Summer Reading
Bulldogs build background knowledge!
Why read in the summer? Many reasons:
- Stay Engaged
- Learn New Information
- Prepare for Next Year
- Enjoy and Relax
How does learning new information help?
You will build background knowledge that will help you learn new content and become a better reader. Research shows the importance of building knowledge.
Where can reading materials be found?
Students can borrow books or listen to audiobooks from the PHS Library. They can also click on any of the science or social studies articles below!
Science Articles
"What students already know about the content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information relative to the content"
-Robert Marzano
The Importance of Background Knowledge
Science Books
- Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive History's Most Iconic Extinct Creature - Ben Mezrich
- Geoengineering Earth’s Climate - Jennifer Swanson
- How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other - Rebecca Stefoff
- Gravity’s Century: From Einstein’s Eclipse to Images of Black Holes - Ron Cowen
- Hothouse Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Importance of Carbon Neutrality - Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
- Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima - Deirdre Langeland
- Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes - Sue Hubbell
- Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory - James T. Costa
- How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Book - Chad Orzel
Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive History's Most Iconic Extinct Creature - Ben Mezrich
Geoengineering Earth’s Climate - Jennifer Swanson
How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other - Rebecca Stefoff
Gravity’s Century: From Einstein’s Eclipse to Images of Black Holes - Ron Cowen
Hothouse Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Importance of Carbon Neutrality - Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima - Deirdre Langeland
Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes - Sue Hubbell
Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory - James T. Costa
How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Book - Chad Orzel
- Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Book - Carlo Rovelli
- Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physica - Richard Feynman
- How to Speak Science: Gravity, Relativity, and Other Ideas That Were Crazy Until Proven Brilliant Book - Bruce Benamran
- Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry - Neil deGrasse Tyson
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Book - Elizabeth Kolbert
- An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives - Matt Richtel
- Extreme Longevity: Discovering Earth's Oldest Organisms - Karen Latchana Kenney
- Animal Cells - Michelle Lomberg (eBook Link)
- Plant Cells - Michelle Lomberg (eBook Link)
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Book - Carlo Rovelli
Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physica - Richard Feynman
How to Speak Science: Gravity, Relativity, and Other Ideas That Were Crazy Until Proven Brilliant Book - Bruce Benamran
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry - Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Book - Elizabeth Kolbert
An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives - Matt Richtel
Extreme Longevity: Discovering Earth's Oldest Organisms - Karen Latchana Kenney
Animal Cells - Michelle Lomberg (eBook Link)
Plant Cells - Michelle Lomberg (eBook Link)
Social Studies Articles
Social Studies Books
- Separate No More: The Long Road to Brown v. Board of Education - Lawrence Goldstone
- A Time to Fear: America-Red Scares/Cold War - Albert Marrin
- Drawing the Vote: Illustrated Guide to Voting - Tommy Jenkins
- Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel - Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson
- Historical Sources on Westward Expansion, Revolutionary War - Chet'la Sebree
- History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote - Kate Messner
- Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow - Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany - Andrew Maraniss
- An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States - Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Separate No More: The Long Road to Brown v. Board of Education - Lawrence Goldstone
A Time to Fear: America-Red Scares/Cold War - Albert Marrin
Drawing the Vote: Illustrated Guide to Voting - Tommy Jenkins
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel - Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson
Historical Sources on Westward Expansion, Revolutionary War - Chet'la Sebree
History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote - Kate Messner
Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow - Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany - Andrew Maraniss
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States - Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- U.S. Political Parties Development and Division - Philip Wolny
- World War II Told Through 100 Artifacts Book - Allan Reed Millett and Julian Thompson
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States - Paul Ortiz
- Buried Lives: The Enslaved People of George Washington's Mount Vernon - Carla Killough McClafferty
- American Government: Congress Book - John Perritano
- March: Graphic Novel of Civil Rights - John Lewis and Andrew Aydin (Vol. 1-3 )
- Inside the Steel Industry - Carla Mooney
- Indians in Eden: Wabanakis and Rusticators on Maine's Mt. Desert Island - Bunny McBride and Harald E.L. Prins
- New PanelCrossing Antietam: The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry Augustus Sand - Henry Augustus Sand
U.S. Political Parties Development and Division - Philip Wolny
World War II Told Through 100 Artifacts Book - Allan Reed Millett and Julian Thompson
An African American and Latinx History of the United States - Paul Ortiz
Buried Lives: The Enslaved People of George Washington's Mount Vernon - Carla Killough McClafferty
American Government: Congress Book - John Perritano
March: Graphic Novel of Civil Rights - John Lewis and Andrew Aydin (Vol. 1-3 )
Inside the Steel Industry - Carla Mooney
Indians in Eden: Wabanakis and Rusticators on Maine's Mt. Desert Island - Bunny McBride and Harald E.L. Prins
New PanelCrossing Antietam: The Civil War Letters of Captain Henry Augustus Sand - Henry Augustus Sand
Want additional reading materials?
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Explore the “Find A Good Book” page on the library website.
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Look for the tutorials on using audio and ebooks.
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Join Portland Public Library’s Summer Reading Program
Contact for Questions
Susie Nick
Librarian