Summer Reading for NCCS Middle School Students 2024: Graphic Novels

Deep in the forest, a curious pair reside: a young girl Mira, whose affliction leads her to call forth darkness whenever she's in distress; and her physician Rei, determined to seek a cure. Each day, she works to remember the light and bring back the person she used to be. But a sudden visit from Rei's friend, who harbors an interest in Mira's illness may be end of their peaceful days... Grades 6-11

A new adapted graphic novel takes readers on their own visual adventure as a detective exploring London's underground to uncover the secrets of the famous prehistoric monument, Stonehenge. Grdes 4-8

Siku has always called the Zambezi River her home. She understands the water - and strangely enough, it seems to understand her, too, bending to her will and coming to her aid in times of need. But things are changing on the river - a great dam is being built, displacing thousands of Shonga people - and things are changing in Siku, too, as her ability to manipulate water grows out of control, and visions of a great serpent pull her further from reality and her loving father, Tongai. Grades 5-8

Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 530)

Pan Cooke is ten years old when anxious thoughts begin to take over his brain like pieces of an impossible puzzle. What if he blurts out a swear word while in church? What if he accidentally writes something mean in his classmate's get-well card? What if his friend's racy photo of a supermodel ends up in his own homework and is discovered by his teacher? More and more, he becomes hijacked by fears that can only be calmed through exhausting, time-consuming rituals.
Pan has no way of knowing that this anxiety puzzle and the stressful attempts to solve it are evidence of a condition called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is his story of living with and eventually learning about OCD. Told with endearing honesty and humor, Puzzled shows the reader the importance of empathy for oneself and those going through something they don't yet understand. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 510)

From Popsicles and swim fins to robots and glitter shooting prosthetics, full of fun and inspiring stories about real kid inventors and some of their most amazing inventions. Grades 4-8

Welcome to Camp Launchpad!
Summer is in full swing, which means a new class of kids has arrived to attend the best space camp in Florida...or at least, it used to be. With growing competition from the trendy rival camp next door, Camp Launchpad needs all the help it can get to keep its doors open. Campers Val, Mark, and Pete are here for very different reasons: following in the footsteps of an astronaut mom, living up to expectations as a vice president's son, or getting a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship. But they all have one huge thing in common: Their future in the stars launches from here...if there's still a camp to launch from. When the hotshot owner of the rival space camp makes a ten-million-dollar bet that could turn Camp Launchpad around, this unlikely trio must band together to pull off a miracle. If they don't, this could be Camp Launchpad's last summer ever! Grades 3-7

After a spill at the science fair turns Stan and Gene invisible, one boy uses his powers for good while the other makes trouble. Grades 3-7 Lexile: 230

After the art programs are cut at his school, Dale Donovan recruits talented artists to create an after-school art club. Grades 4-7

When cousins Riley Halfmoon and Maya Dawn move to Urbanopolis to live with their activist grandma, they get off to a rocky start. Outgoing Riley misses her Muscogee cousins but is sure that she and Maya will be instant BFFs. Meanwhile, introvert Maya misses her parents, on active duty in Japan, and just wants some space to herself. At school, Maya joins Robotics Club and Riley bonds with fellow gymnasts. Just when they start to feel at home, their school culture is threatened by an influential foe in disguise. Grades 3-6

Sixth grader Lucy is brand-new to middle school, and when her older sister GiGi--the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade--humiliates her in the cafeteria, Lucy snaps and challenges her to a fencing duel. Grades 5-8

When Rex finds out he needs glasses, he's beyond miserable. Dealing with the bullies at school, his family being broke, and an embarrassing lack of friends, he has way too much on his plate already. Grades 3-7

Grace's excitement to accompany her "fun" mom on delivery to Titan quickly turns to frustration when her mom is too preoccupied with her mission to spend time with Grace, yet when their ship stops working on their return home it's up to Grace to save the day. Grades 3-6 (Lexile: 570)

Kira starts seventh grade at Neo-Earth Junior High school hoping to become a Magical Girl, so to speed up the process she wishes on a shooting star, but instead meets Caticorn, a cat-unicorn space princess with a secret past. Grades 4-7 (Lexile: 390)

