VCL Young Adult Reading Suggestions: Kim's Picks for Grade 6 Summer 2019

Ryder is an unaccompanied minor taking a multi-day train trip from California to Chicago. Her mom isn’t around and her grandmother can’t take care of her anymore, so she is going to live with a relative she’s never met. Ryder slowly reveals more and more of her difficult life in a way that will tug on your heart strings. I recommend this book to people who like emotional stories about people with complicated childhoods.

This whole book is made up of transcripts Alex makes on his "Golden iPod." Alex is building a rocket to launch the iPod into space for extraterrestrial lifeforms to find. Alex is a very unique character and there's a heart wrenching twist at the end. Although the author never says so, some readers think Alex has Autism. If you read it, stop by the Teen Room and let me know what you think. I recommend this book to people who liked readers who liked Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

This book is one of my favorite fantasy stories of all time. In this world, everyone has an animal companion they can talk to, a daemon. Lyra is an orphan whose uncle is an Arctic explorer. She and her daemon, Pantalaimon, find themselves suddenly wrapped up in his adventures that involve armored bears that also talk. This is the first book in the His Dark Materials series which is a new show on HBO.

SCRAWL is a literary magazine featuring the writing and artwork of high schoolers and middle schoolers in Rockland County. If you are an aspiring writer or artist this is a great opportunity for you. Submissions open in January.

When Crow was a baby she washed up on the shores of an island. The mysterious recluse living there, Osh, took her in and raised her. Now Crow is 12. She has many questions about where she came from. She goes looking for the answers and finds a dangerous man searching for treasure on a nearby island. I recommend this to people who like action & adventure stories, historical fiction, and pretty writing in a lush setting.

This book follows three different kids who are all refugees. Josef is a Jewish boy escaping Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Isabel is a girl sailing on a raft from Cuba to America in 1994. Mahmoud is a boy escaping the bombings in the city of Aleppo, Syria in 2015. I recommend this book to people who like historical fiction, action & adventure stories, and emotional stories.

When Abraham Lincoln overhears a classroom of kids saying "history is boring," he decides to teach them a lesson. Lincoln quits history once and for all--to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler! Now step-siblings Abby and Doc have to convince Lincoln to go back to Springfield, Illinois, accept the presidency, and prove once and for all that history is not boring!This is the first book in the Mixed-Up History series. Using his in-depth knowledge of American history, Sheinkin has created exciting adventures with historical figures going AWOL, hilarious trips through time, and totally true fun facts about each subject. For example, Lincoln did actually love wrestling and is honored in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department's stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief, and sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuki and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure! In another world, ninja are the ultimate power - and in the village of Konohagakure live the stealthiest ninja in the world. But twelve years ago Konohagakure was attacked by a fearsome threat - a nine-tailed fox demon which claims the life of the Hokage, the village champion. Today, peace has returned, and a troublemaking orphan named Uzumaki Naruto is struggling to graduate from the Ninja Academy. His goal: to become the next Hokage. But unknown to Naruto and his classmates, within him is a terrifying force...

A new Spiderman has joined the Avengers and he’s in high school. Miles Morales has to juggle superhero work with school work AND keep his identity a secret. When his costume gets torn in a fight, his identity is threatened and then a new villain arrives on the scene. I recommend this book to people who want to get into Spiderman comics and like action & adventure.