FFCA Home

Why read?

Now more than ever, everyone needs to acquire and refine sophisticated reading skills.  We are not born with the ability to read.  This is a skill we learn and must continually practice.  According to the neuroscientist, Dr. Maryanne Wolf, students will require the widest collection of reading skills to date.  In other words, they will need vastly developed deep reading processes shared with and expanded through coding, designing, and programming skills which will transform a future none of us will be able to predict (Wolf, 2018).  At FFCA we strive to help students achieve academic excellence and character development through our distinctive teaching and learning.  One way for us to realize this vision is to invite students to continue reading whenever and wherever they can.  This will not only have a positive impact on academic achievement and character development, but it will help students become better prepared to actively engage in the amazing future that lies waiting for them.

Summer is the perfect time to pick up a book.  Immerse yourself, it will help you avoid the continuous temptation of digital culture to just skim (Wolf, 2018). Allow yourself to read deeply, make connections to what you already know.  Giving yourself this gift of time will drive you to form new thoughts and help you arrive at new understandings. But most importantly, it will bring you immeasurable joy.  Essentially, what we read, how we read and why we read changes how we think and never has it been so crucial to be a critical thinker.  So, we invite you to enjoy a book or two this summer.  You won’t be sorry!

How can I read?

If you already have a Calgary Public Library Card, you have access to a number of their books and resources digitally.  Click here  to access materials, put books on hold and find resources.

If you do not have a library card, you can register for one for FREE. Click here to sign up for a library card.

What should I read?

Here are some suggestions from your teachers and classmates.  If you would like even further suggestions check out the Nerdy Book Club.

K-Grade 2

• Picture book authors to not miss:
  • Dan Santat
  • Jory John
  • Jacqueline Woodson
  • Bill Peet
  • Jon Klassen
  • Kevin Henkes
  • Mem Fox
• Series Kids Love
  • Elephant and Piggy – Moe Willems
  • Owl Diaries – Rebecca Elliot
  • Bots – Russ Bolts
  • National Geographic Kids – levels from preschool to grade 3
  • Bink and Gollie  – Kate DiCamillo
  • Dori Fantasmagory  – Abby Hanlon
  • The Princess in Black - Shannon Hale
• Early Chapter Books

• The Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes
• Lulu’s Mysterious Mission – Judith Viorst
• Sleepless Knight – James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Fredrick-Frost

Grade 3-4

• Ivy and Bean - Annie Barrows
• Hank Zipzer (series) - Henry Winkler
• Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume
• The Magician’s Elephant – Kate DiCamillo
• Clementine (series) – Sara Pennypacker
• Kenny and the Dragon – Tony Diterlizzi
• The Great Bike Rescue – Hazel Hutchins
• The Quirks: Welcome to Normal (series) - Erin Soderberg
• The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones (series) - Will Mabbitt
• Marty McGuire – Kate Messner

 Grade 5-6

• Holes - Louis Sachar
• Bridge of Terabithia -Katherine Patterson
• Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick
• A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
• Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
• Fish in a Tree- Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• The False Prince – Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Because of Mr. Terupt – Rob Buyea
• Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
• Fablehaven (series)- Brandon Mull

 Grade 7-8

• Soul Enchilada – David Macinnis Gill
• The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie (Mature Read)
• The Hate U-Give – Angie Thomas
• The School for Good and Evil (series)-Soman Chainani
• Mazerunner (series)- James Dashner
• The City of Ember (series)- Jeanne DuPrau
• Rick Riordian author of multiple series.
• Booked!, Rebound, Crossover- Kwame Alexander
• Gifted- Gordan Korman

 Grade 9-10:  For a synopsis of these books click here.

• Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (Sci fi, gaming)
• The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline (Canadian Indigenous Sci-fi)
• I’ll Give you the Sun -  Jandy Nelson (YA, LGBTQ+)
• The Rule of Three - Eric Walters (YA, Sci Fi, trilogy)
• The Sun is Also a Star - Nicola Yoon (YA, Romance)
• All American Boys - Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely (YA, Black Lives Matter)
• Ashes in the Snow (originally Between the Shades of Gray) - Ruth Sepetys (Historical Fiction)
• The Book Thief  - Markus Zusak (Historical Fiction)
• The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls (memoir)
•  David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants - Malcolm Gladwell (non-fiction)

 Grade 11-12: For a synopsis of these books click here.

• The Martian - Andy Weir (Sci-Fi)
• Pachinko - Min Jin Lee (Historical Fiction)
• Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson (Canadian Indigenous Fantasy)
• Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward (Southern US Gothic)
• Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens (Mystery, Romance)
• Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (Realistic Fiction)
• The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah (Realistic Fiction)
• Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson (Biography, Law, Black Lives Matter)
• A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea - Melissa Fleming (Memoir, Syrian Refugee story)
• Climate Justice - Mary Robinson (non-fiction)

Thanks to Dawn Ackroyd, Rachel Bradley, Pamela Hunnisett, Sarah Massey and Pauline Miller for compiling this list and sharing their love for reading.