Washington Centerville Public Library: CV Schools Middle School Summer Reading List 2025

Introduction

The Centerville Schools reading lists are prepared by the CCS Secondary School Librarian. Visit the library teen booklist page on our web site at https://teens.wclibrary.info/booklists/ to get more reading suggestions, or visit the school web site at https://www.centerville.k12.oh.us/learning/library.

Several titles are also available in electronic formats. Please check the catalog or ask a librarian for assistance.

Fantasy

Boy 2.0
by Tracey Baptiste

Landing in his latest foster home, Coal - suddenly able to turn
invisible - searches for answers about who and what he is with the
help of friends both old and new.

Aru Shah and the End of Time
by Roshani Chokshi

Telling fibs in order to fit in better with her wealthier peers,
12-year-old Aru Shah spends her school break at the Museum of
Ancient Indian Art and Culture, where her decision to light a cursed
lamp unwittingly releases an ancient demon. This is book one in the Pandava series.

The Ruins of Gorlan
by John Flanagan

With Morgarath on the brink of attacking the kingdom, fifteen-year-old Will is chosen as the Ranger's new apprentice and must learn all the skills necessary to take part in the fierce battle ahead with their unique form of magic. For book two in the Ranger's Apprentice series, see
The Burning Bridge.

The Gilded Ones
by Namina Forna

Inspired by the culture of West Africa, a feminist fantasy debut
traces the experiences of an intuitive girl who is invited to leave her discriminatory village to join the emperor's army of near-immortal
women warriors. For book two in the series, see The Merciless Ones.

Miles Morales: Suspended
by Jason Reynolds

Earning a suspension for saving the world, Miles Morales finds a
long, boring day turning into one that has his spidey-senses tingling
as he goes head-to-head with an unexpected enemy who has the
power to destroy the world's history - especially Black and Brown
history.

Graphic Novels

Captain America: The Ghost Army
by Alan Gratz

While fighting in WWII, 18-year-old Steve Rogers (aka Captain
America) and his young sidekick, Bucky Barnes, must find a way
to defeat a Ghost Army that - impervious to weapons - rises from
the ground in the night and then disappears without a trace.

March
by John Lewis

A multi-volume graphic account of the author's lifelong struggle for
civil and human rights covers his youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., and his involvement
in the Freedom rides and the Selma to Montgomery march. Find book two in the series here.

Run
by John Lewis

This astounding graphic novel tells the story of an often overlooked chapter of civil rights history through the eyes of Congressman John Lewis, one of the Big Six leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington.

Lunar New Year Love Story
by Gene Luen Yang

High school senior Valentina adored Valentine's Day until a
shocking revelation leads her to believe her love life is cursed.
Then, a Lunar New Year celebration introduces her to charming
lion dancer boys and a chance at breaking her family's curse.

Historical Fiction

Ground Zero
by Alan Gratz

Brandon is visiting his dad on the 107th floor of the World Trade
Center on September 11, 2001 when the attack comes. Reshmina
is a girl in Afghanistan who has grown up in the aftermath of that
attack but dreams of peace, becoming a teacher, and escaping her village and the narrow role that the Taliban believes is appropriate
for women. Both are struggling to survive, changed forever by the
events of 9/11.

Refugee
by Alan Gratz

Although separated by continents and decades, Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge and discover shocking connections that tie their stories together.

Uprising
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Drawing on the extraordinary real-life story of a young Polish girl,
this thriller follows 12-year-old Lidia as she secretly helps
the Jewish people held captive in the Warsaw Ghetto. After the
uprising, she joins the Resistance, fighting to defeat the German
soldiers and defend their freedom.

I Must Betray You
by Ruta Sepetys

In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret
police to become an informer. He decides to use his position to try
to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his
country.

The Bletchley Riddle
by Ruta Sepetys

Siblings Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, find themselves at Bletchley Park - the home of WWII codebreakers
working to decrypt the Nazi's Enigma cipher - where the two struggle
to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance
against the backdrop of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's feared
invasion.

Mystery

Queen of the Tiles
by Hanna Alkaf

When her late best friend's formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again during the Scrabble competition, with cryptic messages
suggesting that her death was no accident, Najwa Bakri - surrounded
by suspects - must find out who's behind these mysterious posts.

The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

When a Connecticut teenager inherits vast wealth and an eccentric estate from the richest man in Texas, she must also live with his
surviving family and solve a series of puzzles to discover how she earned her inheritance. For book two in the series, see
The Hawthorne Legacy.

Girl, Stolen
by April Henry

When an impulsive carjacking turns into a kidnapping, Griffin, a
high school dropout, finds himself more sympathetic toward his
wealthy, blind victim - 16-year-old Cheyenne - than toward his greedy father. For book two in the series, see Count All Her Bones.

Two Truths and a Lie
by April Henry

When a snowstorm strands her acting troupe in a creepy motel,
Nell and her friends meet a group of strangers from another high
school who insist they play the game “Two Truths and a Lie,” which
turns into a matter of life and death.

Nonfiction

The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
by Candace Fleming

During WWII, Bletchley Park, operating under the code name Station
X, was run by teenaged girls who helped turn the tide of the war for
the Allies with their hard work, determination and - most importantly - their ability to keep a secret.

