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Wondering what to read this summer? Here are some book lists and recommendation services to help!

Summer Reading Book Lists

SFUSD/SFPL Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8

American Library Association Grades 3-5

We are Kid Lit Collective

Horn Book Magazine 4th-6th Grade

Awards & “Best of” Book Lists

NPR Books We Love 2025 Kids

2026 ALA Youth Media Award Winners

Reading Recommendation Services

TeachingBooks Reader’s Advisory

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Summer Stride 2026: It’s Coming! | San Francisco Public Library

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Here are some places to find sources for your biography research.

Synergy Alexandria Library Catalog - search for your person, or search for "biography" to list all biographies.

Britannica School - search for your person, or if you haven't picked one yet, try the middle school level and browse the biographies by gender, era, nationality/culture, and/or what the person is known for.

WikiQuote is a good place to look for quotes because it contains a citation for every quote.

Newsela is a good place to look for primary sources.

Gale in Context: Elementary School - good place to look for primary and secondary sources.

Gale in Context: Middle School - if you don't find your person in the Elementary version, try this one.

Kiddle.co search engine for kids - search for your person. Gives kid-friendly results.

Here are some tips for citing your sources and formatting your bibliography.

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Siege of Yorktown. Auguste Couder, oil on canvas. 1836. 

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Loyalist or patriot? If you are looking for more information about your historical figure from the American Revolutionary period, you will find them either in Britannica School (try Middle or High School levels) or Gale in Context: Elementary.

Need more information on your topic related to your historical fiction book group? Try Kiddle.co search engine, Britannica School (middle or high school levels), Gale in Context: Elementary School, Gale in Context: Middle School, and Newsela.

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Susanne's Science Fair Project Tips

Do you need some inspiration for your topic?

Search the Synergy Library catalog for "science fair" or "science project" to find books with project ideas.

Try Science Buddies' Topic Selection Wizard to find project ideas.

Browse Science Fair Adventure and Science Bob for project ideas.

The Exploratorium has interesting activities that may inspire a science fair project.

Do you need to understand your topic better? Research it using:

Britannica School (password is "library")

Gale Elementary (password is "library")

National Geographic Kids

Gale Middle School (password is "library")

Gale Interactive Science

Kiddle.co (curated search results)

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John Tayaba of the Miwok tribe performs at the Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. AP Photo/Craig A. Young 

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Here are some places you can search for information about indigenous peoples of California and other regions of North America.

Epic Schools Plus class code: cvr2356 (eBooks)

Britannica School password: library (Encyclopedia)

PebbleGo Next login: synergy password: library Click on HOME icon and then select PebbleGo Next.

Gale in Context Elementary password: library(Articles)

Kiddle.co (Websites)

National Museum of the American Indian (Photos, art)

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Some good places to look for information for your California research are:

Britannica School
Gale in Context Elementary
Kiddle.co (Websites)
Synergy Library or SFPL (Books)

Susanne's tips on gathering information

Citation worksheet

Text features of information books

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Books on California Missions from Epic!

Websites to further your research

Facts:

California Missions Native History

California Native Perspectives of the Mission Era (video)

The Spanish Missions of California

Fact Cards: Missions

Fact Cards: Mission Life

Images:

Pics4Learning: California Missions

Calisphere: California Missions

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Resources for writing Gold Rush narratives.

Books and articles from our school resources:

Synergy Library books on Gold Rush

Epic! California Gold Rush ebooks

Gale in Context: California Gold Rush (password: library)

Britannica School: California Gold Rush  (password: library)

Newsela: California Gold Rush (class code to join Newsela: 37D4A8)

Websites for more research:

Impact of the Gold Rush on Native Americans of California

Oakland Museum of California's Gold Rush, including  Natives and Immigrants view of the Gold Rush (click on four corners of image to navigate)

PBS American Experience The Gold Rush

Map of Major "Strikes"

Impact on Native Tribes

Chinese Immigrants

African Americans

Calisphere

California Gold Rush 1848 to 1865

African Americans Gold Rush to 1900

Chinese Americans Gold Rush to 1890s

Museum of City of San Francisco historical writings and images

California Gold Rush poetry

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Resources for 4/5 Podcasting project. We are recording, editing, and publishing using Soundtrap for Education.

Soundtrap maintains an official YouTube channel with a playlist of video tutorials covering different features and techniques in Soundtrap.

The Soundtrap Help Center provides written tutorials and guides on various aspects of using Soundtrap, including recording, editing, and adding effects.

Websites to download free sound effects or background music:

Pixabay: A platform known for its vast collection of free media, including over 70,000 sound effects available for download. No login required.

SoundGator: Offers a range of free sound effects for download, categorized for easy browsing. No login required.

Sound Bible: Provides a collection of royalty-free sound effects and clips that can be downloaded without registration.

Partners in Rhyme: Offers free sound effects and background music for personal and educational use. Be careful -- the site links to other sites that might not be free.

Orange Free Sounds: A resource for free sound effects and music loops, covering various categories. Be careful -- there are a lot of ads that take you to sites that are not free.

