon. 2016.
PrairieDogSong:
TheKeytoSaving
NorthAmerica's
Grasslands
by Susan L Roth
and Cindy
Trumbore. 2016.
What'sthe
Buzz?:Keeping
BeesinFlightby
Merrie-Ellen
Wilcox. 2015.
SolvingthePuzzle
UndertheSea:
MarieTharpMaps
theOceanFloor
written by Robert
Burleigh, illustrated
by Raúl Colón. 2016.
TromboneShorty
written by Troy
Andrews, illustrated
by Bryan Collier. 2015.
MaybeSomething
Beautiful:HowArt
Transformeda
Neighborhood
written by F. Isabel
Campoy and Theresa
Howell, illustrated
Rafael López. 2016.
FindingWinnie:
TheTrueStoryof
theWorld'sMost
FamousBear
written by Lindsay
Mattick, illustrated
by Sophie Blackall.
2015.
FunnyBones:
PosadaandHis
DayoftheDead
Calaveras
by Duncan
Tonatiuh. 2015.
WhenGreen
BecomesTomatoes:
PoemsforAll
Seasonswritten by
Julie Fogliano,
illustrated by Julie
Morstad. 2016.
Emmanuel'sDream:The
TrueStoryofEmmanuel
OfosuYeboahwritten by
Laurie Ann Thompson,
illustrated by Sean Qualls.
2015.
FreedominCongo
Squareby Carole Boston
Weatherford, illustrated by
R. Gregory Christie. 2016.
Peaceisan
Offering
written by
Annette LeBox,
illustrated by
Stephanie
Graegin. 2015.
TheCasefor
Loving:TheFight
forInterracial
Marriage
written by Selina
Alko, illustrated by
Sean Qualls. 2015.
TwoFriends:Susan
B.Anthonyand
FrederickDouglass
written by Dean
Robbins, illustrated
by Sean Qualls and
Selina Alko. 2016.
6. For the Family
Lower School Summer Reading
Carolina Friends School
created by Natalie Sapkarov Harvey
2016
Audiobooks
WANT MORE
SUGGESTIONS?
READING
AreWeThere
Yet?by Dan
Santat. 2016. If
you're going on a
road trip this
summer, you must
read this book!
IAmaBear by
Jean Francois
Dumont. 2015.
This story about a
homeless bear is
sure to tug on
your heartstrings.
ThePrincessandthe
Pony by Kate Beaton. 2015.
This warrior princess gets
stuck with a little pony and
the laughs only begin there.
TheRedBicycle:The
ExtraordinaryStoryofOne
OrdinaryBicyclewritten by
Jude Isabella, illustrated by
Simone Shin. 2015. Travel the
world with this bike with many
lives.
ThunderBoyJr.
written by Sherman
Alexie, illustrated by
Yuyi Morales. 2016.
When you share a
name with your father,
finding your own way
can be challenging.
But look at those
smiles - surely there's a
way!
Before you see the
movie in July, be sure
to (re-)read TheBFG
by Roald Dahl!
SelectedbytheAssociationforLibraryServicetoChildrenasthe
2016NotableChildren'sRecordings
Appleblossomthe
Possumby Holly
Goldberg Sloan,
narrated by Dustin
Hoffman. 2015.
Listening Library.
NutstoYou
by Lynne Rae
Perkins, narrated by
Jessica Almasy.
2015. Recorded
Books.
Ms.Rapscott'sGirls
by Elise Primavera,
narrated by
Katherine Kellgren.
2015. Listening
Library.
TheWarThatSaved
MyLifeby Kimberly
Brubaker Bradley,
narrated by Jayne
Entwistle. 2015.
Listening Library.
TheWorstClass
TripEverby Dave
Barry, narrated by
Todd Haberkorn.
2015. Briliance
Audio.
Visit the LowerSchoolLibraryblog all summer
long to see what Natalie's reading!
Check out the AssociationforLibraryServicetoChildren's and TheHornBook's Summer Reading lists.
Join the ScholasticSummerReadingChallenge.
Sign up for the Brightlynewsletter or follow the WhatDoWeDoAllDay?blog.