NHSA Summer Reading List
Read Along with NHSA This Summer!
This summer, the North Hudson Sewerage Authority (NHSA) invites you to dive deeper into the world of water through reading. Whether you're a curious young reader or a lifelong learner, this list has a recommendation for you! These books will inspire wonder, spark conversation, and deepen your appreciation for one of Earth's most vital resources.
Elementary School Readers
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks by Joanna Cole
The first book in the original Magic School Bus series! Ms. Frizzle drives the Magic School Bus into a cloud, where the children shrink to the size of water droplets and follow the course of water through the city's waterworks system.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
A New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book that honors Indigenous-led movements across North America. When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people’s water, one young Ojibwe water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource. A lyrical, urgent call for environmental justice.
The Girl Who Tested the Waters: Ellen Swallow, Environmental Scientist by Patricia Daniele
The remarkable story of Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman admitted to MIT, who pioneered the science of water quality testing in the 1800s. A trailblazer whose work laid the groundwork for modern environmental science.
The Day the River Caught Fire by Barry Wittenstein
The true story of how the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire in 1969— and how that disaster lit the spark for the first Earth Day and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Middle School
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor–which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. When his father sinks the boat and ends up in jail, Noah becomes determined to prove that the boat IS dumping illegally. A fast-paced, funny environmental mystery set in the Florida Keys. Perfect for the reader who loves wild adventures!
City of Water by Andrea Curtis
A richly illustrated nonfiction book that traces the journey of water from its source through the city and back again, exploring issues of access, health, and sustainability. Eye-opening for anyone who turns on a faucet without a second thought.
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
Lucy's mother was a marine biologist obsessed with great white sharks. After a sudden loss, Lucy discovers her mother's unfinished field guide and sets out to complete it — a tender, beautifully written novel about grief, the ocean, and the connections that hold us.
Water by Subhash Singh Vyam
Drawing on a Gond fable and his own memories of leaving a water-scarce village for the city, the author asks: 'Did we take more than our due?' A visually stunning picture book for older readers about equity, nature, and our responsibility to the world's most vital resource.
High School
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
Set in the Sundarbans, the vast mangrove delta of India and Bangladesh, this novel follows an American marine biologist searching for rare river dolphins, a Delhi translator, and a local fisherman whose lives collide with tragic consequences. A stunning meditation on nature, belonging, and the tension between conservation and human survival.
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
The 1962 landmark that launched the modern environmental movement. Carson meticulously documented how the widespread use of pesticides was devastating wildlife and poisoning waterways — and helped spark the creation of the EPA. One of the most important books of the 20th century.
Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving Earth's Ocean, Lakes, Rivers & Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Kaye & Philippe Cousteau
A practical, inspiring guide co-authored by a grandson of Jacques Cousteau. Covers the science of water scarcity and pollution and gives young readers concrete tools for activism and stewardship in their own communities.
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
The acclaimed nature writer travels to Ecuador, India, and Canada to explore a radical and ancient idea: that rivers are living beings with rights of their own. Part adventure, part legal argument, part poetry — a timely and transformative book about how we must rethink our relationship with the world's waterways.
Adults
Superman's Not Coming by Erin Brockovich
The environmental activist who inspired the Oscar-winning film sounds the alarm: America's water crisis is not coming — it's already here. With stories from Flint, Michigan to New Jersey, Brockovich delivers a no-nonsense guide to what's in your drinking water and how ordinary citizens can fight back.
Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush
A Pulitzer Prize finalist. Through lyrical reportage and firsthand testimonials from communities already losing their homes to rising seas — from the Louisiana bayou to Staten Island — Rush makes the climate crisis vivid, human, and achingly real.
Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin
Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize. The gripping investigative story of how chemical companies spent decades dumping toxic waste into the water supply of a quiet New Jersey town — and the cluster of childhood cancers that resulted. A riveting account of corporate greed, government failure, and the citizens who refused to be silenced. Highly relevant to our own region.
Water: A Biography by Giulio Boccaletti
A sweeping history of civilization's relationship with water, from ancient irrigation systems to modern dams and droughts. Boccaletti argues that how societies manage water has always shaped their politics, power, and survival — and will determine our future.
Be sure to check out your local public library!
Most titles are available for free borrowing in print and digital formats.