Number the Stars

AUTHOR: Lois Lowry

GENRE: Historical Fiction

SUMMARY: As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

Rules

AUTHOR: Cynthia Lord

GENRE: Fiction

SUMMARY: Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She’s spent years trying to teach David the rules — from a peach is not a funny-looking apple to keep your pants on in public — in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she’s always wished for, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

Glennall’s Betrayal

AUTHOR: Paul McCusker

GENRE: Fiction

SUMMARY: During his desperate attempt to run away from home, James Curtis is startled when he encounters a wandering band of gypsies in a battered wagon! Needing a ride, he recklessly accepts an offer to join them — and soon finds he is no longer in the familiar place and time he just came from,

James’s confusion turns to terror when he witnesses a young man being attacked and thrown down a mineshaft! Seeking to help the poor victim, James is instantly entangled in a dark family feud that leaves him bound, gagged, and at the mercy of brutal strangers!

A prisoner in an exotic land full of unknown dangers and suspicious people, James desperately searches for an escape. The future seems hopeless. Will he be sentenced to a life of slavery? Or is there some higher purpose to this deadly predicament?

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle

AUTHOR: C.S. Lewis

GENRE: Fantasy Fiction

SUMMARY:The Last Battle tells the story of the last war of Narnia, when King Tirian and his loyal followers fight the Calormene invaders and their allies. This conflict leads to the end of the old world of Narnia and the beginning of a new adventure in Aslan’s real country.

Partial Book List for 2024-2025

Season seven of SALT is getting a head start. Here are the first 8 books on our 2024-2025 reading list that all divisions will read:

  • Book of Ruth NIV Bible
  • Glennall’s Betrayal by Paul McCusker
  • Hook’s Revenge: The Pirate Code by Heidi Schulz
  • Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
  • Rules by Cynthia Lord
  • Tales from the Odyssey: Part 1 by Mary Pope Osborn
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
  • When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad

You can find details about the first 8 books here on the website. Watch for the remaining books to be announced this Fall.

Book List for 2023-2024

We’re pleased to announce the official reading list for 2023-2024. Brief details for each of the 20 books for this sixth season of SALT can be found here on the website. The 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 12 books and the 5th-6th Grade Division will read 16 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:

3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION

  • A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry
  • Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (The Great Illustrated Classics edition only: ISBN 9781603400206)
  • Book of Mark NIV Bible (Chapters 1-16)
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
  • Escape to the Hiding Place (The Imagination Station) by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
  • Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
  • Grand Teton Stampede (The Campground Kids) by C.R. Fulton
  • Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
  • Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron
  • The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Brixton Brothers) by Mac Barnett
  • The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
  • The Magician’s Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis

5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION

  • A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry
  • Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (This edition only: ISBN 9781603400206)
  • Book of Mark NIV Bible (Chapters 1-16)
  • Britfield & the Return of the Prince by C.R. Stewart
  • Corrie Ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels’ Den by Janet & Geoff Benge
  • Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
  • Escape to the Hiding Place (The Imagination Station) by Marianne Hering & Marshal Younger
  • Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
  • Fog Magic by Julia Sauer
  • Grand Teton Stampede (The Campground Kids) by C.R. Fulton
  • Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
  • Lucky Strike by Bobbie Pyron
  • The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (Brixton Brothers) by Mac Barnett
  • The Diamond of Darkhold (The City of Ember) by Jeanne DuPrau
  • The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
  • The Magician’s Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis

Knucklehead

AUTHOR: Jon Scieszka

GENRE: Fiction, Humor

SUMMARY: Scieszka answers the oft-asked question, “Where do you get your ideas?”  with a slew of childhood anecdotes and his family’s escapades that have given him plenty of material from which to draw. Born in 1954, the second of six brothers, he writes about Catholic and military schools, buying gifts, chores, and hand-me-downs — all familiar experiences related with a specific Scieszka twist. Some stories are just amiably funny, such as wearing recycled Halloween costumes, while others help readers understand more about how the author developed his unique sense of humor. Family photographs and other period illustrations appear throughout. Entertaining and fast-moving, silly and sweet. —School Library Journal

The Hero Two Doors Down

AUTHOR: Sharon Robinson

GENRE: Fiction

SUMMARY: Stephen Satlow is an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing-the Dodgers. Steve and his father spend hours reading the sports pages and listening to games on the radio. Aside from an occasional run-in with his teacher, life is pretty simple for Steve. But then Steve hears a rumor that an African-American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood. It’s 1948 and some of his neighbors are against it. Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before. Then it happens — Steve’s new neighbor is none other than Jackie Robinson! Steve is beyond excited about living two doors down from the Robinson family. He can’t wait to meet Jackie. This is going to be the best baseball season yet! How many kids ever get to become friends with their hero?

Around the World in 80 Days

AUTHOR: Jules Verne

GENRE: Adventure Fiction

SUMMARY: One night in the reform club, Phileas Fogg bets his companions that he can travel across the globe in just eighty days. Breaking the well-established routine of his daily life, he immediately sets off for Dover with his astonished valet Passepartout. Passing through exotic lands and dangerous locations, they seize whatever transportation is at hand — whether train or elephant — overcoming setbacks and always racing against the clock.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to differences in multiple editions of this book, please read the Great Illustrated Classics edition only: ISBN 9781603400206.