Seventh-grader Viv never looks forward to picture day. It’s just another day where she wears a boring braid and no one notices her. (Her two best friends, Milo and Al, don’t count, of course.)
This year, Viv is taking matters into her own hands, she grabs a pair of scissors, her phone for live-streaming, and cuts off her braid. Suddenly Viv is an over-night influencer at Brinkley Middle School. Everyone wants her help planning their next big moment—from haircuts, to dance proposals, activist rallies and mathlete championships. She hardly even has time for her friends anymore. It’s exactly how she dreamed of reinventing herself…right? Picture Day brings answers to perennial questions of what it means to be true to yourself—and a true friend. Grades 4-7

Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 530)

Still grieving her brother's death, Pia, a soft-spoken middle-schooler, embarks on a bus tour that changes her life. Grades 4-7 (Lexile: 400)

New girl Valeria Winters finds new friends in the Table Titans tabletop gaming club, but when the club is threatened, Val must join the wrestling team and make peace with her bully to save her new group of friend. Grades 4-8

In a vibrant city that thrives on trade and invention, two girls from very different walks of life join forces to fight censorship and protect the people they love. Grades 4-8

Welcome to Camp Launchpad!
Summer is in full swing, which means a new class of kids has arrived to attend the best space camp in Florida...or at least, it used to be. With growing competition from the trendy rival camp next door, Camp Launchpad needs all the help it can get to keep its doors open. Campers Val, Mark, and Pete are here for very different reasons: following in the footsteps of an astronaut mom, living up to expectations as a vice president's son, or getting a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship. But they all have one huge thing in common: Their future in the stars launches from here...if there's still a camp to launch from. When the hotshot owner of the rival space camp makes a ten-million-dollar bet that could turn Camp Launchpad around, this unlikely trio must band together to pull off a miracle. If they don't, this could be Camp Launchpad's last summer ever! Grades 3-7

Deep in the forest, a curious pair reside: a young girl Mira, whose affliction leads her to call forth darkness whenever she's in distress; and her physician Rei, determined to seek a cure. Each day, she works to remember the light and bring back the person she used to be. But a sudden visit from Rei's friend, who harbors an interest in Mira's illness may be end of their peaceful days... Grades 6-11

A new adapted graphic novel takes readers on their own visual adventure as a detective exploring London's underground to uncover the secrets of the famous prehistoric monument, Stonehenge. Grdes 4-8

Kira starts seventh grade at Neo-Earth Junior High school hoping to become a Magical Girl, so to speed up the process she wishes on a shooting star, but instead meets Caticorn, a cat-unicorn space princess with a secret past. Grades 4-7 (Lexile: 390)

Avery McLean is just your normal ten-year-old tomboy, helping her, helping her dad run a tiny, run-down gas station in the middle of the desert. With no friends and no fun to be had, Avery has been teaching herself to do card tricks to entertain passing motorists, figuring that her lonely life could use a little magic. Little does she know how much magic is about to drop right in her lap! By releasing the power hidden within a dusty old lamp, Avery and her new companion Gribblet are thrust into a stunning supernatural world, to discover her own power, save her family, and find answers to questions that will change her life forever. Grades 4-7

Eleven-year-old Darcy just moved to a new country. She's feeling lost and misses her friends back home. That's when she stumbles upon a shop full of mysterious glowing jars labeled with things like "Picking up the last sweater on the rack and it's on sale" and "Having the perfect weather on your wedding day." Much to Darcy's surprise-this store sells happy feelings. After Darcy accidentally breaks one of the irreplaceable jars, she must make it up to the shopkeepers, Frida and Flora, by doing chores around the store, and is soon tasked with collecting happy feelings. But she learns that the magical business is anything but magical. With fewer customers than ever, Frida and Flora might have to close their doors. Can Darcy think of an idea to save the Happy Shop? What if they sold more than just happy feelings? Grades 3-6

In a vibrant city that thrives on trade and invention, two girls from very different walks of life join forces to fight censorship and protect the people they love. Grades 4-8

