Explore the Denver Public Schools Book List — a collection of titles that have captured the imagination of students across elementary, middle, and high school grades. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or just starting your reading journey, this list offers something for every age and interest.
Elementary School | Middle School | High School
Young Roberto loved baseball so much that he played with a tree branch and tin cans in Carolina, Puerto Rico, practicing until he was chosen to play for a Major League team -- in chilly Montreal! Although he showed his talent as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he still faced discrimination from people who wouldn't accept a Black man who demanded to be called Roberto instead of Bob in the middle of the nuclear-family 1950s. Even after becoming an All-Star and winning a World Series, he had to remain segregated in Black hotels during spring training in Florida, but he never stopped speaking Spanish and demanding recognition.
"In this semiautobiographical graphic novel from award-winning cartoonist Colleen Frakes, Norah must navigate not just her foiled dreams of blond hair but also the tangled mess her family has become. Norah is the good kid. Good at pleasing her parents and being a good sister. Good at school. Good at, well, almost everything. So when Mom's work brings her to a new town leaving Norah and Dad behind, no one thinks twice. After all, Norah's a mature sixth grader who can take care of herself...right? But things spiral out of control after a botched home dye job goes wrong and being the good kid quickly gets a little...hairy. Before long, one small tangle becomes a knot of epic proportions, and Norah soon realizes that the only way to untangle the mess she's made is to find her voice and ask for help."-- Amazon.com.
Gigi loves the Japan Day Festival! When Ojiji volunteers at the origami booth, Gigi can't wait to make a paper crane like Ojiji's. But folding paper is harder than it looks, and Gigi is disheartened when she sees her paper crane next to Ojiji's. Will Gigi give up or will she try her best?
"Discover North America's birds and their varied and beautiful songs with this informative, brightly illustrated picture book and its easy-to-use app. Take a dawn walk through the pages of Listen to the Birds and discover forty species of North American birds. Then, hold a phone with the paired app up to the art and watch--and listen--as the birds spring to life and sing. From the woods of the East to the deserts and plains of the West, and common species such as cardinals and robins to lesser-known birds such as the Western Wood-Pewee and the Black-Headed Grosbeak, ornithologist Donald Kroodsma showcases his unparalleled knowledge of each bird's songs and calls, behavior, and habitat. With Léna Mazilu's gorgeous artwork and the free, easy-to-use supplementary Birdie Memory mobile app, Listen to the Birds is a unique way for birders of all ages to experience the magic and delight of birdsong together with the incomparable knowledge of one of the world's leading ornithologists."-- Provided by publisher.
A group of diverse kids turn to the mythical monsters from their respective cultures to help them save the only home they have ever known.
When a little girl asks meaningful questions about creating art, her questions are answered by a diverse group of artists throughout time and history. This inspiring picture book about making art doubles as an introduction to the multifaceted and global history of art. Making both art history and art creation accessible to all, "Time to Make Art" nourishes creativity, encouraging young readers to see the artist in themselves.
"A face is a poem with all the parts put together, adding up to a someone you love. Have you ever stopped and looked, really looked, at a face? Do faces stay the same forever, or do they change? Where do our faces come from? In a playful and sensitive philosophical exploration, award-winning author/illustrator Julie Morstad guides readers through a fantastical meditation on the unique eyes, noses, mouths, freckles, wrinkles, scars and all those one-of-a-kind marks that make up a face. Embracing commonalities and differences alike, A Face Is a Poem is an ode to the unique beauty of each and every person's unique appearance, with an empowering message of self-love."-- Provided by publisher.
Two small boys from an island village spend their days in a mango tree until one is swept away in a storm and wakes up in a new, unfamiliar land.
"The first few years of Brian Reyes' life were unremarkable--nothing weird about this kid, no sir. Then, one day, a bump appeared on his head, and it grew... and grew... and grew until it was a full-blown, sparkling, singing unicorn horn. That's absolutely the last thing a shy kid like Brian wants, but destiny waits for no unicorn boy. Luckily, Brian has his reassuring pal Avery to keep him grounded as weird occurrences start stacking up, like Brian's breakfast muffin talking to him, or a bizarre black cat offering him a business card. But when shadowy creatures from another realm kidnap Avery, Brian has to embrace his fate to rescue his best friend"-- Provided by publisher.
A rescued cat named Wishbone grants siblings Ollie and Mia's every wish, but their desires, which have a steep price, are threatened by a shadow man called The Mage who covets Wishbone's power.
"A YA anthology of short stories ranging in genres from horror to romance, featuring classic and original monsters and creatures, and highlighting authors from the LGBTQIA+ community, including Claire Kann, Kalynn Bayron, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, and H.E. Edgmon"-- Provided by publisher.
Alex and his friends continue their quest to prevent the apocalypse, but with everyone looking to him for answers, Alex is not sure he is cut out to be a superhero.
