AISD 5 Book Dive 2018 Suggested Reads - Grades K-2
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters.
By Lenore Look, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham.
Camping is fun, right? Not when you’re Alvin Ho, the kid who is afraid of
everything! Can night-vision goggles and a super-duper heavy-duty flashlight
help him survive the terrors of the great outdoors?
Baby Monkey, Private Eye. By Brian Selznick & David Serlin,
Illustrated by Brian Selznick.
Got a mystery? Baby Monkey will solve your case! Just give him a second
to eat a snack and put on some pants before he starts looking for clues
in this series of adorable bite-sized puzzles.
Bob, Not Bob! By Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick,
Illustrated by Matthew Cordell.
Louie has a terrible cold, and he really, really wants his mom. But every time
he calls for her, slobbery Bob the dog comes running instead.
(Tip: read this book as if you have the worst cold ever.)
The Book of Mistakes. By Corinna Luyken.
Everyone knows mistakes are bad… or are they? An artist takes
readers on a journey of blobs, spots and splotches to show how
mistakes can lead to unexpected and beautiful things.
Captain Pug. By Laura James, Illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans.
Heave ho, mateys! It’s time to hit the waves with the most adorable
captain on the high seas. The only problem? “Captain Pug” is terrified
of water and would rather sit around and eat jam tarts. What’s a pug to do?
Cinnamon. By Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan.
Born with pearl eyes, the princess cannot see and will not speak.
No tutor can unlock her voice until a mysterious tiger shows her
the world in all its ferocious beauty.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. By Derrick Barnes,
Illustrated by Gordon C. James.
The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps
of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders,
a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a
slow, steady cut, they become royalty. Everyone notices.
Danza! By Duncan Tonatiuh.
Ami studied ballet and modern dance with great teachers, but she also loved
the folk dances she saw in town squares all over her native Mexico. This is the
story of Amalia Hernández, founder of El Ballet Folklórico de México, who
brought all of her worlds together on the stage of dance.
The Itchy Book! By LeUyen Pham.
Dinosaurs do not scratch. It’s a rule! Even if they have an itch. Even if the
itch is very, very itchy. So very itchy. Soooooo very, very itchy….
Jabari Jumps. By Gaia Cornwall.
Jabari feels both fear and excitement as he gets ready to make his
first dive from the diving board. It’s time to make a splash!
Leonardo the Terrible Monster. By Mo Willems.
Leonardo is not great at being a scary monster; he just can’t frighten anyone...
until, he finds the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole wide world.
But is being scary really what Leonardo wants most of all?
Lola Levine Meets Jelly and Bean. By Monica Brown,
Illustrated by Angela Dominguez.
Lola Levine is super excited to bring home her new cat, Jelly!
But unfortunately, Lola’s brother, Ben, turns out to be allergic to cats, so
Jelly will be headed back to the shelter unless Lola can find a new home
for her furry friend.
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea. By Ben Clanton.
It's a pointy manatee ... a fishy unicorn ... no, it's Narwhal, Unicorn of the Sea!
Best friend to Jelly, lover of waffles, and one half of the Narwhal & Jellyfish Pod of Awesomeness,
this bubbly sea mammal just wants to party. Get ready to fall in love with this positively positive guy.
A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks. By Jonathan Fenske.
It all starts when Fox gives his friend Pig a pair of stinky socks as a prank. Then he finds out
that even the best plans can go awry. What happens next? Even more shenanigans!
La Princesa and the Pea. By Susan Middleton Elya,
Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal.
A Peruvian prince wants to marry a beautiful princess, but his mother is determined
to get in the way. Fortunately, the prince also has a trick or two up his sleeve
in this retelling of the classic tale.
The Rat: The Disgusting Critters Series. By Elise Gravel.
This is a science book, but not one of those boring ones. Yes, you will learn interesting
facts about rats, but you’ll also laugh. A lot.
(If you like it, check out some others in the series, such as The Slug and The Worm.)
Tap the Magic Tree. By Christie Matheson.
As seasons change, so does the tree - but only with your help!
