Summer Reading 2023: Middle School

Getting the facts behind the fiction has never looked better. Track the facts with Jack and Annie! When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #22 - Revolutionary War on Wednesday, they had lots of questions. What was it like to live in colonial times? Why did the stamp Act make the colonists so angry? Who were the Minutemen? What happened at the Boston Tea Party? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts. Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures.

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It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away. It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas. It was fought by many -- colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers. Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man -- a general from Virginia named George Washington -- held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds. History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.

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From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens, comes an exciting, illustrated book for middle school readers that looks at the early history of humankind. Even though we'll never outrun a hungry lion or out-swim an angry shark, humans are pretty impressive – and we're the most dominant species on the planet. So how exactly did we become "unstoppable"? The answer to that is one of the strangest tales you'll ever hear. From learning to make fire and using the stars as guides to cooking meals in microwaves and landing on the moon, prepare to uncover the secrets and superpowers of how we evolved from our first appearances on Earth millions of years ago. Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted an extraordinary story of how humans learned to not only survive but also thrive on Earth, complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic, unputdownable writing to life.

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Explore the Captivating History of the Sumerians What humans call "civilization" didn't always exist. We didn't always live in big cities, have roads to get places easier, or grow food on farms. For a long time, humans were hunter-gatherers. Hunter-gatherers wandered from place to place looking for food. They didn't build homes or stay in one place. The Sumerians, as far as we know, were the first people to start a civilization. These stories that describe how the Sumerians thought the world worked are now what we call myths. Even though myths aren't true, they can tell us about what the world was like in ancient civilizations Sumerians carved words on stone tablets, and some of those tablets are still around today. A few of these carvings are stories that tell us what the Sumerians believed in. They lived in a world where nature was everywhere, and they were at the mercy of it. Let Dinobibi guide you through a discovery of this fascinating culture and learn about early writing, the first civilization, and Sumerian's important gods and goddesses. You will see many parallels between their world and ours, even though they lived thousands of years ago!

Judaism in Israel follows Asher and his brothers in and around the city of Jerusalem. Follow them and find out more about the weekly Shabbat, and join them as they celebrate the festival of Passover.

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Follow Metehan and his sister Ayse during the month of Ramadan. Find out why Muslims celebrate Ramadan, as they learn about the Qur'an and Metehan tries fasting for the first time.

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Which 462 words are so important that they've changed the course of American history more than once? The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the crucial document that spells out how the United States is to be governed. Packed with anecdotes, sidebars, case studies, suggestions for further reading, and humorous illustrations, Kathleen Krull's introduction to the Bill of Rights brings an important topic vividly to life. Whether you're a middle grader or high schooler or even an adult, and whether you're looking to expand your knowledge or to reearch a report, the format of this "kids' guide" makes the information understandable and interesting. Find out what the Bill of Rights is and how it affects your daily life in this fascinating look at the history, significance, and mysteries of these laws that are designed to protect the individual freedoms of Americans--including young people. Some of the questions addressed in this easy-to-follow book: Why did early American founders argue that individuals needed a Bill of Rights to protect them from government? Why is freedom of speech so thrilling and so controversial? What is religious intolerance, and when can it be fatal? What does it really mean to take the Fifth? How does the Bill of Rights affect the rights of kids?

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Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things – from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen – provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth's oldest teachers: the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.

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