Teachers and media specialists talk about the books they recommend most to their students.Remember being a kid and losing yourself in the pages of a book?Maybe you immersed yourself in a magical world very different from your own. Or maybe you preferred nonfiction.Books introduce readers to new worlds, teach empathy, and are just plain fun. Study after study shows that reading can reduce stress, improve problem-solving skills and boost vocabulary.They also provide connection to other readers. “The thing I love to hear is when students talk about a book with their peers,” says Katie McGrain, lower school librarian at McDonogh School. “It’s my favorite moment in our library. I want that book to travel through as many hands as possible.”Teachers and media specialists at local independent schools are always on the lookout for the books they think their students will love. They tailor their recommendations to what they know about their students, including other books they liked, while also nudging them to try new themes and genres.Here are some of their current picks: Suzanne Fox, director of libraries for Roland Park Country School, has several favorites.Firekeeper’s Daughter (2021), by Angeline Boulley. The story follows 18-year-old Daunis, who witnesses a murder and goes undercover to solve it, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine.“It has a smart female main char[1]acter protagonist, who is trying to solve a mystery while advocating for her people,” says Fox. “There’s also a romance connected to the mystery. And there are all these questions about the tribal community and challenging stereotypes, and how we take care of each other.” She also likes: When the World Was Ours (2021), by Liz Kessler. Based on a true story, it follows three best friends from Vienna in 1936 through World War II, their fates entwined though they are separated by the war.Wave (2022), by Diana Farid. A coming-of-age story about a Persian-American surfer in 1980s California.Attack of the Black Triangles (2022), by Amy Sarig King. This middle-grade novel starts with sixth-grader Mac opening a classroom book and seeing that some words are blacked out.The Marvellers (2022), by Dhonielle Clayton. Eleven-year-old Ella finds her way as the first Conjurer in the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school for Marvellers from around the world.Show Me a Sign (2020), by Ann Clare LeZotte, is historic fiction focused on a deaf girl in 1805 Martha’s Vineyard, and the scientist who arrives in order to figure out why so many in that isolated community are deaf.Troublemaker (2022), by John Cho (the actor), follows 12-year-old Jordan on the tense Los Angeles day in 1992 when a jury acquitted the police officers charged with beating Rodney King.They Called Us Enemy (2019), a collaboration between the actor and activist George Takei and Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott and Harmony Becker, this graphic novel describes the real-life interment of Takei’s family during World War II.New Kid (2019), by Jerry Craft, is about a 12-year-old finding his way at a prestigious but not particularly diverse private school.Kate Campbell is the incoming school librarian for The Odyssey School and was previously a speech-language pathologist and tutor at the Lutherville school, founded in 1994 for students with learning differences.She recommends The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown (The Wild Robot, 2016; The Wild Robot Escapes, 2018; The Wild Robot Protects, 2023), which is about a robot who washes up on an island and thinks she has always been there.“The beauty of these books is that they’re for everyone,” says Campbell, who both teaches the books and recommends them. “The animals are suspicious, so she has to figure out how to fit in and adapt. When we teach it, we look at examples of adapting, and how the main character, Roz, adapts. We look at the scenes of life and death and nature. We talk about purpose in life, chosen family, and the importance of friendship. I’ve never had a student not enjoy it.”Angela J. Horjus-Walker, head librarian of the lower school libraries for Glenelg Country School, says Wishtree (2017), by Katherine Applegate, is one of her favorite books.“It is told from the rather unexpected view of a locally famous red oak tree,” she says. “Red, aptly named, is around 200 years old and has witnessed a lot, endured much, and weathered the many storms of life.” Red is also a Wishing Day tree, bound to honor the wishes that people write and hang on her branches, and she is determined to fulfill Samar’s wish of feeling as though she belongs, no matter the obstacles.McDonogh librarian McGrain says she recommends books based on what she knows about her students. Choosing favorites is almost impossible, she says, but she singled out two books by Dan Gemeinhart.The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (2020) is about a girl and her father who journey home after five years on the road in the aftermath of tragedy. “The thing I love is the intergenerational relationships,” she says. “The children are the ones who propel the story forward and have the right thing to offer at the right time.”The Midnight Children (2022) is about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town. She likes it, McGrain says, because it’s about “young people who are braving the world on their own, supporting each other but with a little secrecy and mystery.”McGrain also likes The One and Only Ivan (2012), by Katherine Appelgate, told from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a glass enclosure in a shopping mall. The book, based on a true story, won the Newbery Medal in 2013.Roxaboxen (1991), by Alice McLerran, with illustrations by Barbara Cooney, is a picture book describing a fully functioning town created by children out of rocks, boxes, imagination and community.Janice Lloyd, director of instruction and a teacher at The Highlands School, reaches back to a classic: A Wrinkle in Time (1962), by Madeleine L’Engle.The beloved young adult sci-fi fantasy novel follows the adventures of Meg and her brother Charles Wallace, along with their neighbor Calvin, as they travel through time and space to rescue their father from evil forces.“There is so much depth to the characters and concepts,” says Lloyd. “We see how Meg changes from the beginning of the book, from being so unsure of herself, very self-critical and not wanting to hear what her parents and others were saying.”When Lloyd teaches the book, she uses the mystery of what happened to the dad to encourage predicting and inferring. Heather Minor, director of student services at The Highlands School, also picked a classic. Her choice is Where the Red Fern Grows (1961), by Wilson Rawls, about a boy growing up in the Ozark Mountains with his two beloved hunting dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann.The book, Minor says, offers a view of rural life that may be new to children growing up in the suburbs. She likes the way the main character, Billy, works through situations and finds his own way forward.Another one of her favorites, also a classic, is Bridge to Terabithia (1977), by Katherine Paterson, about two lonely children, Leslie and Jesse, who become friends and create a magic imaginary world in the forest.“I have a copy at home torn to pieces from when I was in middle school,” Minor says. “As a kid, I identified with Leslie. I moved around a lot as well. I get very engrossed in it and the students seem to do the same.”The book explores themes such as wanting to fit in and what it means to let a friend down. She says students appreciate the celebration of imagination and play. “They’ll say to me, ‘I didn’t realize I could still pretend and be a kid.’ They want to know how to keep that playful side going as they get older.”This article is part of the 2024-2025 Guide to Baltimore Independent Schools.