A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight Over Science in Schools
by Debbie Levy

In 1925, when Tennesse lawmakers banned the teaching of evolution
in public schools, teacher John Scopes challenged the law - and set
off a gripping circus of a legal battle. Two masterminds faced off in
court in a blistering debate over creationism and natural selection.

Realistic Fiction

The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander

Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle
with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. This is book one in the Crossover series.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
by Jenny Han

Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved and then
hides them in a hatbox - until one day those letters are accidentally
sent.

Ungifted
by Gordon Korman

Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is
sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program
for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at school.
For book two in the series, see Supergifted.

Louder than Hunger
by John Schu

Even though he likes helping people, Jake - who avoids kids his own age, mirrors, and food - must help himself when the destructive voices inside get to be too much.

Science Fiction/Dystopian

The Selection
by Kiera Cass

America Singer is chosen to compete in the Selection - a contest
to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince - but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a
caste below her. This is book one in the Selection series.

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

Set in the cruel world in the Capital of the nation of Panem, the
annual Hunger Games pits children against one another in a battle
to the death on national TV. When Katniss is ordered to represent
her district, she knows an important decision between survival and
the love of another will have to be made when she is called to enter
the ring. For book two in the series, see Catching Fire.

The Maze Runner
by James Dashner

Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle
of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which
he finds himself if he is to escape. This is book one in the Maze
Runner series.

Illuminae
by Amie Kaufman

Caught in the crossfire of a megacorporation rivalry in 2575, Kady
and Ezra, who have just broken up, flee their home planet on an evacuation ship that is quickly overwhelmed by a fast-spreading
plague.

I Am Number Four
by Pittacus Lore

John Smith, one of nine aliens from the planet Lorien, struggles to
outrun his past, discover his future, and live a normal life in Paradise, Ohio, as one by one his fellow Loriens are being killed by evil beings. Find more in the Lorien Legacies series here.

Legend
by Marie Lu

Raised in an elite military family in a war-torn nation that was once
the Western United States, 15-year-old June embarks on a
revelatory cat-and-mouse manhunt for criminal youth Day, who is declared a prime suspect in the murder of June's brother. For book
two in the series, see Prodigy.

Cinder
by Marissa Meyer

As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, Cinder - a gifted mechanic and cyborg - becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world, in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story. For book two in the series, see Scarlet.

Thunder City
by Philip Reeve

Tazmin Pook is a fighter in the Amusement Arcade, and what she
does best is killing Revenants. She teams up with Hilly Torpenhow,
soon-to-be mayor Max Angmering, and Oddington Doom. Together,
they work to fight rebel factions and try to regain power of the city of Motorpolis. This is part of the Mortal Engines series.

Nemesis
by Brendan Reichs

Murdered every two years by the same mysterious person before
waking up unhurt with all evidence erased, Min resolves to end the violent cycle. Min then uncovers a conspiracy involving her
classmates, a boy who suffers from destructive nightmares, and a
giant asteroid on a collision course with the Earth. This is book one
in the Project Nemesis series.

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

In a dystopian future-era Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for
the rest of her life - a decision made more difficult when she uncovers powerful secrets and truths about her identity, her family, and the
order of her society. For book two in the series, see Insurgent.

Scythe
by Neal Shusterman

Forced to become trained killers in a disease-free world where
people can only die if eliminated by professional assassins, teens
Citra and Rowan reluctantly train under a master reaper who informs them that the one who successfully kills the other will become his apprentice. This is book one in the Art of a Scythe series.

Thriller/Horror

Whispering Pines
by Heidi Lang

Relocated to a new community a year after her father's unexplained disappearance, a girl who is convinced her father left against his will races to uncover secrets about the eerie transformations of several
local kids. This is book one in the Whispering Pines series.

Camp Sylvania
by Julie Murphy

Read this hilarious and spooky middle grade summer-camp story
that takes a bite out of fat camp as it follows Magnolia “Maggie”
Hagen to Camp Rising Star, where the reputed “camp ghost” may
be the least scary thing about the place. For book two in the series,
see Moon Madness.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs

After a family tragedy, Jacob feels compelled to explore an
abandoned orphanage on an island off the coast of Wales,
discovering disturbing facts about the children who were kept
there. This is book one in the series.

City of Ghosts
by Victoria Schwab

Surviving a near-fatal accident that gives her the ability to enter the
spirit world, the daughter of television ghost-hunters visits with her
ghost best friend and meets another girl who shares her abilities,
before realizing the dangers that come with her powers. For book
two in the series, see Tunnel of Bones.

Classics/Older Titles

Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one
of the book burners, Guy Montag, suddenly realizes their merit.

A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers
and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

The Giver
by Lois Lowry

Living in a "perfect" world without social ills, a boy approaches the
time when he will receive a life assignment from the Elders. His
selection leads him to a mysterious man known as the Giver, who reveals the dark secrets behind the utopian facade. For book two in
the series, see Gathering Blue.

Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen

After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in
the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given to him by his mother. For book two in the series, see
The River.

The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien

The adventures of the well-to-do hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who lived
happily in his comfortable home until a wandering wizard granted
his wish.

The Fellowship of the Ring
by J. R. R. Tolkien

After discovering the true nature of the one ring, Bilbo Baggins
entrusts it to the care of his young cousin, Frodo, who is charged
with bringing about its destruction and thus foiling the plans of the
Dark Lord. For book two in The Lord of the Rings series, see The Two Towers.