Libraries

2013

Summer  Reading  for

Rising  7th  Graders

Dear rising seventh 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.

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

of classes.

Please read at least four books this summer.

1) Read one book for our book discussion groups. The 8 choice are on the next page. If you don’t like the book you have chosen, you can switch to another group. Just email me at tvahlsing@abingtonfriends.net to let me know. Some groups may not have enough people to have a discussion and you won’t want to read a book that no one else has!

2) We highly encourage you to read one book by Josh Berk who will be our visiting author for the middle

3) The rest of your reading is completely your choice. The next pages contain a list of my suggestions if you need ideas. For these books, you should be prepared to write a brief review of the book for our library catalog. Other students will be able to read your reviews. We will write the reviews in the fall, but you may want to write some notes on your reading log for the summer, so you have an easier time remembering what happened in the book.

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.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email.Sincerely,

Toni VahlsingDirector of LibrariesAbington Friends School

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 2000 pages during the summer months, including the books required above. 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.

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Imagine waking up in a strange hospital with no memory of how you got there. You notice a -

ation. Instinct tells her to get out of there, so she does. Don’t Turn Around is an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne

When Celeste’s aunt enters her in the Husky Peach modelling contest, she doesn’t want to do it. Anything bad that could happen to Celeste usually does in this funny, yet heartbreaking look at what it feels like to be a larger sized person in middle school.

Leviathan by David Westerfeld

This alternative history looks at the beginning of World War I, but one side has developed animals to use them as weapons. The other side has amazing machines. In the middle of this, we meet the prince whose parents’ death has started the war, and a girl who wants to be part

unlikely companions meet and many adventures ensue.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

-ity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). When people turn 16, they can choose to switch to another faction. For Beatrice, the choice to switch is between staying with her family or being true to herself. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t read this quickly. A page-turner.

Maze Runner by James Dashner Thomas wakes up in a grey box, not remembering anything

This is a great story of teenagers trying to break the system that the adults have put them into. Lots of action and suspense, as well as intrigue.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Francie Nolan is growing up in the slums of Williamsburg in the early 1900’s. Her family is unforgettable. If you’re in the mood for a classics, this is the book for you.

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is very funny. You will laugh as you read this book. Adams got a chance to go see many animals who were on the brink of extinction. So if you like funny books, or if you like animals (and who doesn’t?), then this book is for you! If you get a chance to ask Justin about this book, he will rave about it.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend. Now Sarah Byrnes -- the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known -- sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she’s hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under.

Read one of these books for our book discussion groups. The choices are below. Remember, if you don’t like one, you can switch to another book. Just email tvahls-ing@abingtonfriends.net to let me know.

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.

Did you know? If you participate in your public li-brary’s summer reading program, you can get all sorts of free stuff? Some libraries enter teenagers into draw-ings for BIG prizes! Go to your public library. Anoth-er advantage of going... they will have many of these books and you won’t have to buy them!

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.

Read at least three additional books of your choice:

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

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem has the unique ability of seeing a number whenever she looks into another human’s eyes. It is the date of their death that she sees. When visiting the London Eye, she notices that everyone around here has today’s date in their eyes. She panics and runs away. Of course, there is a terrorist attack at the Eye, and now Jem is a suspect. She and her friend Spider are on the run.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie Hatter is resigned to a boring life running a hat shop, when the wicked Witch of the Waste puts a curse on her, aging her and making it impossible to tell anyone about the curse. Sophie ends up taking refuge in Howl’s moving castle. If you’ve seen the movie, read the book. It’s even better. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, do both.

Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter

Old Doc Altenheimer promised not to sell his orchard that includes the town’s baseball

Cruz de la Cruz with a bat in his saddlebags and a computer program to help the team with their batting. Tom, the benchwarmer, may just have to save the day.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake

Maleeka is relentlessly teased at school, not only for her good grades and her hand-made clothes, but for the darkness of her skin. When a new teacher arrives at school who has a white birthmark across her dark skin, Maleeka is sure there will be trouble for her, too. She is surprised by Miss Saunders’ attitude. Can Maleeka be proud of the skin she’s in, like Miss Saunders?

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

James and his sister were recently orphaned and James is in trouble. But he is brilliant at math and is secretly recruited to be a CHERUB agent. CHERUB agents are all under 17 years old and have to go through a grueling 110 day training. No one knows they exist. This thrilling adventure will make you want to read the rest of the series.