Siku has always called the Zambezi River her home. She understands the water - and strangely enough, it seems to understand her, too, bending to her will and coming to her aid in times of need. But things are changing on the river - a great dam is being built, displacing thousands of Shonga people - and things are changing in Siku, too, as her ability to manipulate water grows out of control, and visions of a great serpent pull her further from reality and her loving father, Tongai. Grades 5-8

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are Tokyo schoolgirls with nothing else in common, until one fateful day changes everything: the three are summoned to the magical realm of Cephiro and find that their lives are inexorably intertwined. Grades 5-10

Still grieving her brother's death, Pia, a soft-spoken middle-schooler, embarks on a bus tour that changes her life. Grades 4-7 (Lexile: 400)

Jane is incredibly plain. Everyone says so: her parents, the villagers, and her horrible cousin who kicks her out of her own house. Determined to get some semblance of independence, Jane prepares to propose to the princely Peter, who might just say yes to get away from his father. It's a good plan! Or it would've been, if he wasn't kidnapped by a mermaid. With her last shot at happiness lost in the deep blue sea, Jane must venture to the world underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancâe. But the depths of the ocean hold beautiful mysteries and dangerous creatures. What good can a plain Jane do? Grades 5-8

Avery McLean is just your normal ten-year-old tomboy, helping her, helping her dad run a tiny, run-down gas station in the middle of the desert. With no friends and no fun to be had, Avery has been teaching herself to do card tricks to entertain passing motorists, figuring that her lonely life could use a little magic. Little does she know how much magic is about to drop right in her lap! By releasing the power hidden within a dusty old lamp, Avery and her new companion Gribblet are thrust into a stunning supernatural world, to discover her own power, save her family, and find answers to questions that will change her life forever. Grades 4-7

When Rex finds out he needs glasses, he's beyond miserable. Dealing with the bullies at school, his family being broke, and an embarrassing lack of friends, he has way too much on his plate already. Grades 3-7

Kira starts seventh grade at Neo-Earth Junior High school hoping to become a Magical Girl, so to speed up the process she wishes on a shooting star, but instead meets Caticorn, a cat-unicorn space princess with a secret past. Grades 4-7 (Lexile: 390)

What happens when a couple of prehistoric creatures want to become internet stars? Trilobite and Amber (a walking whale) dream of fame and fortune. They don't realize that most of the world thinks that they're extinct. When a wandering paleo-newscaster introduces them to the world of internet videos, they hop at the chance to get behind the camera. The competition for internet fame will be fierce--Trilobite and Amber will face off against ancient sea creatures, talking cacti, floating cat heads, and more! Friendships will be tested, allies will be made, and cameras will be smashed! Our heroes will have to use all of their newfound skills when they find themselves competing in an all out video-making battle royale! Grades 3-6

New girl Valeria Winters finds new friends in the Table Titans tabletop gaming club, but when the club is threatened, Val must join the wrestling team and make peace with her bully to save her new group of friend. Grades 4-8

An author and his hero embark on a genre-bending journey to find the right story. The brave spaceship captain is surrounded by flying saucers. Though the situation appears dire, he knows just what to do ... um, wait! The captain - ahem, boy - tells the author to stop the action: He's got it all wrong. This is not the boy's story. He belongs in a different story. Hmm. Maybe a story about the quickest cattle wrangler in the West? No! A dragon-slaying knight? No! A vampire's next victim? No! Will the author ever come up with the right story? A hero who talks back to his creator? Grades 3-7

Bay Ann is sure her tap dance will shine at the school talent show, but when her crush, Alyee Maq, catches her before she falls (which was his fault, anyway) and gets all the "fame," she's determined to beat him at his own attention-seeking game. Grades 4-8 (Lexile: 400)

School is tough. School is scary. School is EERIE. No one knows this better than Davis and Emily. But they're not scared of school because of tough tests or merciless vice-principals. No, they're scared because their teacher wants her students to present the class with the spookiest, most chilling stories they can think of. Grades 3-6

July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren't real. So she pretends they don't exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it's Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He's a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth--for William to live, July must die. Grades 3-6 (Lexile: 340)