Wheeler and Hamilton School Summer Reading List 2015

Grades K and up
When a skunk first appears in the tuxedoed man's doorway, it's a strange but possibly harmless occurrence. But then the man finds the skunk following him, and the unlikely pair embark on an increasingly frantic chase through the city, from the streets to the opera house to the fairground. What does the skunk want? It's not clear--but soon the man has bought a new house in a new neighborhood to escape the little creature's attention, only to find himself missing something. . .

Grades Pre-K and up
Pirate is friends with Scientist. Scientist is friends with Viking. Pirate and Viking are NOT friends. What will Scientist do? Use his brain, of course! Scientist forms a hypothesis, conducts an experiment, observes his results, and tests his subjects again and again until he discovers the perfect formula for friendship.

Grades N and up
Written by New York Times bestselling author Doreen Cronin and ingeniously illustrated by newcomer Juana Medina, Smick is a story of unlikely friendship, a sense of adventure, and a lot of wonderful wordplay.

Grades N and up
It's Bulldozer's big day—his birthday! But around the construction site, it seems like everyone is too busy to remember. Bulldozer wheels around asking his truck friends if they know what day it is, but they each only say it's a work day. They go on scooping, sifting, stirring, filling, and lifting, and little Bulldozer grows more and more glum. But when the whistle blows at the end of the busy day, Bulldozer discovers a construction site surprise, especially for him!

Grades Pre-K and up
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.

Grades Pre-K and up
When Ethan's grandma suggests they take a zip line to school, Ethan realizes that his grandma is a little different. In fact, she's a ninja! Ethan is soon the hit of the school when his grandma drops from the ceiling at show-and-tell, and teaches the kids karate moves and how to do backflips in slow motion. But when his grandma deflates his team's soccer ball, everyone is upset--including Ethan. Why can't he just have a regular grandma? But when Ethan tries out his new karate movesduring the championship game . . . he's happy that his grandma isn't ordinary.

Grades 1 and up
Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Charlie the Ranch Dog, is back with a new I Can Read story featuring our favorite bacon-loving basset hound. In Charlie's New Friend, Charlie the Ranch Dog meets his match in Mr. Rabbit, a sneaky ranch animal that steals from Mama's garden. Charlie tries to think up ways to stop the rabbit from eating up all the yummy carrots, but Mr. Rabbit always seems to be one step ahead!

Grades Pre-K and up
Belle uses sugar cubes to befriend a hungry little pony after the wild animal eats the apples she had intended for her lunch.

Grades N and up
Fly Guy has learned a lot of new tricks, but when he shows off at dinner time he and Buzz get into trouble--though later they prove useful.

Grades K and up
There's a new student in Mr. Tutu's dance class! When dancing diva Katy Duck meets Alice, she thinks Alice has forgotten her ballet slippers! Instead, Alice is ready to make some noise in a pair of tip-top tap shoes! Together, Katy and Alice learn that sharing can be fun…and that there is always more to learn!

Grades 1 and up
Mo and Jo are cavemen who, in three easy-to-read chapters, try to improve the smell of themselves and their cave, attempt to play hide-and-seek, and discover that there is more than one way to stay warm on a cold day.

Grades 1 and up
When Pinkalicious uses all of Alison's pink paint in class, Pinkalicious knows just how to make it up to her best friend!

Grades 4 and up.
"Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read" Provided by the publisher.

Grades 4 and up.
Eleven-year-old Gabriel, with the help of the young raven Paladin, with whom he has a magical bond, travels to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face challenges and unanswerable riddles to rescue his long-missing father.

Grades 3 and up.
Twelve-year-old Billy Gillfoyle discovers that an island in the middle of the lake where he is spending the summer is the testing grounds of the mysterious Dr. Libris, who may have invented a way to make the characters in books come alive.

Grades 2 and up.
Izzy Barr is the star athlete of the third grade, but her father always seems to think her brother Dustin is better. She pretends she does not care but as the citywide 10K run approaches, Izzy really wants her father to join the rest of her family and her friends in watching her run.

Grades 4 and up.
Since her father's death in a factory in the Dragonfly territories, thirteen-year-old Piper has eked out a living as a scrapper in Merrow Kingdom, but the arrival of a mysterious girl sends her on a dangerous journey to distant lands.

Contains step-by-step instructions for drawing a variety of dinosaurs.

All Grades.
"Fly is fed up with everyone studying butterflies. After all, flies go through metamorphosis too--and they are so much cooler! They flap their wings 200 times a second, compared to a butterfly's measly five to twelve times. Their babies--maggots--are much cuter than caterpillars. And when they eat solid food, they even throw up on it to turn it into a liquid... provides a new perspective on his species."--Provided by publisher.

Grades 3 and up.Text and illustrations look at the International Sweethearts of Rhythm an all-girls jazz musician band who had to deal with racist and sexist barriers wherever they went.

All Grades.
A picture book that explores the different microbes that inhabit the Earth and examines the varied jobs they do.

All Grades.
An illustrated look at the life of Kate Sessions, who planted a nursery in San Diego, California, after making a deal with the city.

Grades 2 and up.
The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.

Grades 5 and up.
"A graphic novel adventure about a girl who discovers roller derby right as she and her best friend are growing apart"--Provided by publisher.

Grades 1 and up.
Frequently admonished for her impulsive behavior, Salem Hyde, a young witch, ignores long lectures by her dignified animal companion and enters a spelling competition at school only to discover that the "spelling" involves words instead of magic.

Grades 2 and up.
The Sleepwalkers live in sleep and save dreamers from their nightmares. The current Sleepwalkers are ready to retire, but they must first recruit and train their replacements.