The Lighthouse Land by Adrian McKinty

Jamie and his mother have inherited a whole island in Ireland. They leave New York City to go live there. Jamie has been mute since he lost his left arm to bone cancer, but befriends talkative Ramsey in Ireland. Jamie discovers that the lighthouse is a portal to another world, one that is dying out. Many adventures and a love interest keep this fantasy series interesting.

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

Did you ever know a kid so quiet that you didn’t know he was there? The Schwa is like that. Anthony is his friend who starts to take advantage of the fact that the Schwa is practically invisible. Add in a blind girlfriend and an old man with lots of crazy dogs

The Angel Experiment (or other Maximum Ride Books) by James Patterson

They’ve escaped from the lab which created them and are usually trying to hide from everyone so they don’t get studied again (and kept in dog crates.) This fantastic series will always keep you on your toes as this adventure is full of surprises and action.

Toby Wheeler, 8th Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

Toby plays a lot of basketball at the rec center. He thinks he’s really good at basketball,

bench for most games. His relationship with his new coach is made more complicated by the friendship (or is it more?) with the coach’s daughter.

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko

Told in two voices, this book explores the cruelties of middle school. Kirsten in an over-weight girl who has lost her best friends. Walker is an African American boy who is new to a mostly white private school. They discover a secret that rocks them to the core.

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

I love the cynical humor in this book. Jamie’s older sister was killed in a terrorist attack. Her death has torn his family apart and his dad blames all Muslims. When he moves to a new school, the only person who will be his friend is a Muslim girl. He is torn between wanting to be a good friend and being a good son.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Wednesday afternoons are a time for religious instruction in the late 1970s. Kids either go to the Catholic church for instruction or to the synagogue. If you are the only Protes-tant in your grade, like Holling Hoodhood, you are stuck in class by yourself with your teacher. Holling is convinced that she hates him. Especially when she starts assigning him Shakespeare for their Wednesday afternoon sessions!

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

What would happen if you turned over your milk carton and saw your face there? Janey had been kidnapped when she was young and did not know it. Her whole world is turned upside down. Warning: make sure you have the second book in this series because this ends in a cliffhanger.

Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan

Maya lives like a captive with her grandmother who lies to her about her mother. When her grandmother dies, Maya moves to Wyoming to be with her mother’s family that

freedom.

The Fold by An Na

Joyce’s image-obsessed, rich aunt offers to pay for plastic surgery for Joyce to make her Asian eyes look more Western by adding a fold. If you’ve ever thought about a change you would like to make to your body, you will enjoy reading about Joyce’s struggle with this issue.

Nation by Terry Pratchett

A tsunami has wiped out everyone on Mau’s island except him. The same tsunami maroons a ship leaving one girl, Daphne, as the only survivor. Refugees from other islands arrive and Daphne and Mau help them. When raiders arrive, Mau must use all of his ingenuity to outsmart their leader.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Enter another world, where all humans have an animal companion, a daemon. Hu-mans and daemons are tethered together. In this world, a war is brewing, bigger than

three.

Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers

Abbey and her great-grandmother have been running a beauty shop together, but Gran-ny Po wants to retire, renting out her shop. When Gena arrives and turns it into a day

has a history of substance abuse, shows up and Abbey gives her mom her hard-earned savings so they can get a house and live together. Of course, things don’t turn out the way you’d want them to.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samatha Van Leer

What if the characters in a book were alive, and whenever you closed the book, they went about their own lives? Prince Oliver is stuck in his book and can’t stand the person he is supposedly in love with. He falls in love with a reader of his book. Told from dif-ferent perspectives, we occasionly get to read a few pages of the story from which Oliver is trying to escape. Really enjoyable!

Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix

At age 100, Melly and other residents of her old age home are given the chance to get a shot that will “unage” them. When they reach the ideal age, they can get another shot to stop the process. That shot kills the people who get it, so Melly and her friend Anny Beth are forced to get younger until they reach zero. This makes for all sorts of inter-

The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier

this book is told from alternating viewpoints. Trei is a boy who has lost his fam-

have in her world. Her resolve to get some of this freedom is tempered by a great loss. This seat-gripping adventure deals with themes of loyalty and belonging.

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

Reading Log Name_________________

Title Author # pages Date completed

Total pages

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