Libraries

Summer  Reading  forRising  5th  Graders

2013

Dear Rising Fifth Grader,

It’s time to think about summer reading! I hope you have lots of time to read books this summer. We want you to read books that you will enjoy, so we’ve included a lot of choice in your requirements. I realize that this is

Please keep a reading log this summer. There is an example at the end of this booklet. This allows you to record

classes.

1) Please read a book for our book discussion groups. You should have chosen one already and know what group you are in. If you need to start to read your book, and just don’t like it, you can switch to another book, just email tvahlsing@abingtonfriends.net, telling me you are doing so.

2)We encourage you to read a book by our visiting author, Josh Berk. Even if you don’t choose his book

for your book group, you will get more out of the author visit if you’ve read a book that he has written.

3)In all, you should read at least four books this summer- one for the discussion group and three others. At the end of this booklet is a list of my suggestions if anyone is stuck for what to choose. When you return to school, you will be writing a review of your free choice book. This will be put in our library catalog so other students can see if they would be interested in reading the book that you read. On your reading log, you should make some notes so that it will be easier to write the review.

Students will be able to check out books from the Faulkner Library for summer reading. Of course any books not returned in the fall will be billed.

I look forward to reading your reviews in the fall. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me. Sincerely,

Toni VahlsingDirector of LibrariesAbington Friends School(215) 576-3976tvahlsing@abingtonfriends.net

Distinguished Summer Reading: For those of you who want an additional challenge, aim to become a “Distinguished Reader.” To earn this recognition, you must do the following:1) Read 1000 pages during the summer months. 2) Write an additional review for our catalog in the fall.3) Total the pages that you read on your reading log.

recognized in other ways as well.

Strike Three You’re Dead by Josh Berk

I laughed out loud three times before I got to page 10! Three middle school friends attempt to solve a mystery. Set in the Philadelphia suburbs with a baseball theme, I think most of you will like this book. Josh Berk will be our visiting author in the fall. It would be great if you would read this book before he comes. If you buy a copy this summer, he can sign it when he comes.

We highly suggest that you read a book by Josh Berk. He is the visiting author in the fall. If you like books that are funny, I think you will like his books. This is also one of the choices for our book discussion groups.

Read one of these books for our book discussion groups. The choices are on this page and the next. Remember, if you don’t like one, you can switch to another book. Just email tvahlsing@abingtonfriends.net to let me know.

Flush by Carl Hiaasen Noah’s dad is convinced that a casino boat is illegally dumping sewage into the harbor. He takes matters into his own hands by sinking the boat. Unfortunately the boat is pumped out and back in action and Noah’s dad ends up in jail. Now Noah is determined to prove that the boat is polluting the harbor. He and his strange crew of helpers try to solve a mys-tery and get his dad out of jail!

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Esperanza is a rich girl in Mexico until a tragedy forces her mother and her to escape to California. They end up in a migrant workers camp. Esperanza is not ready to work hard or face hardship, until her life depends on it.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Sal entertains her grandparents by telling them the strange story of Phoebe Win-terbottom. While that story unfolds, we learn of Sal’s own story and her desire to be reunited with her missing mother. These two stories are woven beautifully together.

More book group choices. Choose one of our 8 books:

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Told from the point of a girl with Cerebral Palsy who cannot talk or make other complicated bodily movements, this is a book that everyone should read. It will make you sad, touched, and angry as well as make you re-think any interactions you have had with kids in wheel-chairs. Wow.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. It’s also where three lives are about to be changed forever. Told in alternating perspectives,

Knucklehead by Jon ScieszkaRemember The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs? Those are just some of the funny books written by Jon Scieszka. How did he get to be so funny, anyway? This biography told in short vignettes tells us of his adventures in his house full of brothers. Even the back cover is funny.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Magic, Friendship, evil guardians, adventure... this book has it all. There is good rea-son this is a best seller. If you haven’t read it because you saw the movie, you should read it. There are many things the movie cannot portray: more shops in Diagon Alley, a different meeting with Malfoy, and much more.There is much the movie cannot portray.

Reminder! You can get most of these books from your public library at no cost to you. Sign up for their sum-mer reading program while you are there to get prizes.

Read at least four books this summer.

Here are some suggestions- you can read what you want to read. The point of summer reading is to enjoy it.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Foster and her mom are on the move and accidentally end up in a small town. Foster has never learned to read, a fact that she tries to hide. She dreams of one day having her own cooking show. The cast of characters that help Foster and her mom get back on their feet is truly memorable.

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

Rosalind is a British 15 year old, living in India, who was not packed off to England to go to boarding school like most other Brits. She is a really interesting character who does not do what is expected of her, but in a good way. Gandhi is a force in India at the time, and in Rosalind’s life. The book is almost too short, though it leaves me imagin-ing what will happen to Rosalind next.

