ISS Best Books of 2022
AASL Independent School Section
Best Books 2022
Here are some favorites from your Independent School Colleagues
- SpreadsheetIncludes Kirkus and other review links
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by ISBN: 9780593310526Publication Date: 2022-04-26Meghan Kennedy Columbus School for Girls Jennifer Chan is Not Alone by Tae Keller - middle grade, realistic fiction - A heartbreaking look at bullying and its impact through a unique POV--the bully. Provides a really realistic, nuanced look, and every character is treated with compassion while still letting anyone off the hook for their actions. One of my favorite lines: “Maybe it’s more complicated than knowing the right thing. Maybe people are just trying to balance helping other people and keeping themselves safe.”
Rebecca Moore The Overlake School, Redmond, WA
Jennifer Chan is Not Alone (Tae Keller). Realistic; grades 5-7. Tae Keller has her finger on the pulse of middle school power dynamics, driven by her need to understand her own experiences being bullied in middle school. What drives a bully? Why would someone do something they know is wrong? It's all caught up in the friend and school power dynamics, as well as the individuals' characters. Mallory has to answer a lot of really tough questions about herself, her friends, their friendships, and their actions. The parents in this were not perfect, either, but they were trying and in most cases, supported their kids. Jennifer's character stands out for her sticking to her guns in the face of enormous pressure to conform, but she does pay a stiff, middle school price for that--and then, so do those who exacted that price. I think this will make a lot of kids think about how they interact with people who don't quite fit in, and question the ethics of trying to force them to conform or at least "know their place."
Elementary / Middle School
Answers in the Pages by
Jill Hanson The Paideia School
Answers in the Pages, by David Levithan, realistic fiction, upper elementary to middle school. Timely reflection on book banning and the importance of representation in the books read in schools. LGBTQ
ISBN: 9780593484685Publication Date: 2022-05-10
Falling Short by
Rebecca Moore The Overlake School, Redmond, WA Falling short (Ernesto Cisneros): Realistic, Grades 5-7. I loved this, even if it got a little (appropriately) gross, since it's written for kids who like that sort of thing. I really loved that it did not follow the pattern I assumed it would, with Marco tutoring Isaac and becoming the manager for the basketball team or them pulling apart because their interests were so different and middle school is brutal. Instead, each boy invested huge amounts of time and effort in learning and doing things to help the other, and in doing so, helped themselves and the basketball team. There's plenty of basketball action for the sports fans, though I could have used more on the nerdy side for those fans. I thought the family tensions and joys were well-handled. So nice to read a middle school book about ride-or-die friends who stick with each other rather than giving in to peer pressure and splitting up.
ISBN: 9780062881724Publication Date: 2022-03-15
The Lost Ryu by
Rebecca Moore The Overlake School, Redmond, WA
The Lost Ryu (Emi Watanabe Cohen). Fantasy; grades 5-7. I thought this was wonderful and unusual. It’s an interesting setting as books set in Japan in the early 1960s are not common in American literature. I liked how the plot unfolded, and of course I liked the dragons because I love dragons. The little dragons made me think very much of the fire lizards in and McCaffrey's books, though these dragons can speak. I really liked how Kohei came to understand the truth of what happened to his family during the war, and I liked his comments about how children are always made to apologize, but sometimes, it really is the adults who should apologize. I also liked it he pointed out that his mother's hanging onto her sadness and other negative emotions means she is missing his childhood, though of course he doesn’t have the adult understanding of depression. And his comment about somehow wishing he’d lived through the war too, so he would understand his family, highlights a conundrum for people in his position. No one wants war, but if you miss an experience that most others in the world have had, then you feel left out and as if part of you is missing. I also liked the exploration of Isolde being of mixed descent, and what that means for her. What is not explored for the most part is the reality of war and the actions of those on both sides, but there is enough of that in other books. This is a complex book that conveys a lot of feelings and ideas—a win for me.
ISBN: 9781646141326Publication Date: 2022-06-07
The Marvellers by
Jill Hanson The Paideia School
The Marvellers, by Dhonielle Clayton, fantasy, middle grade, great for fans of Harry Potter, but with more diversity.
ISBN: 9781250174949Publication Date: 2022-05-03
Molly and the Machine by
Stacy Nockowitz Columbus Academy
Molly and the Machine- Age range: 8-12; sci-fi. It's a must read because it's such a fun, action-packed book that will keep middle grade readers on the edge of their seats.
ISBN: 9781534497993Publication Date: 2022-06-07
Worser by
Stacy Nockowitz Columbus Academy
Worser- Age range: 8-12; realistic fiction. It's a must read because the characters are so well-drawn, and the protagonist makes plenty of mistakes and learns from them.
ISBN: 9780823449569Publication Date: 2022-03-15
The Ogress and the Orphans by ISBN: 9781643750743Publication Date: 2022-03-08Kate Reid St. Bernard's School
"The Ogress and the Orphans" by Kelly Barnhill - masterful narrative voice, gorgeously told allegory. Allegory/fantasy - middle grade
Maria Touet Malden Catholic High School
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill, ;ages 10 +. Beautiful story about belonging and kindness, it's both heartbreaking and hearthealing.
Jill Hanson The Paideia School
The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill, fantasy, middle grade (grades 3 up). Beautifully written story that reinforces the importance of community and taking care of our neighbors.
Middle School
Alias Anna by
Kate Reid St. Bernard's School
"Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis" - nonfiction biography told in verse - middle grade and up - There was not much great narrative nonfiction published this year. This is the best of the lot and timely for today's young readers. Zhanna/Anna's story is told with a variety of poetic forms and brings her character and experience in Ukraine during World War II fully to life.
