GCDS Libraries: Upper Elementary: UE Summer Reading 2024

UE Summer Reading Program

For the 2024 UE Summer Reading Program,
rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will read:
- the One School, One Book title to be announced at June 3rd Community Time!
+ 2 more titles from the list below
= 3 books

2024 One School, One Book

This summer all UE students & faculty will read The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.

With a clever blend of humor and math fun, this funny, fresh, and poignant novel about competing lemonade stands captures the one-of-a-kind bond between brother and sister. Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in the same class for fourth grade, and, as the end of summer approaches, they battle it out through lemonade stands.

Greenwich Public Library offers a digital eBook copy here and an audiobook copy here. GCDS families can obtain a Greenwich Public Library card using this form.

We look forward to welcoming the UE community back in September with activities around this inspiring read.

2024 UE Summer Reading Book List

Below are book titles for rising UE students to choose from for their summer reading.
Read the One School, One Book and choose two more.

How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias (Author) & Melissa Iwai (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Picture Book) When Red discovers a new book about pandas, she can't wait to read it! Except it's about only one kind of panda, and red pandas are completely left out. Red never gets to read stories about pandas like herself! So she decides to take matters into her own paws and write her own book.
The World's Best Class Plant by Audrey Vernick, Liz Garton Scanlon (Authors) & Lynnor Bontigao (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Picture Book) Room 107 has a cockatiel. Room 108 has a chinchilla. Even the Art Room has a bearded dragon. But in Room 109, there is a plant. A mostly green, hardly growing, never moving plant. Arlo’s teacher unconvincingly claims the plant is “more than enough excitement.” But before long it’s clear that something amazing has taken root in Arlo’s classroom.
You're Going to Love This Book! by Jory John (Author) & Olivier Tallec (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2024
(Picture Book) Sure to bring a smile to the faces of even the grumpiest readers, this laugh-out-loud picture book includes kid-favorite topics, such as homework, Brussels sprouts, and chores. You’re going to LOVE this book!
Great Carrier Reef by Jessica Stremer (Author) & Gordy Wright (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Informational Picture Book) An outstanding STEM picture book documenting the transformation of an aircraft carrier that was gutted and turned into the world’s largest artificial reef.
Bear and Bird: the Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis (Author/Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) Bear and Bird are best friends, and they spend a lot of time together. They don’t always understand each other, but both agree that all they want is for their friend to be happy. So when Bear forgets the most important thing to pack for a picnic (but pretends that he didn’t), Bird doesn’t let on that she knew all along.
Trim Sets Sail by Deborah Hopkinson (Author) & Kristy Caldwell (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) When Trim gets off to a bumpy start as a ship's cat, new friends (human and animal) help him settle in. Trim is inspired by the true story of a cat that accompanied a British explorer who traveled around Australia in the 1800s.
Detective Duck: #1 the Case of the Strange Splash by Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver (Authors) & Dan Santat (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction/Mystery) Willow Feathers McBeaver, aka Detective Duck, and her pond pals investigate puzzling mysteries caused by human disruptions to their habitat.
The Moon Is a Ball by Ed Franck (Author) & Tjong-Khing Thé (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) Join Panda and Squirrel in nine funny, wise and thoughtful stories about the meaning of friendship. Translated from Dutch.
Isla of Adventure: #1 Welcome to the Island by Dela Costa (Author) & Ana Sebastián (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2022
(Fantasy) For eight-year-old Isla Verde, the island of Sol is the perfect place to live. The sun shines bright, the markets brim with delicious food and music, there are animal friends around every corner, and her best gecko buddy, Fitz, is up for almost every adventure! Yes, Isla’s best friend is a gecko. In fact, that’s part of her big secret…she can speak to animals—and they speak right back!
Shermy and Shake: #1 The Not So Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson (Author) & Shinji Fujioka (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) A new neighbor upends Shermy's plans for a quiet summer. Will summer break with rambunctious Shake be a drag or a blast for meticulous Shermy?
The Apartment House on Poppy Hill by Nina LaCour (Author) & Sònia Albert (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction/Mystery) Nine-year-old Ella considers herself the official greeter, tour guide, and is generally in charge of 1106 Wildflower Place, but the elusive Robinsons who live on the top floor are a mystery--one which Ella is determined to solve, and bring the elderly couple into the community of the apartment building on Poppy Hill.
