During the month of March, FWPS celebrates reading and literacy for National Reading Month. One of the ways we highlight reading is through our annual Scholar Recommended Booklist, a curated list of favorite books nominated by FWPS PreK-12th grade scholars.
Books represent scholars across our district and span a wide range of genres and interests, with themes including cultural identity, feelings, and more!
Explore the growing booklist by watching a selection of the books included in the video below, then viewing the full booklist organized by grade level below!
Legends of Lotus Island (Series) byChristina Soontornvat Year Published: 2023
Nominated by:
Aden M. (Pre K, Sherwood Forest Elementary)
Aden shares: “Its about magical guardians who protect the world from greed.”
Disaster Squad (Series) by Rekha S. Rajan Year Published: 2024
Nominated by:
Aden M. (Pre K, Sherwood Forest Elementary)
Aden shares: “I like the dog and making the emergency kits. I'm super prepared.”
Greetings from Somewhere (Series) by Harper Paris
Year Published: 2014
Nominated by:
Aden M. (Pre K, Sherwood Forest Elementary)
Poppy shares: “Ethan and Ella go in the ruins and secret passageway like the tomb of a pyramid with boobytraps.”
Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi Year Published: 2008
Nominated by:
Aeolis A. (1st Grade, Meredith Hill Elementary)
Aeolis shares: “It's fun!”
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman Year Published: 2022
Nominated by:
Damian R. (1st Grade, Brigadoon Elementary)
Damian shares: “It's about a boy Skandar and his friends Bobby, Mitchell, and Flo. Their a quartet and they are at the Eyrie. Skandar is a Spirit Wielder which is banned on the island, and his mom is the Weaver, but he doesn't want anyone to know. Skandar and his friends go on missions to keep the Eyrie safe.”
The Dragonet Prophecy: Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
Year Published: 2012
Nominated by:
Damian R. (1st Grade, Brigadoon Elementary)
Damian shares: “There's an old dragon that's trying to take over, and the other dragons try to stop it.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
Year Published: 2021
Nominated by:
Elijah O. (2nd Grade, Lakeland Elementary)
Elijah shares: “It’s about a boy who is horrible at sports. It's funny.”
Nominated by:
Myla R. (4th Grade, Mirror Lake Elementary)
Myla shares: “The details the author included really help me visualize what's happening in the book. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to hug your own pet a little tighter. It’s scary and sad at times, but Rebel’s courage makes you want to cheer for him on every page.”
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Year Published: 2015
Nominated by:
Miriam K. (4th Grade, Wildwood Elementary)
Miriam shares: “It was about a girl, her dream was to become second on the pyramid (roller skating). Her favorite player was rainbow bite so she wanted to become like rainbow bite.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney
Year Published: 2014
Nominated by:
Jayson B. (5th Grade, Meredith Hill Elementary)
Jayson shares: “The adventures of Greg's family on a road trip which along the way goes horribly wrong. Its humor, creativitiy which really intrigues new readers.”
I Survived (Series) by Lauren Tarshis
Year Published: 2010
Nominated by:
Soliyana C. (5th Grade, Meredith Hill Elementary)
Redwall: Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques
Year Published: 1993
Nominated by:
Carson C. (6th Grade, Illahee Middle School)
Carson shares: “This book is my favorite because it has strong friendships, cunning heroes and villains, and both sides never giving up!”
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
Year Published: 2009
Nominated by:
Odin H. (7th Grade, Lakota Middle School)
Odin shares: “It is very engaging and exiting while having the horror aspect of the novel. There are 6 books in the full series encouraging readers to continue the story.”
A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
Year Published: 2019
Nominated by:
Leighton S. (8th Grade, Evergreen Middle School)
Leighton shares: “The book is about a girl who writes a podcast for a closed case that has holes. It kept me entertained and the plot twists are crazy.”
Jujutsu Kaisen (Volume 1) by Gege Akutami
Year Published: 2018
Nominated by:
Roshnai R. (8th Grade, Illahee Middle School)
Roshnai shares: “Yuji Itadori eats a cursed object to save his new friend, but he becomes the vessel for a powerful curse and this leads him on a journey while his loved ones and morals face the odds. It doesn’t shy away from putting their protagonist through it, has a vast range of characters with different philosophies, and a very entertaining plot. It also makes me think.”
Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast (Volume 1) by Kafka Asagiri
Year Published: 2021
Nominated by:
Amalie M. (9th Grade, TAF@Saghalie)
Amalie shares: “Beast is about 2 boys on different sides one named Akutagawa the other named Atsushi they both have difficult upbringings but one of them tried to choose good to find their sister that got kidnapped and the other one was forced to resort to the worst. It's really well written especially the fighting and angst. The visuals that were on some pages also really helped pull the story together and the ending made me cry.”
