ZM Summer Reading for NCCS Middle School Students 2022: Graphic Novels

Damian is the new kid at school, and he has a foolproof plan to avoid the bullying that's plagued him his whole childhood: He's going to stop talking. Starting on the first day of seventh grade, he won't utter a word. If he keeps his mouth shut, the bullies will have nothing to tease him about, right? Wrong--his vow of silence just makes him a bigger target, and it doesn't keep his classmates from discovering the many ways that Damian is different. His family doesn't look like the kind you see on TV: His mother is dead, his father is gone, and he's being raised by his grandparents in a low-income household. And he does things that other boys tease him about, like playing with dolls instead of action figures. But if boys can be so cruel, why does Damian have a crush on one? Grade 7+

Tells the story of 10-year-old Elvie and her crucial mission to save humanity from extinction after a sun shift has changed life on earth as we know it. Grade 5-8

More than anything, Mel wants to be a grown-up, and to make her own decisions, instead of having her parents pick what she wears, where they live, what they have for dinner, and where she goes to school. Then Mel gets the chance to travel to a magical world, where she can make her own choices and return all grown up. But what happens when you get older without living your life along the way? Grade 4-7 (Lexile: 290)

Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people...but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe--and then it's no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone.
Nothing about Marisol's new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home--not the language, school, or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn't always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself. Grade 5-8

Explores the history of vaccinations and the struggle to protect people from infectious diseases, from smallpox—perhaps humankind’s greatest affliction to date—to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting deadly diseases such as measles, polio, rabies, cholera, and influenza, Brown tackles the science behind how our immune systems work, the discovery of bacteria, the anti-vaccination movement, and major achievements from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who popularized inoculation in England, and from scientists like Louis Pasteur, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and Edward Jenner, the "father of immunology." Timely and fascinating, A Shot in the Arm! is a reminder of vaccines’ contributions to public health so far, as well as the millions of lives they can still save. Grade 4-7

Tells the story of 10-year-old Elvie and her crucial mission to save humanity from extinction after a sun shift has changed life on earth as we know it. Grade 5-8

A young conservationist overcomes the odds to return a sun bear to its natural habitat. Grade 3-7

Grand adventure stories often begin where you least expect, Iris knows this because she's read them all. However, as a thirteen-year-old stuck in the tiny country town of Bugden, real adventure seems a distant dream. That doesn't bother Sam, Iris' best friend. For him, catching bugs and swimming in the lake is exciting enough. But when Iris and Sam stumble upon an unusually dry river on the outskirts of town, they're led to a discovery beyond anything Iris has read about: a hidden city, lost in time and shrouded in mystery. As they explore this once flooded relic, the two unearth a forgotten tale of friendship and disaster that seems curiously familiar. Storm clouds gather as secrets begin to surface. Can Iris and Sam uncover the truth in time to keep their friendship afloat, or will history repeat and pull them apart forever? Grade 3-6

Nyuki is a brand-new honeybee—and she has a lot of questions. like when does a bee go through metamorphosis?
Why does a queen bee sometimes leave her hive? And where does all this honey come from, anyway?! But Nyuki’s biggest question is, “What is this inner voice I hear, and why does it tell me to go forth to adventure? Follow Nyuki on a lifelong journey as she annoys her sisters, avoids predators, and learns to trust her inner voice as she masters the way of the hive.
And if you still have questions at the end, the back of the book uncovers even more mysteries about the lives of these incredible insects! Grade 4-7

In a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has unusual abilities, Doom Thorax--whose only power is reading--gets left in charge and is responsible for the survival of all the other kids at camp. Grade 3-6

Following up their mega-bestselling Real Friends and Best Friends graphic memoirs, Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham are back with Friends Forever, a story about learning to love yourself exactly as you are. Grade 6-9 (Lexile: 420)

In a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has unusual abilities, Doom Thorax--whose only power is reading--gets left in charge and is responsible for the survival of all the other kids at camp. Grade 3-6

In a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has unusual abilities, Doom Thorax--whose only power is reading--gets left in charge and is responsible for the survival of all the other kids at camp. Grade 3-6

Following up their mega-bestselling Real Friends and Best Friends graphic memoirs, Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham are back with Friends Forever, a story about learning to love yourself exactly as you are. Grade 6-9 (Lexile: 420)

Eleven-year-old Grey lives in the legend-haunted New England town of Ander's Landing, and he can't help but feel like a pair of eyes is watching his every move. He discovers odd, gruesome bits and pieces from the graveyard that are left for him as gifts like art carved from bones or jewelry made from (hopefully not human) remains. Soon Grey is caught up in something bigger than he could ever have imagined. He finds himself drawn into a strange mystery involving a race of reclusive subterranean creatures--ghouls, the eaters of the dead! Turns out, his secret admirer is a ghoul named Lavinia. An unlikely friendship forms between them. The only problem is, their friendship breaks traditions--and the punishment is a fate worse than death. Grade 4-8

Grand adventure stories often begin where you least expect, Iris knows this because she's read them all. However, as a thirteen-year-old stuck in the tiny country town of Bugden, real adventure seems a distant dream. That doesn't bother Sam, Iris' best friend. For him, catching bugs and swimming in the lake is exciting enough. But when Iris and Sam stumble upon an unusually dry river on the outskirts of town, they're led to a discovery beyond anything Iris has read about: a hidden city, lost in time and shrouded in mystery. As they explore this once flooded relic, the two unearth a forgotten tale of friendship and disaster that seems curiously familiar. Storm clouds gather as secrets begin to surface. Can Iris and Sam uncover the truth in time to keep their friendship afloat, or will history repeat and pull them apart forever? Grade 3-6

The ancient world was filled with restless spirits and powerful forces. 2 million years ago, human evolution made its move. It chose Fire. At the dawn of humanity, during a period of tremendous change and drought, three lost children meet a mysterious traveler named Tuki. Together, their search for the Motherherd of all Buffalo leads them far north through the dangerous territory of a rival species called the Habiline. The Habiline hunt and kill anyone found using fire. Tuki's reputation precedes them and soon they find themselves at the center of unwanted attention not only from Habiline warriors, but of tribal spirits and giants. Grade 4-8

Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people...but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe--and then it's no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone.
Nothing about Marisol's new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home--not the language, school, or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn't always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself. Grade 5-8

Eleven-year-old Grey lives in the legend-haunted New England town of Ander's Landing, and he can't help but feel like a pair of eyes is watching his every move. He discovers odd, gruesome bits and pieces from the graveyard that are left for him as gifts like art carved from bones or jewelry made from (hopefully not human) remains. Soon Grey is caught up in something bigger than he could ever have imagined. He finds himself drawn into a strange mystery involving a race of reclusive subterranean creatures--ghouls, the eaters of the dead! Turns out, his secret admirer is a ghoul named Lavinia. An unlikely friendship forms between them. The only problem is, their friendship breaks traditions--and the punishment is a fate worse than death. Grade 4-8