The Summer Reading Program is designed to encourage students to stay engaged with reading during the summer months. We’ve compiled exciting reading lists for rising elementary, middle, and high school students to explore. Whether they are reading for fun or diving into a specific subject, there’s something for every student to enjoy.
Why Summer Reading?
Reading Lists for All Ages
Rising Elementary School Students
Exciting and engaging books designed for younger readers. Includes a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and picture books.
Kindergarten and 1st Grade
- Big as a Giant Snail: Discovering the World’s Most Gigantic Creatures by Jess Keating
- Towed and Toad by Jashar Awan
- Earl and Worm: The Big Mess and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli
- Perfect by Max Amato
- Fireworks by Matthew Burgess
- Grow Up, David! by David Shannon
- The Humble Pie by Jory John
- Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion by Stephen Martin
- The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! by Mo Willems
- Over and Under the Waves by Kate Messner
2nd and 3rd Grade
- Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
- Unsettling Salad by Aaron Reynolds
- Hurricane by Jason Chin
- The Party Diaries: Awesome Orange Birthday by Mitali Banerjee Ruths
- Creep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain Story by Jody Jensen Shaffer
- The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung
- Who Would Win? Blue What vs. Mosquito by Jerry Pallotta
- Cat Nap by Brian Lies
- Cupcake Diaries: Katie and the Cupcake Cure by Coco Simon
- The 169 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
4th and 5th Grade
- Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
- The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
- Kid Spy: Mac Saves the World by Mac Barnett
- A Wolf Called Fire by Rosanne Parry
- Weird but True Sharks! 300 Fin-nomenal Facts to Dive Into by National Geographic Kids
- City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis & Vivian Truong
- The Academy by T.Z. Layton
- Wildoak by C.C. Harrington
- Science Comics Birds of Prey: Terrifying Talons by Joe Flood
- Sunny Makes a Splash by Jennifer L. Holm
Rising Middle School Students
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!
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
- Blood in the Water by Tiffany Jackson
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
- How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates
- Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen
- 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
- Race to the Bottom of the Earth by Rebecca Barone
- Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
- 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
- Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor
- Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
- Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
- The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming
- Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Rollins
Middle School Battle of the Books 2026-2027
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.
- Amari and the Night Brothers - Alston
- Ambrose Deception - Ecton
- Blackthorn Key - Sands
- Bloom - Oppel
- Curse So Dark and Lonely - Kemmerer
- Everlost - Shusterman
- False Prince - Nielsen
- Ghost - Reynolds
- House Arrest - Holt
- Inheritance Games - Barnes
- Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus - Bowling
- Waiting for Normal - Connor
Virginia Readers' Choice 2026-2027
- Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
- The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt
- Continental Drifter by Kathy Macleod
- Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison
- Old School by Gordon Korman
- Loch Ness Uncovered: Media, Misinformation and the Greatest Monster Hoax of All Time by Rebecca Siegel
- All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson
- Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle by Taryn Souders
- The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Rising High School Students
The Stafford Schools High School Librarians have compiled a list of books we hope you enjoy reading this summer. This list is a compilation of our suggestions, but check out your local public library & bookstores for their top recommendations, too! Happy Reading!
How to Access eBooks/Audiobooks
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Access the Sora App via Google Waffle Icon with your scps.net account
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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
- I Was Told There Would be Romance by Marie Arnold
- Eliza from Scratch by Sophia Lee
- A Bahn Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen
- Room to Breathe by Kasie West
- Frankly in Love by David Yoon
- Love, Canter, Action by Katie Gilbert
- With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer
Historical Fiction
- The Queen's Spade by Sarah Raughley
- Lady Knight by Amalie Howard
- One Step Forward by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
- Under a Fire Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean
- The Red Car to Hollywood by Jennie Liu
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Adventure
- Dead Below Deck by Jan Gangsei
- Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson
- Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride
- The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- When We Go Missing by April Henry
- Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
- A Beautiful & Terrible Murder by Claire M. Andrews
- The Dysfunctional Family's Guide to Murder by Kate Emery
- The Forgotten Lore by Diana Peterfreund
Realistic Fiction
- I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
- Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal
Fantasy
- Thorn Season by Kiera Azar
- The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs
- A Drop of Venom by Sanjin Patel
- Skin by Ibi Zoboi
- We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim
Science Fiction/Dystopian
- The Shadow Road by K.D. Kirchmeier
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Sixteen Minutes by K.J. Reilly
Nonfiction
- The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
- The Ride by Kostya Kennedy
- The Code Breaker (Young Readers) by Sara Durand & Walter Isaacson
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
Graphic Novels
- I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin
- Dan in Green Gables by Ray Tercciero
- We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer
- Tall Water by S.J. Sindu
Horror/Supernatural/Paranormal
- So Witches We Became by Jill Baguchinsky
- Deadstream by Mar Romance-Moore
- Lies on the Serpent's Tongue by Kate Pearsall
- Out of Air by Rachel Reiss
Classics
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
- Emma by Jane Austen
Virginia Readers' Choice
- Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall
- An Impossible Thing to Say by Arya Shahi
- Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
- Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenage Whose Lives it Changed by Dashka Slater
- 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards
- Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout
- The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall
- Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
- Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
- The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
Battle of the Books 2026-2027
- Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & LeUyenPham
- The Grove by Brooks Whitney Phillips
- Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel
- Into the Deep Blue by Jennifer Archer
- Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet
- Steel and Spellfire by Laura Weymouth
- When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain
- Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming
Contact Us
Get Ready to Read! Let’s make this summer an adventure in books. Dive into new stories, explore different worlds, and have fun reading!