"Kayla is a young peasant who care little about the world outside her village...until her best friend, Mal, finds herself in some serious trouble and the only way Kayla can save her friend is by entering the Kingdom Races...and winning. With control of the entire kingdom at stake, Kayla is thrust into a mission rife with political intrigue and lurking danger. Follow Kayla as she adventures into the wider world while putting her own life on the line for her friends, both old and new. No one has ever even finished the Kingdom Races. Will Kayla be the first?"--P. [4] of cover.
Told in alternating voices, determined to make a difference and heal from their troubled pasts, teens Ana and Leandro fight to protect California wildlife and the endangered puma.
"Albert Einstein. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Maya Lin. These geniuses are all visual thinkers. Are you? Do you like puzzles, coding, and taking things apart? Do you write stories, act in plays, slay at Wordle? The things you are good at are clues to how your brain works. Are you good at math? Working with your hands? Are you a neat freak or a big mess? With her knack for making science easy to understand, Temple Grandin explains different types of thinkers: verbal thinkers who are good with language, and visual thinkers who think in pictures and patterns. You will discover all kinds of minds and how we need to work together to create solutions to help solve real-world problems"-- Provided by publisher.
A young adult memoir in verse that traces the author's journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry.
"A new Midnight Society gathers around the campfire to share urban legends, folklores, and all manner of spooky stories. These three terrifying tales feature haunted buses, monstrous creatures, and spine-chilling mysteries guaranteed to have you reaching for the light switch! In "The Tale of the Witch's Wings," a young boy with a habit of bullying meets his match when an ancient witch sets her eyes on him. In "The Tale of the Haunting of Bus #13," a young girl finds herself potentially trapped on a bus haunted by more than just ghosts! And in "The Tale of the Stray Comet," two siblings bring home a stray dog that is much more monstrous than they could ever imagine! Are you afraid of the dark? You will be..."--Provided by publisher.
"Bust some of history's biggest myths and learn the truth about the Salem witch trials"-- Provided by publisher.
Expecting paradise on a remote island vacation, seventeen-year-old Femi and fellow guests are instead met with terror when the animals on the island turn feral.
"Tan Lee finds himself embroiled in an unusual love triangle, all while trying to defuse a heist, unravel a conspiracy, and navigate the most complicated babysitting assignment ever"-- Provided by publisher.
"Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school's spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom's car without permission, she's grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad's game shop. Riley can't waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan--a nerdy teen employee--to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she'll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous. But Riley didn't realize that meant joining Nathan's Dungeons & Dragons game...or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn't require as much acting as she would've thought..."--Publisher marketing.
"Before that awful Saturday, Molly used to be inseparable from her brother Hank and his best friend Tray. The indoor climbing accident that left Hank with a traumatic brain injury filled Molly with anger. While she knows the accident wasn't Tray's fault, she will never forgive him for being there and failing to stop the damage. But she can't forgive herself for not being there, either. Determined to go on the trio's postgraduation hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, even without Hank, Molly packs her bag. But when her parents put Tray in charge of looking out for her, she is stuck backpacking with the person who incites her easy anger"-- Provided by publisher.
In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal until his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his family and turns his sister into another demon, forcing Tanjiro on a dangerous journey to destroy the demon and save his sister.
A "work of reportage and American history in the vein of Caste and How the Word Is Passed that braids the story of the forced removal of Native Americans onto treaty lands in the nation's earliest days, and a small-town murder in the '90s that led to a Supreme Court ruling reaffirming Native rights to that land over a century later"-- Provided by publisher.
"Every time a promising villain appears, Saitama beats the snot out of 'em with one punch! Can he finally find an opponent who can go toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning? Or is he doomed to a life of superpowered boredom?"-- provided by publisher.
"Five years after the disappearance of their friend Mallory and their memories of that fateful night, high school seniors Fern and Jaq encounter a vengeful spirit resembling Mallory, forcing them to confront their true identities and the dark secrets hidden in their past"-- Provided by publisher.
"Hilke Schellmann is an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter, Wall Street Journal and Guardian contributor, and journalism professor at NYU. In "The Algorithm," she investigates the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world of work. AI is now being used to decide who has access to an education, who gets hired, who gets fired, and who receives a promotion. Drawing on exclusive information from whistleblowers, internal documents, and real-world tests, Schellmann discovers that many of the algorithms making high-stakes decisions are biased, racist, and do more harm than good. Algorithms are on the brink of dominating our lives and threaten our human future-if we don't fight back. Schellmann takes readers on a journalistic detective story, testing algorithms that have secretly analyzed job candidates' facial expressions and tone of voice. She investigates algorithms that scan our online activity, including Twitter and LinkedIn, to construct personality profiles a la Cambridge Analytica. Her reporting reveals how employers track the location of their employees, the keystrokes they make, access everything on their screens, and, during meetings, analyze group discussions to diagnose problems in a team. Even universities are now using predictive analytics for admission offers and financial aid"-- Provided by publisher.
This collection is a powerful reckoning with violence, shame, and easy pessimism in which Smith relies on artistic resilience to envision futures that seem possible.
"Author Lee Wind takes readers across the globe to examine gender identity and representation throughout history. Learn how cultures both past and present debunk the idea of a gender binary"-- Provided by publisher.