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Year Published: 1961
Nominated by:
Aaryan S. (9th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Aaryan shares: “A hilarious book about military bureaucracy set in World War II. More specifically, its about how ridiculous the military can get if everyone is NUTS. It was funny in that there is so much nonsense (like Alice in Wonderland kind of nonsense), but also terrifying because that same nonsense was also extremely serious and resulted in the deaths of real people.”
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Year Published: 1963
Nominated by:
Journey G. (9th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Journey shares: “Cats Cradle follows an author who is researching a scientists deadly invention for a book, his research leads many odd discoveries including a new religion. This book was by far my favorite read this year since it critiques science, religion, and humanity through a humorous lense and really makes you think about the real world irony this fictional author faces.”
Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse by Alex Paknadel & Nick Filardi Year Published: 2024
Nominated by:
Vanessa R. (9th Grade, Decatur High School)
Vanessa shares: “A little lamb guy starts a cult in exchange for life again. It's based off my favorite game.”
Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse by Jeff Kinney Year Published: 2007
Nominated by:
Christopher G. (9th Grade, Todd Beamer High School)
Christopher shares: “Greg Heffely trying to live his teenage life to the fullest. It reminds me of when I read this book a while back and it still has the spark it had those years ago.”
I Survived: The Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis Year Published: 2018
Nominated by:
Cherine W. (9th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Cherine shares: “I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 is about two real grizzly bear attacks that happened on the same night in Glacier National Park. The book explains how campers were attacked after bears became used to human food. It shows that the tragedy was not just the bears’ fault, but also caused by unsafe human actions. Overall, the book teaches the importance of respecting nature and following wildlife safety rules.”
K-Pop Demon Hunters: For the Fans! by Angela Song Year Published: 2025
Nominated by:
Illyanna S. (9th Grade, Decatur High School)
Illyanna shares: “It follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, popular K-pop idols who are also elite fighters protecting the world from demons by night. I really liked the movie and saw there was a book about it and also lovedd it so much.”
Nimona by ND Stevenson Year Published: 2015
Nominated by:
Jacob D. (9th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Illyanna shares: “A supervillain gets a shape shifting side-kick who is super chaotic. They create a found family like bond.Its art style is fun and its story is entrancing.”
One Piece (Series) by Eiichiro Oda Year Published: 1997
Nominated by:
Keywa S. (9th Grade, TAF@Saghalie)
Keywa shares: “It has helped through some hard times and it’s just too good.”
Re:Zero (Series) by Tappei Nagatsuki Year Published: 2014
Nominated by:
Kyle E. (9th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Kyle shares: “A guy named Natsuki Subaru gets transported to another world and has the ability to return to a previous event by death. I find it inspiring how a man is able to overcome and endure so much suffering and is able to overcome many foes stronger than him.”
Scythe by Neal Shusterman Year Published: 2016
Nominated by:
Alvin P. (9th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Alvin shares: “The world has progressed to the point where everyone can be alive forever, but there are people who’s jobs are to permanently kill people, called Scythes. One of our protagonists, Rowan, stands by the side of one of his classmates who is about to be permanently killed, and when the job is done, the scythe who administered him poison was impressed by Rowan and decided to make him a Scythe. It takes a look into the secret society as a Scythe, and discusses moral values if death was no longer relevant.”
Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock Year Published: 1965
Nominated by:
Amalie M. (9th Grade, TAF@Saghalie)
Amalie shares: “It’s about someone who’s struggled a lot in life and just as they are getting better things get worse again but throughout the book they are able to get back up and even see their brother once again that they hadn’t seen in years and were able to overcome the things that came their way to proceed with a better life in the future. It’s also a beautiful love story as well in many aspects. It brought me to tears it was extremely emotional.”
Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh Year Published: 2024
Nominated by:
Sophia R. (9th Grade, Decatur High School)
Sophia shares: “A childhood best friends to lovers story about the characters Gibsie, someone who hides his trauma through humor and Claire who everyone says is the sunshine girl, dealing with problems at school and with family and friends, Claire figures out Gibsies trauma and attempts to help him, but not everything goes according to plan.”
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Year Published: 2005
Nominated by:
Hannah G. (9th Grade, Decatur High School)
Hannah shares: “A memoir written about her family, Jeannette Walls tells a story from her childhood into adulthood about her abnormal parents and how they raised her and her three siblings. It's a sad, funny, chaotic, vivid, and an overall amazing book. It's extremely well written and descriptive. As Jeannette grows older, she starts to see the flaws in her family and our heart breaks slowly with her. It's a must read, and my number one book of the year.”
