Celebrate Read Across America Day on Friday, March 2 by starting one of these recommended reads. We have selected some engaging page turners just for you and your children. Grab your kiddos and one of these great books and head outside for some picnic reading time as you enjoy our brief spring.
Ages 5-8
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Be transported to the world of Little Mae Jemison whose biggest dream is to see the Earth from space. Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents’ encouraging words, paved the way for her success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. This book will inspire children to reach for the sun, moon, and the stars.
Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed) by Ged Adamson
Ava was delighted to see a beautiful rainbow grace her sky. She wished that it could stay up in the bright sky forever, and to her surprise, the rainbow decided to stay. At first, everyone loved the rainbow like Ava, but then people started to lose interest in the rainbow. Ava then learns the valuable lesson that rare and special things are the most valuable and precious of all.
Ages 9-12
Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she’ll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn’t ever thought of herself as a performer, but when she is cast as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. As Julia becomes friendly with Olive—another Munchkin—and with her neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia’s own sense of self as an artist grows.
The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
Charlie’s ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan. When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. He decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father were hoping to see someday along the way, then everything might just turn out okay.
Ages 13-17
Crater by Homer Hickam
It’s the 22nd century, and 16-year-old Crater Trueblood loves his job as a Helium-3 miner on the moon. But when he saves a fellow miner, his life changes forever. Impressed by his heroism, the owner of the mine orders Crater to undertake a dangerous mission. With the help of Maria, the mine owner’s frustrating but gorgeous granddaughter, Crater must fight both human and subhuman enemies.
A List of Cages by Robin Roe
When Adam Blake lands the best elective, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. But when the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, Adam discovers that the boy is Julian–the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years. Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, and Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives.
Ages 18+
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look 41, but he’s been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history–performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life. So Tom moves back to London, to become a high school history teacher where he will have to decide whether to remain stuck in the past or live in the present with all its faults.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
It’s 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children–four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness–sneak out to hear their fortunes. The prophecies inform their next five decades. Their journeys raise the question, “How would you live if you discovered the day you would die?”
