This July, the Mission Society is excited to launch our 2022 summer reading list for K-8th grade students. Sharing in the joy of exploring new worlds, sparking imaginations, and igniting curiosity through reading is one of our favorite components of our programs. Each year, we look forward to continuing these efforts even after the school year is over by helping our community of young people discover their next favorite book. Our partners at Scholastic have once again curated a diverse selection of reads, this time focused on themes of invention, curiosity, and history.
We hope you find your next favorite, family-friendly story on the list below!
KINDERGARTEN – 2ND GRADE
I Am Benjamin Franklin by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Summary: This biography with comic panels introduces young readers to Benjamin Franklin, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and made significant scientific discoveries - including key understandings of electricity.
This Little Scientist: A Discovery Primer by Joan Holub and illustrated by Daniel Roode
Summary: Stories about curious men and women who made discoveries that changed the world—but first they were just little kids with big questions.
Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
Summary: This is a STEAM-powered adventure, featuring a young girl building her confidence in her talents. Izzy Gizmo's inventions are marvelous, magnificent...and often malfunction. Despite the fact that she loves to invent, it never seems to work out in her favor. But when she finds a crow with a broken wing, she has to help.
3RD GRADE – 5TH GRADE
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Christ Barton and illustrated by Don Tate
Summary: Celebrate the inventor of the Super Soaker, one of the top twenty toys of all time - that was invented entirely by accident! Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, impressive inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy.
Carlos Santana (Sound of the heart, Song of the World) by Gary Golio and illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Summary: From his early exposure to mariachi to his successful fusing of rock, blues, jazz, and Latin influences, this book explores the childhood story of a legendary musician.
Hidden Figures (The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race) by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling and illustrated by Laura Freeman
Summary: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. This is the story of how they used their genius minds to change the world.
6TH GRADE – 8TH GRADE
The Race To Space by Erik Slader and Ben Thompson
Summary: This book explores the many failures that made up the Race to Space, paving the way for humanity's eventual success at reaching the stars.
Shock Waves, A Marvel Graphic Novel by Justin A. Reynolds and illustrated by Pablo Leon
Summary: An original middle-grade graphic novel starring Brooklyn's Spider-Man, Miles Morales. He is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. When a student's father goes missing, he is on the case, trying to uncover the circumstances behind the disappearance.
Thank you to Scholastic for not only curating our reading list, but for ensuring that our program participants received their own books to take home. For more literacy learning resources, be sure to read Angela Shanté's article on our blog about combatting summer slide. She shares many amazing tips on incorporating a reading routine into your summer and year-round. If you're in high school or have a teen in your life, you can take a look at our summer reading list curated by educator Brett Conrad.