Brotherband Chronicles: The Outcasts by John Flanagan Year Published: 2011
Nominated by:
Samuel S. (9th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Samuel shares: “The book Outcasts is about a group of boys which started their journey as little misfits that grew and became strong and skilled warriors as they went on their journey that tests their strength, knowledge, and teamwork. Before becoming true warriors, they first must pass many trials against other groups in their village to prove to everyone that they can become true warriors and prove that they're just as capable as anyone else. The Outcasts is my favorite book of the year because it's packed with exciting adventures, great teamwork, and humor.”
Tokyo Fears Rhapsody (Series) by Akira Sugito Year Published: 2025
Nominated by:
Fabiola F. (9th Grade, Decatur High School)
Fabiola shares: “It is about monsters called fears, this one specific fear named Hachiro used to terrorize towns and cities, but he tried ice-cream and he ended up loving It leading him to love human culture and wants to live his life as a human.”
True Blue by David Baldacci Year Published: 2009
Nominated by:
Sabrin M. (9th Grade, Todd Beamer High School)
Sabrin shares: “It's about 2 sisters fighting for their life in Washington D.C. It gave off a very chilling goosebumps vibe.”
5-Minute Self-Discipline Exercises by Christine Li Year Published: 2020
Nominated by:
Fahima R. (10th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Fahima shares: “5-Minute Self-Discipline is about building self-discipline by using small, simple habits each day. It explains how short actions can help you stay focused, motivated, and consistent. I like it because it gives simple advice that helps me stay focused and motivated.”
A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
Year Published: 2019
Nominated by:
Maymun D. (10th Grade, Todd Beamer High School)
Maymun shares: “Detective, murder, basically trying to figure out clues. It kept me on my toes while reading.”
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Year Published: 2018
Nominated by:
Mena B. (10th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Mena shares: “Focuses on the mechanics of human behavior.”
Bajo la misma estrella by John Green
Year Published: 2012
Nominated by:
Emiliano V. (10th Grade, Decatur High School)
Emiliano shares: “Trata de una persona que tiene cancer y nesecita oxigeno para respirar,el personaje tuvo que comenzar de nuevo a salir con amigos. Me gusto la trama.”
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Liani Taylor
Year Published: 2011
Nominated by:
Amelia H. (10th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Amelia shares: “The story follows an art student from Prague named Karou who runs errands for a chimaera named Brimstone, who grants wishes in exchange for teeth. On one of her errands she comes across and fights an angel named Akiva, who reveals the ancient war between the angels and the chimaera. The world building/magic system is very unique and detailed, the pacing is balanced, and the writing style is both funny and beautifully descriptive.”
Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights #1: Into the Pit by Scott Cawthon & Elley Cooper
Year Published: 2019
Nominated by:
Ona K. (10th Grade, TAF@Saghalie)
Ona shares: “A boy named Oswald who wants a better summer vacation in his hometown; in which he, at his town's local pizza place, goes into a ball pit that says do not use; and travels back in time to June, in 1985. A creature of agony knocks out Oswald's angered dad and pretends to be him, and Oswald has to save his dad whilst saving himself from becoming another dead kid.”
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Year Published: 2021
Nominated by:
Jackson C. (10th Grade, Decatur High School)
Jackson shares: “It's about a distopian world where people are killed by giant mechs and a girl that goes inside of them to destroy them and her encounter with a pilot of a mech. It's characters are flawed and realistic and in general the messages presented by the book are important.”
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Year Published: 1986
Nominated by:
Dorian U. (10th Grade, Todd Beamer High School)
Dorian shares: “Hatchet is about a teenage boy who's plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, and it follows his survival without communication with anyone else, and few resources at his disposal. It's one of the few books I can read multiple times and still enjoy like I've never read it before.”
Poe: Stories and Poems Adaptation by Gareth Hinds
Year Published: 2017
Nominated by:
Keshai T. (10th Grade, Decatur High School)
Keshai shares: “Graphic Novel Adaptations of a few of Edgar Allan Poe's Stories. I LOVE Edgar Allan Poe.”
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Year Published: 2025
Nominated by:
Abigail B. (10th Grade, Decatur High School)
Abigail shares: “Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel to The Hunger Games that takes place years before the original series. It focuses on an earlier Hunger Games and shows how the Capitol gained more power over Panem, while also giving more background on important characters and the growing rebellion. I really enjoyed the Hunger Games books and think this is definitely a good read, even if you're reading this before the other books.”
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Year Published: 2006
Nominated by:
Simon T. (10th Grade, Decatur High School)
Simon shares: “The book follows the journalism of the author, Michael Pollan, as he looks to answer the question 'As omnivores who could eat anything, how do we know what to eat?' He eats four different meals and explains the background behind how the food gets to his plate: An Industrial Meal (McDonald's), an Organic Meal (Whole Foods), Pastoral/Local Meal (Polyface Farm), and a Self-Foraged Meal. It is an extremely thought-provoking book and while non-fiction is hard to put down!”
