Evan has a lot to solve, including a mystery about his father, but it’s his fellow students who get most of his attention. He also tries to persuade his mother to buy the family a dog.
With the help of his mother’s brother (who has lived in Haddington for eight years), a friendly boy named Max (who has lived there all his life) and a dog who seems to be homeless, Evan slowly gets used to his new city. . Through computer searches at the local library, he even finds a meaningful way to participate in his school’s Battlefield Day, which commemorates the Civil War, as well as his town’s discussion of the Confederate statue erected there a few years ago. more than a century.
As the only Asian American in his school, Evan arouses curiosity in some people and hostility in others. He hadn’t faced any of that at his old school. And when a classmate admits to firing a bullet into his house, Evan, his mom and his 15-year-old sister are shocked and upset. They wonder why the police aren’t taking the incident more seriously. Although Evan can sense when someone is lying, it’s hard for him to see what the whole truth is or why his classmate is acting like a bully.
Wendy Wan-Long Shang presents the book’s chapters from a variety of points of view, but Evan is central to the fast-paced story. He is considerate and personable, and his ability to see through insincerity will make you think about your own instincts. As eventful as “The Secret Battle of Evan Pao,” it’s also a good reminder that we all have inner battles that we can’t easily see or understand.
“The Great Wall of Lucy Wu” (ages 8-12), Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s first novel introduces another sixth grader who must face surprising challenges.
In Melissa Dassori”JR Silver writes his world” (ages 8 to 12), a sixth grade girl discovers she has magical power when the stories she writes come true.
KidsPost reader Edith Dawson of Mount Vernon, Iowa, recommends “Word of honor” (ages 9 to 12) by Marion Dane Bauer. It is a Newbery Honor Award-winning story about a tragedy that occurs when two friends swim in a dangerous river. “It uses realistic characters with relatable struggles to teach children that it is their duty to tell the truth and that they must overcome the guilt of mistakes that are not entirely their fault.”
In the kingdom of Mangkon, 12-year-old Sai is trying to make it on his own. His mother died years ago and his father survives thanks to criminal acts that sometimes land him in jail. Sai has worked on his calligraphy and integrating him into normal society, and has been lucky enough to land a job assisting the kingdom’s preeminent cartographer. When the opportunity to escape from his father’s shady plans arrives, Sai embarks on a grand journey of exploration. Once on board, he will have to find out who to trust and the truth of what lies beyond the known world.
The Summer Reading Club is open to children ages 6-14. They can read some or all of the books on our list. (Find a blurb for each book at wapo.st/kidspostbookclub launch 2022.) The first 600 children to register will receive a notebook and pen. To join the club, children must be registered by a parent or guardian before August 8. To register, that adult must complete our form at wapo.st/kidspostbookclub2022. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].
Have a suggestion?
The KidsPost Summer Reading Club 2022 is themed “Speaking the Truth” and we’d like to hear about your favorite books related to the topic. Children ages 6-14 are eligible to participate; one ticket per person. Have a parent or guardian complete the top portion of the form at wapo.st/kidspostYMAL and then share your suggestions for Thursday. We can include your favorites on KidsPost. At the end of the summer, we will send a selection of books to three randomly selected children who submitted suggestions. Winners will be notified by August 30.