FreeSFX: Provides a library of free sound effects. Requires creating an account.

Zapsplat: Offers a wide range of free sound effects and background music, including a dedicated category for headphones and speakers. Requires creating an account. Some tracks require a paid account to download.

ZapSplat Music: A section of ZapSplat specifically dedicated to free background music downloads. Requires creating an account. Some tracks require a paid account to download.

Freesound: A collaborative database of creative-commons licensed sound effects, allowing users to download and share audio clips.Requires creating an account.

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PebbleGo Next lets students explore and learn about a range of topics (4th-8th grade). To login, username: synergy password: library Be sure to click the "Home" icon and then go to "PebbleGo Next" module.

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Get help finding books you like, author videos and book readings, and more.

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Three generations of Uchida family at Manzanar War Relocation Center, 1944

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Prisoners at Home: Everyday Life in Japanese Internment Camps Digital Public Library

Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive (JARDA)
Collection of materials from museums, libraries, and archives focusing on internment in California

Japanese American Internment Photographs, videos, and articles from the National Archives

Digital Library of Japanese American Incarceration free ebooks available from Internet Archive

Japanese-American Internment Camp Newspapers, 1942 to 1946 Library of Congress

Resource Guide to Media on the Japanese American Removal and Incarceration guide to resources of interest for grades 3-5

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Search Synergy's collection of print books (plus some ebooks and audiobooks). To login, username: first name plus last initial(s), password: synergy

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Read eBooks, audio books, and watch videos.  Now 24/7 access from home and school.  4th & 5th grade students, go to http://kids.getepic.com/students, enter class code cvr2356 and select your name to get started!

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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A great place to start your research. To login, password: library.

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Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

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Borrow eBooks, audio, and read-alongs. To login, find Synergy School (we are part of the BAISL Shared Digital Collection). Your username is your first name plus last initial(s), e.g. GeorgeW or GeorgeWC.

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Dive in, explore, and search with this database for elementary students (2nd-6th grade). To login, password: library.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary

Gale In Context: Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits), introduces elementary school students to database searching with easy-to-use resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary Gale In Context: Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits), introduces elementary school students to database searching with easy-to-use resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Spanish language research database (1st-12th grade).  To login, password: library.

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Bienvenido a Britannica Escolar , un recurso informativo para la educación primaria y secundaria que es seguro, actualizado y apropiado para cada nivel educativo.

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Kiddle.co is a kid-friendly search engine. It uses Google search and a curated list of search results.

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Use your SFPL card to access ebooks, videos, research database, and homework help. Any student of a San Francisco school can apply for a library card.

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Residents of California may receive a free library card. A San Francisco Public Library card opens the door to a world of information and entertainment. In addition to borrowing books, LPs, and museum passes, your card allows you to download digital media, use electronic databases, take online classes, use library computers, and more.

Apply online (or fill out and print the paper application) and then present a valid photo ID in-person at any SFPL location to receive a library card. The Library does not issue library cards online; you must visit in-person.

People ages 13-18 can show valid ID or have a parent / guardian sign.

A parent / guardian must sign for anyone under age 13.

San Francisco residents who have a disability or long-term medical condition that prevents you from visiting the Library may use Home Library Services.

Educators living or working in SF may apply for a Teacher Card.

SFPL also offers Welcome, Digital Access, and Visitor cards for those who don't have a CA ID. Visitor cards cost $10 and are valid for 3 months.

Your library card and PIN are used to access your online account at sflib1.sfpl.org/patroninfo.

You may wish to register for a BiblioCommons account as well, and use it to track your checkouts and more. If you are logging into this account for the first time, you will need to enter your 14-digit card number (username) and PIN/password (password).

If you have forgotten your PIN/password or need to reset it, use our PIN/password reset tool at sflib1.sfpl.org/pinreset.

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Residents of California may receive a free library card. A San Francisco Public Library card opens the door to a world of information and entertainment. In addition to borrowing books, LPs, and museum passes, your card allows you to download digital media, use electronic databases, take online classes, use library computers, and more.

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Susanne DeRisi, Librarian
library@synergyschool.org

(415) 579-0033

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Explore science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. Includes National Geographic magazine from 2009 - present, 350 books, videos,  images, and more.

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About National Geographic Kids

Explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. Best for children aged 6-14.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About National Geographic Kids Explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. Best for children aged 6-14. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Use interactive tools to zoom, rotate, and explore 3D models. Covers biology, chemistry, human anatomy, and earth/space science.

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About Interactive Science

Manipulate 3D interactive models to visualize and understand concepts in biology, chemistry, earth, and space science.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Interactive Science Manipulate 3D interactive models to visualize and understand concepts in biology, chemistry, earth, and space science. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Explore environmental issues like climate change, pollution, water rights, etc.

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About Gale In Context: Environmental Studies

Understand environmental issues that affect people globally through topic overviews, journals, news, and multimedia content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Gale In Context: Environmental Studies Understand environmental issues that affect people globally through topic overviews, journals, news, and multimedia content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Current news and non-fiction (grades 2-12). https://newsela.com/join/class-code-form/ Class code: 37D4A8