Exciting and engaging books designed for younger readers. Includes a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and picture books.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade

• Ursula Upside Down by Corey Tabor 
• Caterpillar and Worm Are Friends by Kaz Windness
• That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed
• The Yellow Bus by Loren Long
• Ahoy! by Sophie Blackall
• Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo
• Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker
• The Chicken Who Couldn’t by Jan Thomas
• You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion by Margaret O’Hair
• 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli  by David LaRochelle

2nd and 3rd Grade

• Eva at the Beach (Owl Diaries) by Rebecca Elliott
• I am Mister Rogers by Brad Meltzer
• Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell
• The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers
• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
• Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind by Monica Silvie
• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
• Max Meow: Cat Crusader by John Gallagher
• Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem by Melissa Stewart
• Who Would Win? Walrus vs. Elephant Seal by Jerry Pallotta

4th and 5th Grade

• Hot Mess (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney 
• Cute As An Axolotl by Jess Keating
• Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
• Frizzy by Claribel Ortega
• Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor
• Unplugged by Gordon Korman
• Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library (Graphic Novel) by Chris Grabenstein
• Flipping Forward Twisting Backward by Alma Fullerton
• Bridges: Engineering Masterpieces (Science Comics) by Dan Zettwoch
• The Universe In You by Jason Chin

Our middle school librarians encourage you to do lots of reading this summer and to read what interests you. We have enjoyed compiling lists of books we think you will like, but remember – the books on this list are only suggestions. Other ways to find great books are:

• From other grade level lists
• From your school library reading programs
• Books that catch your eye in the bookstore and the library or online
• Books that your friends and family recommend.

Most of these books are available through Sora either at our schools or through the Central Rappahannock Regional
Library (CRRL). Remember - you can get a free library card online to check out books from the CRRL. Find out how to
sign up for a CRRL card and add them to your Sora account online. Happy reading!

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6th Grade

• Allies by Alan Gratz
• The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton
• Charlie Hernandez and The League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
• City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
• American Murderer by Gail Jarrow
• Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman
• Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega
• A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
• Tig by Heather Smith
• Track series by Jason Reynolds
• Ungifted by Gordon Korman
• Wishtree by K. A. Applegate
• Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne Brown
• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

7th Grade

• The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
• I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson
• How to Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat
• Mexikid by Pedro Martin
• Inheritance Games by Jennifer Barnes
• Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee
• Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango
• The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
• Slider by Pete Hautman
• Race to the Bottom of the Earth by Rebecca Barone
• Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
• The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie by Radhika Sanghani

8th Grade

• The Girls are Never Gone by Sarah G. Marsh
• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
• Dry by Neal Shusterman
• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
• Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• Girl, Forgotten by April Henry
• Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef
• The Golden Hour by Niki Smith
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
• Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
• The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

Middle School Battle of the Books 2025-2026

Battle of the Books is a reading competition in Stafford County Middle Schools where students form school teams and read a designated list of books. They then compete against other Stafford teams by answering questions about the books they've read. 

• Between Shades of Gray - Sepetys
• Counting by 7s - Sloan
• Found - Haddix
• Last Cuentista byHiguera
• Simon Sort of Says - Bow
• Skyward - Sanderson
• Front Desk - Yang
• Iron Trial - Black
• Scythe - Shusterman
• Night Divided - Nielsen
• One for the Murphys - Hunt
• Rain Reign - Martin

Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026

• The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn - Pia
• Global - Colfer
• It Happened on Saturday - Dunlap
• The Last Hope in Hopetown - Tureaud
• The Mona Lisa Vanishes - Baptist
• The Night Raven - Rundberg
• A Perfect Mistake - Conklin
• Something Like Home - Arango
• The Town with No Mirrors - Collins
• What Happened to Rachel Riley? - Swinarski

VA Reads 2025-2026

• And then, Boom! - Fipps
• Buzzing - Sattin
• Chronically Dolores - Van Wagenen
• Give Me a Sign - Sortino
• Hands - Maldonado
• Kareem Between - Safadi
• Parachute Kids - Tang
• Shark Teeth - Winston
• Snow Globe - Park
• Weirdo - Weaver

Your Summer Reading List is Here!

How to Access eBooks/Audiobooks

• Access the Sora App via Google Waffle Icon with your scps.net account
• Or download the app to your mobile device
• Follow the directions for setup
• More eBooks are available via CRRL Overdrive -- remember to apply for a public library card.

Almost all titles are available as e-books, but many have an audio book version also (indicated by headphones)!

Romance

• It's Not Me, It's You by Alex Light
• Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
• Better than Revenge by Kasie West
• Take a Chance on Me by Elizabeth Eulberg

Historical Fiction

• Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan
• The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson
• Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan
• Ricochet by Kellyn Carni

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Adventure

• Darkly by Marisha Pessl
• Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
• Stay Dead by April Henry
• Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar

Realistic Fiction

• Shadowed by Carl Deuker
• Royal Heirs Academy by Lindsey Duga
• After Life by Gayle Forman
• Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

Fantasy

• Grief in the Fourth Dimension by Jennifer Yu
• The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig
• The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

Science Fiction/Dystopian

• All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
• The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
• Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas
• Dust by Alison Stine

Nonfiction

• The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby
• Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming
• The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller

Graphic Novels

• Visitations by Corey Egbert
• The History of Everything by Victoria Evans
• An Outbreak of Witchcraft by Deborah Neyes
• Greater Secrets by Ananth Hirsh

Horror/Supernatural/Paranormal

• Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle
• What the Woods Took by Courtney Could
• The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver

Classics

• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• Persuasion by Jane Austen

Virginia Readers' Choice

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
• Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly
• How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
• Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming
• Impossible Escape by Steve Sheinkin
• Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly
• The Red Palace by June Hur
• Rez Ball by Byron Graves
• That's Not My Name by Megan Lally
• The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho

Battle of the Books 2025-2026

• Royal Heirs Academy by Lindsey Duga
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
• Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate
• Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
• You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
• The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller
• The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
• Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar
• The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson