Summer Reading for NCCS Middle School Students 2024

Twelve-year-old Natalia's dream of becoming a synchronized swimmer is in jeopardy when her parents decide they are against a sport that emphasizes looks, but Nat is determined to change their minds. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 590)

Benjamin Banneker STEM Academy is the top middle school in Denver. Let's just say the kids are . . . competitive. When Principal Yee announces the start of an epic Team Competition for the school, Frederick Douglass Zezzmer knows that trophy's got his name on it. That'll show his sports-obsessed Dad that he's worthy, right? Only problem is, it's a TEAM competition ... and Doug isn't so great working in a team environment (except with his best friend Huey, of course). A clever send-up of school - and a genuine portrait of a kid and family - that kids across the country will see themselves and find joy and connection in. Grades 4-6

Nothing has gone right for twelve-year-old year old Lawrence since his Pop went away, but after getting expelled from school for fighting he discovers the world of chess and things begin to change. Grades 4-6 (Lexile: 770)

A heartwarming middle grade debut about a young nonbinary figure skater discovering who they are on and off the ice. Grades 5-8

Meet fifteen remarkable athletes who use adaptive equipment in this beautiful and truth-telling picture book. Grades 3-6

A heartwarming middle grade debut about a young nonbinary figure skater discovering who they are on and off the ice. Grades 5-8

In this reimagining of the classic novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Zane is itching for an adventure that will take him away from his family's boarding house in Rockaway, Queens. So when he is entrusted with a real treasure map, leading to a spot somewhere in Manhattan, Zane wastes no time in riding the ferry over to the city to start the search with his friends Kiko and Jack and his dog Hip-Hop. Through strange coincidence, they meet a man who is eager to help them find the treasure: John, a sailor who knows all about the buried history of Black New Yorkers of centuries past--and the gold that is hidden somewhere in those stories. As a vicious rival skateboard crew follows them around the city, Zane and his friends begin to wonder who they can really trust. Grades 4-6