Melissa Carpenter Book Recs, Compassion, Middle School, Summer Reading, What to Read

Announcing the 2019 Summer Read!

Merci Suarez Cover Image

With summer vacation comes summer reading, and we are so excited for you to meet Merci Suarez!

Merci Suarez Changes Gears is the 2019 Newbery Medal winning story of Merci, a middle school girl who lives in Florida with her big, loving, Cuban family and deals with many of the same kinds of issues that our own Queen’s Grant scholars have to deal with. Check out the official blurb:

“Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra    community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren’t going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and   getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what’s going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.”

 

Melissa Carpenter Book Recs, Inspirational, Middle School, Summer Reading, What to Read, WONDER

Announcing the 2017 QGMS all-school read…

wonder cover

We’re excited to announce that our summer reading book this year is WONDER by R.J. Palacio!

More information will be coming home in students’ end of year packets this week, but our QG Reads site will continue to be a place for students to discuss and interact with the book and each other throughout the summer.

For now, make sure you get your copy soon! They’re available at the Barnes and Noble at the Arboretum (check with the customer service desk), through Amazon, and through any other bookseller. Since it’s a bestseller, it should be pretty easy to find.

Melissa Carpenter Book Discussion, Book Recs, I WIll Always Write Back, Middle School, Reading for Fun, Summer Reading, What to Read

A note from Mrs. Sprague on The Running Dream

From Mrs. Sprague:

I just read a great book that goes along with our summer reading book. It is titled The Running Dream. It is the story of a girl who suffers a tragedy in her life, and how she adjusts with the help of a disabled girl. The story continues with how she repays her friend for all of her help.  It was an easy read and a great story!!!

Interested in checking this story out? Find it here on Amazon or see if it’s at your local library!

the running dream

Melissa Carpenter Book Recs, Compassion, I WIll Always Write Back, Inspirational, Middle School, Summer Reading, What to Read

Introducing our ALL MS Summer Read for 2016…

I will always write back

We’re trying something different this year – ALL Queen’s Grant Middle School students and teachers will be reading the same book this summer, regardless of grade level. This shared reading experience will give all of our students and staff a common text to use as a springboard for discussion when we return to school in the fall. I Will Always Write Back was chosen for its strong moral focus elements (especially compassion) and we look forward to seeing the impact it has on our school culture.

I Will Always Write Back is available here on Amazon, but you can also probably find a copy locally – we have called Barnes and Noble at the Arboretum and asked them to order copies to have in stock.

As always, we thank you, the parents and students of QG, for partnering with us in education. We’re excited about the 2016-17 school year and hope that you are, too!