The MMS Summer Reading List

01

Wheels of Change

By Darlene Beck Jacobson

12 year old Emily Soper is growing up in 1908 just outside of Washington, D.C. Emily’s father is a blacksmith, and Emily does not feel at home except in her Papa’s carriage barn. She much prefers hearing the sound of metal on metal rather than trying to live up to her obligations as a lady. But when racist (and sexist) neighbors and new type of horsepower threaten Papa’s business, Emily faces change that she never could have expected. Emily is prepared to save Papa’s business, even if it means taking her case to the White House. Will she succeed?

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02

The Land of Stories

By Chris Colfer

Twins, Alex and Conner Bailey who have just experienced the tragic death of their father receive a book of fairytales titled the Land of Stories. The twins figure out that book is a portal between two worlds, theirs and a world of fairytales. Alex and Conner jump into this fairytale world and meet many classic heroes and evil villains.

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03

Gregor the Overlander

By Suzanne Collins

Gregor, eleven years old, lives in New York City with his mother, grandmother, and sister whose nickname is Boots. When Boots falls down an old air duct grate in their laundry room, Gregor dives in after her, only to find they have fallen two miles, into a world called the Underland. The Underland is a subterranean home to humans with nearly translucent skin, giant bats, rodents and insects. At first Gregor only wants to return to the Overland, but when he meets some Regalians, (Regalia is the human portion of the Underland), Gregor knows he must stay to help in the conflict with the rat,  King Gorger.

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04

Greenglass House

By Kate Milford

All Milo Pine wanted for Christmas was to spend some quality time with his adoptive parents, owners of the only inn in a smuggler-infested town. However, when odd and secretive guests arrive at the doorstep, despite a howling snowstorm, it is clear that Milo will not get his wish. With the mysterious arrivals, Milo gets thrust head first in a daring adventure, involving a new friend, several of the guests, and the legendary smuggler Doc Hollybrass.

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05

Holes

By Louis Sachar

After Stanley Yelnats is wrongly accused of a crime, he is sent to Camp Greenlake, a correctional facility for juvenile delinquents. Ironically, this camp is in the middle of an arid desert, so there is nothing green about it! The “character building task,” actually punishment, is to dig one hole a day, five feet wide and five feet deep. This is cruel backbreaking work, but Stanley soon begins to realize that the boys in this camp are not digging for punishment, but rather to find something hidden below the desert sands.

 

06

The Jumbies

By Tracy Baptiste

Corinne LaMer isn’t afraid of anything. Bugs, no. Snakes, no. Scorpions, no. Jumbies, of course not, they’re babyish stories! Or are they? When an inhumanly beautiful woman named Severine shows up at her house, Corinne’s beloved father starts acting weird, and Corinne’s life is turned upside down. Is this womanーwho fits all the standards of being the fearsome character from Caribbean folkloreーactually a Jumbie?

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07

The Maze of Bones (39 Clues series)

By Rick Riordan 

Just before the “head” of the powerful Cahill family, Grace Cahill, dies, she suddenly changes her will, offering her many descendants either a million dollars or a clue to where the lost source of the family power is. The Cahill family has had relatives ranging from Houdini to Lady Gaga. Join siblings Amy and Dan Cahill as they race to gather 39 clues from all over the world, facing treachery and deceit!

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08

Spy School

By Stuart Gibbs

Ben Ripley is a genius middle schooler with a dream job, a CIA agent! However, he is so awkward that he can barely get in and out of school without making a mistake. When he gets into a magnet school that is focused on science, he isn’t that surprised—until he realizes that the school is really a cover for a CIA agent training school! Now here comes the “but”. There’s actually another Ben Ripley, the one who actually got in! Can Ben keep his secret without making a mistake?

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09

Kira-Kira

By Cynthia Kadota

After two sisters, Lynn and Katie, move from Iowa to Georgia, Lynn starts to hang out with new friends from the popular group at her school. Katie feels as if she has lost her best friend and starts to feel very lonely while her big sister is ignoring her. When Lynn falls dangerously ill, she and Katie are brought closer together. However, it doesn't stay that way for long.  

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10

Magyk (Septimus Heap series)

By Angie Sage

Septimus Heap is the seventh son of the seventh son, who disappeared the night of his birth, announced dead by the midwife. Almost at once, the father, Silas Heap, finds a beautiful violet-eyed newborn in the snow, seemingly abandoned. This cannot be a coincidence. Who is this girl? Why did this happen? Most of all, where is Septimus Heap?

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11

​The Magic Half
By Annie Barrows

Miri's family has just moved into a new house where she finds a portal that enters the her house but in the year, 1935. Miri finds a girl there, Molly, and they become best friends. Miri wants to bring Molly back with her because Molly does not have a family of her own. Will it work, and if it does, how will Miri’s family react to this new addition to the family?

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12

The Secret of the Old Clock

By Carolyn Keene

A favorite of two Supreme Court justices, the Nancy Drew series is a captivating and exciting read! In The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy’s first mystery, Nancy rescues a little girl, who lives with two great-aunts. In order to help this family, Nancy goes on an exhilarating search for a will!

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13

Max Cassidy

By Paul Adam​

Max Cassidy is a 12 year old stunt artist just like his father. One day his parents decide to go on vacation to Santo Domingo. Max was used to this because his father went to many places to perform. All was going well, until he was told that his mom was accused of murdering his father. His mother is put in jail for twenty years, and then one day a mysterious man named Louis Vedoga tells him his father is still alive.
 

14

The One and Only Ivan
​By Katherine Applegate

Ivan is a silverback gorilla at a shopping mall off Exit 8. His small enclosure is nothing like the jungle from which he was taken. One day, he sees an ad for the zoo. The zoo! Ivan knows that somehow, he has to find a way to get to the zoo. 

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15 

Heart of a Samurai
By Margi Preus

This true story is about a fourteen year old young fisherman, Manjiro. One day he goes out to sea with his friends, but a big storm hits. He is washed out to a deserted island and is rescued by an American ship called the John Howland. The captain of the John Howland and Manjiro become great friends. When the ship arrives in America, Manjiro joins the captain’s family but Manjiro still misses Japan. Japan's borders are closed with no exceptions, citizen or not. If you crossed the border, you would get jailed or could get killed. In spite of the danger, Manjiro decides to try and get back in. ​