ISBN: 9780063083899Publication Date: 2022-03-22
The Door of No Return by
Kristen Armstrong Gill St. Bernard's School
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander, historical fiction, grades 8 and up. Novel in verse about a boy in the Kingdom of Ghana before the arrival of Europeans. Very powerful. Kwame is amazing as usual!
ISBN: 9780316441865Publication Date: 2022-09-27
The Inheritance Games Trilogy by
Shelagh Straughan Trinity College School
"The Inheritance Games series (8-12)
Life has been a struggle for Avery and her sister…until she learns she is the beneficiary of a billionaire’s estate -a billionaire she doesn’t know. To claim estate, she must move into his sprawling mansion will family members who have a target on her head."
ISBN: 9781368052405Publication Date: 2020-09-01
The Prince of Steel Pier by
Stacy Nockowitz Columbus Academy
The Prince of Steel Pier- Age range: 9-14; historical fiction. It's a must read because it has authentic Jewish representation unrelated to the Holocaust and WWII.
ISBN: 9781728430348Publication Date: 2022-09-01
Save the People! by
Meghan Kennedy Columbus School for Girls
Save the People by Stacy McAnulty - middle grade, nonfiction - Seriously amazing. McAnulty's writing was conversational and fun, and I learned SO! MUCH! I laughed, I cried, I gained new anxieties and a new sense of peace. Not a fan of nonfiction? Try this book.
ISBN: 9780759553941Publication Date: 2022-05-10
I Must Betray You by
Kate Reid St. Bernard's School
"I Must Betray You" by Ruta Sepetys - gripping historical fiction with the perfect amount of tension and pacing, vivid setting, fabulous characterization. YA historical fiction
ISBN: 9781984836038Publication Date: 2022-02-01
Remarkably Bright Creatures by ISBN: 9780063204157Publication Date: 2022-05-03Julie Bell Mercersburg Academy
Remarkably Bright Creatures / Shelby van Pelt, fiction, YA-adult. Must read: A humorous, poignant, gentle, entertaining tale, from various points of view; excellent character development and observations about relationships and compassion.
Shelagh Straughan Trinity College School
"Remarkably Bright Creatures (9-12)
Remarkably bright and remarkable! Wonderful for lovers of aquatic life (one of narrators is an octopus), this novel explores connection between humans, and between humans and animals with a heart-rending mystery at its core"
Lessons in Chemistry by ISBN: 9780385547345Publication Date: 2022-04-05Mary G. Fraser Germantown Academy
Lessons in Chemistry: Historical/realistic fiction / Perhaps upper-school students, but mostly faculty and parents / Elizabeth Zott's experiences and voice live on long after one finishes reading this excellent first novel. Her story is engaging, frustrating, disturbing, and bittersweet a must read for the year!
Kate Lewallen Webb School of Knoxville
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - adult and teen/historical fiction, great historical fiction about women in science with a quirky main, take no crap main character
High School / Young Adult
The Agathas by
Kate Lewallen Webb School of Knoxville The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow - YA, mystery. Really great mystery, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Very Veronica Mars vibes
ISBN: 9780593431115Publication Date: 2022-05-03
Bloodmarked by
Kristen Armstrong Gill St. Bernard's School
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn, fantasy, grades 9 and up, sequel to Legendborn- Black Girl literal magic, adventure, romance, and Arthurian legend all wrapped up in amazing storytelling and characters.
ISBN: 9781534441637Publication Date: 2022-11-08
This Woven Kingdom by
Maria Touet Malden Catholic High School
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, ages 14 +. The writing of this novel is beautiful and lyrical. The world-building is vivid and stunning. There are times when the reader will want to cry and laugh. First in a duology.
ISBN: 9780062972446Publication Date: 2022-02-01
The Weight of Blood by
Meghan Kennedy Columbus School for Girls
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson - YA, horror - A fun and terrifying homage to Stephen King's Carrie, while showing the real horrors of racisim--both internal and external. You already know how it's going to end, but it's an engaging thrill from start to finish.
ISBN: 9780063029149Publication Date: 2022-09-06
All My Rage by
Kristen Armstrong Gill St. Bernard's School
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, realistic fiction, grades 9 and up. '“All My Rage” is a love story, a tragedy and an infectious teenage fever dream about what home means when you feel you don’t fit in.' Story featuring two Islamic teens trying to navigate life in a small California town. Plus I love everything that Sabaa Tahir writes.
ISBN: 9780593202340Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Adults - special appeal to young adults
The Cabin in the Woods by
Maria Touet Malden Catholic High School
A Cabin in the Woods by Sarah Alderson, ages 16 +. Amazing mystery with surprises galore!
ISBN: 0008551111Publication Date: 2022-10-18
Sea of Tranquility by
Julie Bell Mercersburg Academy
Sea of Tranquility / Emily St. John Mandel -- sci fi, YA-adult. Must read: Accessible imagining of our future, complete with reference to the pandemic; it has well-drawn characters, suspense, and very good story-telling.
ISBN: 9780593321447Publication Date: 2022-04-05
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by
Shelagh Straughan Trinity College School
"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (9-12)
Ode to friendship, love and video games; the chronicle of Sam and Sadie’s lifelong not-quite-romance and creative partnership in the gaming world
ISBN: 9780593321201Publication Date: 2022-07-05
The Mosquito Bowl by
Mary G. Fraser Germantown Academy Mosquito Bowl: Historical Non-fiction / Upper School - Adult / Weaves together American history, sports, coming-of-age, and all the big name colleges that our students dream of into one engaging and heartbreaking book.
ISBN: 9780062879929Publication Date: 2022-09-13