There’s A Pest In The Garden! By Jan Thomas.
Can Duck save the garden from whatever pest has been eating all the vegetables?
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes. by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton.
There are millions upon millions of tiny creatures living all around us. They are even in your body!
A few of them can make you sick, but most of them are busy working as “the invisible transformers
of our world.”
They Say Blue. By Jillian Tamaki.
This is a book about colors, but also about perspective. It’s a book about the things we can see,
but also about the truth that is invisible.
AISD 5 Book Dive 2018 Suggested Reads - Grades 3-5
Aru Shah and the End of Time. By Roshani Chokshi.
Aru Shah is just trying to fit in at school when she accidentally frees an ancient demon
from a lamp, sending her (of course) on an epic quest! This sassy, contemporary take on
Hindu mythology offers rich language, strong characters, and an awesome, wisecracking
pigeon mentor/sidekick for the ages.
Ban This Book. By Alan Gratz.
Amy Anne has always been shy and well-behaved, but when she discovers that her favorite book
in the world has been removed from the school library because it was deemed “inappropriate,”
it turns out that quiet Amy Anne might know how to cause a commotion, after all.
Celebrate your freedom to read, starting with this book!
Bound by Ice: A True North Pole Survival Story. By Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace.
Fueled by “arctic fever,” the explorers on the USS Jeannette left San Francisco in 1879 bound for
the North Pole, only to get stuck in the ice. Through documents left behind by those who returned
and those who did not, this riveting story chronicles the crew’s desperate quest for survival.
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. By Deborah and James Howe.
Harold the dog and Chester the cat are determined to find out the truth about the family’s
mysterious new pet bunny, Bunnicula, who has strange eating habits... and fangs!
The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection. Edited by Colby Sharp.
This is a weird and wonderful collection of stories, poems, pictures, and other stuff created by
more than 40 authors and illustrators responding to prompts that they gave to each other.
Enjoy these creative “bites,” then get your friends together and try it for yourselves!
A Dash of Trouble. By Anna Meriano.
Leonoro Logroño is 11 when she discovers a secret: all the women in her family are brujas,
or witches, able to bake spells into the pastries they sell in their bakery. Leo immediately starts
experimenting with the magic recipes on her own (wouldn’t you?) but she soon learns that magic -
and love - are unpredictable.
Dawn and the Impossible Three. By Gale Galligan.
In this graphic novel adaptation, Dawn is a recent transplant from California and the newest
member of the Baby-Sitters Club. She’s eager to impress the other girls, but her first assignment -
the three out-of-control Barrett kids and their unreliable parents - may prove to be too much for her!
The First Rule of Punk. By Celia C. Pérez.
Malú loves punk rock music and making zines, but not her new school in Chicago where she’s
already made an enemy of a popular girl. Can Malú make new friends, form a band, and
prove that she’s proud of her Mexican heritage - all while following the first rule of punk?
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. By Christopher Healy, Illustrated by Todd Harris.
Tired of being overshadowed by their princess counterparts, four bumbling princes known to the
world only as “Charming” hit the road to earn names of their own in this irresistible, slapstick romp.
Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth. By Judd Winick.
D.J. Lim is an average kid until he meets the not-at-all average Hilo, a mysterious boy who can
shoot lasers from his hands but doesn’t know about pants, or where he’s from. Plus, giant robotic
insects are attacking, and it’s up to D.J. and his friend Gina to help Hilo regain his memory and save
earth!
I Survived the Children’s Blizzard, 1888. By Lauren Tarshis.
If you’re suffering from the summer heat, cool down with this chilling tale of John Hale,
who is caught in one of the deadliest blizzards in American history. It’s 1888, and the Dakota Territory
is buried under ten feet of snow. Will city-boy John find his way home, or be frozen forever?
The Jumbies. By Tracey Baptiste.
Corinne isn’t afraid of anything, not even the ancient shape-shifting spirits called jumbies -
after all, they’re just stories. Aren’t they? In this fantasy based on Caribbean folklore, Corinne and
her friends must use ancient magic to prevent evil spirits from taking over their island home.