Math Mysteries: #1 The Triplet Threat by Aaron Starmer (Author) & Marta Kissi (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction/Mystery) It's the first day of the 4th grade at Arthimos Elementary and things are already off to a strange start--poisonous cookies, a zipline disaster, a missing iPad, and what are those strange sounds coming from the school custodian's wheelbarrow? Luckily the Prime Detectives are on the case! Using arithmetic, geometry, and logic, they are sure to figure out who did what, when, and why!
Save The... Tigers by Christine Taylor-Butler & Chelsea Clinton
Publication Date: 2022
(Informational) Did you know that a tiger roar can be heard from two miles away? Or that tiger saliva prevents infection? With this book, readers can become tiger experts and learn how to save the animals they love.
Legends of Lotus Island: #1 The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat (Author) & Kevin Hong (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Fantasy) Plum is shocked to discover that she's been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into magical creatures who must protect the natural world. To her dismay, Plum struggles at school. While her classmates begin to transform, Plum can't even seem to magic up a single feather! If she can't embrace her inner animal form soon, she'll have to leave school and lose the first group of real friends.
Future Hero by Remi Blackwood
Publication Date: 2022
(Fantasy) When Jarell discovers a hidden portal in the barbershop, he’s transported to a magical world that’s unlike anything he’s seen before. But it’s not just the powerful gods and dangerous creatures that makes this world different―it’s that everyone believes Jarell is the hero they’ve been waiting for.
Ready, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. Baptist
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) Sixth-grader Zoe sets her sights on winning a laptop by becoming the top cookie-dough seller in her class, but as she becomes more obsessed with winning, she begins to lose sight of what is really important.
Worst Week Ever: #1 Monday by Matt Cosgrove (Author/Illustrator) & Eva Amores (Author))
Publication Date: 2024
(Realistic Fiction) Have you ever had a bad week? Justin Chase sure has and THIS is it! His mom has just married a vampire. His dad is driving a giant toilet on wheels. His cat has probably been abducted by aliens. A bully is making his first day at a new school miserable. And right now, he's hanging off the edge of a 30-foot-tall diving board in front of his entire class wearing nothing but rapidly disappearing swim trunks!
Marcus Stroman: #1 The Grip by Marcus Stroman
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) In this first book in the semi-autobiographical middle grade series from MLB pitcher Marcus Stroman, a young baseball player learns that perfect games only come with a lot of practice—and some strikeouts.
The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction/Mystery) Despite 11-year-old Leo's best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma's beehives go missing and infuriated Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself . . . with risk-averse Leo and his danger-loving, little sister Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow.
Art Club by Rashad Doucet
Publication Date: 2024
(Graphic Novel/Realistic Fiction) Inspired by the author’s own childhood, aspiring young artist, Dale Donavan, is on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for at his school
The Area 51 Files #1 by Julie Buxbaum (Author) & Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2022
(Science Fiction/Mystery) When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she never imagines she'll end up in Area 51, a top-secret military base with a bajillion rules. Sky feels like she's landed in a whole new world, even though she hasn't left the planet. Because guess what? Area 51 is full of aliens! But something even stranger is happening: aliens are going missing. Where could they be? How come everyone thinks Sky and her uncle are involved in their disappearance?
Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker (Author) & Matthew Cordell (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) What are people for? That’s the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom. Fame! says Leeva’s mom, the mayor of Nutsmore. Money! says her dad, the town treasurer. With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer—setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass
Publication Date: 2023
(Fantasy/Mystery) When a mysterious Little Free Library guarded by a large orange cat appears overnight, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change. Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about.
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko (Authors); Wallace West (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. When Chance, a real dog, and Metal Head, a robot dog, embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindness along the way.
The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) Every day, Lord Tennyson, a Miniature Schnauzer and very distinguished nanny, does his very best to care for the six McNiff children and keep them from destroying their pink New England farmhouse—and the rest of the town for that matter. But when summer vacation brings the kids home together all day, his chaos-containing skills are put to the ultimate test.
The Do-Over by Jennifer Torres