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

next day, it is still their birthday. They have to relive their birthdays until they do some-thing right, but they don’t know what to do differently.

Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen

Nolan wears his pants too short and is good with computers. Bubba Bixby starts calling him “Nerd”. When Bubba Bixby tells people to do something, they do it. So everyone

call him out on his bullying. You will love Mr. Green, Nolan’s teacher and sidekick. You will love hating Bubba. You will want to read the rest of the series.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

Joey can’t keep still. He can’t help it that he does whatever pops into his head, especially

swallowing his house key, Joey can’t seem to get it right. His teachers are threatening to send him to the special ed school in the middle of town.

Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen

wanders too far from the wagon train and gets captured by Pawnees. It takes wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one armed-man to save him. What an adventure!

About Average by Andrew Clements

If you haven’t read anything by Andrew Clements, I highly recommend his books, especially Frindle. If you’ve read Frindle, read About Average, his newest book. Jor-dan Johnson is a C student, and average at almost everything, except for a few things

This story takes place over the course of one day, and what an unusal day it turns out to be!

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Don’t judge a book by its movie! This book is fantastic, while the movie is not. Ella is cursed by a fairy as a baby to always do as she is told. Wisely, Ella keeps this a secret

-manding her to do worse and worse things. How can Ella break the spell?

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Delphine and her sisters travel to Los Angeles to visit a mother they barely know. She resents that they are there and sends them to a summer camp run by the Black Panthers. Delphine has always taken care of her sisters and now her worries are heightened. Can she keep her sisters safe?

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Luke has never been to school because he is never allowed out of his house. No one must know that Luke is alive. He is a third child and families are only allowed to have two children. Luke thinks he sees the signs of another third child in the new housing development next door. Does he dare try to contact her?

As Simple as it Seems by Sarah Weeks

Verbena makes the shocking discovery that she is not the biological child of the people

not want to be like them. It’s summer and her best friend is gone. A new boy moves in next door, but Verbena can’t seem to do anything right when he is around.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

The castle Glower isn’t just any ordinary castle. It can add rooms whenever it becomes bored! The castle can give opinions on people by how it decorates their rooms. Princess Celie’s parents disappear and suddenly other kingdoms are trying to take over. Read how the castle tries to help. What fun!

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Two stories; One told in words, one completely in pictures. They are set in two different time periods, so you might wonder how the stories will connect, but they do! Mystery, adventure, friendship, exploring a museum, plus great illustrations. What could be bet-ter?

Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica

Nate Brody has a great arm. He is an 8th grade quarterback who wins the chance to win a million dollars. Unfortunately, just when he needs it, his arm starts to fail him. His dad loses his job, and his best friend Abby is going blind. All Nate feels is a lot of pressure. Will he be able to make the throw?

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

Emma, has a really unfortunate name. As she says, her mother didn’t say it aloud before naming her. She is super tall, really pale, and nothing like her mother’s Italian family, the only family she knows. Emma gets an invitation to her father’s family reunion in Wiscon-

adventure to get to the reunion on her own.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

It is hard not to fall in love with the Penderwick sisters. After losing their mother to can-cer, their father takes them on a summer adventure where they meet the incredibly inter-esting Jeffrey. You’ll laugh as you read about their escapades as they attempt to evade Jeffrey’s tyrannical mother. Curl up with a glass of lemonade on the hammock and enjoy this great summer read.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Emmy’s life changes dramatically when her loving parents suddenly inherit a great deal of money and leave her with the dreaded nanny, Miss Barmy. To make matters worse, Emmy feels invisible at school until...she is bitten by the class rat and can suddenly understand everything he says. Then she discovers that Joe, the cool kid, is in the same boat. These two

you can enjoy the next two books in the series.

Did you know that if you sign up for your public library’s summer reading program, you can win prizes for bringing them a reading log?

You can also get a free book from Barnes and Noble!

These books are recommended by current 5th graders: Title AuthorThe Apothecary Maile MeloyWonderstruck Brian SelznickThe Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian SelznickChomp Carl HiaasenAny book from the Sisters Grimm series Michael BuckleyThe Goddess Girls series Joan HolubClaws Michael and Rachel GrintiThe Warrior series Erin HunterThe Unicorn Chronicles series Bruce CovilleA Percy Jackson and the Olympians book Rick Riordan

To sum up:1) Read a book for our book discussion groups.2) Read at least three other books of your choice.3) Keep a reading log.

This is a sample reading log. You can turn this in, or make your own.

can get a free book at B&N. You can make a copy of that form to count as your reading log.

Reading Log Name_________________

Title Author # pages Date completed

Total pages