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Year Published: 2000
Nominated by:
Malia E. (11th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Malia shares: “A sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. This book is my favorite read because its based on true events and has actually happened in real life. The book makes you put yourself in the families shoes and the way the details are being told is really amazing, I love every part of it which makes it the best book I've ever read.”
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Year Published: 1997
Nominated by:
Koko J. (11th Grade, Internet Academy)
Koko shares: “Harry Potter is a seven-book fantasy novel series by J.K. Rowling that follows the life of young wizard Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, focusing on their conflict with the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.”
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Year Published: 1997
Nominated by:
Jalivia J. (11th Grade, Decatur High School)
Jalivia shares: “The book is about a girl who was born on a day that everyone associates with chaos. Because of this, she is supposed to disappear on her 11th birthday, but she is saved by Jupiter North who brings her to Nevermoor. To keep her in Nevermoor as a citizen and not an illegal, she has to pass all the trials of the Wunderous Society, so she works with Jupiter as her patron to try and get into the society.”
Paper Dragon by Coralie Moss
Year Published: 2021
Nominated by:
Noella O. (11th Grade, Todd Beamer High School)
Noella shares: “Honestly this book kinda pulled me back in from reading block, I am a huge romance fantasy person so it was right up my alley, it has a mix of magic, danger, and slow burn tension that just hooks you in. It's one of those stories where you think alright just one more chapter, then suddenly it's way past the time I wanted to stop. Absolutely in love with the book.”
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Year Published: 2009
Nominated by:
Christian D. (11th Grade, Decatur High School)
Christian shares: “Book was never dull and had great characters to give different views and aspects.”
The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver
Year Published: 2019
Nominated by:
Marina J. (11th Grade, Decatur High School)
Marina shares: “Colter Shaw is what he calls a "Rewardist" who makes a living off of reward money from the "missing person" posters. Raised a survivalist by his mother and mysterious father, Colter has found himself in a situation where people have gone missing following the narrative of a horror game. In this small town you aren't sure who to trust. And who "The Gamer Is". I love this book because you never know what evidence will show up, and the book isn't written from Colter Shaw's perspective, so you're theorizing along with him on every page. A great start to a series for teenage readers who love a good mystery.”
Walter Wants to be a Werewolf! by Richard Harland
Year Published: 2003
Nominated by:
Kaela B. (11th Grade, Decatur High School)
Kaela shares: “I like the twist!”
Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Year Published: 2012
Nominated by:
Oliver L. (12th Grade, Truman Campus)
Oliver shares: “Finley a white high school senior in a violent Pennsylvania town who is tasked with mentoring Russ a traumatized basketball prodigy who calls himself Boy 21 and has stopped playing after his parent murder. The book expresses a lot in relatively few words.”
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Year Published: 1868
Nominated by:
Abigail M. (12th Grade, Federal Way High School)
Abigail shares: “It’s about 4 sisters in the 1860’s growing up together, going through hardship, celebration, loss, and learning how to be a family as they grow up and apart. As I’m getting older as the 2nd youngest of 4 and the first 2 are off at colleges hours away, I felt this book deeply and personally. It’s important to know that your family still loves you, wherever you are. It’s a long read, but the entire time it feels like a warm hug.”
The Book of Flying by Keith Miller
Year Published: 2004
Nominated by:
Analicia A. (12th Grade, Decatur High School)
Analicia shares: “A young poet falls in love with a winged girl and in order to be with her, he sets out on a journey to the thought to be mythical Morning Town in search of the Book of Flying in hopes to read it and gain his own wings. The characters, the descriptions, the development. All of it is nothing like I've read before, it had me from the first page.”
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Year Published: 1915
Nominated by:
Binetou D. (12th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Binetou shares: “A deeply psychological yet reflective book on the structure of society and how they only value us for our roles and productivity. It follows a man named Gregor, who is a traveling salesman. One day, he wakes up as a roach, being unable to work. Being the only provider for his family, they begin to dehumanize his existence and become disgusted and resentful of what Gregor has become. He struggles to maintain his "humanity" and soon dies after learning that he was only valued for his contributions within society. The story ends with the family feeling free that their burden of Gregor is gone, and hopeful for what the future will hold.”
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Year Published: 2023
Nominated by:
Katie K. (12th Grade, Thomas Jefferson High School)
Katie shares: “The book is about an overworked book publicist named Clementine who inherits her deceased aunt's apartment. But she falls in love with her temporary roommate who's living seven years in the past, turns out the apartment is magical. This book also explores the themes of grievance and moving on. This book is my favorite read for the year because it made me cry for a good 6 minutes and I enjoyed the plot, as well as how this story unfolded.”