Publication Date: 2022
(Realistic Fiction) Twins Raquel and Lucinda Mendoza used to be inseparable, but, since their parents divorced, Raquel has become bossy and obsessive, while Lucinda has immersed herself in ice skating lessons. The pandemic and its enforced isolation has only made things worse. Then they are sent to their father's ranch in California; while Raquel thinks that this is a chance to get their parents back together by driving his girlfriend away, Lucinda discovers she likes his new family and wonders if trying to bring the Mendoza family back together is really worth the struggle.
Ellie's Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup! by Lisa Greenwald (Author) & Galia Bernstein (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) Ellie’s family owns the town deli. When a restaurant group threatens to move in and take over, tenacious Ellie and her BFFs must prove that matzo ball soup and sour pickles are here to stay. Recipes included.
Ginny off the Map by Caroline Hickey
Publication Date: 2023
(Realistic Fiction) There are two things Ginny Pierce loves most in the world: geography facts and her father. But when her dad is deployed overseas and Ginny’s family must move to yet another town, not even her facts can keep her afloat. Ginny decides that running her own camp for kids on her street will solve all her problems. But can she convince them (and herself) that there's more to her than just facts?
The Misfits: #1 A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee (Author) & Dan Santat (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2024
(Realistic Fiction/Mystery/Adventure) Problems have a knack for finding Olive Cobin Zang. So, of course she has her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever, which, it turns out, is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. Is this team of crime-fighting underdogs up for the test?
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers (Author) & Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Animal Fiction) 2024 Newbery Medal Winner. Free dog Johannes' job is to observe everything that happens in his urban park and report back to the park's three bison elders. Changes are afoot, including more humans, a new building, and a boatload of goats. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance. This award-winning story is about friendship, liberation, and running very, very fast.
Secrets of the Sky: #1 The Chaos Monster by Sayantani DasGupta
Publication Date: 2023
(Fantasy) Ten-year-old Kinjal knows something strange is going on. But he does not expect his dog, Thums-up, to disappear before his eyes in the middle of the night! Even stranger, two enormous flying horses appear and insist on taking Kinjal and his twin sister, Kiya, to a place they have never heard of: the Sky Kingdom. The twins have no choice but to go if they want to see their dog again, even if that isn't why the winged horses showed up in the first place. They have come to this dimension to seek help -- bees are disappearing, along with the nectar the horses need to survive.
Rewind by Lisa Graff
Publication Date: 2023
(Science Fiction) A twelve-year-old girl is able to make sense of the present—and change her future—by meeting her father in the past. As far as McKinley O’Dair is concerned, the best thing about living in Gap Bend, Pennsylvania is the Time Hop—the giant party the town throws every June to celebrate a single year in history. But when the Time Hop rolls around, nothing goes as planned. Before she knows what’s hit her, McKinley somehow finds herself in the real 1993.
Slugfest by Gordon Korman
Publication Date: 2024
(Realistic Fiction) Yash is the best athlete at Robinette Middle School—so good, in fact, that he’s already playing on the high school’s JV teams. Imagine his shock when he learns that his JV practices did not qualify for Middle School PE credit. Yash joins a bunch of underdogs - “slugs” - who are forced to attend summer school to complete PE, and it turns into a summer he'll never forget.
Greenwild: #1 The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson
Publication Date: 2023
(Fantasy) Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her journalist mother has been keeping secrets and now has vanished. Daisy knows it's up to her to find Ma--but someone is hunting her across London determined to stop her from discovering the truth. So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she steps out of the city and into the Greenwild, another world bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders. It seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy's mother.
A Horse Named Sky by Rosanne Parry (Author) & Kirbi Fagan (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2023
(Historical/Animal Fiction/Adventure) Young colt Sky was born with the urge to run. Alongside his band, he moves across the range searching for fresh water and abundant grazing. But humans have begun to encroach on Sky’s homelands. With fewer resources to share, Sky knows that he must leave if his family is to survive. He hopes that one day, he’ll be strong and brave enough to return. Being a lone wild horse in a vast landscape is not easy, and things get even more dangerous when Sky is captured and forced to run for the Pony Express. Chronicling the perils of westward expansion and the grueling Pony Express from the perspective of a wild horse, this is a gripping animal survival story about family, courage, trust, leadership, and loyalty.