One Dead Spy: The Life, Times, and Last Words of Nathan Hale, America’s Most Famous Spy.
By Nathan Hale. Nathan Hale (1755-1776) was a daring soldier and spy in the Revolutionary War.
Nathan Hale (1976- ) is an author/artist who tells his namesake’s true story of excitement and terror
in a fast-paced graphic format. If you love graphic novels, war stories, or Hamilton, you’ll love this book!
Raymie Nightingale. By Kate DiCamillo.
Raymie is determined to reunite her family by winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire Competition.
This necessitates baton-twirling lessons, where she meets Beverly Tapinski and Louisiana Elefante,
who have suffered losses of their own. Together, these “Three Rancheros” will learn the value of
friendship, loyalty, and family in this tender tale.
Revenge of the Happy Campers. By Jennifer Ziegler.
The Brewster triplets are just trying to survive the usual perils of camping (like fire ants and sinking
canoes) when they encounter an even greater challenge: boys! Now the girls-versus-boys
Great Camping Challenge is on, and it’s up to Dawn, Darby, and Delaney to win the day.
The Stars of Summer. By Tara Dairman.
Gladys Gatsby is in for a busy summer juggling a new job as a Counselor in Training at a
ritzy day camp with her regular gig as an undercover restaurant critic. Her latest assignment?
Find the best hot dog in all of New York City! Filled with food and fun (and hot dogs), this is a
perfect summer read.
Story Thieves. By James Riley.
Did you ever wish you could jump into your favorite book? Owen gets his wish when he discovers
that his classmate Bethany is half-fictional, and she agrees to take him into his favorite
Kiel Gnomenfoot adventure series... as long as he promises not to change the story. Oops!
This fast-paced, funny tale turns fiction upside down and inside out.
Stuck in the Stone Age. By Geoff Rodkey, Illustrated by Hatem Aly.
Inspired by an idea from a real kid, this is the story of a janitor and a shy scientist who -
thanks to a time-machine accident - end up stranded in 12,000 BC. Meanwhile, back in the present,
an evil mastermind is plotting - well, evil. Oh, and there’s also a “Story Creation Zone.”
“Who Could That Be at This Hour?” By Lemony Snicket, Illustrated by Seth.
12-year-old apprentice detective Lemony Snicket is on a case to retrieve a valuable statue of the
Bombinating Beast. The search takes him to a town called Stain’d-by-the Sea (which is no longer
by the sea), where he immediately starts asking questions, as detectives do. Unfortunately,
he keeps asking all the wrong questions…
A Whole New Ballgame. By Phil Bildner, Illustrated by Tim Probert.
A new teacher / basketball coach throws best friends Rip and Red for a loop with his loosey-goosey
style and off-the-wall ideas. But they slowly gain new perspective as Mr. Acevedo inspires them to
push outside their comfort zones and try new things as a team.
AISD 5 Book Dive 2018 Suggested Reads - Grades 6-8
Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel. By Diana López.
Awkward. By Svetlana Chmakova.
Black Panther: The Young Prince. Roland L. Smith.
Charlie & Frog: A Mystery. By Karen Kane.
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. By Pablo Cartaya.
Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook: MVP Summer. By Iva-Marie Palmer.
Garvey’s Choice. By Nikki Grimes.
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President. By Josh Lieb.
Inside of a Dog (Young Readers Edition). By Alexandra Horowitz.
Jinx. By Sage Blackwood.
The Last Kids on Earth. By Max Brallier, Illustrated by Douglas Holgate.
Marley Dias Gets It Done and So Can You! By Marley Dias.
Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel. By Xavier Garza.
Monsterland. By James Crowley.
The Nameless City. By Faith Erin Hicks.
Patina. By Jason Reynolds.
Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverted Kids. By Susan Cain, Illustrated by Grant Snider.
Revolution Is not a Dinner Party. By Ying Chang Compestine.
Spirit Hunters. By Ellen Oh.
A Wrinkle in Time. By Madeleine L’Engle.
