Summer Reading for NCCS Upper School Students 2025

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale's thing is fencing. She's the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was--until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it's much harder than before. Her body doesn't move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can't accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn't the only thing holding her back. If she can't leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to? Grades 5-8

From failed football tryouts to helping the new Syrian refugee student, seventh-grader Kareem attempts to navigate the social complexities of seventh grade, which are further complicated when his mother is unable to return home from Syria due to an executive order. Grades 5-8 (In Verse).

A multi-generational family history told in the voices of the author's ancestors, spanning enslavement alongside Frederick Douglass at Maryland's Wye House plantation, service in the U.S. Colored Troops, andthe founding of all-Black Reconstruction-era communities. Grades 5-8

An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging's only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She's in. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 940)

When thirteen-year-old Summer Sisters, Daniella, Alaina, and Penelope are about to be separated for the summer after the death of their friend Carly, they vow to complete the bucket list she wrote before she passed. Grade 6-9

12-year-old Meg is pulled into a mysterious treasure hunt at her new boarding school and must learn to work with her new classmates, who all have secrets of their own. Grades 4-7

he night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore’s garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach—the best thing she’s ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she’s caught by the earl’s head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots. If she can just keep up her deception, she’ll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams . . . maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her “Brownie,” and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she’s cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep. How far will she go to have a home at last? Beautifully crafted with classic middle-grade themes of fate and ambition, identity and personal responsibility, this stunning debut features brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and deep insight into what makes a garden thrive—and a heart and mind flourish. Grades 5-8

In the opulent, sinking city of Dantessa, the Great Game rules all. Pia Paro believes that so long as you follow the rules, you always have a chance at winning. But after her beloved Gramps is sentenced to a life of servitude, Pia accepts a dangerous offer and joins a team of players seeking to win the most perilous game of all: Noctis. The Seafoxes—Pia’s new teammates—are unlike anyone she’s ever met. Each has their own reason for playing, and soon, Pia begins to question all her long-held beliefs. Maybe the rules Pia once trusted to lift her up have only been keeping her—and thousands of others like her—down. As she struggles with these revelations, Pia must survive a gauntlet of clockwork soldiers, perilous underwater adventures, and even a game against Death herself. But with Pia’s grandfather’s life at stake, Pia must finally decide whether she’s brave enough to not just break the rules, but to change the very nature of the Game. Grades 4-7

In the summer of 1975, 10-year-old Paul Gilligan doesn't have a whole lot to worry about other than keeping his comic books untarnished, getting tennis balls off roofs and keeping up with the increasingly bold stunts of his best friend, David. And then Jaws comes to town. Suddenly everyone is obsessing over this movie about a shark ripping people to pieces. And if you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out, you're also kind of a wimp. Needless to say, Jaws leaves young Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and David as well as the distance between where he stands and the world's expectations of a boy's "manliness." And when Jaws himself becomes a kind of macho Jiminy Cricket for Paul, what is a scared and overwhelmed boy to do? Grades 5-8

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)

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale's thing is fencing. She's the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was--until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it's much harder than before. Her body doesn't move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can't accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn't the only thing holding her back. If she can't leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to? Grades 5-8

Follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance. Grades 5-8

12-year-old Meg is pulled into a mysterious treasure hunt at her new boarding school and must learn to work with her new classmates, who all have secrets of their own. Grades 4-7

Follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance. Grades 5-8

In the summer of 1975, 10-year-old Paul Gilligan doesn't have a whole lot to worry about other than keeping his comic books untarnished, getting tennis balls off roofs and keeping up with the increasingly bold stunts of his best friend, David. And then Jaws comes to town. Suddenly everyone is obsessing over this movie about a shark ripping people to pieces. And if you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out, you're also kind of a wimp. Needless to say, Jaws leaves young Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and David as well as the distance between where he stands and the world's expectations of a boy's "manliness." And when Jaws himself becomes a kind of macho Jiminy Cricket for Paul, what is a scared and overwhelmed boy to do? Grades 5-8

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

Verity "Very" Nelson can do it all. She's student body president, debate club whiz, and first chair clarinetist. You could say she's pretty much the best at everything...Well, almost everything. Everything except math. And it's not like she doesn't try. Math just doesn't make sense in her brain. But it better start soon, or else she can kiss her presidency--and her campaign promises--goodbye. Grades 4-8

A twisty, spellbinding adventure about a girl and her dog who want to save the world.

