Yay, summer! Check out our long list of recommended reads … there’s something for everyone!

Sometimes, when reshelving books, I see passers-by out the library windows pausing to read the essential question posed in Jo Edwards’ colorful mural at our entrance: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Libraries provide access to a world of information and a universe of imagination. But they also do something even more magical and essential: they allow students the opportunity to exercise agency over their own interests and their own learning.

At Linder, we’ve always believed school should be a place where students thrive—not just academically, but as whole people. We also believe school should foster a love of learning, not that feeling of a groundhog-day style grind. As we launch a new Upper School at The Linder Academy, we’re doubling down on that belief. Our Upper School is built around one radical idea: high school doesn’t have to look the way it always has.

At Linder Academy, students aren’t just keeping pace—they’re thriving. With up to 11 months of academic growth in half that time, our personalized, mastery-based approach is helping students rediscover their confidence and love for learning.

At Linder, our library is a resource not only for students but also for their families. We are proud to have cultivated a section geared specifically toward helping navigate the challenges of raising neurodiverse children, as well as a collection for kids on coping, belonging, and being yourself.

I’ve had lots of requests from parents for book recommendations for their children, customized lists compiled based on a student’s reading level and their interests—of course, with my gentle nudging to widen interests, if needed.

Too often treated as a separate narrative, Black history is deeply woven into the foundation and progress of our nation. This month in the library, we highlighted the stories, innovations, resilience, and cultural impact of Black Americans.

At Linder, science class gets a little furrier thanks to Lulu and Bandit, our classroom ferrets and stars of the student-run “Linder Zoo.” In our Animal Science elective, students don’t just learn about animals—they care for them, study their behavior, and build empathy along the way.