CRLS Summer Reading 2021

Grown

By Tiffany D. Jackson

Realistic Fiction

A riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman's voice. When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

Recommended by Aarmin Shaikh, CRLS Student

Apple: Skin to the Core

By Eric Gansworth

Memoir in Verse

In Apple, Skin to the Core, Eric Gansworth tells his story, the story of his family of Onondaga, and of Native Folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds.

NPR's Best Books of 2020

The Cousins

By Karen M. McManus

Thriller

After receiving an invitation to spend the summer with their estranged grandmother, the Story cousins arrive at her house only to discover that she is not there. The longer they stay on the island, the more they realize their mysterious family history has some deadly secrets.

Recommended by a CRLS student

The Henna Wars

By Adiba Jaigirdar

Romance

Nishat doesn't want to lose her family, but she also doesn't want to hide who she is. Will falling for Flavia, her beautiful and charismatic henna business competitor, lead Nishat to finding her happy ever after?

Recommended by CRLS students

Sprawlball: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA

By Kirk Goldsberry

Nonfiction, Sports

From the leading expert in the exploding field of basketball analytics, a stunning infographic decoding of the modern NBA: who shoots where, and how.

Recommended by Sports Illustrated and Nate Silver

We Hunt the Flame

By Hafsaf Faizal

Fantasy

When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds―and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Recommended by Amrin Jenny, CRLS Student

Charming as a Verb

By Ben Philippe

Romance, Funny

"Henri 'Halti' Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater, popular student, and dutiful first-generation Haitian son with a burning ambition to attend his dream college. Classmate Corinne Troy is the one person who seems immune to Henri's charms. They would never catch real feelings during a mutual hustle...right?

Recommended by a CRLS student

Firekeeper's Daughter

By Angeline Boulley

Thriller

Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source of a new drug. How far will she go to protect her community, if it threatens to tear apart the only world she's ever known?

Recommended by Ms. Wegman, CRLS English teacher

The Color of Law

By Richard Rothstein

Nonfiction

This groundbreaking history of the modern metropolis exposes how American governments deliberately imposed racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide.

Recommended by Damon Smith, CRLS Principal

Clap When You Land

By Elizabeth Acevedo

Novel in Verse

Camino Rios lives with her aunt in the Dominican Republic, and waits all year for her dad to visit her for the summer. Yahaira Rios lives in New York with her parents, and asks every year if she can go with her dad on his annual business trip. Neither sister knows about the other — until their dad dies in a plane crash leaving New York for the Dominican Republic.

Recommended by Ms. Kabongo, History Teacher

2021 Best YA Audiobook

The Loop

By Ben Oliver

Science Fiction, Thriller

Life inside The Loop - the futuristic death row for teens under 18 - is one long repetitive purgatory for inmate Luka Kane. But rumors of a war on the outside are spreading amongst the inmates, and before they know it, their tortuous routine becomes disrupted. When the inmates are left alone inside the prison and start to turn on each other, it’s up to Luka to break out of The Loop, save his family, and figure out who is behind the chaos.

Critics Choice

How to Be a Conscious Eater

By Sophie Eagan

Nonfiction, Science

Is organic really worth it? Are eggs ok to eat? If so, which ones are best for you, and for the chicken—Cage-Free, Free-Range, Pasture-Raised?

Using three criteria—Is it good for me? Is it good for others? Is it good for the planet?—Sophie Egan helps us navigate the bewildering world of food so that we can all become conscious eaters.

On Bon Appétit list of Favorite New Books for Climate-Friendly Cooking and Life

The Psychopath Test

By Jon Ronson

Nonfiction, Popular Psychology

In this madcap journey, a bestselling journalist investigates psychopaths and the industry of doctors, scientists, and everyone else who studies them.

Recommended by a CRLS student

Class Act

By Jerry Craft

Realistic Graphic Novel

In this follow-up to New Kid, eighth grader Drew Ellis recognizes that no matter how hard he works, he isn't afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted. To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if it's pulling his group of friends apart. Will he find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?

Recommended by CRLS Students

The Song of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

Fiction, Mythology

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner.

Recommended by CRLS Students

Sigh, Gone

By Phuc Tran

Memoir

For anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature.

Kirkus "13 Diverse Nonfiction Books to Read Now"

You Should See Me in a Crown

By Leah Johnson

Realistic Fiction

Liz Lighty’s number one goal is to get out of her small (and small-minded) Midwestern hometown and attend college at her dream school. But her plans are derailed when her financial aid falls through and she has to run for prom queen to secure the scholarship given to the winner of the crown. Will falling for a fellow competitor, a new girl named Mack, distract Liz from her goals . . . or make all of her dreams come true?

Recommended by Emily Meyer, CPL Teen Librarian

Once and Future

By Cori McCarthy and A.R. Capetta

Science Fiction

Some legends never die - they are reborn. King Arthur as you've never imagined! When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

Recommended by Ella Lehrich, CRLS Student

Educated: A Memoir

By Tara Westover

Memoir

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Recommended by Henry Rogers, CRLS Student

My Brother's Husband

By Gengoroh Tagame

Manga

Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo, married to wife Natsuki, father to young daughter Kana. Their lives are suddenly upended with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji.

Recommended by a CRLS student

An Echo in the Wild

Furia

By Yamile Saied Méndez

Fiction, Sports

A powerful story about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line, even her blooming love story, to follow her dreams.

2021 Pura Belpré Medal Winner

The Source of Self-Regard

By Toni Morrison

Nonfiction, Essays, Speeches

A rich gathering of Toni Morrison's most important essays and speeches, spanning four decades. She looks deeply into the fault lines of culture and freedom: the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, “black matter(s),” human rights, the artist in society, the Afro-American presence in American literature.

Recommended by Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui

Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy

By Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo

Superhero Graphic Novels

Raven and Beast Boy are an incredible team together on the Teen Titans! But who were they before they joined…and before they even met? Raven brings readers a tale of finding the strength to face who you are and learning to trust others–and yourself. Beast Boy explores self-discovery and acceptance, with a focus on the value of true friendship.

Recommended by CRLS Students

Nubia: Real One

By L.L. MicKinney and Robyn Smith

Graphic Novel

Can you be a hero...if society doesn't see you as a person? Nubia has always been a little bit...different. When Nubia's best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk it all--her safety, her home, and her crush on that cute kid in English class--to become the hero society tells her she isn't.

Recommended by Maya Escobar, CPL Teen Librarian

When Stars Are Scattered

by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Graphic Novel, Memoir

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings.

Recommended by Ms. Goose, ESL teacher

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

By Wes Moore

Memoir

A look at the very different lives of two men with the same name. "It provides a context for young people to navigate the potential pitfalls and successes at their fingertips."

Recommended by Tony Clark, My Brother's Keeper