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale's thing is fencing. She's the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was--until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it's much harder than before. Her body doesn't move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can't accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn't the only thing holding her back. If she can't leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to? Grades 5-8

A Jewish seventh grade boy is caught between the worlds of his divorced parents--with an orthodox mother and secular father, Jake must concoct a web of lies to go to a summer camp with his friends. Grader 4-7

A Jewish seventh grade boy is caught between the worlds of his divorced parents--with an orthodox mother and secular father, Jake must concoct a web of lies to go to a summer camp with his friends. Grader 4-7

Afraid her sister (and maybe even herself) could lose sight of their Vietnamese identity, twelve-year-old Bom writes a poetic memoir to help them both remember--a love letter in verse to sisterhood and the places we leave behind. Grade 4-7 (In Verse)

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)

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale's thing is fencing. She's the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was--until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it's much harder than before. Her body doesn't move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can't accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn't the only thing holding her back. If she can't leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to? Grades 5-8

An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging's only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She's in. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 940)

on a quest to defeat a tyrannical ruler and protect a magical book. Rachel and Robert live a gray, dreary life under the rule of cruel and calculating Charles Malstain. That is, until one night, when their librarian father enlists their help to steal a forbidden book.
Before their father is captured, Rachel and Robert are given one mission: find the missing final page.
But to uncover the secrets of The Book of Stolen Dreams, the siblings must face darkness and combat many evils to be rewarded with the astonishing, magical truth about the book. Nevertheless, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it from falling into Charles Malstain's hands. For if it does, he could rule their world forever. Greade 4-8

Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a safe haven for children born with a genetic mutation that transports them to a powerfully magical realm while they sleep, but this magic can be unpredictable--even deadly

on a quest to defeat a tyrannical ruler and protect a magical book. Rachel and Robert live a gray, dreary life under the rule of cruel and calculating Charles Malstain. That is, until one night, when their librarian father enlists their help to steal a forbidden book.
Before their father is captured, Rachel and Robert are given one mission: find the missing final page.
But to uncover the secrets of The Book of Stolen Dreams, the siblings must face darkness and combat many evils to be rewarded with the astonishing, magical truth about the book. Nevertheless, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it from falling into Charles Malstain's hands. For if it does, he could rule their world forever. Greade 4-8

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale's thing is fencing. She's the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was--until the accident. After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it's much harder than before. Her body doesn't move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can't accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn't the only thing holding her back. If she can't leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to? Grades 5-8

An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging's only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She's in. Grades 5-8 (Lexile: 940)

In the summer of 1975, 10-year-old Paul Gilligan doesn't have a whole lot to worry about other than keeping his comic books untarnished, getting tennis balls off roofs and keeping up with the increasingly bold stunts of his best friend, David. And then Jaws comes to town. Suddenly everyone is obsessing over this movie about a shark ripping people to pieces. And if you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out, you're also kind of a wimp. Needless to say, Jaws leaves young Paul a cowering mess, and underlines the growing gap between him and David as well as the distance between where he stands and the world's expectations of a boy's "manliness." And when Jaws himself becomes a kind of macho Jiminy Cricket for Paul, what is a scared and overwhelmed boy to do? Grades 5-8

All big sister Abby wants is to spend more time with her friends, far away from the sticky fingers and snooping eyes of her annoying brothers and sisters. But when a case of the chickenpox leaves the Lai kids covered in scratchy red spots and stuck at home together for two weeks of nonstop mayhem, Abby thinks this might be the end . . . of her sanity. Yet she feels responsible for the situation since her best friend was Patient Zero and brought chickenpox into their home.
Will the itch to escape her siblings overwhelm Abby or will she realize being a big sister isn't all bad? Full of heart and hijinks, Chickenpox showcases what gets us through good times and bad: family.

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

Verity "Very" Nelson can do it all. She's student body president, debate club whiz, and first chair clarinetist. You could say she's pretty much the best at everything...Well, almost everything. Everything except math. And it's not like she doesn't try. Math just doesn't make sense in her brain. But it better start soon, or else she can kiss her presidency--and her campaign promises--goodbye. 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

A girl with undocumented family members goes viral after saving her crush’s life in disguise. It’s a classic story: girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy finally notices girl when he sees her in a homemade costume. At least, that’s what Sonia Patil is hoping for when she plans to meet her crush at the local comic-con in cosplay. But instead of winning her crush over, Sonia rescues him after he faints into a canal and, suddenly, everything changes. Since she was in disguise, no one knows who the masked do-gooder was . . .but everyone is trying to find out. Sonia can’t let that happen—her sister is undocumented, and the girls have been flying under the radar since their mother was deported back to Mumbai. Sonia finds herself hiding from social media detectives and trying to connect with her crush and his family. But juggling crushes and a secret identity might just take superpowers. Can Sonia hide in plain sight forever? Grade 8-11