October 2026 Selections
October is Halloween, Diwali, LBGTQ History Month, Global Diversity Month, German-American Heritage Month, Bullying Prevention Month
To access the books on our monthly MPS Reads book lists, visit your school library or local library. You can also go online to Sora* (formerly OverDrive) and log in with your MPS student ID number.
*Not all titles are available through Sora.
This page has been specially formatted for printing. To request a one-page, print-only version of these book selections for home or classroom printing, please contact webmaster@milwaukeepublicschools.org.
Primary (Preschool–Grade 2)
Included
by Jayneen Sanders, Illustrated by Camila Carrossine
The aim of this story is to illustrate that kids with disabilities are just like kids everywhere. They love books, playing games, making stuff, and being silly. Like kids everywhere, they want to feel safe, loved, and included. This book gives readers ways to be more inclusive in their play and encourages celebrating diversity.
Gigantic
by Rob Biddulp
Meet Gigantic, the smallest blue whale in the Atlantic. Overshadowed by all the others, Gigantic is teased by the bigger whales. But one day, when Gigantic's brother gets stuck on the sand, it's up to Gigantic and his small sea creature friends to save the day. Can they show it's possible to be both tiny and brave?
Intermediate (Grades 3–5)
Billie B Brown's Secret Mystery Club: Spooky House
by Sally Rippin, Illustrated by Aki Fukuoka
Billie B Brown and her friends have started a new Secret Mystery Club – but can they follow the clues to solve their first case? Who lives in the spooky house at the end of the street? When Billie discovers that a witch lives there, her friends don’t believe her. Can she convince them she’s telling the truth?
Wonder
by R.J. Palachio
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. Starting fifth grade at Beecher Prep, Auggie wants to be treated like everybody else. Auggie proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Kit Tyler is marked by disapproval from the moment she arrives in Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she is set to live with cousins she has never met. Kit's friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed to be a witch, ultimately forces Kit into a battle for survival.
King and the Dragonflies
by Kacen Callender
Kingston’s brother Khalid has passed away, but Khalid still visits in dreams. When Kingston’s friend Sandy goes missing, King finds his friend hiding in a tent in his backyard and agrees to help Sandy escape his abusive father. King is forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.
High School (Grades 9–12)
On the Wings of La Noche
by Vanessa L. Torres
In her human form, Estrella (Noche) Villanueva is grieving the tragic drowning of her girlfriend, Dante. At night, she is a Lechuza who visits her dead girlfriend at the lake. When Jax, a new kid, comes to town, Noche begins to imagine a life without Dante. Noche is forced to question her purpose as a lechuza and everything she believes in.
Where No Shadow Stays
by Sara Hashem
Mina knows little about her mother's mysterious death. When she receives an invitation from an aunt to visit her mother's childhood home, Mina travels to Egypt. But when Mina returns, a sinister entity follows her and possesses anyone who comes near. Mina must seek help from Jesse Talbot, the town mortician's hostile son.
Manga
Spy x Family, Volume 1
by Tatsuya Endo
Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head! He doesn't know that the wife he's chosen is an assassin and the child he's adopted is a telepath!
Books in Spanish
Me Llamo Gabito / My Name is Gabito
de Monica Brown y Raul Colon
Gabriel García Márquez es una figura extraordinaria, de enorme talento y admirada sin reservas. Esta es su historia, narrada con cariño para el disfrute de los niños. A partir de las imágenes de sus novelas, Monica Brown recorre la vida del escritor desde su infancia en Colombia hasta la actualidad. Es una historia inspiradora sobre una vida llena de imaginación y belleza.
MPS Reads Archive
If you have any questions about MPS Reads or the selected books, learn who to contact.